How many meals a day should a Chow Chow eat?
How often a Chow Chow should be fed is one of the concerns many new owners have. People often hear that Chow Chows should not eat too much, because overeating is bad for digestion and general health, but it is still hard to ignore a puppy that looks hungry.
From birth through the nursing stage, there is usually no need to worry because the mother takes care of feeding. At around one and a half to two months of age, the mother's milk is no longer enough to satisfy the growing puppies. At that point, the puppies often begin circling around the mother constantly, while the mother becomes less willing or less able to feed them. This is also when their small teeth are appearing, and nursing becomes uncomfortable for the mother. At this stage, supplementary feeding should begin. Dog food can be softened with formula milk powder and then given to the puppies. It is important to avoid ordinary cow's milk, because the fat content is too high and it can easily cause loose stool.
If the mother is still feeding them occasionally, the schedule for the puppies can gradually increase from two or three supplemental meals a day to about four meals a day, roughly every six hours. It is usually easy to tell whether the puppies are hungry, because hungry puppies will cry and search everywhere for food.
From about three months to five or six months of age, the puppies can usually be fed three times a day. Try to keep the time intervals relatively even so they develop a regular eating habit. It is useful to observe their stool after meals. Normal stool should be somewhat soft but still formed. It should not be sticky, shapeless, or contain obviously undigested food. If the stool becomes very soft or loose and contains poorly digested material, the puppy is probably eating too much and the amount should be reduced. At this stage, owners need to stay firm and not be misled by the puppy's pleading eyes.
After six months, if the dog is growing well, you can gradually move toward two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Regular feeding and regular walks also help the Chow Chow develop the habit of not eliminating indoors, which saves owners a lot of trouble.
There are two common opinions about adult Chow Chows: some people feed once a day, while others feed twice a day. I believe two meals a day is healthier. A full twenty-four hours between meals is too long and may be harder on the dog's health. One large meal plus frequent snacks is not necessarily better than two balanced meals with only a small amount of treats. Also, if the dog eats only once a day and nothing else, its blood sugar may fluctuate sharply, dropping too low when hungry and rising too high after eating, which is not ideal. In addition, a very hungry dog tends to eat too fast and chew poorly, placing extra burden on the digestive system. For that reason, feeding twice a day and taking the dog out for walks twice a day is generally a healthier and more balanced approach for both stomach health and exercise.
