If you notice that your Chow Chow (detailed introduction) shows symptoms such as slow growth, weight loss, and blood mixed in feces and urine, you should be cautious whether your Chow Chow is suffering from vitamin C deficiency. So what are the specific manifestations of vitamin C deficiency in Chow Chow!

Chow Chow

Chow Chow (detailed introduction)

If you find your Chow Chow exhibiting slow growth, weight loss, and blood mixed in feces and urine, you should be careful that your Chow Chow may have vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is an important nutrient that maintains animal growth, development, and metabolism. Its deficiency can cause scurvy and other symptoms, mainly characterized by bleeding caused by increased capillary permeability. Below we introduce the specific manifestations of these symptoms, diagnostic methods, and ways to supplement vitamin C.

Mild deficiency of vitamin C can cause slow growth in Chow Chow, tachycardia, weakened constitution, bleeding in mucous membranes and skin, and blood often mixed in feces and urine. Gums are purplish red, swollen, smooth, and fragile, often secondary infection occurs, forming ulcers, limb pain, and swelling at the end of long bone epiphyses. Moreover, mentally they may appear lethargic, dislike activity, and often become very sensitive to the surrounding environment, becoming restless at slight noises.

For these mild symptoms of vitamin C deficiency, give the Chow Chow more fresh vegetables rich in vitamin C, tomatoes, fruits, and animal liver, kidneys, and other foods. Since canine animals can synthesize the vitamin they need, medication is not required in this situation.

Additionally, when the Chow Chow is pregnant, lactating, or suffering from chronic wasting diseases, the body will increase consumption of vitamin C; especially in gastrointestinal and liver diseases, it is necessary to appropriately increase vitamin content in the Chow Chow's food.

When vitamin C deficiency is severe, symptoms on the Chow Chow’s body will show fragile capillaries, bone loss, softened bones, easy deformation, and even fractures. X-ray examination will reveal osteoporosis, thickened calcification bands on long bone epiphyses, thinning of bone cortex, and slender trabeculae.

At this point, if diagnosed with severe vitamin C deficiency, treatment combining improved nutritional intake and medication should be taken as soon as possible. First, ensure the Chow Chow’s daily diet contains rich vitamin C, and also give oral vitamin C at 150 to 300 milligrams daily, divided into three doses. If necessary, intravenous injection can be used once daily at doses of 100 to 200 milligrams.