Best Dog Food for Dalmatians 2024

Okay, we’ll hold our hands up — we’re big fans of Ollie here at Wag! We included it in our feature on best dog food for large dogs and so we have no hesitation in naming it as one of our choices for the best dog food for Dalmatians.

If you prefer fresh dog food over dry or wet food, Ollie is highly recommended. It also offers baked recipes, but it’s their fresh meals that we’re focusing on here (though you can have a mixed bowl plan, combining fresh and baked).

Fresh recipes come in five different flavors — beef, chicken, turkey, lamb and pork, so those lean meats we recommended for Dalmatians are all available — with vegetables such as carrots, peas and sweet potatoes.

Ollie says ‘human grade’ meat is used in its recipes; the whole food ingredients used are slow cooked and then frozen to retain freshness.

A feature we really like is that, upon signing up, Ollie will ask customers to complete a quiz detailing their dog’s age, breed and weight, so it can prepare the best meal plan for you pup.

So, you can get a tailored dog food for your Dalmatian. Read our in-depth review of Ollie dog food here.

Should you feed your dog wet or dry food? There are advantages to both and it usually comes down to what your dog prefers. Wet dog food can be appealing because of its high moisture content, and it may be easier for some dogs to eat in comparison to crunchy kibble.

If you want a wet dog food for your Dalmatian, Open Farm comes recommended by Dr. Georgia Jeremiah, pet nutrition expert and one of Wag!’s veterinary consultants.

“Open Farm dog food is formulated with high-quality ingredients and does not contain any artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors,” she says.

“The company also prioritizes the use of ethically sourced and humanely raised ingredients.”

Open Farm produces dry dog food as well as raw, but we’re looking at its wet dog food range here — in fact, it was included in our best wet dog food guide here (for a review of the full Open Farm range, go here).

There are six different recipes in Open Farm’s wet dog food selection: Wild-Caught Salmon Rustic Stew; Chicken & Salmon Rustic Stew; Herring & Mackerel Rustic Stew; Grass-Fed Beef Rustic Stew; Harvest Chicken Rustic Stew and Homestead Turkey Rustic Stew.

That’s a good choice of flavors, and the ingredients list makes for reassuring reading.

Take the Chicken & Salmon recipe as an example. It has 100% human grade ingredients, the chicken is humanely raised and free-to-roam, and there are lots of hearty and healthy vegetables in there – spinach, green beans, pumpkin and carrots.

The Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula product line is one of the most popular from a dog food brand that’s been recommended by Dr Georgia, who said:

“Blue Buffalo Wilderness dog food products cater to different life stages, sizes, and breeds of dogs. They offer formulations containing limited ingredients, which may be beneficial for dogs with certain dietary sensitivities.”

There’s a wide choice of different flavors, which is helpful if, for example, your dog has a chicken or poultry allergy.

Not all dogs like, or can eat, chicken, but Blue Buffalo has plenty of tasty alternatives, including Lamb and Brown Rice, Fish and Oatmeal, and Beef and Brown Rice. Of course, there are chicken-based recipes, including Chicken and Brown Rice.

There’s also a specific Large Breed Chicken & Brown Rice recipe, which is a particularly good match as the best food for Dalmatians. For Dalmatian puppies, a good option is the Life Protection Formula Puppy Large Breed Chicken & Brown Rice recipe.

Life Protection Formula recipes include high quality protein to help with muscle development, glucosamine, for joint support, and antioxidants to aid immune system health.

Read the Wag! review of the full Blue Buffalo dog food range here.

“Taste of the Wild offers both wet and dry dog and cat foods for all life stages incorporating species-specific probiotics, antioxidants from ancient grains, fruits and seeds and omega fatty acids,” says Dr Georgia Jeremiah, of this highly-rated dog food brand.

That’s correct — this is another dog food that’s been vet recommended, Dalmatian pet parents should be assured about its quality.

As such, we’ve included Taste of the Wild in our list of the best dog food for Dalmatians and specifically its Pacific Stream Puppy Recipe, if you have a large-breed puppy like a Dalmatian.

The recipe has real salmon as its No.1 ingredient, providing the protein fast-growing Dalmatian puppies need to thrive. The salmon also delivers omega-3 fatty acids.

It also includes what Taste of the Wild calls ‘Species-Specific Probiotics’ to help promote healthy digestive and immune systems.

It’s packed full of antioxidants, too, with vegetables including sweet potatoes, peas, blueberries and raspberries.

Read our review of the full Taste of the Wild dog food range here.

When your Dalmatian enters its senior years — which is around the age of ten — it might be time to consider switching to a type of food that’s been formulated specially for older pups.

As dogs age, they need fewer calories — energy levels reduce and it’s easy to put on weight.

Suitable for all senior breeds, including large breeds like the Dalmatian, this grain-free recipe from Merrick has real, deboned chicken as its lead ingredient, followed by chicken and then two of the vegetables we highlighted in our introduction as having a low purine content: sweet potato and peas.

This recipe includes glucosamine and chondroitin, which helps to ease joint pain — a common complaint in senior dogs who may be living with arthritis.

We’re happy to recommend it among the best food for Dalmatians shortlist. Learn more about the Merrick dog food range in our brand review here.