Chow Chow Lifespan [Plus Tips For Longer and Better Quality Life]

How many great years you will be able to spend with your dog may be important to you. Naturally, owners want their Chow Chows to live long and happy lives. Here are all the related facts about lifespan and how to help your dog to live longer.

Chow Chows, whose owners are taking great care of them, can live up to 16 years. The average Chow Chow lifespan is 11 years, but how long the individual dog will live highly depends on the quality of life.

It’s good to know the Chow Chow’s lifespan and how many wonderful years you could potentially spend with this reserved dog breed.

What Affects A Chow Chow’s Lifespan?

Every dog breed is unique and has certain needs.

The lack of meeting the Chow Chow’s needs can affect their quality of life, and inevitably their lifespan.

Chow Chow lifespan can be affected by:

1. The dog’s health
2. The type of diet owner is feeding to Chow Chow
3. Not providing proper grooming
4. Not meeting its basic exercise needs
5. Dog’s environment and socialization

1. Chow Chow’s Health Is Important

What health problems do Chow Chows have, and how is it connected to their lifespan?

Chow Chows are prone to certain health problems, and by knowing what those are, you can do your best to prevent them as much as possible.

In the table below are some of the most common health issues and symptoms affecting this breed.

Chow Chow’s Health Problem	Explanation
Eye problems, especially Eyelid entropion	This is eyelid irregularity where the eyelid is rolling inward, creating vision problems.
Hypothyroidism	This condition means that Chow Chow’s body doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone. Some of the common symptoms are weight gain, dry hair, extreme shedding, and behavioral changes.
Hip dysplasia (CHD)	This disease is genetically inherited and causes a lack of activity, difficulty doing basic movements (running, climbing, jumping, and similar), and swaying.
Elbow dysplasia	Elbow dysplasia is a health condition that causes elbow joint deformity resulting in a dog limping, lack of activity, joint swell, and challenge to get up.
Allergies	Chow Chows are prone to many allergies caused by different triggers, including environmental such as pollen, a variety of chemicals, flea bites, but also food allergens such as grains. Symptoms often include itchy skin, Chow Chow licking certain parts of the body, and red and pink skin.
Heatstroke	Due to the thick coat, heatstroke in Chow Chow is common in hot climates and can potentially cause further health problems. The most common symptoms include extreme panting, vomiting, drooling, and loss of coordination.

While DNA can certainly help choose a healthy Chow Chow, the owner cannot always be sure the dog won’t develop some common health issues.

Tip for a healthy Chow Chow: Take your Chow Chow for health tests related to common issues, and Chow National Club recommended.

To prolong your Chow Chow lifespan, it’s critical to take your dog for regular vet exams. In case there is a certain health issue, it can be treated immediately instead of finding it out when it’s already too late.

2. Diet Is Crucial For Chow Chow’s Long Life

Perhaps the diet is the most important factor in keeping your Chow Chow healthy and, therefore, long-lived.

The food you feed to you Chow Chow can either make your dog healthy or cause health issues shortening its lifespan.

Proper nutrition throughout Chow Chow’s life from puppyhood to adulthood is fundamental for your dog’s long life.

Feeding your Chow Chow nutritional food designed for the breed specifically is important as not every dog breed eats the same food type.

Chow Chow’s diet consists of vegetables, healthy grains, and a little bit of lean meat.

Chows are prone to food allergies, and therefore owners have to be careful what type of grain and meat to feed the dog.

Digestive problems are connected to feeding the wrong diet and can make your Chow Chow seriously ill or worse.

Bloat is a serious condition in Chow Chows and can be fatal for this breed.

Obesity is a common health problem for Chows, and feeding it too much and too often can cause serious health problems.

Chow Chows are not very active dogs, so becoming obese is fairly easy for them.

Fast food and table scraps should be avoided.

These foods are full of additives, sodium, and other ingredients that can cause numerous illnesses, consequently shortening their lifespan.

Please consult the veterinarian regarding all of the prevalent health problems in Chow Chows because being informed can save your dog’s life.

Tip for a longer life through diet: Consult the veterinary nutritionist to help you create a complete and balanced diet for your individual Chow Chow.

If you would like to learn about veterinary nutrition, please visit petdiets.com.

3. Grooming and Your Chow Chow Lifespan

You may be wondering how grooming is connected to your Chow Chow longer life.

Taking care of your dog’s coat, skin, teeth, ears, eyes, and nails will keep your dog healthy and free from debris, preventing your Chow Chow from getting infections.

If your dog spends time outdoors where there is a chance of getting ticks, make sure to check the coat and skin.

Dog parks and areas where more dogs spend time can contain fleas. Check your Chow Chow for fleas regularly.

Untreated infections can develop further health problems and affect Chow Chow’s lifespan.

In this video, you can see Martha Stewart’s Chow Chow’s regular grooming routine and how to keep your dog’s skin and coat healthy and beautiful.

Tip: Start grooming your Chow Chow from an early age, and make it a routine. That way, your dog will get used to it, and it will make your life easier.

4. Chow Chow’s Basic Exercise Needs

Chow Chows are not active dogs, but it’s far from the truth that they don’t require some daily activity.

To stay healthy, your individual Chow Chow will need 30-60 min of daily activity depending on a dog’s age.

Walking your Chow Chow, playing fetch, or taking it for a swim are good examples of exercise.

Playing with other dogs will keep your Chow Chow active as well.

Tip: Avoid walking or running your Chow Chow when it’s hot outside, especially if your dog has a black coat. Choose early morning and night to take your dog for a walk and bring plenty of water.

5. Chow Chow’s Environment And Socialization

Dog’s positive environment plays a vital role in living happy and healthy.

If your Chow Chow experiences stress in its environment, it can lead to mental and physical problems.

Stress can negatively affect your dog’s diet and cause additional health issues.

Even though Chow Chows are a moderately social breed, they still seek attention from their owners.

Spending time with your dog will positively impact your dog and make its life better.

Chow Chow Lifespan In Human Years

When counting Chow Chow lifespan in human years, it’s not just multiplying a dog’s age with a particular number.

How to do the proper math in order to count it correctly?

For medium-sized dogs

1st dog’s year = 15 in human 2nd dog’s year = 9 3rd = 4 4th = 4 5th = 4 6th = 6 7th = 5 8th = 4 9th = 5 10th = 4

As you can see, counting Chow Chow’s age in human years is not as simple as it seems.

Here is an estimated Chow Chow’s age in human years for 1 to 16 years old Chow Chows.

Chow Chow’s age	Approximate age in human years
1	15
2	24
3	28
4	32
5	36
6	42
7	47
8	51
9	56
10	60
11	65
12	69
13	74
14	78
15	83
16	87

To see the table for all dog sizes and corresponding human years, see the American Kennel Club.

Final Thoughts On Chow Chow Lifespan

Today, more than ever, information on prolonging a dog’s lifespan and improving its life quality is widely available.

From books, videos, articles, and studies available for owners to read, the shared knowledge can help your Chow Chow live a happy and long life.

From feeding your dog healthy foods to regular health exams, keeping your dog mentally stimulated, and stress-free are all the important needs that Chow Chow requires.

Even for Chow Chows with health problems, life quality can be greatly improved and lifespan lengthened by knowing how to live with the individual disease.

Every dog owner wishes that their dog lives forever, but sadly, this is not possible.

By taking the best possible care of your loving Chow Chow, you can ensure your dog will live many happy years by your side.