The Chow Chow is a medium-size dog with low energy and a long, dense coat. Two things weigh when choosing the food: he tends to have problems in the hip and elbow joints, and his skin needs attention — he is prone to dermatitis and skin sensitivity. Since the Chow Chow spends little energy day to day, the food also needs calories in the right measure, so the dog does not gain weight for nothing.
In the current My Pet Magazine analysis, the best food for the Chow Chow is Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials (Purina Pro Plan), with a technical score of 91.7/100 (🌟 Superior Quality), calculated with the My Pet Magazine IDNM/IPFI methodology across 49 dog foods reviewed in July 2026. See the full ranking ↓
What to weigh in food for the Chow Chow
Two fronts guide the choice of a Chow Chow's food: the joints and the skin.
Joints. The Chow Chow tends toward dysplasia — a hip or elbow that does not fit properly. While he is growing, food helps by controlling calcium and energy, so that the bone does not harden faster than the joints can handle. Once he is an adult, EPA, DHA (omega-3) and glucosamine continue to support cartilage.
Skin and coat. The breed is prone to skin disorders and skin sensitivity. Balanced omega-3 and omega-6 in the food, together with good-quality protein, help keep the skin healthy and the coat dense — the Chow Chow's trademark. Highly digestible proteins also weigh less on the chance of an allergic reaction, something to watch in dogs that have already had skin problems.
And because the Chow Chow spends little energy day to day, it is worth choosing a food with more moderate calories per portion — every extra kilo becomes added load precisely on the breed's more fragile joints.
Criteria scored against the My Pet Magazine nutritional targets (protein, fat, calcium and caloric density ranges by size — see our methodology).
Breed profile and predispositions
The breed's first hallmark is the tendency toward hip and elbow dysplasia. The FEDIAF guidelines (2024, §6.4) and the WSAVA Global Nutrition Toolkit (2021) point the same way: controlled growth while the dog is a puppy, without spikes of energy and calcium that speed the bone beyond what the joint can handle, and EPA/DHA and glucosamine as cartilage support for the rest of his life.
The second hallmark is the skin. The Chow Chow is prone to skin disorders and skin sensitivity. A review published by Olivry, Mueller and Prélaud (BMC Veterinary Research, 2015) shows that well-conducted elimination diets — changing the protein source for at least 8 weeks — resolve the signs of allergic skin reaction in more than 90% of the dogs tested. That reinforces the weight of the food's composition: balanced omega-3/6 and quality protein help keep the breed's skin and dense coat healthy.
Finally, the Chow Chow has a low energy level, which calls for calories per portion adjusted so the dog does not gain weight beyond his ideal — extra weight that overloads precisely the joints mentioned above.
Recommended foods for the Chow Chow
Ranked by IDNM/IPFI technical score across 49 dog foods — no manual product curation.
- 1
Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials · Purina Pro Plan
91.7/100 - 2
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Small Breed · Blue Buffalo
91.3/100 - 3
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula · Blue Buffalo
91.1/100 - 4
Wellness Complete Health Large Breed Adult · Wellness
90.1/100 - 5
Wellness Complete Health Small Breed · Wellness
90.1/100
Frequently asked questions about Chow Chow food
- Why do the Chow Chow's joints deserve attention when choosing food?
- The Chow Chow tends to be born with the hip or elbow poorly fitted — what is called dysplasia. While he is a puppy, growing too fast makes that worse, because the bone hardens before the joints are ready. Food helps by controlling energy and calcium at that stage, and by keeping EPA, DHA (omega-3) and glucosamine — cartilage-support substances — across the dog's life.
- Does the Chow Chow's dense coat call for any specific nutritional care?
- Yes. The breed tends to have sensitive skin and is prone to skin disorders. Omega-3 and omega-6 in the right measure, plus good-quality protein, help keep the skin healthy and the dense coat characteristic of the Chow Chow.
- Can skin reactions in the Chow Chow be related to food?
- They can. A study published by Olivry, Mueller and Prélaud (BMC Veterinary Research, 2015) showed that changing the diet for at least 8 weeks — the so-called elimination diet — resolved the skin signs in more than 90% of the dogs tested. That shows how much the food's composition weighs when a dog's skin gives a warning sign.
- Does the Chow Chow need a food with fewer calories?
- He tends to, yes. It is a low-energy breed that spends little day to day — a food with many calories per portion can make the dog gain weight quickly. And extra weight becomes added load on joints that are already the breed's weak point.
Methodology
The block of recommended foods on this page is ordered by My Pet Magazine's IDNM/IPFI technical methodology, which evaluates the nutritional density and ingredient purity of each product in the active dataset for the Chow Chow's medium-size profile — with no manual curation or brand influence.
The score takes into account joint support (controlled calcium and energy during growth, EPA/DHA and glucosamine afterwards) and the omega-3/6 balance for skin and coat — factors that weigh in the ranking, recalculated whenever the product dataset is updated.
The ranking on this page is a projection of the My Pet Magazine IDNM/IPFI scoring engine over the dog dataset, with no manual product curation. See the full methodology →
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