Sengé Chows

CHOW DIET

Just like us a healthy diet promotes a healthy animal and the benefits in the long term are great. This is the dietary regime we prefer and feed our chows.

In order to ensure that your Chow grows into a healthy adult, we advocate feeding only to obtain a moderate to slow growth rate. Chows have a skeletal structure similar to that of giant breeds. If he is grown too quickly, serious skeletal problems can arise. You should be able to feel, without having to press hard, the vertebrae of your Chow and the ribs. If an abnormal growth rate is observed (too thin-too heavy) then adjust food levels. NEVER attempt to grow or raise your puppy too rapidly.

A Chow over the age of nine months requires a slightly lower protein level that a younger puppy. Your Chow's muscles and tissues are still developing, however not at the same rate as that of a much younger Chow. Therefore your Chow will now require less protein; now is the time when we start reducing the protein level to about 15-20%. It is very important that the protein used is both easily consumed and utilized. Yoghurt (plain, live), cottage cheese, chicken, lamb and kangaroo are all good sources. Do NOT feed raw eggs to a puppy under the age of six months.

A large proportion (between 60-80%) of your Chow's diet should be made up of raw meaty bones or a combination of meat and bones. Each Chow should be given approximately 20% of it's own bodily weight in RMBs (eg, a 30 kilo chow would be fed 6 kgs RMBs per week). The next most important ingredients are fruits and vegetables which should comprise about 15-20%. Grains can be fed at nominal amounts, if at all - at the most 5-10%. This diet is designed to keep your dog in optimum health.

CLEAN FRESH WATER MUST BE AVAILABLE AT ALL TIMES

MEAT:

Meat is one of the most important of all the Chow's needs and so quality is very important. All meat should be fed RAW. Organ meats (purchased from a supermarket or butcher), skinless chicken, chicken necks or backs, lamb necks, kangaroo are the main types of meat we feed, although most meat purchased from a butcher and fit for human consumption will do. Pork and turkey are the exceptions. Pork is very difficult for Chow stomachs to digest, so it is not recommended. Turkey has an enzyme in it that is very dangerous for dogs (it doesn’t seem to affect humans), so it is not recommended. However, the odd bit of either probably won't hurt. Dogs are often found to be allergic to beef , so in general we don't recommend it, though we do feed calves liver.

BONES:

NO COOKED BONES EVER

Bones are wonderful “toothbrushes” for our dogs and keep mouth and gums clean and fresh, with no bad breath! RAW chicken bones are fine, as are lamb necks. We advise not feeding large or round leg bones as they can break the Chow's teeth. Please do not leave bones sitting on the kitchen counter or anywhere else where they can dry out. Dry brittle bones and cooked bones easily splinter, and these splinters can perforated the stomach and intestinal system.

SARDINES:

The Chows love them!! Put a 1/3 of a can (standard soup can size) as a meat substitute on your Chow's meal about once a week.

VEGETABLES & FRUIT:

Most vegetables and fruit are OK except onions or raw potatoes that have green on them, which can be toxic to dogs. Vegetables and fruit must be ripe, and the riper the better. Use all the scraps from the family dinner preparation ie: skin of carrots, broccoli stalks, celery tops, outer leaves of lettuce cabbage etc. NO potato peelings though (raw potatoes are also toxic to dogs). Green leafy vegetables, like spinach, celery etc, carrots, heaps of zucchini, sweet potato and pumpkin, bananas, apples, rock-melon are what we feed regularly.

Ideally they should be put through a juicer or food processor and the pulp and juice fed raw. Alternatively they could be grated as finely as possible. Cooked veggies are fine but raw is best.

GRAINS:

Only very occasionally do we feed any grains at all, and when we do, it is usually cooked barley or rolled oats or cooked dried lentils. Sometimes, we also add mashed potatoes.

We avoid wheat, corn and soy products, as Chows are often allergic to these three grains. Hot spots are indication of this allergy. We prefer to avoid the possibility all together.

DAIRY PRODUCTS AND EGGS:

Live culture yoghurt and cottage cheese should be given 4 times a week. A couple of tablespoons each for an adult dog.

2-3 raw eggs a week will do for an adult Chow. Shells and all can be crushed and put into the “mush” meal. These can serve as a meat substitute.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR:

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a wonderful product and should be included in all “mush” meals - about 3 tablespoons per adult Chow. ACV helps the immune system as well as the digestive system.

KELP:

Powdered, available from most good pet shops. Kelp helps keep the dog healthy. It contains loads of vitamins & minerals. About ½ teaspoon every other day, except days when you are feeding sardines, is sufficient.

BREWERS YEAST:

Brewers yeast, not cooking yeast, is an excellent source of the B vitamins, and it is available from most good pet shops , supermarkets and health food shops. About 1 ½ teaspoons in mush meal per adult dog.

Brewers yeast and kelp can be mixed, 3 parts yeast to 1 part kelp, and stored in a container. Two teaspoons of mix per adult dog.

OILS:

A tablespoon of virgin olive oil a day for an adult Chow is sufficient. Please NEVER use canola oil - it contains ingredients toxic to Chows.

VITAMINS & MINERALS:

Vitamin C is an excellent anti oxidant and helps to keep the immune system healthy. Please use Ester C powder or calcium ascorbate. Chows do best on at least 4000 mg per day, in two separate doses.

The Chows in our household also get 500 mg Vitamin E per day, 1000 mg Primrose oil per day, 1 1000 mg capsule of salmon oil, 1 tablet of zinc per day, 1 tablet of trace minerals per day and 1 capsule of Vitamin A per week.

OTHER THINGS:

Other foods that are great are raw honey, molasses and dried fruits as treats. An occasional handful of raw almonds thrown into the food processor with fruit and vegetables is a treat.

All meals should be served at room temperature, although a little warm broth or warm water can be used to warm up the food you are about to serve..

Never give frozen bones, make sure they are completely defrosted. Never give your Chow hooves or rawhides as chew toys. The hooves are known to splinter and cause damage to the digestive tract and the rawhides are difficult to digest..

It all sounds rather daunting doesn’t it?!

It is really quite simple when you get into the swing of things.

WHERE DO WE START:

Lets start with a “mush” meal.

Into a food processor, put a variety of chopped veggies and fruit blend, say 60 grams of chicken mince or kangaroo or liver or brains or other organ meat (we recommend offal 3 times a week), the apple cider vinegar and kelp powder mix, the vitamins and minerals and olive oil, top with some yoghurt. Mix well and serve. Vary the ingredients over the week to include eggs, cottage cheese, offal etc.

We feed our adult Chows this mush 2-3 times per week.

If necessary, meals can be made in bulk and frozen in daily portions. If you elect to do this, add the Vitamin C and other supplements at the time the meal is served.

Basically, we recommend that the Chow be fed raw meaty bones (RMBs) such as chicken carcasses, lamb necks and so on) equal to 20% of their bodily weight per week. For example, a 25 kilo Chow should have about 5 kilos of RMBs per week. We give our Chows a whole chicken carcass or a quarter of a lamb neck every morning. In addition, you can give them "recreational" bones, such as a small marrow bones (raw lamb leg bone or larger marrow bones that the butcher has sliced vertically for you). Augment this with daily veggie mush meals. How much will depend on the individual Chow and their ideal weight. It will probably average about 2-4 cups per day for an adult.

We do give table scraps as a treat if there are any leftovers from the humans' meals.

To determine the ideal weight in an adult doesn't require scales, but rather your hands. Place your hands on either side of the adult Chow's ribcage and press lightly. Can you feel the ribs without pressing too hard, through too much flesh? That's perfect. If the ribs, particularly the last rib, are very easy to feel with no pressing, then the Chow needs a bit more weight on - increase the chicken carcass intake and the veggies. Do you have to really press through a lot of flesh to find the ribs, then the Chow needs to take off some weight - reduce the meal sizes somewhat.

YOUNG PUPS

10-20 weeks: Two meals a day, plus at least one chicken neck a day (make sure they chew this rather than simply swallow - you may need to hold it at one end as they chew on the other). Chows should be fed 2 meals a day until they are 10-12 months old.

NEVER LEAVE YOUNG PUPS TO EAT UNSUPERVISED

Young pups, because they are growing so quickly, need just that bit more nutrition. In their first 5 months, we like to feed a mush meal every night and a veggies/fruit meal for breakfast most mornings, with a bone "snack" in between. Chicken necks (separate skin from neck), wings or backs are great for these bone meals and disappear pretty quickly so there is no waiting around for pups to finish their snack. Also for breakfast every other day, give the puppy some heart or liver (no more than 60-75 grams) chopped up with some yoghurt, and some veggie mix and some of the Vitamin C. This ensures the puppy gets the best start in life and lots of goodies to grow healthy and strong.

Bones are vital to a young pup as they need the calcium to build their own bones. Offal or heart should be fed at least every other day with either breakfast or dinner to give much needed iron.

When adding the supplements to young pup's meals, just use a pinch of everything building up to the adult amount at about 6-7 months.

Once pups leave their mother they don’t need any extra milk; yoghurt and cottage cheese supply all these needs.

THINGS TO AVOID:

Too much protein. Chows have a very low tolerance to concentrated protein, which is why it is recommended that no more 15-20roductions% of their diet is comprised of meat/offal. Hot spots are often a consequence of too much protein.

Chocolate can be toxic to dogs.

Please avoid all foods containing colorants and preservatives.

Sugar and salt laden foods are a hazard for dogs. In fact, many Chows are very allergic to salt and ingesting it can also cause hot spots.

Store bought, packaged or canned dog food. Kibble generally contains high levels of wheat and soy and often the protein content is excessive for Chows. Canned dog food has too much protein and too little other beneficial nutrients.

EMERGENCY MEALS:

Keep a couple of tins of Tom Piper sausage and vegetables or braised steak in the pantry. A quick meal can be made from some eggs scrambled in the microwave and added to a can of soup. Some peanut butter on rice cakes. These meals are OK in an emergency but shouldn’t be fed as a matter of course.

BOWLS:

We recommend stainless steel bowls for food and water.

We are available at any time during your Chow's life for help with anything that will ensure *our* Chows are happy and healthy. Please don’t hesitate to call us. Good luck with this bundle of love. Your heart will never be the same!

Judith-Ann Robertson & Brian Ashen

and the Sengé Chow Chows

P.O. Box 141, Woodend, VIC 3442

Tel: (03) 5427 3300 Fax: (03) 5427 3488

Email: senge@iprimus.com.au