Question to Miniature Dachshund owners
 

I see there are a number of dachshund owners online. I'm hoping someone can help me with dog food selection.


My mini-long-haired dachshund just turned 7. She is on the small side of mini. I've been feeding her Canin Dachshund food for about 6 years. Within the last year she has been gaining weight. Recently I put her on the diet food for her daily eating regime. It hasn't helped, so I started decreasing her food and feed her small amounts during the day, but she doesn't seem to be satisfied. I'm thinking there is a better solution to this dilemma.

I am looking for advice to help her slim down.

Thank you!

What does your vet advise?

More exercise?

Dachshunds are definitely prone to getting chubby especially as they get older. Being total chow hounds could have something to do with that! I used to feed my chubby dogs green beans with their food to fill them up without putting a lot of weight on them. Don't use the canned kind because they contain a lot of salt. I used to buy fresh and steam a bunch then keep in the frig till I needed them or use frozen. I'd just thaw some of the frozen ones and out and use them until they were used up. Very convenient. More exercise would definitely be good for her.

I second the green beans idea. I would also use them as treats. That's something I had to implement when my Dachshund was older and he would eat anything so beans were great. In the summer he liked the frozen beans. My daughter gives her Cairn Terrier frozen blueberries at lunchtime

Cashs_mom: Thanks so much for your advice! What brand dog food did you use?

IrishgalfromNJ: Thank you for your advice. Frozen beans would be great for her on a hot day. Both she and I like blueberries. :)

You could also try apples and/or carrots as treats or the supplement her dog food.

My vet had me put my guy on a chicken based food and he gets 1/2 C twice daily. I was worried he wasn't getting enough, but he lost weight and leveled off at a good weight and has stayed there for the last 7 years. I give him carrots for treats and he loves them.

we have tweener weiners...14 pounders.
One has always had to watch his weight, the other seems to self regulate just right even though his is less active

We did the Canin for a number of years 1/8 cup w/1 hard boiled egg split, canned beans or carrots morning.
1/8 cup w/nice spoon of non-fat cottage cheese, canned beans or carrots nights.

we are lucky to have the Farm Dog Bakery here, and use the small bones, or 1/2 a small bone for good behavior treats, with moderation. Wonderful place, the owner employs down syndrome young folk as staff, packaging, cutting out with cookie cutters, etc. https://www.farmdogbakery.org/

As Xaviers teeth have parted company with his mouth in place of the canin we've switched to Taste of the Wild canned food in a wide assortment of flavors. Pacific Salmon in gravy is the current can (maybe 8-10 cubits?) per meal. I can't remember without actually dishing some up ;) There is no grain in it. We like the Blue brand also. Buy it at Tractor Supply when on sale.

Good luck working things out. My boys were puppy mill throwaways (literally, dumped up here) as adults so each day is training day still 12 years later, and in many respects they are better behaved than some of the hand raised puppy dogs we've had over the years.

but as they've aged there have been some teeth loss (we get them cleaned every year).

I feed raw which is a whole other discussion. I've fed raw for better than 20 years and really believe in it. There are a lot of prepackaged raw foods available. I buy from Texas Tripe in the North Texas area. They provide excellent fresh good and my dogs not only love it, but they thrive on it. If you are going to feed kibble, I would suggest going to the Whole Dog Journal. They put out a listing of the best foods every year. When I was feeding kibble, I always used one of their top brands and had good luck with it.

Sometimes you can add water to their dry food and it makes them feel more full even though they aren't getting any more food.

Cashs mom, I also feed raw! Best thing I ever did. I have not been doing it for near as long as you though! My dogs took to it right away. My cats, not so much. I still have to supplement them with commercial food.

Unwarranted weight gain, like you describe, is sometimes a hormonal problem. Ask your vet for any help beyond the green bean idea, which is a good one.

Thanks for the Whole Dog Journal Reference.

I use Blue brand for my cat. I bought a bag for my pup but for some reason she didn't care for it.

oops.... pressed enter too soon.....

I do use Blue brand for my cat.

Sometime ago I bought the regular small dog food before but she didn't care for it.

I have had issues with my cat not eating some bags of Blue and realizing they were near the expiration date. That could have happened with the dog food.

I see there is a weight management for small dogs with condrotin and glucosamine. I may try it.

Incidentally, Hills Science for small dogs (doxie on the bag) doesn't include condrotin and glucosamine. I wonder why?

Has her thyroid level been checked?

I have not. I wanted to look at her diet first. I have cut back on her kibble supplementing with protein...cottage cheese, egg etc. and with carrot and green beans. I'm feeding her small amounts more frequently. I have seen some improvement on her weight.

My vet told me that while dogs seem to love the raw diet, it was often hard to get cats to eat it. If they do eat it, they seem to do well on it though. I have noticed that more and more people are feeding raw or at least know what it is. When I started, people looked at me like I had 2 heads when I told them I fed my dogs a raw diet. :D

Due to the massive ad campaigns, sometimes people forget dogs are carnivores. How does raw compare to the cost of dry? How well does it keep?

I don't know how it compares cost wise. It all depends on what you buy. I buy from a local source that is somewhat cheaper than when I bought in a store.

It comes frozen and must be kept frozen. I buy in 2 lb chubs. I open one chub and when it is halfway gone, I take another out of the freezer. I have two 15-17 lb dachshunds so you'll have to adjust for the size and activity level of your dog. If you have a natural pets store in your area (like Natural Paws) they can help you with that.

Thanks for the info. everybody. I checked my dogs weight and she's lost 1.5 pounds....a few more to go.

I sometimes make homemade dog food. Add veggies. Lots of good info online

We put our diabetic cat, Carmello, on a raw diet and he hasn't needed insulin in over two years! His blood sugars are consistently normal.
We also started giving him metholeated (sp) B12 pills and it reversed much of his lower leg neuropathy.
I love out vets but all this came from our research, not their recommendations.