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three weeks ago, bruin's previous owner took him to the groomer to get the lion cut. two days ago, bruin started chewing on his leg a little bit and scratching behind his ears. i thought maybe he was dirty but he doesn't smell. his coat doesn't look shiny at all and actually looks a little dry. however, i haven't seen another chow chow's fur coat so i don't really know how shiny it's supposed to be. today, i noticed that he has skin flakes behind his ears.

i just changed his dog food from ralph's brand to science diet puppy so i'm wondering if that is what's bothering him. i didn't really see him chewing on himself today but i don't think he's supposed to be flaky. can i use some brush conditioner? should i wash him? does he have a staph infection? am i stressing him out? he has only been to one obedience class and since i've had him, i've been taking him for walks twice a day and teaching him basic commands.

apparently, he also doesn't have shots or a license which i am going to take care of immediately but i don't exactly know the procedure. i am not even sure if he's a purebred. he's not really that big but has huge paws. he was given to me by the parent of one of my sister's students so it's hard to get more information. i do not understand how he doesn't have shots or a license. is it possible that he doesn't have any shots at 5 months old?

Could be the diet change making him itch and scratch. Was there a reason for the change? I don't know Ralph's brand so I have no comment for that. I used to feed Science Diet and mine had problems with loose poop. After I switched to Nutro lamb and rice there was no more problem and their coats are full and shiny.

I don't know if I would put any conditioner on his coat until you figure out what the problem is...could make it worse or cover it up and you'd never know what's causing it. You'll probably get better advice from some of the others on the site.

I haven't seen you much on the site so WELCOME!! Where do you live??

i'm in los angeles. okay, i'll just leave his fur alone. maybe he's adjusting to his food still. i wanted to walk him around the block to let him relieve himself and it's so hot outside. he only got halfway around the block and decided to rest in some grass. i don't want him to become fat and/or lazy. time to go let him do his business.

I'm going to guess it is his diet just from all I have read on here. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will speak up but any food with corn or wheat can cause skin issues and allergies. When you take him to the vet for his shots have the vet check it out. If you do some reading/research in the nutrition section you will get tons of info and alot of it conflicting about what to feed. I just try and steer clear of corn and wheat in food and treats.

peidaan11 wrote:i just changed his dog food from ralph's brand to science diet puppy so i'm wondering if that is what's bothering him. i didn't really see him chewing on himself today but i don't think he's supposed to be flaky.

Those two brands of foods aren't good choices for overall health, plus Chows need an optimal diet for healthy skin and coat. It takes a great amount of hormone power to grow a plush double-coat, to maintain healthy skin, in addition to growing an adult body and maintaining overall good health. Your Chow needs quality animal proteins, and whole ingredients instead of by-products. Poorer quality brands will cause you to spend more on health problems. There's a lot of information in the nutrition and health forums, and if you need help making a choice from what's available in your area, just post a new thread in the nutrition section.

his flakes have gone away on their own. maybe he was just stressed or didn't adjust to things yet. he really enjoys eating science diet or he just loves eating... i just need to clean his ears b/c there's brown stuff in there but it doesn't smell. and maybe i should give him a bathe in a little bit.