I’ve been requested these questions lot through the years:
“What pet food do you advocate for Dachshunds?”
“What ought to I feed my Dachshund to maintain them wholesome like yours?”
“What do you consider meals X or Y for Dachshunds?”
For essentially the most half, I’ve additionally creatively dodged these questions loads through the years.
You see, each canine is totally different. Each proprietor desire is totally different. Each finances is totally different.
There isn’t one right food for every dog.
Additionally, as we’ve discovered with the current Hill’s Pet Nutrition recalls, and the potential grain-free dog food – heart health connection, what we expect is sweet for some time can transform not so nice in any case.
Nevertheless, I lastly determined it was about time I wrote one thing about what Summit and Gretel eat although. That manner I’ve a spot to level folks once they ask sooner or later.
Whereas I’m nonetheless not comfy recommending particular meals for different canines, I’ve develop into extra comfy with the thought of sharing what works finest for us and letting you make the choice about what is correct in your yours.
Observe: A few of the hyperlinks beneath are affiliate links, which signifies that I’ll earn a small fee, at no additional value to you, for those who make a purchase order.
The Canine Meals That I Feed My Wholesome Dachshunds
I’ve fed all types of canine meals through the years – kibble with grain, kibble with out grain, canned “moist” meals, pre-made frozen uncooked meals, freeze dried uncooked meals.
Right this moment, it doesn’t matter what the meals kind, I primarily select canine meals which are excessive in protein.
Protein is necessary for muscle growth, which is basically necessary for energetic canines.
Observe: Excessive protein works for my canines. It doesn’t work for all canines so you’ll want to test along with your vet for those who suspect your canine.
Summit and Gretel primarily eat uncooked pet food now however it’s extra of a private alternative.
I give them frozen ready uncooked as a result of I’m not involved in studying the best way to create a balanced weight loss plan and making my very own uncooked meals right now.
Nevertheless, I do typically, for a deal with and extra nutrient selection, add enjoyable issues to their uncooked pet food to “gown it up”.
I’m additionally not a stickler for uncooked feeding.
I imply, people don’t eat the identical meals all the time. It might make is unhealthy – and, to me, that features totally different FORMS of meals, not simply totally different manufacturers or sources of protein.
Which means, at any given time, Summit and Gretel could also be consuming a meals that isn’t on this record.
However listed here are the meals I really like and feed essentially the most continuously.
Favourite Frozen Ready Uncooked Canine Meals for My Dachshunds
Darwin’s Pure Choices™
Darwin’s Natural Selections™ raw dog food is handy as a result of you may join a subscription and it arrives in your doorstep each 4-6 weeks (your alternative) packed in dry ice.
All of their balanced, full meals – hen, beef, lamb, turkey, and duck – are product of 75% grass fed or cage-free meat and 25% natural greens.
They’re additionally freed from gluten, grain, steroids, hormones, and antibiotics.
You may customise your order by selecting the meats you need and the quantity of every.
Darwin’s Meals may be shipped wherever in america for a $6.50 minimal (transport prices range relying on the place you might be situated). In case you stay within the Seattle or Portland metropolitan areas, you could be of their free residence supply space.
In case you’re new to Darwin’s and unsure what or how a lot to feed you may contact them for a free menu session.
Wild Coast Uncooked
Wild Coast Raw dog food is a “seasonally sourced craft uncooked meals” created with oversight from a veterinarian with 25 years expertise.
One in every of my favourite issues about this uncooked meals is that the elements are floor however not as small as with most uncooked meals. You may really nonetheless see chunks of meat in there.
Whereas “taste” selections can range by season, their grass-fed beef and free-range turkey meals appear to be accessible a lot of the yr.
All formulation are made with natural greens.
This meals is made in Olympia, WA and it seems that it’s solely accessible to purchase in Washington State pet stores.
Steve’s Actual Meals
Steve’s Actual uncooked pet food is a full and balanced weight loss plan made with grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free meats and poultry.
Steve’s Actual Meals follows Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (B.A.R.F.) model of 80% Meat/Organ/Bone and 20% Produce.
They supply a lot of the meat and all the produce from the Northwest.
The meals are available beef, hen, turkey, turducken, and pork.
You’ll find Steve’s Actual Meals at many pet stores around the country.
Nature’s Selection Intuition® Uncooked
I like Instinct® Raw dog food as a result of it’s prime quality and fairly to straightforward to search out in any main metropolis (and a few not so main) after we journey.
Their balanced, full meals are made with 85% actual meat and organs and 15% fruits, greens and nutritional vitamins and minerals.
They use elements closest to their pure state like actual meat and non-GMO vegatables and fruits.
Their uncooked meals by no means embrace grain, corn, wheat, soy, synthetic colours or preservatives.
Meal selections embrace beef, hen, and lamb.
You’ll find Intuition® Uncooked at many pet stores around the country.
Important Necessities
Vital Essentials was the primary frozen, ready uncooked meals that I fed Gretel and my earlier Dachshund Chester.
Chester was 8 once I made the swap and I noticed a huge difference in his energy levels.
That change was seemingly resulting from a swap to uncooked meals basically however this Prey Model Raw (PMR) food is exclusive as a result of it doesn’t comprise any fruits or greens. Your canine will get all the vitamins it wants from solely meat, organs, and bone.
Within the case of Important Necessities, the ratios are 45% muscle meat, 45% organs and 10% bone content material (all from the identical protein supply).
Important Necessities uncooked meat supplies are harvested in the united statesA they usually course of 100% of our personal meals in Inexperienced Bay, Wisconsin.
Meal selections embrace beef, hen, duck, rabbit, and turkey.
It’s accessible in stores around the US.
Favourite Freeze Dried Uncooked Canine Meals for my Dachshunds
There’s a disagreement over whether or not freeze dried “uncooked” pet food is definitely uncooked. It IS processed and a few folks declare that the drying course of can diminish the advantages of contemporary, uncooked meals.
Personally, I imagine that the processing and drying doesn’t make a major distinction within the vitamin, specifically for those who select these manufacturers that make an effort to take care of as a lot of the unique vitamins as doable throughout processing.
Nevertheless, these meals comprise considerably much less moisture than uncooked meals so it’s essential to re-hydrate them or at the least add quantity of water to the meals when feeding.
Small Batch Freeze Dried Sliders
Small Batch is certainly one of my favourite freeze dried canine meals to make use of as a result of it’s simpler to crumble and rehydrate.
Relying on the place you purchase this meals, it’s both made in a facility in California or Oregon. All elements are sourced from these states and/or Washington and Colorado.
Small Batch is made with all-natural, licensed, humanely raised and harvested meats which are freed from hormones and antibiotics. They attempt to use licensed natural meat at any time when doable.
Greens and herbs used are licensed natural, non-GMO, and freed from pesticides.
Meal flavors embrace beef. hen, turkey, duck, and lamb.
All of their formulation are 88% beef, 10% produce, 2% dietary supplements (apart from the lamb which is 78% lamb, 20% produce, 2% dietary supplements)
Small Batch is stocked in shops across the US and on Amazon.
BIXBI Rawbble
Rawbble freeze dried dog food is available in little nuggets so you may “feed it similar to kibble”, though I nonetheless typically smash the nuggets a little bit so that they take in extra water (or I simply add water to the bowl and allow them to float on high).
Rawbble is USA made and sourced with 98% meat, bones and organs.
It’s freed from grains, gluten, animal meal, hormones, antibiotics, fillers, synthetic flavorings or colours, and preservatives.
Meal selections embrace pasture-fed beef, free-range hen, free-range duck and wild-caught salmon with free-range hen.
Rawbble is on the market at many retailers across the US and on Amazon.
Orijen Freeze Dried
Orijen freeze dried dog food is certainly one of my favorites simply because I belief the actually prime quality of Orijen meals.
They declare that their mild freeze drying course of permits their meals to “present all the advantages of a uncooked weight loss plan in a handy dry type.”
This can be a “Entire Prey” uncooked meals made with 80% meat/recreation/fish elements, 10% greens/fruits/botanicals, and 0% grain/potato/tapioca/plant protein concentrates.
It accommodates no grains or gluten.
Orijen freeze dried meals is available in their Authentic, Regional Purple, and Tundra formulation.
It’s accessible at many places across the US and and on Amazon.
Favourite Canned Canine Meals for My Dachshunds
Have you ever appeared on the canned meals choices currently? I really feel like there are nearly extra canned choices than kibble and there are a bazillion of these.
To maintain it easy for myself, I personally favor pate model meals which are excessive in protein.
Identification Canned Canine Meals
Identification Canned Canine Meals stands out to me for a couple of causes.
First, it’s one of many few moist canine meals that I’ve discovered that, along with being grain free, accommodates no potatoes or legumes.
Second, the corporate is 100% dedicated to utilizing solely the best high quality elements.
All the flavors – grass fed Angus Beef, free-range quail and turkey, free-range prairie pork, free-range NZ lamb, free-range heritage turkey, free-range Cobb Rooster, and free-range Canadian Duck – use responsibly raised/sourced meats which are by no means frozen earlier than manufacturing.
The meats are additionally 100% freed from added hormones and antibiotics and are 100% GMO & BPA free. The meals is manufactured in Canada and the corporate is US household owned.
A moist it’s a moist, restricted ingredient pate that may be fed as a whole & balanced meal or as protein-rich topper to kibble or uncooked pet food.
I order this meals from Amazon.
Hound and Gatos
Hound and Gatos got here personally really useful to me by a buddy who runs a Dachshund rescue in Florida.
It’s product of 100% Animal Protein (no plant protein), accommodates no fillers or meat by-products, and is manufactured within the USA in USDA-inspected amenities.
It is available in three flavors – Paleolithic Food plan, Pork & Pork Liver, Duck.
Hound & Gatos was awarded, “The Most Trusted Pet Meals” by TruthAboutPetFood.com 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.” It was additionally included on the Entire Canine Journal accepted canned meals record for 4 years.
It’s a pate model grain free canned meals that’s a whole meal for all life levels.
I order this meals from Amazon.
Intuition Final Protein
Instinct Ultimate Protein is a grain free pate model canned pet food that’s a whole & balanced vitamin from actual elements to help your canine’s well being from pet to senior.
The meats used within the meals are “responsibly sourced” and the meals is at the least 95% protein (extra for some flavors).
It’s made with out grain, potato, corn, wheat, soy, carrageenan, synthetic colours or preservatives – elements recognized to set off meals sensitivities.
It is available in two flavors – hen or beef.
This meals is available on Amazon and lots of pet meals shops across the nation (together with Petsmart).
Favourite Dry Kibble for My Dachshunds
Observe: These meals are on the “mostly reported pet meals manufacturers named in DCM (coronary heart situation) studies submitted to the FDA” (though decrease on the record). See beneath for extra particulars and my tackle that.
Orijen Dry Canine Meals
I’ve been a long-time fan of Orijen “Biologically Applicable & Grain Free” dry pet food.
I don’t stick to simply certainly one of their formulation. Nevertheless, I select the Regional Red taste most frequently.
Additionally they make Original, Tundra, and Six-Fish flavors.
Though we don’t have to make use of it as a result of Gretel and Summit are so energetic, I really like that Origen makes a high-quality Fit & Trim food.
Regardless of which of their meals you select, it’s at the least 80% meat/recreation/fish elements, 10% greens/fruits/botanicals, and 0% grain/potato/tapioca/plant protein concentrates.
A full 2/3 of their meat elements are contemporary (refrigerated, with out preservatives) or uncooked (flash-frozen, with out preservatives), together with the highest 10 elements.
Zinc is the one added nutrient as a result of Entire Prey ratios of contemporary meat (together with muscle meat, organs, and cartilage or bone) present just about each nutrient your canine wants.
It’s accessible at many places across the US and on Amazon.
Nature’s Selection Intuition Final Protein
Intuition Final Protein Canine Kibble “mirrors the advantages of uncooked.” Their web site says, it’s a kibble “with the very best ranges of protein from actual meat and unmatched digestibility (in comparison with different premium pure pet food manufacturers).”
It’s made with as much as 2x extra actual duck and hen (it solely is available in these two flavors) than many different pet meals manufacturers and is freed from grain, potato, corn, wheat, soy, by-product meal, synthetic colours or preservatives.
It does comprise assured ranges of stay, pure probiotics, pure omega oils and antioxidants.
There’s a totally different high-quality method with much less protein (in case your canine wants that).
It’s accessible in many stores around the US and on Amazon.
What Concerning the Latest Grain Grain Free – Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) Connection?
Some individuals who have seen the meals that I feed my Dachshunds have requested me if I’m anxious about Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) or warned me about it.
I’m very conscious of the potential grain-free pet food connection to DCM. I’ve been following it because the first stirrings final yr.
The difficulty may be very sophisticated although.
It’s true that increasingly canines have gotten affected by the center situation DCM.
It’s true that the almost certainly suspect is said to vitamin. Particularly, a taurine deficiency.
It’s logical that the primary place to search for a trigger is the form of meals the affected canines have been consuming.
So that’s what the FDA has been doing.
There may be mounting proof that the canines creating DCM have been consuming boutique, unique elements, or grain-free – “BEG” – diets excessive in peas/lentils/potatoes.
There’s a idea that someway these elements are interfering with the uptake of taurine from meals.
Taurine is an amino acid discovered primarily in meat. It is necessary for the perform of a number of physique organs, together with the center.
Ought to I Swap My Canine’s Meals from Grain Free?
First, I feel it’s necessary to notice that canines who’ve been consuming grain-free, or BEG, diets and have developed DCM have been consuming one single meals long-term.
As I’ve acknowledged earlier than, I switch my dog’s food regularly.
My reasoning is that – as blogger buddy who’s extra versed in canine vitamin than I’m summed it up – feeding your dog the same thing their whole life can be bad for them (regardless of how “good” the meals is).
My present stance on the difficulty is, “Don’t panic and seek the advice of along with your vet when you have issues about your canine.”
You may learn extra about my opinion, and see what I feel are an important articles to learn on this subject proper now, on our Facebook page.
Nevertheless, a couple of details of the latest FDA report are:
- The present FDA report is only a compilation of canine breed, the pet food they have been consuming, and some different particulars of every case reported to them within the final yr or so. It lists details of the recognized circumstances however there are, at their very own admission, many, many different elements that might be concerned within the coronary heart points (DCM).
- ALL sorts of pet food (moist, kibble, uncooked) confirmed up of their studies at the least as soon as however a lot of the studies got here from canines consuming kibble (this might be as a result of a bigger variety of canines eat kibble, not essentially level to kibble because the perpetrator).
- The meals manufacturers the FDA calls out are merely a listing of meals reported most continuously. The proportions are influenced by a number of issues like how common the meals is (means extra folks feed it), the revenue stage and desire of the individuals who submitted studies (they select to feed these “prime quality” meals and might afford it… and may afford diagnostic testing for DCM), and so on.
- The FDA is just not saying that these meals are PROVEN to be the reason for coronary heart subject on this particular order (and excluding different manufacturers) however they simply need you already know the details so you can also make an knowledgeable choice. In different phrases, it’s not an announcement that the listed meals CAUSED the center points, though they could have performed a component in influencing it.
The FDA’s FAQ page about the report additional clarifies:
- It’s necessary to notice that the studies embrace canines which have eaten grain-free and grain containing meals and likewise embrace vegetarian or vegan formulations. Additionally they embrace all types of diets: kibble, canned, uncooked and home-cooked. Due to this fact, we don’t assume these circumstances may be defined just by whether or not or not they comprise grains, or by model or producer.”
- At the moment, we aren’t advising dietary modifications primarily based solely on the data we now have gathered to this point. When you have questions or issues about your canine’s well being or its weight loss plan, we advise that you simply seek the advice of your veterinarian.
Anyway, I’m not altering how I feed Gretel and Summit proper now. I already don’t feed them a lot kibble, a lot of the meals I feed them are excessive in protein and low in carbs (legumes, potatoes, grains), and I rotate their meals at the least month-to-month.
What to Do If You Are Involved About Your Personal Canine
If, in contrast to me, you might be instantly involved about your canine’s well being or weight loss plan, listed here are a two issues you are able to do:
- Seek the advice of along with your veterinarian to test the present well being of your pet’s coronary heart, test for a taurine deficiency, and focus on your canine’s weight loss plan.
- Transition your canine’s meals (follow these instructions if you do) to one thing that’s decrease in peas/lentils/potatoes. Meals to look into can be ones which are primarily protein (organ, meat, bones) and/or comprise low glycemic grains.
You can too do extra studying on DCM and taurine deficiency basically.
So there you have got it. These are the meals that I’ve deemed prime quality for my match and wholesome Dachshunds (though, like I mentioned, they sometimes eat different canine meals too).
Go away a remark beneath when you have a query about these meals or our feeding routine basically.
