Chow Chow help!

[MoyChow]

Hello! My name is Austin and I am thinking about buying a Chow Chow, but I have a few questions.

1. I live in Arizona where it is very hot. I've heard Chow Chows are prone to over heating. Would cutting the fur help to reduce that? I wouldn't take him out for too long during the summer, but during the colder months I'd have him out all the time.

2. I've heard Chow Chows are very picky when it comes to food. I'm rather poor so I can't afford the really fancy food, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be healthy for him, or he wouldn't eat it. Am I wrong, in that he would eat?

3. I'm curious as to the general upkeep for a Chow Chow. Are they more expensive or are on the cheaper end? If you could give a rough estimate on how much, that'd be great!

4. I've also heard that Chow Chows tend to bite. Is this true? If so, I take my Chow Chow to a dog park once or twice a week (or how ever many times a week he needs to become a non-biter) would that help? I've got another friend that has a dog (Golden Lab I believe) so I could have those two hang out for a while!

I think that's it for now. If someone could please help me out here that'd be great! Chow Chows are so cute and I want one so bad!

Thanks!

[MissV]

Hey!

I can help
I've just gotten a chow puppy and its GREAT!
I live in South Africa where it gets REALLY hot and we have chows here that do just fine. My house is really cool in summer though, so that helps... and my chowlie loves to lie on the cold tiles. You must never cut the fur! You will ruin your beautiful babies coat.
Now, i dont have loads of cash either, but before i got my chow i made a very important commitment... i would never feed my baby crap. Even if it meant i couldnt go for a beer at the pub with my mates every weekend so I could save the cash... So she lives on Hills Science Diet which is the best food we get here. She'll be on that for a year and then i'll mix her food with homemade food (made of 1/3 brown rice, 1/3 veg (like carrot and broccoli) and 1/3 chicken breast, boiled). My chowlie pines for my special stew i make for her, but for now she must eat all her Hills in order to develop her muscles and bones properly

My chow bites. Yes, she's teething, but she tests us. Shes stopped biting me now, but she still goes for my boyfriend because he isnt the one who trains her - hes too soft on her and so she ranks herself as higher than him. Its his own fault. My puppy goes to a dog park everyday, and she still bites. Just FYI.

Before you decide on a chow, dont get one cos they're cute. Get one cos you love thier difficult personalitlies. if you want a dog that comes when called all the time, then get a labrador. Be prepared to be tested with a chow!!
But holycrap - they're friggin awesome! <3

[Jdcell100]

They are the greatest dog in the world BUT YOUR NOT READY FOR ONE

[BeckiHutton]

Chows are expensive to keep and they NEED more expensive foods to be healthy and thrive. you can't feed them on supermarket crap. they are very prone to allergies and other health problems. I agree. you are not ready for one.

[Sarahloo]

I'm rather poor

Poor is never good when it comes to owning any dog. The vet bills that are almost certain to come in can be scary-high. Baloo cost me about 1500 $ in 4 months this spring/summer. And low-quality food can/will lead to shockingly high vet bills. With my Chow, we have had almost every health issue imaginable, entropion, allergies, chronic tonsil issues, ... . The money I spend for his food each month could easily make me cry.
Think hard if you can afford this, because if you get a dog and he/she falls ill, what can you do except take him/her to the vet?
Have you considered other pets, like a sweet little bunny couple or sth. like that? You simply will not get much enjoyment out of your pet if it breaks your back financially. Good luck with whatever decision you make!

[Victory]

They can live in Arizona just fine, but they need Air Conditioning 24/7 during high heat, (Arizona is a least low humidity, so that can help) You might be able to get away with a good quality floor fan or two and a tiled or hardwood floor out of the sun. Like a bathroom.

Cutting their hair doesn't really help and can lead to sunburn and skin cancer, the undercoat should be combed/brushed out during the spring, the remaining coat will actually hold cool air close to their skin to help keep them cool.

As others have said, feeding them cheap food is very bad and will lead to skin issues, joint problems, can lead to obsiety, diabetes, heart problems etc; all of which will cost a small fortune, or more at the vets. Chows are also prone to several genetic proplems which can mean a lot of money, entropian, which can lead to blindness if not surgically fixed, price tag for that one, 1500-3000, thyroid disease, medication for this is between .02 and .14 a tablet and they need one every day at the minimum from what I've read. Joint issues can cost 1000s of dollars in diagnosis, surgery and treatment. Even minor joint problems can cost 100s of dollars for x-rays and medications. Add to that yearly vacinations, Heartworm preventative, (essential in 99% of the US) teeth cleaning, and regular yearly vet checks, and you are normally looking at around $300-$1000 a year just for Vet stuff.

Good quality food is from 2 to 2.5 times the price of the cheap stuff. My two little chows, (about 40lbs each) consume a little over 5lbs of high quality food per week, I buy about 5 bags of it a month, plus 10 sausage treats from the same company, and 3 bags of biscuit treats per month, Old Mother Hubbard brand, not milk bones. I spend at a minimum $129 dollars, just to feed them per month. Toys and chewies are extra and fortunately last a bit longer so I only need to spend an extra $50 or so a year for those things. Leashes run about $30 every two years or so, collars are $8 each and need to be replaced every 3-4 years. Harnesses, (we live in an apartment, so daily walks are part of our routine) are $15-$18 each and are replaced every 3-4 years.

Chows need good deal of grooming, taking them to groomer can cost $45 and up, doing it yourself is a bit cheaper, but you'll need at least two types of brushes, an undercoat rake, and two types of combs. They all start at about $6, each. Also if you are doing your own grooming you will need a doggie hair dryer, (people ones will burn out and leave you with a wet dog) These tart at $30. each.

Also you say that you are thinking of buying a chow..a good quality chow in the US starts at but 1000 dollars and is usually more around 1200, you can pick up a BYB, (back yard bred) for $800 or so, but you will be getting puppy that can have serious health issues, (remeber the entropian) A puppy can be trained in any way you want and is better for an experienced person. A rescue chow is cheaper, already neutered usualoly tested for heartworm and up to date on other vacinations. However rescues are also normally adults, come with some personality issues that a first time owner may not be able to handle and often come with contracts concerning their on going care.

Owning any dog is an expensive thing in terms of money and time. Owning a chow is a bit more expensive than owning a mutt but about the same for almost any pure breed. The time commitment for a chow is higher however than many breeds because of the need to sociaizlie them and keep them sociaizlied.
All in all you will need about $2500 year just for your chow, extra money for A/C bills and about 4-5 hours per day that belong to him or her. If you work and or go to school and are on your own your social life will end the moment he/she comes home.


I know we all sound very negative, but we have a lot of experience on this site and knw what it costs to take care of a chow well. Wait a bit untill you are in a better posistion finacially. You will be far less stressed and a better chow owner if you do.

[oceans]

JDCell100 summed it up perfectly!!

[bellachow]

I agree with the above replys. The only issue not mentioned is that owning a dog, especially a chow, is a lifetime committment. That commitment means that these dogs will someday become seniors and will require additional medications and vet costs. I have a 15 year old chow chow, who recently suffered bloat (which can happen at any age/anytime). The surgery to correct it was about $1,500, and the special food from the vet is $92 per month which is in addition to the incontince pills at $20 a month, the joint care pills at $10 a month, heartworm prevention pills at $10 and flea prevention at $10 a month. We regularly budget for the yearly exams and monthly costs but because the bloat was unexpected that meant that the money saved for a vacation was spent on our chow chow.

There are so many chows in shelters and rescues that need loving homes so I am not trying to tell you not to get a chow chow but just trying to advise you of the costs. Honestly, I can say that a normal dog or even a chow chow mix may be able to live fine with cheap dog food (my inlaws did this) and yes if a chow is hungry they will eat whatever you put in front of them eventually. But you will still have yearly shots and monthly heartworm & flea prevention.

Just make sure you are willing to be a responsible pet owner which means that you may need to make sacrifices for your chow.

[Victory]

Bellachow's reply made me remember the one last thing. Indeed a chow, (or any other cat or dog) is for life, and sometimes part of that is knowing when to let them pass away, and helping them do that. This normally costs $150 or more as well. Vets don't do it for free, and taking a sick dog to shelter, might get it done for free, but it may take the shelter few days to schedule it, most shelters won't take a pet that is brought to them to be put to sleep, they'll tell you to take it to a vet.