What's the Best Dog Food for Chinese Crested Dogs?
Chinese Crested require specialized care and support to prevent health issues. This breed is predisposed to bone, joint, hip, dental, and vision problems. The hairless variety is also susceptible to skin conditions. Thankfully, these pups can live long lives with the right care.
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Breed Info
Breed Group:Toy | AKC Chinese Crested Profile
Ideal Weight:Female Adult: 9 to 11 pounds
Male Adult: 9 to 11 pounds
Exercise Need:15 to 25 minutes per day
Breed Summary
Despite the name, this toy breed is from unknown and contested origins. Their name is derived from their history as ratting dogs on Chinese trading ships. Chinese Crested can live to be as many as 15 years old. Chinese Crested are either the hairless or coated “powderpuff”. The coated Chinese Crested’s hair is soft and silky. Both varieties are considered hypoallergenic since they shed very little. While friendly with children, they should be monitored around small children since they are fragile and susceptible to bone breaks and fractures. They are also very popular with the elderly and disabled due to their mostly sedentary lifestyle as lap dogs. In addition, Chinese Crested are relatively easy to train because of their high desire to please their masters. This playful, loving, and sensitive little pooch just wants to be around its family and will be your beloved companion.
Physical Traits
Hairless: Smooth, soft skin with small tufts of hair
With hair: Silky coat of long hair
Personality Traits
Playful, loving, alert
Health Considerations
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While relatively healthy for a toy breed, and with an average lifespan of 13-15 years, there are still some notable health considerations owners should be aware of. Weighing roughly 5-12 lbs, chinese crested have fine, delicate bones that are susceptible to fracture. Additionally, the hairless variations do require skin care to help minimize risk of skin irritations, sunburns, and sensitivities or allergies. Furthermore, chinese crested are known to develop eye, dental, and joint issues. Thankfully, a balanced, nutritious diet can help minimize the risk of these conditions. Due to their relatively low energy and activity levels, it is important to monitor the caloric intake and caloric density of your chinese crested’s diet.
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Bone & Joint Issues
Because of their delicate and slender stature, Chinese Cresteds are somewhat susceptible to bone breaks and fractures. In addition, joint disorders like luxating patella, legg-calve-perthes disease and hip or elbow dysplasia are common, making the following nutrients ideal for their diet:
Recommendations:
Antioxidants・ Chondroitin・ Glucosamine・ Green Mussel・ Methylsulfonymethane・ Omega-3 from Fish Oil・ Taurine・ Turmeric・ Vitamin E -
Dental Issues
Due to their small mouth structure, it is not uncommon for the Chinese Cresteds to experience dental issues such enamel loss, periodontal disease and broken teeth. We actually recommend dental chews for these pups. Learn more about how to take care of your dog's teeth.
Recommendations:
Puffy/crunch kibbles (bigger)・ Sodium hexametaphosphate・ Treats based on solubility, not hardness -
Eye Problems
Chinese Cresteds are prone to developing many common eye problems including dry eyes, progressive retinal atrophy (pra), cataracts, lens luxation and glaucoma. Certain vitamins in food can help delay or mitigate these issues.
Recommendations:
Anthocyanins・ Astaxanthin・ Beta-carotene・ Carotenoids・ Glutathione・ Lutein・ Lycopene・ Omega-3 essential fatty acids・ Phytonutrients・ Vitamin A・ Vitamin C -
Skin Conditions
The hairless variety of the Chinese Cresteds are susceptible to skin conditions such as Sunburn, Blackheads, Skin Cancer, Wool Allergy and Eczema. We like foods and supplements that provide support for skin even before issues arise.
Get a tailored nutrition profile for your dog
Our free nutritional assessment tool provides individualized recommendations based on your dog's breed characteristics, age, weight, body condition score, and activity level. It only takes 30 seconds to receive science-based insights to support your dog's lifelong health.
Are Fresh Food Diets Good for Chinese Cresteds?
Only if they’re properly balanced.
Many well-intentioned Chinese Cresteds parents spend a lot of time preparing meals at home, but health benefits are lost if meals aren’t properly portioned and balanced with all the nutrients dogs need. Recently, a few companies have done an excellent job ensuring accurate portions and nutrient balance by delivering pre-prepped fresh meals customized to the size and needs of your dog. Farmer’s Dog, Ollie and Nom Nom have each been approved by our nutrition team as delivering truly quality and well-balanced meals. They can be a little expensive (usually 3-4x more per day than kibble), but many find the added health benefits worth the cost. They do offer discounts to new customers, though, if you’d like to try one out.
Pros and Cons of Fresh Food Diets
✓ Diets balanced by Nutritionists・ ✓ Customized portions for weight control・ ✓ Superior digestive and immune health ・✕ More expensive than standard dog food
Foods We Recommend for Chinese Cresteds Puppies
How long do Chinese Crestedss need puppy food?
Until they're 7 to 10 months old.
Chinese Cresteds are very focused on growing, and how we feed them should help them do just that. Since they have so much growing to do, they need higher amounts of nutrients than adult dogs, especially proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and — don’t forget — water. It’s still important to not overfeed puppies, so make sure to portion food and keep treats to no more than 10% of their caloric intake. Since balance is so important, we recommend that your young Chinese Cresteds is eating food that is made just for puppies from a reputable brand.
Find the best nutritional start for your puppy
Our recommendation tool evaluates your puppy’s breed, age, growth stage, lifestyle, and health needs to identify a scientifically appropriate diet from over 10,000 options. Obtain personalized guidance to help support healthy development and lifelong wellness.
Foods We Recommend for Chinese Cresteds Adults
When should Chinese Cresteds start transitioning to adult food?
When they're 7 to 10 months old
From a nutrition standpoint, Chinese Cresteds become adults once they reach about 90% of their expected weight. Once adults, our two key nutrition goals are balance and maintenance. We want balance because a dog’s body is responsible for a lot of things, like digestion, fighting infection, keeping muscles strong, and chasing squirrels. These are all important tasks, so we want to make sure each body function gets its share of nutrients. We also need to maintain a healthy weight. Underfed dogs are at risk for malnourishment, and overfed dogs can become obese — both of which lead to even worse problems for a Chinese Crested
Find the optimal nutrition plan for your adult dog
Our assessment analyzes your dog’s breed, age, lifestyle, and health considerations to recommend a scientifically selected diet from over 10,000 options. Personalized insights to help your dog thrive through adulthood.
Foods We Recommend for Chinese Cresteds Seniors
When should Chinese Cresteds start transitioning to senior food?
All dogs can age differently, but toy dogs like Chinese Cresteds can start to benefit from senior food around 10 to 12 years old
Ever watch kids running around the playground and wish you had that energy again? Yeah. Dogs get there, too. The metabolic processes in senior Chinese Cresteds slow down as they age, which often means they aren’t needing quite as many calories as they did in their prime. Smart dog food companies have formulated senior diets to ease up on calories but still help them feel full and give them adequate maintenance protein. Still, like humans, everybody is different. Sometimes older dogs need just as many calories, or more, depending on how their bodies progress. So keep a close eye on their body condition, and look for dog foods made for seniors.
Support your senior dog's health with targeted nutrition
Our assessment analyzes your dog’s breed, age, and health considerations to recommend a science-based diet from over 10,000 options. Help maintain mobility, cognitive health, and quality of life.
Affiliate Disclosure:
We do not accept money to recommend pet foods. However, we do receive referral fees from online retailers (such as Chewy or Amazon) on qualifying purchases. Our recommendations are neutral, and diet recommendations are made without considering whether we will receive a referral fee.