[TheCheekyMonster]

The Spotted Devil, on 05 March 2012 - 12:47 PM, said:

Nope. No need if you are feeding a decent dry food. What supplements do you want to feed?

Ow none at all if they are not necessary .... but I was wondering if there would be any benefit of introducing flaxseed oil to his diet....or something to help his stomach because his flatulence is somewhat revolting and frequent he is on Proplan large not sure if that is an ideal kibble for a dally but it is what the breeder was feeding him.... I'm hoping maybe changing to a BARF like diet may help this.

[The Spotted Devil]

I would double check what others are feeding him first. Have you discussed this with your breeder? They should know the quirks of their dogs better than anyone. There is plenty of info on the internet on dog food and Dally diets as well.

[TheCheekyMonster]

The Spotted Devil, on 05 March 2012 - 02:19 PM, said:

I would double check what others are feeding him first. Have you discussed this with your breeder? They should know the quirks of their dogs better than anyone. There is plenty of info on the internet on dog food and Dally diets as well.

Cheers - Yea when i bought Gus i got a feeding guide... but his stomach is producing some bad bad smells so obviously the kibble is not agreeing with him too much.
Thanks for the advise... I will digg around a bit I know a few dals from the same lines so I will ask them what they feed their dogs.

[dotdashdot]

TheCheekyMonster, on 05 March 2012 - 02:41 PM, said:

The Spotted Devil, on 05 March 2012 - 02:19 PM, said:

I would double check what others are feeding him first. Have you discussed this with your breeder? They should know the quirks of their dogs better than anyone. There is plenty of info on the internet on dog food and Dally diets as well.

Cheers - Yea when i bought Gus i got a feeding guide... but his stomach is producing some bad bad smells so obviously the kibble is not agreeing with him too much.
Thanks for the advise... I will digg around a bit I know a few dals from the same lines so I will ask them what they feed their dogs.

I definately second the finding out of what others are feeding. As you know TCM, my living situation is similar to your own, and one night OH's mum offered beef mince when my BARF patties ran out...i was like "no thanks" but she gave me a funny look, then I explained that dallies shouldn't have beef coz of the stone forming issue. The look I got was like I was a dog food nazi (which I am about Cleo, but still lol). I know that at one stage she was also being given extra kibble of the other dog's food... families....they mean well but it can have bad consequences if they dont know what they're doing!

I feed half a cup of kibble in morning, one cup in evening plus one BARF patty (certain varieties only).

I'm a bit lazy r.e raw. That's why I like the BARF, it's so easy for me! Getting home at 6 or 7 leaves me little enough time to shower and eat dinner, let alone make a full on raw diet for the dog, I love the convenience =]

[BC Crazy]

I add kelp powder, fish oil, livermole & when I am almost out of these products, id like to give Missing Link a try. I have always used vitamins e.t.c Yes they have really good quality food but I think it doesn't hurt to keep them at their best. My diets good, & I take vitamins everyday. IMHO.

[TheCheekyMonster]

Well his raw food came yesterday.... and I still have 1 barrel of kibble so I will need to finish off the kibble..... 1 cup kibble with 2 spoons cottage cheese for breakfast and I am going to make my own pattys... 1 cup chicken mince, 1 egg, 1tbs omega oil and 1/2 cup pulped veggies (broccoli, sweet potato, carrot) he will get these three days a week and wings 4 days a week.... what do people thing?? does that sound ok?

[dotdashdot]

TheCheekyMonster, on 07 March 2012 - 09:16 AM, said:

Well his raw food came yesterday.... and I still have 1 barrel of kibble so I will need to finish off the kibble..... 1 cup kibble with 2 spoons cottage cheese for breakfast and I am going to make my own pattys... 1 cup chicken mince, 1 egg, 1tbs omega oil and 1/2 cup pulped veggies (broccoli, sweet potato, carrot) he will get these three days a week and wings 4 days a week.... what do people thing?? does that sound ok?

That sounds like a good homemade patty to me... this is the ingredient list of the chicken flavour patty that Cleo is currently eating:
"Chicken, finely ground chicken bone, beef liver, whole egg, cultured kefir, seasonal vegetables selected from broccoli, celery, spinach, carrot, ground flax seed, bok choy, dried alfalfa leaf powder, beef kidney, beef heart, unbleached beef tripe, seasonal fruit selected from apple, pear, grapefruit, orange, dried kelp powder, garlic, capsicum."

My ingredient list on the actual box looks slightly different, naming the actual veggies not "seasonal selection"

You patty would be better in the respect that it doesn't have any liver...,maybe i'll copy you! $17 for 12 days worth...how much did your patty supplies cost?

[TheCheekyMonster]

newsensation_cleo, on 07 March 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:

TheCheekyMonster, on 07 March 2012 - 09:16 AM, said:

Well his raw food came yesterday.... and I still have 1 barrel of kibble so I will need to finish off the kibble..... 1 cup kibble with 2 spoons cottage cheese for breakfast and I am going to make my own pattys... 1 cup chicken mince, 1 egg, 1tbs omega oil and 1/2 cup pulped veggies (broccoli, sweet potato, carrot) he will get these three days a week and wings 4 days a week.... what do people thing?? does that sound ok?

That sounds like a good homemade patty to me... this is the ingredient list of the chicken flavour patty that Cleo is currently eating:
"Chicken, finely ground chicken bone, beef liver, whole egg, cultured kefir, seasonal vegetables selected from broccoli, celery, spinach, carrot, ground flax seed, bok choy, dried alfalfa leaf powder, beef kidney, beef heart, unbleached beef tripe, seasonal fruit selected from apple, pear, grapefruit, orange, dried kelp powder, garlic, capsicum."

My ingredient list on the actual box looks slightly different, naming the actual veggies not "seasonal selection"

You patty would be better in the respect that it doesn't have any liver...,maybe i'll copy you! $17 for 12 days worth...how much did your patty supplies cost?

I thought beef and liver was a no no's?? or is it just in concentrated amounts?

[dotdashdot]

TheCheekyMonster, on 08 March 2012 - 08:23 AM, said:

newsensation_cleo, on 07 March 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:

TheCheekyMonster, on 07 March 2012 - 09:16 AM, said:

Well his raw food came yesterday.... and I still have 1 barrel of kibble so I will need to finish off the kibble..... 1 cup kibble with 2 spoons cottage cheese for breakfast and I am going to make my own pattys... 1 cup chicken mince, 1 egg, 1tbs omega oil and 1/2 cup pulped veggies (broccoli, sweet potato, carrot) he will get these three days a week and wings 4 days a week.... what do people thing?? does that sound ok?

That sounds like a good homemade patty to me... this is the ingredient list of the chicken flavour patty that Cleo is currently eating:
"Chicken, finely ground chicken bone, beef liver, whole egg, cultured kefir, seasonal vegetables selected from broccoli, celery, spinach, carrot, ground flax seed, bok choy, dried alfalfa leaf powder, beef kidney, beef heart, unbleached beef tripe, seasonal fruit selected from apple, pear, grapefruit, orange, dried kelp powder, garlic, capsicum."

My ingredient list on the actual box looks slightly different, naming the actual veggies not "seasonal selection"

You patty would be better in the respect that it doesn't have any liver...,maybe i'll copy you! $17 for 12 days worth...how much did your patty supplies cost?

I thought beef and liver was a no no's?? or is it just in concentrated amounts?

Yes, I avoid them like the plague normally, don't give beef bones, liver treats, any thing with beef or organ meat. My reasoning in my head is that it must be in very small amounts (still would rather it further down the list if it must be there).
Another reason to start making my own patties and freezing them, might wait until we buy our new fridge in a few months though so it's not taking up space in the "communal" one.
*sigh* sometimes, it would be nice not to worry about avoiding certain foods.

[The Spotted Devil]

Even small amounts of liver, red meat etc can be risky - whilst we understand the basic genetics of Dally stones there are likely other less well understood factors. Not all vegetables are low purine either. It doesn't have to be complicated. Feed a decent dry food with only chicken (I wouldn't touch Black Hawk by the way) and add chicken frames or large pieces for chewing. I only feed mince as treats - even my cats eat whole chicken necks/wings or chunks of meat. Much better for teeth for a start!

[TheCheekyMonster]

The Spotted Devil, on 08 March 2012 - 10:01 PM, said:

Even small amounts of liver, red meat etc can be risky - whilst we understand the basic genetics of Dally stones there are likely other less well understood factors. Not all vegetables are low purine either. It doesn't have to be complicated. Feed a decent dry food with only chicken (I wouldn't touch Black Hawk by the way) and add chicken frames or large pieces for chewing. I only feed mince as treats - even my cats eat whole chicken necks/wings or chunks of meat. Much better for teeth for a start!

Can you mix kibble and raw?..... I wanted to add some greens because he loves it and egg and flaxseed for his coat....

[dotdashdot]

The Spotted Devil, on 08 March 2012 - 10:01 PM, said:

Even small amounts of liver, red meat etc can be risky - whilst we understand the basic genetics of Dally stones there are likely other less well understood factors. Not all vegetables are low purine either. It doesn't have to be complicated. Feed a decent dry food with only chicken (I wouldn't touch Black Hawk by the way) and add chicken frames or large pieces for chewing. I only feed mince as treats - even my cats eat whole chicken necks/wings or chunks of meat. Much better for teeth for a start!

Can I ask why you don't like the black hawk? And which kibble you use?

[The Spotted Devil]

Have a look at the ingredients list - red meat (lamb from memory) and a few other things I wasn't fussed on (Brewers Yeast???) I'm sure my Springer would do fine on it but not what I'd choose for a Dally. I prefer to minimise risk if I can control it. As I said earlier I feed Artemis adult. It's really important to educate yourself - know the list of purine high foods and find something that suits you (price, convenience) and the dog.

This post has been edited by The Spotted Devil: 11 March 2012 - 05:42 PM

[TheCheekyMonster]

The Spotted Devil, on 11 March 2012 - 05:40 PM, said:

Have a look at the ingredients list - red meat (lamb from memory) and a few other things I wasn't fussed on (Brewers Yeast???) I'm sure my Springer would do fine on it but not what I'd choose for a Dally. I prefer to minimise risk if I can control it. As I said earlier I feed Artemis adult. It's really important to educate yourself - know the list of purine high foods and find something that suits you (price, convenience) and the dog.

Yeap I printed off a list of foods high in purines to lowest in purines and im just feeding off that guide...

[dotdashdot]

I carefully scrutinised all the dog foods available to me in my area (helps that I work in a pet store, I have access to more than most but Artemis isn't sold in my area). I have read the purine lists over and over, got it nearly committed to memory, and educated myself before I got a dalmatian, I knew what I was getting into.

According to the Dalmatian Club of America, all meats possible to feed to my dog are "moderately" high in purines, from beef to lamb to chicken. There isn't one meat on the "low" list, and i've read that either lamb or chicken be the main protein source. Cleo's breeder and my mentor both feed supercoat, far worse than black hawk in my opinion.

These are the other foods available to me (and why I won't feed them or don't choose to right now)

Science Diet - hate the amount of fillers, waste of money.
Advance - if I change from BH, I may try this based on ingredients
Pro Plan - Cleo didn't love it, plus has wheat
EP Holistic - the fish flavour is out of the question, having anchovies and sardines and salmon. But Cleo didn't like the other flavours either.
Iams and Eukanuba - too much filler
Royal Canin - has wheat

And then Supercoat, DogPro, Coprice, etc...cheap and full of fillers.

Look, this may have come across defensive, but I've educated myself and tried really hard. To be told to "educate myself" hurts. I could be doing far, far worse for my dog. At least I've read all the info and made a decision based on that.