Both of our dalmatians, henry 16months and charlie 9 months are fed on good quality dried foods.  I have reading lately that to feed a dry food constantly with no variation is not good for them and very boring.  I do not want to raw feed but have been thinking about replacing their evening meal with some variations of cooked meat/fish and veggies.  Can anyone help me, i will mince all of the veg up and cook the meat in salt free stock but am not sure really which meat/fish and veggies are safe.

Many thanks

Chrissy

Why not add Naturediet to their meals? :)

Thanks Carla, but we struggle in our area to get hold of both nature diet and nature menu, i was also thinking that preparing my own cooked food in bulk and freezing may work out cheaper?

thanks

if you really want to add cooked meat/veg then you could add anything really. mince, chicken, turkey, beef, cauliflower, broc, carrots etc, remember to mash the veg though, dont leave it whole :)
otherwise like suggested you could add naturediet or natures menu?

thats great thanks, is there anything that is a definate no no tho, especially where fish is concerned or dark green veg as i have read that those and onions/leeks should be avoided?

chrissy

Most dark leafy veg such as spinach, broccoli, varied herbs etc are particularly good for your dog - but as you rightly say, onions are not :)  As to fish, regular feeding of tuna could be a problem due to the mercury levels.  Most other fish in a generally healthy dog with no breed specific dietary requirements should be fine :)

I feed white fish instead of chicken to aid gentle recovery after tummy upsets and oily fish such as sardines, salmon and mackerel as treats or meals (to the only one which actually eats fish that is :rolleyes: LOL )

HTH, Teri :)

For dalmatians it's unwise to feed spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, lentils and other legumes because they're high in purines. Also avoid oily fish (sardines, mackerel etc) and all organ meats. Certain game meats and rich poultry (duck and goose) aren't recommended either.

thanks very much for that, perhaps i should try and stick to what i know, was going to give them beef and veggies for tea tonight but am worried its going to be bad for them.  Think i need to do some research into purines as its something iv never heard about before. any informative website addresses would be a help....

Thanks

Chrissy

This (and the links from it) is a good place to start. :)

I have noticed that salmon is quite high in purines.  Our youngest Charlie is on a salmon and potato dried food at the moment as this is all he can tolerate due to all other foods giving him diahorrea.  Do you think that this could be a problem for him.  I am now really worried about this problem and dont want to feed my dogs a diet that is going to cause this problem.

Thanks

Chrissy

The thing to remember is that although all dals have the metabolic defect, not all will go on to become stone-formers. Even with littermates fed the same diet one may form stones and the others not - nobody knows why some do and most don't.

If your boy has a delicate digestion it's important to feed him what he can tolerate, and salmon-and-potato is a lot better than many other recipes. :) A way of putting your mind at rest would be to get your vet to test a sample of his urine (first wee of the morning, when his bladder's been full overnight) every few months for urate crystals. If there's no sign of these in his urine then he's doing fine. :)

An important preventative measure is to make sure that your dog/s drink plenty - a litre of water a day is about right for a 25kg dog. This doesn't all have to be actual drink - if you wet his food before serving it he'll get some that way. I give mine a large bowlful of water each with some milk (they're not lactose intolerant luckily, and it's low purine) every day as well as wet food to keep the urine dilute and the bladder flushed through. (Just don't give this before you're going out, or he'll be busting!) Keeping the system flushed and the dog well hydrated will get rid of any crystals before they clump and start forming stones. And make sure they have frequent opportunities to wee - every 3 hours during the day is ideal. What you don't want is urine sitting in the bladder for hours and hours - that's where problems can start.

Hope this helps. :)

Thats great thanks both our dals drink alot of water and wee alot.  We also soak their dry food.  I will make sure they get as much as possible and now keep a look out for any symptoms of problems when they go for a wee.  I think its funny that we get more obsessed with their wee's & poo's everyday to make sure they are doing ok.

Thanks for you advice

Chrissy

It sounds as though you're doing everything right! :) I have to watch mine to make sure, first thing in the morning and last thing at night, that when they cock their legs something comes out; they're starting to think I've lost the plot, and dive under shrubs to wee so that I can't peek! :D :D The chances are your dogs will never have any problems, but it's always good to be aware of the possibility. :)

Hi Missie, just outta curiosity why would you have to mash veg?
:)

>I have reading lately that to feed a dry food constantly with no variation is not good for them

Why?  I thought the idea of complete food was that it was good for them because it has all the nutrients required. 

I add scraps from our plates to the dog's dinner but whether I do or not she polishes the lot off with vigour. :)

>just outta curiosity why would you have to mash veg?<

So they can digest it easier,cooking destroys the cellulose to a point but mashing makes it more available to them. Pulverising raw veg is essential otherwise it goes out the same way it goes in.More evidence IMO that dogs are carnivors :)

>I thought the idea of complete food was that it was good for them because it has all the nutrients required.<

Eating a dry cereal diet with nil fresh foods is no better for them than it would be for us,"complete and balanced" or not.

>it has all the nutrients required<

Complete foods have the minimum nutrients 'required' for a dog to survive,it would be impossible for any dry food to provide the exact ratio of nutrients,vitamins and minerals for every single dog.Just like humans they all have different nutrient requirements,which is why fresh food additions are imperitave IMHO,not only for the sake of variety/taste/nutrients but also for the fact that no food in a packet could ever replace fresh,real foods.

Great info on Struvites and treatment:

http://vettechs.blogspot.com/2005/05/so-your-dog-has-struvites.html

Urinary Tract Infections: http://b-naturals.com/Sep2004.php

UTI information: http://b-naturals.com/Sep2004.php

Ktee, struvites are not the same kind of stones that most Dalmatians form. Most Dals form purine/urate stones the cause of which, and treatment for, are entirely different than struvites (AKA magnesium phosphates or infections stones).

Thank you, Lori. You put that more succinctly than I would have! :)