Chow Chow question

[Nico732]

Hi I'm new on here and just have a quick question. Is it possible for a pure bred Chow to have a more of a pink tongue than a blue one? Even if its mostly pink with a few blue spots and the back and edges are blue also. The puppy is 8 weeks, so shouldn't it have turned by now if it were to have a solid blue tongue? Does this mean it is a pure bred chow but cannot be shown or bred? Thanks!

[Auddymay]

Most likely, this is a mix. There are occassions where a chowlings tongue changes slower, but I would think by 8 weeks, it should have turned. Where did you get your chowling? Dogs can have pups from more than one 'daddy', and if a stray male breeched the area the bitch was kept, you will get some mixes with the PB's. This is more likely with backyard breeders, who are just turning a buck, or from family pets that folks decided to try and breed because they think their Chow is pretty and want to have those genes carried on. (Flawed thinking, but that is a subject we won't delve into in this reply) If you give a bit more info on how you got this new baby, we would be able to council you better. We have a few breeders on here who could tell you if they ever had occassion that the tongue pigment didn't develop by 8 weeks in any of their breedings.

[Nico732]

Well I got her from a private breeder in PA. I first saw the Dam and Sire who were both pure bred and both had solid blue/black tongues. The Dam had a litter of 6 and the one I picked out was the only one who did not develop a blue/black tongue. The parents were very well tempered and very socialized. I picked the one I did because she had the best personality and was the spunkiest. The breeder was not sure why she was the only one with a mostly pink tongue. He said he would consider DNA testing to be sure. I was also told there were two possibilities of the tongue. 1) There must have been a mix some where along the family tree to cause the pink tongue 2) It could be a freak genetic thing that caused the pink tongue. I'll post pictures later, but she does look like a pure chow chow, just the tongue is off. He also gave me her papers and showed me the parents papers, but I've learned that the papers really in the end do not matter on what the true breed of the dog is. So any additional info you need to help me resolve this, please ask me. Id like to find out. Honestly it isn't highly important to me because she is great whatever she is and love her regardless! I'm just curious.

[jacqui]

I believe she could be a purebred with a pink spotted tongue.
I could be wrong.
I got Chyna at 10 weeks old from a breeder and she had a pink streak on the side of her tongue.at 6 months old it was gone.
some Chows have lighter tongues than others.
I would like to know the answer too,I hope a breeder can answer this.

[leisa75]

What colour is your new baby !??

[nean007]

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter if you aren't going to show her. Sounds like you have a great new chow kid!

[Nico732]

My girl is a Blue Chow. She is light brown in coloration but is getting darker and darker every day. She has dark hairs popping up everywhere and her tail and the muzzle of her face are the darkest. I'm aware she won't be "blue" but will be a charcoal smokey color? Also her eyes are slate grey and extremely gorgeous. I hope they pretty much stay that color...

[sengeoz]

Chows can have pink tongues, but it is not desired. It does NOT necessarily mean that the dog is a mix breed. It is NOT a genetic fluke, but it is genetic, in that it usually comes from lighter pigmented (tongue pigment that is) bred to lighter pigmented dogs somewhere along the line and is not at all uncommon in dilutes (blues, fawns). It can be the result of the breeder not studying the lines closely to ensure that the strongest pigmented dogs are used in a breeding program (mind you this is not the only reason to be studying the lines...).

You could try adding kelp to the puppy's food (about 1 teaspoon dried kelp per day) to help stimulate the thyroid (pigmentation of the mouth is linked to thyroid function). It can take a while, but if the tongue doesn't eventually fill in, you will be disqualified from the show ring and I would strongly advise against breeding with this dog - while this puppy is the only one in the litter, it is a simple recessive genetic inheritance and easily passed on.

All the best,

[Nico732]

Thank you so much for the information, I really appreciate it. I just found it bizarre, but I am starting to notice the pinkness of her tongue is getting darker and more dull. So who knows, she is a puppy and is still growing so we'll just have to see what happens. Thanks again. Here she is...

[sengeoz]

Hello again,

Thank you for posting the picture of your girl. Unless the colouring in the picture is off, I suspect your girl is a fawn/cinnamon rather than a blue. Fawns are also dilute and if there are other dilute puppies in the litter, that she is a dilute, albeit a fawn (possibly will be a "silvery" fawn - she may look like she has a silvery cast over her coat at maturity) is not that surprising.

All the best,
Judith-Ann

[Nico732]

Yes the coloration of the picture is quite accurate. She is however becoming darker and darker everyday, so I'm assuming that she will indeed have a "silvery" cast of her coat. Thank you for your help, I really do appreciate it. You have been most helpful. Thank you!!

[Victory]

I have to agree with Judith Ann, your girl is a cinnamon, a dilute. My boy Dreamdancer is also a cinnamon, his tongue was a light purple, (sort of a smokey purple) at 8 weeks, the rest of his mouth had pink in it, but the time he was 14 weeks old his mouth had darkened quite a bit and most of the pink was gone, but his mouth will never be as dark as my black girl's mouth is. As for her eyes, (your other post) they also may darken a bit, but she will most likely always have lighter eyes. Again Dreamdancer's eyes are a nice chocolate brown, my girl's are deep dark chocolate brown, quite a bit darker.

[Dogdad]

Regardless of what color her tongue is, she is beautiful and her kisses will be as sweet

David

[sengeoz]

DogDad David wrote:

Regardless of what color her tongue is, she is beautiful and her kisses will be as sweet

And my response is Amen to that!

[CoraP.]

Welcome! Your girl is a beauty!!

[rufnedge-2]

nico732 she's a beauty -- i've seen pink the very young puppy - pink can also be that she's dehydrated - please please please ensure she does drink enough water daily at her size right probably a 2-3 cups a day - please contact me personally if you find she has has issue drinking! is your breeders last name start with H.?

[Nico732]

oh no, she drinks plenty of water. I was told not to put out a large amount of water because puppies tend to drink the whole thing in one sitting, so I give her at least a cup 3-4 times throughout the day. My breeder's last name begins with a Z rufnedge-2.

[chowkidz]

just my useless 2 cents. when we got Keyko from the rescue she was 8-9 weeks old. The purple on her tongue looked just like an hour glass, it was kinda cool. At 4 months her tongue was all puple.