THE CHOW CHOW
By Vanessa Nicolau
Kimekai Chow Chows (South Africa)
- BREED STANDARD AND TYPE
As all of you know, the breed standard was drawn up by the parent club of the Chow Chow in England, based on the top winning Chow Chow of the day, Ch.Chow VIII. This breed standard is the blueprint of our breed and should be treated with utmost respect. There have been alterations and additions over the years, and many clubs have their own breed standard in their country. This is a clear indication that across the world we have not agreed upon the "absolute" Chow Chow. Sometimes I think there should be a worldwide "Universal" Breed Standard for our Chow Chow.
Along with the breed standard there is also Chow Chow "type". The standard goes hand in hand with type. I believe that the word "type" is sometimes misused and becomes an excuse for not conforming to the standard. In many instances it appears that the word "type" is applied to the beauty, the outward appearance, the phenotype of the Chow Chow, whereas it should perhaps be applied to the inward structure that allows the functionality of the Chow Chow.
For example, can the dog travel distances over various terrains as it could when it evolved more than 2000 years ago in Mongolia? In order to carry out any of these tasks for which the chow chow was originally intended, the dog requires the correct structure, condition and to be sound mentally and physically.
Quite often the breed is influenced by judges, who I do believe mostly try to evaluate the breed objectively, using the standard to look for the Chow Chow that in their opinion most closely resembles the ideal. The fancier, the breeder and the exhibitor also interpret the standard, subjectively, in different ways. It has happened that the Chow Chows presented in the ring have influenced the trend of the Chow Chow (examples of these trends include; the more modern chow chows are much smaller and lighter than in previous years, the chow chows of yesteryear had longer skull structures and these chows had fewer breathing problems and better vision than the chow chows of today). It is therefore not only the judge in the ring that can influence the type of the Chow Chow, but also the public who has a changing opinion of what the Chow Chow should look like.
Looking back at the Chow Chow during the last century, it is clear there has been the tendency to exaggerate type and functionality by concentrating on single aspects of the standard. One can see that the fashionable "beauty " (phenotype) look of the day has added to this exaggeration. There has been a time where the breed leaned towards open, plain heads, and then exaggerated heads covered with excessive wrinkles, incorrect coat texture, and imbalance in the proportions of the legs against the body.
Perhaps now that the breed is declining in popularity, the breeders will try and reverse some of the faults that were introduced during the years of mass notoriety – such as improper gait because of improper rear angulation. In order to do this we must go back to basics - back to the standard, and keep this hand in hand with type and functionality. Adaptations in the standard have evolved over the past century. An example of adaptations to the standard is the question of the nose colour in the cream chow chow and which countries accept a self coloured nose.Looking back at very early breed standards, the self coloured nose was accepted by a great deal more countries than at present.
I do hope however, that the Chow Chow breed standard will remain true.
If one looks at photos of Ch Chow V111 upon whom the standard was written; one sees a proud, dignified dog. Appearing solid and powerful. Seeming to be able to carry out the functions within a well muscled, balanced body with no cloddiness (remember the chow chow was a hunting dog, they were supposed to be able to go for long periods of time hunting wild game, such as boar, bear and fowls). Over the past century the breed has improved, but we must guard against losing the fact that a Chow Chow is a member of the spitz breed, with unique features that must be kept true to standard, type and functionality. As the custodians of the Chow Chow we should look at preserving the breed, maintaining its standard and type along with particular regard to the health of the animal.
In today’s modern world we are lucky to have access to information at our fingertips in the form of the Internet and books.
Looking at pictures of Chow Chows around the world, in my opinion the areas where we are not being strict according to breed standard are:
Size and Proportions (balance of structure); we must be careful of the Chow Chow becoming too small, on short legs with lengthened bodies. One of the most important features in our Chow Chow is that the dog must be square, in balanced proportions, of a moderate size.
Ear set (and with this, expression); The ears of the Chow Chow are unique in their setting. Unfortunately there is a worldwide trend towards bad ear sets in many ways, i.e. broken ears (drop ears), positioned more on side rather than on top of the skull. Ear set influences the scowl and the expression, which is quite often now being achieved by excessive forehead skin and folds. The ears should be small, moderately thick, and triangular in shape with a slight rounding at the tip, carried stiffly erect but with a slight forward tilt and placed wide apart with the inner corner on top of the skull.
Coat; The standard very clearly states " no trimming". It is unfortunate to see so many Chow Chows cut to the extent of altering the outline of the dog. A Chow Chow’s coat is neatened, tidied up, but there is a huge difference between this and trimming or what is also known as scissoring. The Chow Chow’s glorious coat is part of his heritage, lets try and keep it that way; and I appeal to the judges to penalize chows presented in the show ring with obviously trimmed coats.
Pigment and Gait; our unique characteristics of the breed ; in particular the tongue’s dark pigment – blue/black without pink and the stilted gait. – Please guard against these two features been lost. And most important, let us agree to educate the judges on how to look for and recognize true stilted gait.
In South Africa we are privileged to have many foreign judges from a wide spectrum of countries and it really is such a disappointment when the judge does not ask for a movement that highlights the unique gait or does not check the mouth for pigment.
HEALTH ISSUES
The testing of any breed of dog for health issues related to the breed is important. It is also our responsibility as custodians of the breed to ensure that this is done and documented.
My topic of health will be sebaceous adenitis. It is a subject that has far better and broader documentation in other breeds (for example poodles, akitas, samoyeds) than in the chow chow. My thanks to the many people in the other breeds that have helped me with information and guidance on this disease.
Sebaceous Adenitis (SA) is a hereditary autoimmune skin disease whose mode of inheritance is believed to be simple autosomal recessive, requiring a single defective gene from the sire and the dam. SA is not sex linked. A genetic disease of this type cannot be cured, but can be treated and can be bred away from. It is a progressive skin disease, quite easy to misdiagnose and can develop at any age.
SA has been diagnosed in many breeds, of which the chow chow is one, and in the chow chow not much research has been carried out – because it has usually been misdiagnosed and then hidden. SA usually develops in younger dogs, but it can also develop at a later age. A parent of the SA dog may or may not show the clinical symptoms, being what is known as sub clinically affected, meaning that some inflammation may exist but has not progressed to destruction of the glands and the subsequent loss of hair. They may be described as having some skin allergies, but they are carriers. It is also common that neither of the parent’s do not have skin allergies.
WHAT HAPPENS:
In SA the sebaceous glands that adjoin the hair follicles become inflamed and are gradually destroyed. The symptoms of SA can resemble allergies and can go misdiagnosed for quite a long time.
WHAT SYMPTONS ARE USUALLY SHOWN:
The most common symptoms are excessive dandruff or scaling and hair loss, which ranges from mild to severe. The hair loss is usually patchy giving a moth eaten look. Itchiness is not indicative of SA but can accompany the secondary skin infections, which usually are accompanied by a musky odour and may flare up periodically.
-Yellow flaky skin, flaky ears neck and tail, massive flaking, dry scaly skin, scaling on the nose excessive dandruff and scales
-Skin wrinkly and black, skin grey and dry, dark skin spots itchy scaly skin over the top, grey scaly patches, black scales, black clammy skin, dusty appearance on muzzle, entire loss of undercoat with widespread infection, blackened hair follicles, fungal-looking area on nose
- Crusty, frayed ears, crusty lumps on rear, torso becoming red and itchy
- Itching scabs, sores, staph infections, hot spots
- Redness over visible skin areas, thickened skin
- Musty, oily and bad odours
- Sensitivity to being brushed
HOW IT IS DIAGNOZED:
Because the symptoms can be like those of many other diseases, it is often misdiagnosed for a long period of time. Usually the correct diagnosis comes out about 9 months after the initial symptoms were present. Quite often a local vet cannot make this diagnosis, and it is only when dog is then referred to a dermatologist, that perhaps the correct diagnosis is made. There is debate as to whether these mis –diagnosis have been harmful, and quite often they have not been as the antibiotics given for the symptoms have cleared extenuating problems. Because SA is an autoimmune problem, there is a question as to whether early diagnosis would have helped, but generally the answer to this is “no”.
Accurate diagnosis requires a punch biopsy. A local anaesthetic is injected into the area where the biopsy will be done – this usually very near to the affected area. A 6mm Baker’s biopsy punch is then used to remove a plug of skin and then the wound is stitched closed. The sample is preserved in formulin and sent off to a dermatologist for evaluation.
THE MOST COMMON INITIAL DIAGNOSIS:
-Hypothyroidism
-‘staph’ or skin infections
-Hormonal
-pyoderma
-Yeast/fungal infections
-mange
-Dandruff
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DIAGNOZED:
There is currently no cure for SA. But careful monitoring and a maintenance program will help relieve the affected dog. The owners need to stay on top of the situation and recognize the patterns of the SA. With good care the affected dog can be comfortable, healthy and happy and is capable of giving and receiving love and attention in the same way before being diagnosed. The affected dogs do also live a happy and pain free life, with no suffering.
TREATMENT:
This is relatively inexpensive. Because the most difficult aspect of SA is a cosmetic one - quite often oils and oils bath are recommended. These oil baths have proved to be effective when left to soak into the skin of the dog for a few hours. The oil loosens the scales and lubricates the skin, which is dry due to the lack of sebum. After the soaking, bath the dog with a medicated shampoo and conditioner. Depending on the dog, this treatment may be repeated as necessary. Some dogs have been seen to grow new hair after treatment and others have not. Quite often the hair loss and regrowth is cyclical.
From the many people who deal with SA dogs across all breeds, some recommendations for helping lubricate the dryness include a special mixture of Lanolin, Protein Lotion Conditioner and two parts any crème rinse mixed with water to be rubbed into the skin. Others recommend Propylene glycol diluted with water rubbed into the skin.
HOW DO WE GET RID OF THIS DISEASE:
We must understand that it is a mode of inheritance, with each parent carrying a recessive gene. When breeding we need to use objective diagnostic protocol and also test and analyse breeding stock. Till now ignorance has been one of the reasons for this disease being passed on. SA dogs were usually euthanased or shaved – not because of the condition but because the owners could not be bothered to care for the dog. The disease itself was not diagnosed and the siblings may have not have shown the clinical signs of the disease. This usually gives a false impression that the full litter is healthy, but the recessive gene is still there. SA must be bred to 100% non-carriers so that selective breeding can eliminate the disease. Quite often the disease does not show itself until at least the age of 2, and for this reason SA dogs should be openly controlled in a genetic register. Usually by the age of 2, dogs have been bred, so should the dog carry the disease (or any other recessive disease) it will be passing this on to its offspring – so please breed responsibly and think before you breed.