Dalmatian
Feeding Survey Results, November 2008
These results are based on a question posted to two
Dalmatian lists, ShowDal-L and the DCA Members
List. I limited the responses to members
of those two lists, as I felt they represented well-informed owners who would
have done their dog food research rather than pet owners looking for the least
expensive brand of kibble. I asked what
they would feed to a normal healthy adult Dalmatian. Most of the replies contained a great deal of
additional information which I found interesting to read, but almost impossible
to use on this list, so much of it was omitted. I did include a few examples.
The results this time were much different than for
previous surveys, with Purina/Pro Plan now having a far greater share of the
market. At one time, Natures Recipe was
very popular until they had a food recall, and the products never regained
their market share (at least among Dalmatian owners). This time it was Nutro
that lost a huge number of former buyers.
Some noted problems with the food, others said they had heard of the
problems and switched because of bad press.
Raw and home-cooked diets are increasingly popular,
as are commercial raw diets. Many kibble
feeders noted that they added fresh food like meat, eggs, veggies and dairy
products or commercial raw foods, while some raw feeders used kibble several
times a week. There was a huge increase
in the number of people adding various food items and supplements to commercial
diets. In the first survey back in 1999,
most people believed the media hype about “balance” and fed straight
kibble. That is obviously no longer the
case and products like Freshpet Select, a
refrigerated meat and veggie diet and various types of canned dog food are
added to kibble diets.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this
informal survey. If you think you have
been missed, please let me know so I can check on it. Also, if you notice that the information you
sent for the Product name is not correct, please let me know. I contacted a number of participants for
additional information but not all provided that.
Primarily
Kibble Diets
Purina/Pro
Plan Products
Pro Plan Chicken & Rice – 11
Pro
Plan Chicken & Rice, Shredded Blend - 2
Pro
Plan Lamb & Rice – 5
Pro
Plan Chicken & Rice rotated with PP Lamb & Rice - 2
Pro
Plan Chicken & Rice or PP Lamb & Rice
Pro
Plan Turkey
and Barley – 2
Pro
Plan Shredded Lamb & Rice with Purina One Lamb & Rice.
Pro
Plan Chicken & Rice Shredded Blend or Purina ONE
Pro
Plan for Sensitive Skin and Stomach – 3
Pro
Plan for Sensitive Skin and Stomach with Purina One Chicken & Rice
Pro
Plan Senior Chicken & Beef or Purina One (same flavor)
Purina
One Chicken & Rice or Purina One Lamb & Rice
Purina One Chicken & Rice or Iams Mini-chunks
Purina One Small Bites Beef
Purina
One Natural Kibble
Pro
Plan Select Turkey
and Barley – 6
Pro
Plan Select Turkey & Barley with Pro Plan Chicken & Rice
Pro
Plan Select Salmon & Rice
Pro
Plan Selects Turkey & Barley and Pro Plan Chicken & Rice
Pro Plan Selects – Turkey, Fish or Chicken
Pro
Plan Selects - Chicken or Turkey
Pro
Plan Chicken & Rice, weight management mixed with Avoderm
Lite - Brown Rice, Oatmeal & Chicken Meal
Pro
Plan Selects Turkey & Sojos with home cooked
meat/veggies
Purina
Dog Chow – 3
Nutro Products
Nutro Natural Choice Chicken, Rice and Oatmeal - 3
Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice - 7
Nutro Natural Choice Chicken & Rice Senior
Wellness
Products
Wellness Fish and Sweet Potato - 2
Wellness
Core - chicken - sometimes fish
Wellness
Super 5 Mix Healthy Weight
Wellness
Super 5 Chicken - 2
Wellness
Super 5 Lamb
Wellness
Super 5 Lamb & Barley
Wellness
Lamb & Rice with Nutro Lamb & Rice
Dick
Van Pattons Natural Balance Products
Natural Balance Salmon and Sweet Potato - 2
Natural
Balance Reduced Calorie
Natural
Balance fresh chicken/lamb/duckmeal
Natural
Balance Vegetarian Dry/ Evangers Canned Vegetarian
Dinner
Natural
Balance Vegetarian Blend
Natural
Balance Fish & Sweet Potato or California
Natural Lamb & Rice
Natura Products
California Natural Lamb and Rice - 2
California Natural Chicken &
Rice
California Natural - not specified
California Natural Herring &
Sweet Potato
Innova
Adult
Innova Senior/Precise Senior
Eukanuba Products
Eukanuba
Small Bites
Eukanuba Weight Control (Large Breed).
Eukanuba Medium Breed
Eukanuba Natural lamb and Rice
Eukanuba Adult Maintenance - 2
Solid Gold Products
Solid
Gold Hundenflocken
Solid
Gold Holistic
Solid
Gold Adult Maintenance
Solid
Gold Lamb & Rice
Solid
Gold Wolf Cub
Canidae Products
Canidae Platinum - chicken, turkey, lamb & fish
Canidae, All Life Cycle Formula
Canidae, All Life Stages
Canidae
– not specified
Natures Recipe
Nature's
Recipe Venison and Rice
Nature's
Recipe Vegetarian
Nature's
Recipe Lamb and Rice – 3
Nature’s Recipe Vegetarian (male) & Pro Plan
Chicken & Rice (females)
Hills Pet Products
Science
Diet Maintenance
Science
Diet Lamb & Rice Large
Science
Diet Senior – 2
Breeder’s Choice
Avoderm
Original with Beef Meal.
Avoderm Beef Formula
AvoActiveCare - Chicken/Brown Rice
Blue Seal Krunchies - 2
Blue
Seal Lamb & Rice
Flint
River Trout and Sweet Potato
Flint River Ranch - Fish & Chips
Eagle
Pack Holistic...rotate between the varieties (lamb, chicken, fish...)
Abady
Classic Maintenance & Stress
Diamond
Lamb & Rice
Dads
Orijen - Canadian
Merrick
Turducken
Nature's Variety Prairie – Salmon & Brown Rice
Taste
of the Wild Salmon, but going back to raw
Taste
of the Wild Ocean Stream (salmon/grain free), 2 on raw
Summit Chicken & Rice
(Canadian)
Natures'
Choice Nutro (name may not be correct)
Blue Buffalo Fish & Sweet Potato
Kirkland Signature - Costco either
chicken or lamb with ground turkey
Three
Dog Bakery Chicken and Rice (75%) / Purina Selects Turkey and Barley (25%)
James
Well Beloved Complete White Fish and Rice (UK)
Natural Choice Duck & Potato (Natural Balance?)
Exceed
(Sam's Club) (50%) with rice (25%) and a variety of meat and veggies (25%)
In rotation -
Prairie/Natures
Variety - Venison also the Salmon, Canadie – Poultry,
Timberwolf Organics - fish based, California Natural
- fish based, Solid Gold - buffalo, beef, and chicken based products
Raw & Other Diets
Raw
– 30 – respondents use a variety of food sources, but the meals are generally
homemade, although commercial products may be used from time to time.
Home-cooked
– 6
- Example - 50% chicken/vegetable
mix (cooked)
50% brown rice
1 Tablespoon cottage cheese
1 tsp of "Missing Link" (vitamin for dogs)
- Example 2 - a mix of
"homemade" and commercial - usually Bravo occasionally Natures
Variety or Honest Kitchen dehydrated (the turkey variety)
Home-cooked
& Raw mixed – 6 – meat or veggies are generally cooked
Raw
(1 in 4 meals is kibble - Pro Plan, Canidae, or Eagle
Pack)
Raw
chicken supplemented twice a week with Purina One
Mostly
raw chicken with Wellness, California Natural or Canadae
in rotation
Commercial
Raw - Natures Logic ground chicken & Sojourner Farms Euro mix (veggies)
Commercial
raw rotation (every 3-4 days) of Primal Chicken & Nature's Variety Organic
Chicken patties as they have almost entirely different veggie mixes. Within a
two week period, I also rotate in one or two bags of either Primal Lamb, Primal
Duck or
Commercial
Products – these are used to add to raw diets or to kibble diets
Nature's
Variety Rabbit patties
Natures
Variety for boarding
Honest
Kitchen dehydrated foods.
Homemade
For Life
Halshans
Bravo