[Lisa H]

We just adopted a 7 week old mini dachshund puppy. She is our second mini dachshund. We lost our 13 year old mini doxie this past December to pancreatitis. We were heartbroken and finally decided we were ready to love another. So we are a little nervous and maybe a little overprotective right now. The breeder sent her home with a bag of Purina Dry Puppy Chow and a can of Retriever brand canned puppy food. We knew we wanted to switch her to a higher quality dry puppy food. The sales clerk at PetSmart recommended Royal Canin Dry Puppy food for Dachshunds. I see on here it is only rated 3 stars. She is still so tiny and only eating a very little amount at a time. We are transitioning her from the Purina to the Royal Canin by mixing a little of the new with the old, a little more each feeding. She is not drinking water yet out of a bowl so we are soaking her dry food in water to soften it and to get water in her. I just want to feed her the best we can. Should I switch to a 5 star rated food and should we stick with the a breed specific food? She is the runt of the litter and a still a little wobbly on her feet. The breeder said to keep food available to her at all times right now which we are doing. We try to get her to eat every time she wakes up from a nap and she does most of the time eat a little each time. Any recommendations or advice would be appreciated.

[Anonymous]

For health and social reasons she should have remained with her mother and littermates for about another 5 weeks. My opinion.

Consider a homeopathic approach to healthcare http://www.vitalanimal.com

homemade diet or combination http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

[Pitlove]

There is literally nothing breed specific or species appropriate about any Royal Canin food. Most people who know me know that I believe that Royal Canin are the MASTERMINDS of marketing. Since pet parents often rely far too much on the front of the bag to tell them what food is best for their dog, be it that it has their breed of dog on the cover, has “real meat” and “veggies” on the cover, says small breed, large breed, adult, large breed adult, etc they often miss the ingredients which is where all the important stuff is. Oh and the GA (guarenteed anyalsis). I took the time to compare all the RC breed specific lines and found that aside from very slight protein and fat differences all the food was exactly the same, rotating the same first species innapropriate ingredients (whole ground corn, by-product meal, brewers rice, brown rice, corn gluten meal).

I would absolutely get her on a 5 star food. High in ANIMAL not plant protein moderate in fat and low in carbs. I’ve seen far too many overweight dachshunds and I know how easy it is for them to gain weight. As long as you know that she is healthy and has no known medical needs at this time this diet is fit for every breed of dog. Also PLEASE do not get hung up on the front of a bag. Worrying about if something says small breed or not or puppy or adult. As long as the nutrient profile is correct those things are not of much value. I have been feeding both my cat and dog adult and they are still a puppy and kitten and they havent had any issues. Also the small breed formulas are just smaller kibble sizes so you can go that route if u find that she is having trouble eating a larger kibble, just wanted to make you aware that small breed doesn’t mean its formulated differently for a small dog its just small kibble pieces. I also add a probiotic to their food to help with maintaining healthy bacteria in their gut to process the food better. I use Perfect Form made by the Honest Kitchen.

One thing the breeder did right was the suggestion of adding wet food to the diet. When on an all dry kibble diet dogs can live in a state of constant minor dehydration and later in life can face organ damage. So restoring some of the moisture to their diet is always a good thing. Soaking the kibble like you have been doing works too. We did that for our American Staffordshire Terrier when he was young. Seemed to help him be motivated to eat as well as digest the food. I believe there is a couple people on this site who use Kirklands wet food and seem to have no issues with it. Personally I do Whole Earth Farms stews, Wellness Core and I’ve tried 4health and will be trying other brands as well.

Another good thing to do is to find several brands that will work for her and rotate between them giving your dog variety and also different protein sources as to avoid building an allergy to one as dogs are not born with allergies, they get them through overexposure.

I wish you luck with your new baby! Feel free to ask questions here. There are tons of knowledgeable people that frequent these forums who have years of experience with dog nutrition and managing their dogs diets including fosters. And they are more than happy to offer help and answer questions.

[aquariangt]

I’ve never understood why people pop on with a comment like that, L M. Do I agree on puppy age? Yes. But she has the puppy, so your comment is moot.

Pitlove gave you a ton of great information. Keep the pup on the purina for a week or two to make sure she adjusts well, then start transitioning. Definitely pick 2-3 4-5 star foods, and start her on a rotation diet early. I am a big Fromm guy and almost always use Fromm Puppy Gold as my go to first transition food, it’s easily tolerated, not usually a huge jump from what the breeder had them on protein wise, and is a great company to boot.

Good luck

[Anonymous]

I am voicing my opinion, just as you are voicing yours.
Hundreds of people read this forum, so maybe someone else will benefit from what we have to share.
Also, maybe if the OP spoke to the breeder about her concerns, the puppy could spend a couple of more weeks with the mother and littermates? Could be an option, especially if a veterinarian that examines the pet agrees it would be helpful. I am assuming it would be a healthy environment for the puppy to return to, of course.
Otherwise, I am sure that the OP will do the best she can to nurture the puppy.

If you are looking for high quality small bite sized kibble, check out Wysong and Nutrisca.
Plus, you can soak any kibble in water overnight in the fridg.
Best of luck.

[Pitlove]

great advice aquariangt and something i totally missed. definately don’t wanna just hop into the 5 star food from a lower quality food. go slow and you will see good results!

[Lisa H]

Thank you very much everyone. We traveled 3 hours to pick her up just this past Sunday. The breeder was recommended to us by a co-worker of my husband’s because he has two very healthy mini dachshunds from her. Our previous dachshund was the same age when we adopted her and she did fine. After getting home with her and spending more time with her I am of the same opinion that it may have been best to wait a little longer. But we have her now, we are in love with her, and I want to do the very best I can for her. She is doing great, we just have to work with her a little more than we did with our last doxie. We fed our last doxie, Lady, Nature’s Recipe dog food after trying several different foods that gave her gas and upset stomach. I am just researching different foods now and because she is so young want as much advice as I can get. She is going to our vet this weekend and I am sure I will learn a lot more then.

[Anonymous]

Vaccinations: Consider Carefully http://vitalanimal.com/vaccinations-consider-carefully/

I am sure the subject of vaccinations will come up when you see the vet.
Consider what the homeopathic vets have to say, and discuss with your vet.

http://www.homeovet.net/content/lifestyle/section2.html
excerpt: “For adult dogs and cats, vaccinate every 2-3 years, instead of yearly. Better yet, just vaccinate puppies and kittens, and don’t vaccinate adults at all (except for rabies, since that is required by law)”.

[Author]

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