Feeding Dachshund puppies
When feeding dachshund puppies it’s about providing a balanced diet which meets the nutritional needs for a healthy and growing puppy, it’s not rocket science but it’s important to get it right.
Getting started with feeding dachshund puppies
Often the breeder will provide you with a small quantity of
the food the puppy has been having to get you started, you may decide to
continue with this or you may prefer introduce another food.
The energy requirements of a puppy are far more than what an adult dachshund would require and higher amounts of quality protein are needed for growth.
Proteins, carbohydrates, fats and vegetables are the four main food groups and it is only the proportions that will differ, depending on the breed, age, stage, energy and exercise level or reproductive stage of your dog.
Guidelines for feeding Dachshund Puppies
- Up to three months 4 times daily
These are only guidelines, each puppy has slightly different needs, so if your unsure about how often you should be feeding, consult your vet.
Wet, Dry or Dehydrated
Food - Feeding dachshund puppies
Some of the owners I know seem to have the opinion that feeding a young puppy on wet food to start off is better, but puppies can do just as well on a dry food.
It really comes down too personal preference, and that of your puppy, both food types can be nutritional and suitable for feeding dachshund puppies.
Wet Food
- Contains
more water, can be up to 60% - 75%, so helps with your puppies hydration and easier to digest
- With wet food some puppies get into a bit of a mess when eating
- Wet food often has a more inviting smell than dry
- Wet food is not so good at keeping gums and teeth healthy
- Needs to be kept in a fridge after opening, so not so easy to store
- Wet food will often cost more and usually needs to be purchased in smaller quantities
Dry Food
- Convenient to store, does not need refrigeration after opening
- Easy to clean up if pup makes a mess when eating
- Helps maintain healthy gums and teeth
- Does not, attract flies
- Puppy needs access to plenty of fresh water as tends to make puppy thirst
- For young puppies you can soften dry food with a little water
Freeze Dried
- This is becoming a more popular food choice for owners interested in providing a raw diet for their dog
- Convenience of kibble using raw ingredients
- Freeze drying solves the problem of bacteria in raw food
- Food treated this way has a long life
- Not the mess or preparation of a home prepared raw food diet
Understanding Pet Food Labels
- Obviously the name and brand of food will feature, many people buy on brands not necessarily the best food for a growing puppy.
- The first few ingredients shown on the label will be what the bulk of the food will be made up of, so should feature meat or fish first.
- The label will have a guaranteed analysis which will give you a general indication of the make up of the food, moisture contents, fiber, fat and crude protein are minimum requirements.
- It will detail what life stage it is suitable for and is it a complete or supplementary pet food.
- Sometimes it will say this product is grain free. The extra protein and nutrients in a grain free feed can be very good for puppies.
- The manufacture will give guidelines and recommendation on how best to use the food.
Feeding dachshund puppies
Ingredient found in Pet food - the good and the ugly
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Superior Ingredient
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Inferior Ingredient
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Association of American Feed Control Officials ( AAFCO )
This is a non-profit organization in the United States that sets standards for animal food and pet food.
This organization has allowed many pet owners to have more confidence in
using commercially produced pet foods as it has developed nutritional
standards.
All pet food products will include the
AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement. To carry a label of "complete and balanced" pet food must be tested. One method of testing is through feeding trials following strict AAFCO Protocols. The label on this pet food will state the following -
The
alternative test is through laboratory
analysis,this tests the pet food for appropriate nutrients levels
required to maintain a healthy pet. The label in this case will
state the following -
Pet food products will also state what stage it is suitable for, growth
or maintenance. Under the growth standard a food label can state that
it's suitable for " all life stages" that way it can be fed to all aged dogs.
When feeding dachshund puppies, foods that state they have passed the AAFCO standards for "growth" or "all life stages" should meet the nutritional requirement for your puppy.
A
label saying "this food is only intended
for intermittent or supplemental feeding’ is pet food
not meeting either of these standards.
There are some concerns over the validity of the laboratory analysis, as it is is not tested on the animal itself. Secondly there is a gap in the standard, known as the "family rule," this is where a label can state that tests were completed if it's "similar" to a product that was tested on animals.
Similar agencies maintaining pet food standards operate in other countries, Pet Food Industry Association of Australia ( PFIAA ), European Pet Food Industry Federation ( FEDIAF ) and Pet Food Manufacturers Association ( PFMA ) in the UK.
Feeding dachshund puppies - Quality Puppy Food
Dogs have developed from carnivores so are best suited to a diet that features mostly meat. Many puppies digestion is not suited to grains like wheat or corn.
One of my friends has a doxie that suffers from grain intolerance, with the number of quality grain free foods available, she had no trouble finding a suitable food for her dog.
Many quality dog foods will contain protein from a variety of sources but meat and not grain is the best source.
Feeding dachshund puppies on a diet that will make them thrive is something that depends on you and your individuals puppy’s taste and requirements.
Not every food suits every dog, some do better on a different diet so sometimes it is a bit of trial and error.
Complete feeds, seem to be the most popular today and it is just personal choice if you use wet, dry or freeze dried. I like to feed a combination of wet and dry, which gives my dog the best of both worlds.
Purchasing Food - feeding dachshund puppies
When you start looking at food for your pup in your local store you find there are many and I mean many different varieties available, all telling you they are the best.
Checking them out to find the quality you would like for your pup is quite time consuming. To help you decide, we have come up with these recommended foods for your puppy, these are not in any particular order so just select the one you think you prefer.
Our criteria for choosing them is based, firstly on what ingredients is used, no cheap fillers, preservatives or by-products of any kind, secondly the food must provide a complete and balanced nuturance levels and finally puppies must love eating the food so owners would recommend them to others.
Buying your puppy food online is convenient as you have the choice of top quality brands not always available at local stores. The fact that the food is delivered right to your door is helpful in this busy age.
Dog Treats – need to be counted as part of your puppy’s daily food intake and not fed as extras. Over feeding are common problems with the lovable dachshunds, they always seem to have room in their little tummies for some more.
For ratings of pets foods visit Pet Food Ratings Other pages of interest Return from feeding dachshund puppies to home page
The information given on this site,is compiled from our
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knowledge and research and is designed to supplement
not replace your vets or other professionals advice.
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