June 13th, 2009 by admin

1. Lessens male aggressive and territorial behaviors, but doesn’t affect the dog’s personality.  Behaviors are often owner-induced, so neutering is not the only answer, but it is a good start.

2. Prevents the need to roam in search of females in season.

3. Decreased incidences of urogenital diseases.

This means of controlling breeding stock (neutering) improves the chances that knowledgeable breeding will take place, with dogs that will carry the breed forward because of their positive traits and absence of undesirable ones.

A matter of recent public controversy revolves around the contention that purebred-dog genetic factors carry a certain number of physiological flaws and susceptibility to certain diseases.  The flames of controversy are fanned by people who ignore the fact that non-purebred animals suffer from the same kinds of conditions, and that there is less attention paid to identifying illnesses and infirmities in non-purebreds and almost none to eliminating them.

June 4th, 2009 by admin

Dalmatian

Here are some feeding guidelines researches have learned over the years and recommend for adult Dalmatians:

1. Never feed a Dalmatian organ meats such as liver, kidney, sweetbreads or brains in any form, whether cooked, raw or as an ingredient in a pet food or
snack.

2. Never feed a Dalmatian game meat such as venison or elk in any form, cooked, whether raw or as an ingredient in a pet food or snack.

3. Never feed a Dalmatian red meat, cooked or raw, or as an ingredient in a snack or in a pet food where it appears as one of the first three ingredients listed on the label.

4. Never feed poultry cooked or raw, or as an ingredient in a snack or in a pet food where it appears as one of the first two ingredients listed on the label.

5. Feed them plenty of fruits, vegetables and grains as snacks, except those known to be high in purine yields such as mushrooms, asparagus, legumes, oatmeal, spinach and cauliflower.

6. Feed adult Dalmatians dog foods such as corn, wheat and rice, (in that order) whose protein and fat content are moderate: about 22% protein from low purine
sources and no more than 10% fat.

7. Fresh, clean water must be available at all times.

8. Divide the dog’s total daily ration into two meals so that blood levels of uric acid will remain fairly stable.  Soak meals in warm water to improve water
consumption.

Dalmatians are only one of about 140 recognized AKC breeds.  Because they have different dietary requirements than all the other breeds, it is understandable that the ingredients in most premium pet foods are not aimed specifically at keeping Dalmatians fit.  What new Dalmatian owners do not know is that pet food representatives do such a good job at marketing their products to various pet food outlets, that the store salespeople often become excited for certain brands, which may very well be outstanding overall but are quite harmful to a Dalmatian.

If a meat product is listed as the first or second ingredient in an adult dog food, it is more likely that the food is less suitable for Dalmatians than others that list grains, especially corn, as main ingredients.