Chow Myth or Not?

[gebower]

Hello Chow Owners,
I had to take Zeena in to the vet. She's a one year old black Chow. She lost some hair on her rump just ahead of the base of her tail about 3" in dia. Then she lost about 4" of hair behind her neck and there was a scabby sour. The vet said it's a hot spot and gave us antibiotics and a spray to put on it 3 times a day. He shaved around the spot and now the spot is about 5" in diameter.
I heard that Chows don't grow back their hair back, is this true, if they're shaved? I can't believe that, can anyone out there bust this myth? Appreciate it. Because she's black and this STANDS OUT.

Gene.

[Zhuyos mom]

I believe it depends on the chow's system. Whenever my chows have been given a localized shaved for medical reasons (blood draw's, IV lines, spay/neuter, operations) the fur has always grown back and rather quickly. My Miss PB, the girl below on my signature photo, was given a full (head to tip of tail) medical shave at her shelter and her hair grew back extremely lush and plush. However, our Lao Tzu was "accidently" given a lion cut at his groomers and it took what seemed FOREVER for his coat to grow back. There was this patch we named "Australia" because it was the shape of the continent that just wanted to stay bald. I think it took a little over a year for it to grow and balance with the rest of his coat.

I wouldn't worry much since it is a localized shave. I would recommend you feed her good treats and good kibble to make sure her coat will remain healthy and boost things up in the process of regrowing the shaved areas.

[kiwani]

I heard that Chows don't grow back their hair back, is this true, if they're shaved?

If a large area is shaved right to the skin, it can disrupt the circadian communication in the hair follicles and cause post-clipping alopecia, sometimes for as long as two years. The section shaved on your Chow doesn't seem so large. There are a couple of threads on the topic in the "best of health" sub-forum, if you are interested...

[summer_rose03]

It usually happens when you shave the whole dog, because then the body tries to over produce the undercoat for insulation instead of the guard coat. I wouldn't worry too much. My Chow/Husky/Shepherd mix (the other 2 breeds are really bad to shave) had several hot spots that needed to be shaved close towards the end. I even had to shave about 2/3 of his tail with a surgical blade (I almost cried, he was about 12 at the time and I didn't think it would grow back), and it grew back just fine.

[vicster605]

My black Chow Kearra had one side of her main shaved to the skin due to surgery and an injury, 4 mos later you can't tell I know it looks really bad on a Black Chow but don't worry should be fine

[chow fancier]

Teddy straight from rescue:



Teddy about 1 year later:




Don't worry, the fur will grow back.

[Judy Fox]

Oh Teddy! Bless him and how beautiful he looks when his coat is grown.

[Auddymay]

I think, if I remember correctly, I commented that Teddy at least didn't look starved in his rescue (before) photo...he is the same in person. He is a nice, solid boy. Teddy's coat is beautiful, too.

[Buddha4me]

My last Chow was Black, and devloped a hot spot on his rear. He ended up with a bare bottom, and we did the spray and oral antibiotics. It grew back just a fuzzy, furry and black as before, and pretty quickly too!