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Raising and Caring for Your New Japanese Chin PuppyIf you are interested in raising one of our puppies or just interested in the Japanese Chin dog breed then we ask you to read the following information and advice. If you purchase one of our puppies you will receive an entire packet of information because we want you to be well informed and have the knowledge necessary to raise a healthy happy Japanese Chin. Below is some of the information contained in the packet which we feel is essential for your dogs health.
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JAPANESE CHIN NUTRITION GUIDELINES
What you feed your Chin is vital to his/her health and life span. Large commercially processed dog foods available in your local grocery store are not recommended for any pet especially for the Japanese Chin. This breed has a profuse coat, which is a nutritional factor in the Chin’s protein requirements. Native to Asia, Chin’s foods differ from those of American dogs. A few extra dollars a month on a great food - will save you much more on vet bills in the long run and will extend the life of your Chin.
Mandarin Chinese foods are the native diet, which include pork, fish, poultry with a high fat content, rice, soy products and greens. We recommend you avoid feeding your Japanese Chin any white potato, avocado or horsemeat among other toxic foods including grapes, onion, chocolate, etc.
We have found that a home-prepared diet was something we wanted to give our Japanese Chins. You can never be sure what they are really putting in any food you don't prepare yourself and we wanted to make sure our Chins received the healthiest diet possible. After researching many alternative’s, we have come up with what we feel is the best diet for the Japanese Chin. When you pick up your puppy your packet will include a recipe that we believe to be the absolute best diet for your Japanese Chin puppy. This recipe can easily be modified to suit your budget, lifestyle and your Chins taste.
We don't expect that everyone has the time or resources to prepare this diet every other week and a good healthy kibble and wet food combination can be a suitable alternative.
Japanese Chin Home Diet Recipe
If you want to feed your Chin a commerical wet food and/or dry kibble diet there are several adequate brands. We provide a top ten list of commercial dog foods in our newsletter which you can find by clicking here. Our top recommendation for commercial dog food products is
Wysong
Wysong is a terrific company using only organic, whole raw foods. The Archtype Buffet is a favorite of our Chins and we rotate their diets to occasionally include this product for more variety in nutrition. We've also found that the Archtype Burgers are also very popular with our Chins. If you are feeding a Wysong diet be sure to not feed just the kibble alone as it is designed to be an addition to the Archtype products. We are also big fans of Innova Evo formulas which you can purchase at most of your local smaller pet stores.
We urge you to always choose a four star brand and always read labels. For our other recommended dry dog foods click here to view our dry dog foods recommendation list
Please see our
Resource Links Page
for links to further reading on commercial pet food processing and nutritional information. There are several articles on the what you every pet owner should know and commercial dog food ratings. You will receive a copy of these articles when you pick up your puppy as well.
If you are picking up your puppy we will send you home with a small amount of what we have been feeding your puppy. REWARDING YOUR JAPANESE CHINTreat’s are important and we believe puppies should be rewarded at least once a day. We do not recommend any treat’s purchased in grocery or large pet supply stores. We recommend gourmet treats or a natural treat from your kitchen instead.
click here for Gourmet Treats
Homemade chicken jerkey can be a healthy treat. Other treats we recommend are a few kernels of unbuttered unsalted popcorn, a raw meaty bone, a small carrot, a slice of green bell pepper or a rice cake with a small amount of chicken fat. These healthy alternative's will be enjoyed as much as a store bought product. The worst treats you buy for dog are Puperoni and Beggin Strips. These products are designed to attract us the buyer and are full of colors and preservatives as well as list of other unhealthy products. Remember that you can convince your Chin that anything is a treat if you go about it properly.
SUPPLEMENTATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR DOGS HEALTH As stated above we encourage you to NOT feed your Chins any other supplements containing Vitamin C. Dogs manufacture all of the vitamin C their body needs. Today, there are a number of pet food products on the market that contain Vitamin C. Supplemental vitamin C can be compared to humans and steroids, Vitamin C has great short-term affects on arthritis and dysplasia. Unfortunately, just like steroids in humans, it has some long-term negative effects such as damage to the dog’s liver and kidneys. The second and sixth leading causes of dog deaths in the U.S. are kidney disorders and liver failure. Supplemental vitamin C works very slowly but can rob years from a pet’s normal life span. Only use Vitamin C as a short-term medication if you are treating a condition such as kennel cough or other illnesses where the immune system needs a boost.
Feeding a home diet does require additional supplementation and we suggest that you give your Japanese Chin a vitamin supplement daily. We suggest switching between 2 or 3 brands so that your Chin gets a variety of levels of supplementation. We have found that NuVet vitamins cause our Chins to vomit so we advise you NOT to purchase this brand. We have found no problems with any other brands on the market. We do recommend Dr. Bob Goldstein's Daily Health Nuggets For Dogs is a terrific daily supplement that your Chin will love and is enriched with fruits and vegetables. These vitamins are manufactured by our favorite Holistic Vet and author, Martin Goldstein DVM who wrote "The Nature of Animal Healing" a book we use as our first reference in health care advice. We also recommend NR Daily Health Tablets and NR Herbal Compounds along with several other supplements which we alternate in our daily meals. We also recommend supplementing your dogs diet with an antioxidant, probiotics & enzymes and a seaweed-mineral supplement. All of the supplements we recommend except for Dr Bob's products we carry in our online store for the convenience of our customers. Just click on the the name link to be taken directly to that product page.
JAPANESE CHIN COAT CARE SUPPLEMENTATION In order to reduce shedding and aid in the development of a healthy-shiny coat, we recommend adding 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon of pure Emu Oil and/or Coconut daily to your Chin’s food. (1-2 ml per 10lbs) This will greatly reduce non seasonal shedding and will help the coat become incredibly soft and thick. It also contains essential fatty acids and vitamins that help supplement their diet. There are other products on the market that reduce shedding but Emu Oil is the top pick. We are also big fans of Coconut Oil and have made available a Oil Combo you can purchase by clicking here
WATER FOR HEALTH Non-fluoridated water is what you want for your companion pets. A Japanese Chin’s dietary requirement for fluoride is very different from that of a human. Fluoride can cause mottling of the tooth enamel during permanent teeth development. We recommended bottled or filtered water for our pets.
HEALTH CARE FOR YOUR JAPANESE CHIN DOG The Japanese Chin is a fortunate breed, in that; it has very few hereditary defects and almost no serious ones. Most Chins live to a happy age of ten years or more. (avg. 12 years for males, 10 for females) Immunizations are required preventative measures for the health of your Chin. We recommend you find a veterinarian before picking up your Chin and schedule an appointment within the first few days for a first meeting and check-up. At ten weeks we take the puppies for their first round of innoculations (distemper and parvo). We do not believe multiple vaccinations are necessary and feel a holistic approach to immunization is essential to a long healthy life. Please discuss with your vet why they feel a vaccination is necessary before agreeing to allow each vaccination. Your puppy will have had a fecal exam and wormed if necessary. You will need to purchase HeartGard Plus for them by the time he/she is twelve weeks. All puppies will need to be spayed/neutered. We suggest you do this at approximately 6-12 months and before a female has her first heat. This is required in our Pet Contract unless previously agreed upon.
Please do your research when choosing a Vet. Find one that has over ten years of experience and preferably has treated Japanese Chins before. Unless you live in our area we cannot personally recommend a vet that has experience with the Japanese Chin breed but we will tell you that our personal experience with Banfield Pet Hospitals (Part of Petsmart) has NOT been favorable and we advise if you choose Banfield for your pet care that you make sure the vet at that hospital has several years of experience and ask lots of questions to determine their qualifications.
JAPANESE CHIN PUPPY COAT CARE Grooming is important and a great way to bond with your Chin. Your puppy’s coat will be fuzzy and soft for the first few months and then at about five or six months it will begin to thin out making way for his/her adult coat. Most sable Japanese Chins have dark brown and black coats as puppies and will go through a “ugly-duckling” stage where there will be short fuzzy brown hair and straight black hairs. Don’t worry this will pass and almost all of the black hair will be replaced with beautiful silky sable brown hair. There are many shades of red/white which are darker red that usually lighten a bit but remain basically the same. Black and lemon colors generally do not change from birth. Japanese Chin dogs, especially sable colors, will be around two years old before their adult coat will be fully grown in. Some black may remain at the tips of the ears and possibly the tail on the sable puppies but their adult color is almost identical to the average red/white color. It is normal for your Chin to shed her/his coat once a year. Even with additional supplementation it is necessary for the coat to replace itself. Females will also lose their coat after pregnancy. Black coats are typically fuller and longer than the lighter shades.
A great way to keep your Chins coat and skin in top condition is to give your Chin a monthly warm Miracle Oil massage. Yes, I said massage! This is a 2 part experience that will have tremendous benefits for your dog. First its a great way to bond with your Chin and develop a trust and closeness that will benefit both of your lives. The massage will not only help relax your Chin which is obvious but it will also help relieve emotional and physical pain and helps circulate the blood and chi for good health. To learn how to give a massage click here for instructions. The reason we recommend using Miracle Oil is because its not only a great massage oil but it will condition the coat and skin; clean and disinfect the entire body to protect against allergies, hot spots, staph infections, candida, and other infections of the skin. After massaging in the oil give a good bath in a herbal shampoo and blow dry.
GROOMING YOUR JAPANESE CHIN We suggest a pure-bristle brush and a steel comb with fine-teeth. Japanese Chins should be groomed twice weekly. Check the inside of the ears to make sure they are clean and odor free. If the ear is red, is dirty or has black crusty discharge or smell more than likely this is a yeast infection. Take a cotton ball and dampen with Miracle Oil, fold the ear flap back and gently clean out the ear with the cotton ball. The miracle oil is soothing and will not irrate your Chin further so it shouldn't be too difficult to clean the ear. If the problem persists or is severe you need to add supplements to the diet including a small amount of yogurt, Picrorrhiza can be crushed and added to the diet, along with Nzymes and Antioxidants the problem should clear quickly.
Check the eye area and swab with distilled water to wipe away any discharge. If your Chin has light coloring under the eyes the discharge may be more apparent. Bottled water should help reduce discharge of the eyes. Dry noses can also be a problem with Chins as well as smell in the folds above the nose. Again we suggest using our Miracle Oil to condition the nose to keep it from cracking and to clean out the folds of the face where dirt and bacteria can develop and cause odor. Just use a q-tip dipped in Miracle oil to clean the folds.
We suggest that you also trim toenails every 2 weeks and brush teeth at least once per week. Dental plague will accumulate and become an evident problem by the time your pet is 2 or 3 years old. If not removed along with tooth loss, tartar can cause a bacterial infection which will spread through the bloodstream to other organs such as the heart and kidneys and shorten your Chins life. To help reduce tartar, we recommend adding Frageria Vesca to your dogs water bowl once per week. Bathing once a month will also make you and your Chin feel better. Remember you must blow-dry till completely dry after a bath to insure they don’t catch a cold. Developing a grooming routine at any early age insures cooperative and problem-free adults.
Anal Glands. If you find that your Chin is dragging his/her bum across the rug or floor on a regular basis it may be due to compacted anal glands. To solve this problem add 1 tbsp of dry oatmeal to his/her daily meal or if feeding kibble, switch brands. We do NOT recommend having the anal glands routinely squeezed during grooming or vet trips. Please make sure to tell your groomer/vet NOT to squeeze the glands although some will recommend this. It does more harm than good and once you start to squeeze them it will become a routine problem so its best to avoid this method of relieving the pressure. A more solid stool will take care of the problem in most cases without the pain or smell of the squeeze.
TRAVEL If you puppy will need to travel to get to you then we suggest the following. If we will be shipping to you, we will make all of the airline arrangements but the cost will be your responsibility. If you will be flying with your puppy, then you will need to make arrangements with your airline. Most airlines will allow you to carry the puppy with you on the plane under your seat in a carrier that fits the size requirements and specifications. Since Chins are so small they rarely are required to fly in the cargo area of the plane. You will never want to tranquilize your Chin before flying. They are very small creatures and this is never healthy for even large pets. It causes the animal to have difficulty regulating its body temperature and blood pressure. In addition, sedated pets can lose their balance, which increases the potential for injury. We will provide you with necessary Travel Documents and Health Certificate. The certificate is usually good for 10 days, documents the Pets health, and certifies that it’s free of communicable diseases, so diseases don’t spread from state to state.
Some Chins do experience car/travel sickness which can range from drooling to vomiting. To reduce the effects of travel, we offer a homeopathic tincture to aid during times of travel. click here to view details or to purchase This product is all natural and is not a sedative.
PERSONALITY & TRAINING YOUR JAPANESE CHIN PUPPY The temperament of your Japanese Chin will depend on the time and effort put into the first few months of his/her life. Our puppies leave our home happy, healthy and playful. If she continues to receive the same treatment at her new home, then she will become a cherished and loving member of the family for many years to come. We have never known a Japanese Chin to be anything but affectionate, intelligent and calm by nature as adults. They are generally quiet dogs that never yap but only occasionally let out a bark or two at the sight of a stranger or excitement. Like babies, what a puppy learns the first few months of his/her life will have the most affect on the adult he/she turns out to be. We recommend that if this is your first puppy you read a book or two on raising and training a puppy so that your Chin grows up to be an obedient and loving dog.
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