[Flowers]

Hello I am new to the forum and delighted to have found a site so dedicated to helping advise on the best dog foods it is fab. I am also new to dog ownership and am the proud owner of a 9 week old standard wire haired dachshund.

He was sent home at 8 weeks with a small bag of kibble to get us started and I had to order a fresh bag of Royal Canin Mini Junior dog food. When I read the ingredients I was surprised to see how many fillers there seem to be it seems like rubbish and I really want to switch his food.

I have had a good look at the top foods on the site and narrowed it down to either Acana small puppy food or Orijen and I would really like people’s opinions as to which I should switch to. I do wonder if Orijen may be too rich for his little tummy but then again Acana has oats which could cause wind!!!!

What shall I go for and what is the best way to introduce the new food and phase out the Royal Canin?

Thank you for any help.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Orijen and Acana are great foods, much better than Royal Canin. Make sure the food says “puppy” or “all life stages” on it. As for how to transition, the answer is very slowly, over at least a week, longer if he needs it. Also, diet rotation is a good idea, because no food is perfect. Here is some more info about that: /frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/
Remember to slowly transition to each new food. 😀
You should probably keep using puppy foods (you can still rotate, as long as they are all puppy foods) until she is about 6 months old, and then you can transition to adult food.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Flowers!
First of all congrats on the new pup! Second of all, I love the use of the word “rubbish”. It sounds so polite compared to the words usually used on this site. Lol!

I agree that it would be a good idea to eventually switch to a new food. But, don’t be in too big of a hurry unless he is having issues with his current food. Stay on it for a bit and let him get used to his new home and people. He is already experiencing enough changes right now.

Acana and Orijen are both great brands manufactured by the same company. Either one would be a great choice. But, you are right, it may be too big of a jump to start with. Maybe choose a 4 star food, such as Nutrisource, as a transitional food before moving to Orijen or Acana. Either way, transition very slooowly. Replacing a small amount of the old food with new over at least a week period.

You won’t know if the food will cause “wind” until you give it a try! Many feel that adding probiotics and/or digestive enzymes while transitioning is very helpful as well.

Please write back with your results. Good luck!

[Dog_Obsessed]

I agree with everything C4C said. 🙂

[Flowers]

Hi, C4C glad you like my turn of phrase 🙂 I just think that any dog food with dehydrated poultry protein and animal fats followed closely by fillers like rice and maize gluten just isn’t worth it’s salt! I wondered about keeping him on it for another two weeks or so as he is new and adapting to a new environment but I just want him off the bad and onto the good and start putting good food in his system to give him the best possible start. I like the idea of food rotating but I’m not sure just yet. i think I need to settle him on one food first and then I kind of like the idea of adding things in when he gets older like some fresh chicken, tuna, egg, carrot to make it more varied. So I will try to transition to Acana, at the mo he has about 30g four times a day of Royal Canin is I will have to work out how much Acana to put in and how much RC to remove 🙂

[Dog_Obsessed]

I agree that it is good to get him settled on a food before starting rotation. Adding fresh foods is also a great idea. I always have to “do the math” while transitioning, luckily I like math. 🙂 I don’t think it really matters that much exactly how much food is given if it is just for a week or two, but I like to figure it out anyway.

[Flowers]

I have just been sitting working out the maths lucky you like maths I am dreadful at it but I have figured a schedule based on boy foods and pups weight so it will go something like this :-
Sun 1 Feb – Thur 5 Feb
20 g Royal Canin
10 g Acana

Fri 6 Feb – Tue 10 Feb
15g Royal Canin
20g Acana

Wed 11 Feb – Sun 15 Feb
7.5 g Royal Canin
30 g Acana

Mon 16 Feb onwards

40 g Acana

I hope it works and he likes he food!!!!!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Sounds good! 😀

[Flowers]

Arghhh no I’ve done it wrong I am really confused now have just looked at the chart on the website for Acana I am not sure how to work it out now. If my puppy weighs 4.5 kilos and I have to feed him 4 times a day what amount should I be feeding him of the Acana? I really don’t understand the chart at all! I don’t have a clue what the adult weight will be.
http://www.acana.com/products/classics/puppy-small-breed/

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Flowers, welcome to DFA! Congratulations on your new Dachshund puppy! I also have a Dachshund, he turns 2 in February. I rescued him at 6 months. He is my first small dog. His name is Blue and he is adorable, friendly, and affectionate. Please make sure to socialize him properly. Take him everywhere you can, and just let people love on him. Socialize him with lots of different sizes of friendly dogs too. I have 2 other dogs. A Lab named Trinity, and a Springer Spaniel named Cooper. I feed a mix of kibble and canned. Between the 3 dogs I go through 2 cans and 5 cups of dry per day. The only reason that I even use kibble is because I cannot afford to feed 100% canned. For 1 small Doxie it wouldn’t be expensive at all tho. My food recommendation to you would be to put him on canned food, it is much more species appropriate than kibble, because kibble has no moisture. With canned the food is moisture rich, closer to it’s original state, and preservative free. I would love to see some pics of your puppy. 😀

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by LabsRawesome.

[Flowers]

Hi thank you for your lovely welcome your Lab looks gorgeous. I didn’t even consider canned food I just thought I woukd have to have tons of cans and I only have a small kitchen and not that much space, which brand would you suggest, is canned considered better than kibble then? I will definitely socialise him well, have booked for puppy training starting end of Feb and have a little bag that I carry him around in now so he can see the sights and smells and meet people 🙂 I will put a pic up as soon as I figure out how to do it. 🙂

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Flowers, you’re welcome! Sounds like your pup is off to a great start. 🙂 Yes, canned is definitely better than dry. Caned is higher in meat protein, species appropriate, moisture rich, contains no preservatives. Here’s a list of the best 5 star puppy foods. You have to scroll down a bit to see the list. /best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/best-canned-puppy-foods-5-star/ I use 2 from this list Pure Balance Puppy Stew @ Walmart $1 per can and Costco’s Nature’s Domain $20 for a case of 24 cans. Your puppy would probably eat about 1 can per day.

[Flowers]

Thank you so much 🙂 I will read the link thank you for sending it to me 🙂

[LabsRawesome]

You’re Welcome! 🙂

[Akari_32]

If this is your first dachshund, you’re in for a treat! They are quite something. Mines a diva and a drama queen to say the least. Two things to keep in mind with them: for one, pay extremely close attention to their oral health. Dachshunds have a bit a different mouth structure than other other dogs do, and are prone to dental problems. I’m fighting with terrible teeth issues with my 14 year old rescue. Make sure, especially if you go with canned food, to get your little guy used to regular teeth brushing and keep a container supply of chews and chew toys in the house, and get dental check ups regularly, and cleanings as needed. The second thing to keep in mind is they cannot take as much strain on their back and joints as other dogs can, so be sure to have doggy steps leading up to any piece of furniture he will be allowed up on. It’ll save you vet bills later 😉

You’ve got some great food suggestions, so I’ll just add a couple more. Nutro Natural Choice and Nutro Ultra are good sort of in between foods when you start to work your puppy up to higher rated brands. I also use Natural Choice in rotation when I can get it for a decent price. I’m also a huge fan of Wellness, and use a lot of it. They have a little bit of everything for everyone, and it’s not too bad of a price, either.

Good luck with your little, and post some pictures! I love the wire haired ones 🙂

[weezerweeks]

Hi flowers I have only one small Dog so I use only canned. It is a lot better than kibble. I also use dehydrated and freezedried in my rotation. There are soo many great canned foods. Good luck with ur new baby.

[crazy4cats]

Hey guys-
Good ideas. I forget about feeding only or mostly canned. Ive always had big dogs and it’s not an option. But I feed my cats mostly canned though, so I should have thought of that! More options, Flowers, good luck!

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