# help with dalmatian food please!



## catzisme (Dec 19, 2013)

Hi guys,
I have two lovely dalmatian puppies, both 7 months, both from the same litter. However, recently we were forced to switch from tesco puppy food (which they were doing well on) to wagg dog food, as tescos seem to have stopped stocking the tesco version of puppy food. I have noticed since we've switched, that my puppy max has been throwing up, and generally unwell. meanwhile his brother scrappy has been developing sore red spots on his paws, and his ears. 
i don't particularly want to pay £60 for the vet to tell us to change their food, so i wanted to ask, does this all sound food related to everyone? If not, what could it be? 
Also, if you do think its food related, does anyone have any suggestions as to what to feed them, since tescos have stopped stocking the food we usually buy. i don't mind ordering online, but i will say that i do not want to do the BARF diet. no offence to those who are doing it with their dogs, but it is not a route i want to take.
Many thanks for any help anyone can provide, it is much appreciated.


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

Please don't take this the wrong way but most anything would be better for them then tescos own and wagg.

It could all be food related but I know my staffy gets terrible food related skin issues. He's grain intolerant. The throwing up could be too. When does he throw up? How often? To be honest if it were my dog vomiting and generally unwell of take him the vets just to be sure. If the vets recommend a food it will no doubt be royal canin or hills. Which TBH. Are pants for the price. And really not great.

Have a look here

http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/255727-updated-dry-dog-food-index.html

I'd go grain free to be sure it's not grains causing the skin issues.

My personal recommendation would be Simpsons grain free range. Simply because it was the only dry food my boy could eat that didn't cause issue. It was an absolute god send at the time since the poor boy had basically been able to eat nothing but potato and egg for months.

I feed raw now but know that's not for everyone. Reason I recommend Simpsons is the price too. A lot of grain free options are high priced. But check out the index and start there.


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## moggiemum (Mar 28, 2013)

when you see the size of the poops they do on a lot of dried foods you understand somewhat why they would want to chuck up , you are on a slippery slope if you continue to rely on these foods alone if at all, sorry 

goood quality foods are available in tin wet and raw in my opinion is best  
do you mind if i ask why you don't want to do raw? i won't be offended if you don't want to talk about it, it dosen't have to be solely raw but supplemented,  

best wishes for you and your puppies i would try weaning them off it graduallly on to something else better designed for dogs

now i am going to be really cheeky and ask for pics pleaseeeeeeeeeee


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

moggiemum said:


> goood quality foods are available in tin wet and raw in my opinion is best


I'm sure that raw may be best but not necessarily for Dalmations (and a couple of other breeds) which may suffer genetically from a tendency for uric stone formation.  Not always but additional care and research is required as purine levels, which raw meat is high in, may well have an influence. I know of a couple of dally owners feeding raw here but you do have to be careful.

The index previously listed is a good resource and take a close look at the ingredients of the green foods listed and compare them with something like Wagg. Knowing the issue with dalmations however I would try to get some advice from people who actually own dalmations and are aware of the problems they may have and how it may affect choices.


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## Guest (Dec 20, 2013)

Good quality premium foods are well worth the extra pounds. They are expensive because they contain foods that are closer to what a dog should betting instead of chicken feed which is basicly what many supermarket branded foods are. 

It may seem a bit over welming at first but doing a bit of research and asking the right questions on here will give you a wealth of information which will help you make the right decissions on choosing a good food for your pets.


How big is your budget??


I would recomend 

Millies Wolfheart - Lots of dogs do well on this even the fussy ones. They have incredible customer servive and a great facebook page and website.

Simpsons - Another one I would recomend as it has good ingrediants and the kibble is a nice size.


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## Bobbie (May 3, 2008)

Another vote for Millies wolfheart and as they do small taster bags you can try several. Please don't feed that Wagg to those beautiful dogs.


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## catzisme (Dec 19, 2013)

hey everyone thank you first of all for all the responses, they are very helpful. the main reason i don't want to feed raw is i have heard too many horror stories about it, and also the type of raw diet they would have is just too expensive!
I am a little overwhelmed to be honest, before i got them i had done a lot of research, but the mum and pups both seemed to be doing really well on bakers, so i just went with the tesco version of it. I am going to look into the different ranges available, and see whats best for them. 
I would like to ask though, could i just buy plain chicken from the shops, cook it, mix it with cooked veg, doggie gravy, and feed them that? would that be appropriate, or not?
also, here is a pic of them at 6 weeks for those who are interested. i'll upload another of when they're older in my next post?


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

I do think you need some guidance from Dalmatian experts re feeding. 

The predisposition to uric acid crystals is fairly important in this breed, and yours are still young, so please seek advice from established and experienced Dalmatian owners (The Breed Clubs are a good place to start) or you may risk your dogs becoming unwell in the future.


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

catzisme said:


> hey everyone thank you first of all for all the responses, they are very helpful. the main reason i don't want to feed raw is i have heard too many horror stories about it, and also the type of raw diet they would have is just too expensive!
> I am a little overwhelmed to be honest, before i got them i had done a lot of research, but the mum and pups both seemed to be doing really well on bakers, so i just went with the tesco version of it. I am going to look into the different ranges available, and see whats best for them.
> I would like to ask though, could i just buy plain chicken from the shops, cook it, mix it with cooked veg, doggie gravy, and feed them that? would that be appropriate, or not?
> also, here is a pic of them at 6 weeks for those who are interested. i'll upload another of when they're older in my next post?


No. Chicken and veg wouldn't be a suitable long term diet for the dogs hun. If you did want to go home cooked there are books on amazon about home cooking but you need to be sure they get the right amount of vitamins and minerals. Cooking meat removes a lot of those for dogs.

In defence of raw. I feed my two on a quarter of what I was paying for commercial dog food. But tbh I don't see as you need a reason. Not wanting to feed raw because you don't want to is perfectly fine.

And we ALWAYS want picture of gorgeous furbabies.


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## penguin (Jan 2, 2013)

I switched my two from fishmongers to millies wolfheart and can't recommend it enough. The initial expense is quite a lot as it was £93 for two bags but one bag has lasted us ages and that's with a 25kg dog and a 15kg dog. 
Their customer service is excellent and you get a decent sized sample bag for a fiver!


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## Bobbie (May 3, 2008)

There maybe a Dalmatian forum that you could join because on there you would get loads of advice. they are lovely looking pups.:thumbsup:


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## [email protected] (Nov 22, 2010)

Please, please, please listen to the advice of the other posts. Dalmations (well, all dogs) need a decent diet. When they are pups they can eat a lot of junk food and look ok but as they get older this junk food will do them no favours full of colourings, additives and mainly made up of very little meat and more cereal. The more expensive diets have a lot more meat in them which is why they are more expensive. The more you pay, generally the better quality diet you will be getting. The more expensive diets provide all the nutrients they will need too. Dalmations fed on decent diets end up with fabulous skin and coat conditions (not dry and dandruffy), dont fart constantly, poos are firm and small, they have great muscle definition and arent overweight. I have a dog with a red meat allergy hence I feed fish4dogs diets and treats but any of the good pet food companies will send you a free sample to try on the dogs. No need to be overwhelmed, just heed advice from us lot and you'll get on the right track.


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## catzisme (Dec 19, 2013)

Hi guys,
So i just wanted to let you all know what i've decided, didn't want you all to think i'd forgotten! our first bag of simpsons sensitive salmon and potato (puppy) food arrived friday, and apart from a little bit of sickness at first, my two now gobble it up. i am already seeing an improvement. My puppy scrappy is scratching less, and no longer has red raw skin. Meanwhile max is back to his normal self, and the poos are firm! also, no more smelly farts!
Hehe i know thats probably a bit too much info, but thank you all so much for the help. Heres a picture of my two now.


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

catzisme said:


> Hi guys,
> So i just wanted to let you all know what i've decided, didn't want you all to think i'd forgotten! our first bag of simpsons sensitive salmon and potato (puppy) food arrived friday, and apart from a little bit of sickness at first, my two now gobble it up.


Did you consult the Dalmatian forums as to suitable foods? The health issues this breed has are directly linked to the food they eat.


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## catzisme (Dec 19, 2013)

MerlinsMum said:


> Did you consult the Dalmatian forums as to suitable foods? The health issues this breed has are directly linked to the food they eat.


Hi,
I spoke to the breeder, had a look at a couple of forums and did a bit of my own research. This food, although only an orange on the dry dog food index, has very low purines.


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