Dachshund Dog Food Can Cause Sickness And Allergies
What are you feeding your Dachshund?
Are you aware that the dog food we are feeding our Dachshunds can cause sickness and allergies? After the big pet food recall I think we have all become a little more aware about the dog food we are feeding our Dachshunds and that it may not always be as safe as it should be.
Most people feed their Dachshunds prepared pet food – it is convenient to grab a few tins or a bag while we are purchasing our own food. We trust the glossy pictures on the bags of healthy dogs – after all the manufactures are responsible for providing all the nutrition your dog needs to grow strong and healthy – or so we hope.
Dogs need protein and fat – of course, before commercial dog food they would get this from meat. They also require carbohydrates in their diet. This is a balancing act – too much or too little protein can cause diseases.
However, it is important that you check the ingredients on the labels – although they can be very confusing.
A few of the ingredients you will see on commercial pet food are:
| Cereal | Rice |
| Corn | Fat |
| Meat | Bone meal |
| Preservatives and Additives | Added vitamins |
So lets break this down a little.
Corn – Dachshunds and most dogs have a difficult time digesting corn and it can often cause allergies that could show up as physiological or behavioral problems. Please also be aware that this corn has already been rejected for human consumption – it failed USDA inspection because of mold, rancidity and other contaminants! Check the label and choose a dog food without corn if possible.
Fat – fat is basically added to ensure your dog eats the kibble – they love fat just like us and a little is not harmful but too much just like us will make them fat. Check the fat content.
Meat– Aha at last an ingredient our Dachshund’s need. Depending on the food you chose it could be Chicken, Beef, or Lamb – However, the meat used in dog foods is not available at our local butchers. I went searching on the Internet to find out what this meat is and was a little upset with the results.
Ready? Well lets take chicken by-product (or beef and lamb) – that is the heads, beaks, legs, intestines, neck basically what we don’t eat is ground up for dog food. I guess that is not too bad until you consider where the meat is coming from. This ‘meat’ is rejected human grade slaughtered animals. Some of the manufactures use animals from vets, test centers, and watch if the packet just say meat – that could be any dead animal.
We should check the dog food labels to see what percentage meat content it has – this would be nice it they actually put it on the label but they do not want you to know!
| Description | Percentage Meat |
|---|---|
| Chicken Dog Food | 95% |
| Chicken Dinner | 25% |
| Dog Food With Chicken | 3% |
| Chicken Flavor | No Minimum – just has to taste like chicken! |
- This is copied direct from www.aafco.org association of American feed control officers:
Am I correct that parts from sick, dying, or dead animals are allowed? Doesn’t this pose a health risk to pets?
Animal by-products which may include materials from animals which died by means other than slaughter are explicitly defined as adulterated unless the materials are rendered in compliance with animal health and protein product regulations to destroy any potential microorganisms which may be in the products. The processes used are deemed to be adequate to control risk of disease.
Why am I so passionate about telling you all this?
I have a mini Dachshund called Luke. He weighs 9LB. I love Luke so much and he is the seriously the best dog I have ever had the pleasure to own. He is such a darling and I want the best for him so that he stays healthy and has a long happy life.
I started buying him what I thought was the best dog food available, it came in little containers, smelt disgusting but looked great and he loved it.
Two months later, he started to be sick, throwing up and had bad diarrhea. I of course rushed him to the vet. At first, they thought that maybe he had eaten something on one of this walks, or maybe had an infection. The vet gave him an injection to stop him being sick and some tablets to sooth his stomach.
The next day I was back at the vets’ office again – he was much worse, lethargic and the symptoms had got worse. This time the vet was more concerned and ran some tests on poor little Luke. One of the tests showed that the food was being blocked from entering his stomach and he needed an emergency operation.
I was so scared especially when the vet explained that they were not sure if it would work. They went on to ask what I was feeding him. Apparently, the little cute cans of food that I was so lovingly giving him were much too rich for a small delicate Dachshunds stomach. This had caused an acid build up, his stomach was fighting to digest the food, and eventually it had caused a blockage and a lot of pain.
When I went to the vets office after his operation I was shocked at how awful Luke looked. I just broke down and cried I could not stop feeling so guilty for doing this to him. Why was I so stupid, why had I just blindly believed that the food sold in the supermarkets would be safe?
Luke struggled to stay alive and recover from his operation for 7 days. He lost a lot of weight and looked all bone. I visited him and stayed as long as the vets’ office would let me, trying to sooth him and get him to eat. He had a scar down the whole length of his little belly and looked so sad.
Finally, the vet said I could take him home to continue his care there. He was on four different pills three times a day. His recovery was slow and painful but gradually he began to eat without being sick and put a little of his lost weight and muscle tone back on.
One thing the vet did stress to me is that he sees this regularly especially with small breeds and that I should be very careful what I feed him – the trend is increasing. He is now on a mix of prescription dog food and homemade food and is much healthier.
This all happened three years ago but it did so much damage to his stomach that to this day, if he so much as nibbles something that he should not have, he is throwing up again. It is a constant battle when we are out of the house to make sure he does not find any dropped food.
Even if your Dachshund can eat anything and seem OK, there is a chance that some time in his life his little body will have had enough.
The dog food you are feeding your Dachshund could be causing Liver and Kidney dysfunction and bladder and stomach cancer.
Some of the symptoms may show up as allergies including:
- itching
- hot spots
- dandruff
- excessive shedding
- foot-licking
- face-rubbing
- loose stools
- gassiness
I urge you to learn as much as you can about what is in the food you are feeding your Dachshund so that they do not have to go through what Dachshund Luke did – or worse.
Watch this video for more information – it is an eye opener!
To get the full information on what is in your Dachshunds Food CLICK HERE and find out how to increase the lifespan of your Dachshund by 130%!
Thanks for the information! It’s important to do your homework and pick a quality food for our little guys and gals!
Personally, I love the holistic pet food created by veterinarian Dr. Jane Bicks. She has her own stand-alone manufacturing facility, so there is no worry about cross-contamination of equipment by other pet-food manufacturers using lower-quality ingredients. She makes the food in small batches and quality control tests every one.
She uses only human-grade ingredients, and no corn, wheat or soy products. No preservatives or dyes. The foods are fast-cooked to retain the maximum amount of nutrients, and she refuses to sell the product via stores because she doesn’t want it sitting on store shelves (because of the absence of preservatives). So you order it online through a registered agent, and it ships to your door! The best part is that she encourages customers to call into a monthly conference call she does and ask questions about the food. Can’t do that with Iams or Science Diet!
The registered agent I use to buy my food through is my local no-kill shelter. Their site for Life’s Abundance is www (dot)HumaneSocietyPetFood (dot)com My shelter gets a portion of the proceeds, so if you’re going to order, please use the above web site!
Also, please note that each 40-lb bag of kibble contains approximately 160 cups. Each cup of dog food has 483 kcal/cup. Check whatever food you’re using now, because this is very nutritionally-dense food and most people find they need to feed much less of it to maintain their pets’ weights. I cut my 70-lb pointer back from 2 cups twice a day to 1.3 cups twice a day. My heeler gets half a cup twice a day.
Hope this helps! I just love the products!
Catherine.
please tell me what kind of food i can make for my dachshund to eat,that will not hurt her,she is itching all the time and licking her paws.
Hi Sharon,
First I am sorry for the delay in my response – we have been traveling again.
Try to feed your Dachshund as pure a food as possible. Check what food you are feeding her and see what the ingredients are – check my post above. What she is eating could be causing her to lick her paws, however she may be doing that because her feet or legs hurt. Dachshunds are prone to this.
If you decide the change her food please introduce it to her in small amounts mixed in with her original food. Now if you are planning to make her meals then add one new food at a time – ie if you want to add chicken then give her it with her food for a week or two and see how she is.
Making sure she is only eating quality food, and only introducing one new ingrediant at a time for a week or two may point to the one that is giving her allegies.
Good luck and please keep me informed,
Karen
Hi Sharon, sorry also re her paw licking, you may want to wash them after walks – sometimes they do this because of smells, chemicals, and general outside stuff causing irritations.
Again good luck and I hope that with trial and error you are able to narrow down what is causing her problem soon.
Karen
Please see my replies below :-)
Ema is alot better,i took her to the doctor and he said it was Allergies. he gave her some meds.i also started her on BilJack dog food .she seems to like it ,i just hope i am doing the best thing for her.i don’t mind cooking for her if i knew what i could feed her and how to cook it,she is the best little dog ( my grandson found her in the deer woods the first of oct.she was almost dead,she has been through alot )
HI Sharon, I am so glad to here that your little Ema is feeling better. Poor girl, she is lucky to have you and is now in a nice home with people who love her. We love Luke so much. Dachshunds are amazing dogs.
I hope that she is doing well on her new food and that her allergies go away.
Karen
Thank You for sharing this one!
I saw a tv show about what’s in commercial dogfood a couple of years back, and was so horrified that that day,I stopped feeding commercial food, and began cooking for our two mini-dachshunds. Within 2 weeks, our 8 year old male acted like he’d lost 5 years of age – he became his old bouncy goofy self, his coat became shiny and soft, and he just looked so amazing! Our little female was still young enough that the terrible effects of commercial food hadn’t become obvious in her appearance.
Since I’ve been cooking for my dogs, their health is astounding – I brush their teeth, too, because I don’t want them to suffer the agonies of a toothache.
Thanks so much for this!
Anne
Okay so i have a dachshund too I got her when she was 9 weeks old and now I can’t amagin my life with out her… They are the most wondeful pet to own. So I’m really not sure if what I am feeding her is bad for her or not. I feed her Pedigree little bites and that is what I have feed her from the day I got her. Now 3 years later she wont stop itching.. She itches and digs so bad she makes her self bleed. So I took her to the vet 3 times in one month and he seems not to know what is the matter with her… All I know is it is breaking my heart just watching her… I have try-ed everything that I know of and nothing seems to help her. So if there is anyone out there that has any ideas I am so open to them….SOMEONE PLEASE HELP HER…
I lost my precious 13 year old daushund Daisy May 13th 2011 to a high end dog food that i trusted. I did everything to keep Daisy healthy routine vet trips to do blood work to make sure she was doing fine, i thought only the best food which was Merrick canned food and dry, but i gave both my dachshunds Merrick canned Turducken, within hours both were sick with dirrahea and throwing up, my 5 year old Doxie Macie came thru but Daisy passed away 5 days later from pancreatitis. There was to much fat in the food, my vet said that quality control is just not what it should be, i read several other statements on the internet saying the same thing about the merrick canned turducken, the pet food company just blew me off, Daisy was one of the most precious loving dogs i have ever had and i miss her each day, i feel like it was my fault for feeding her that food, my vet said that the big brand name so called best dog food company let me down, maybe someone will read this and not feed there small breed dog this food.
i have a stander dachshund and he is 7months old but is now just off fully grown, i would like to point out that that food wast anctually dangerous but it was just to rich for dachshunds,as stated by the vet ‘it was fer too rich’ but that dosent necercarily mean it is dangerous to al dogs?
appologies if i sound rude as i am not trying to be
I also note that I have a dachshund mix, 19 lbs fully grown, with a black tuxedo like coat. He certainly likes to burrow in his bed, like this site taught me!
Hi Bryony, thanks for visiting. Yes you are right the food may not be too rich for some dogs but it was for our Dachshund. You do not sound rude and have a very good point. We were just surprised that it was marketed for small dogs yet can be too rich for them.
Hi my dachshund E.J is about two months oldies repeatedly having blood stools. He only drinks diluted milk and he’s normal for some time and then after two days he get started again. The vet says there’s nothing wrong with him. Inspite of all this he’s very active. I don’t know what to do. Please help!!!!!!!
Which is the best but not too costly dog food to feed my 4 month old Dachshund, Sebastian? This dog is my baby and my best-friend. I love him so much. My hubby thinks I spoil him rotten but, I assure you, I just love him exceedingly and want him to live a long and healthy life.
Thank you so much,
Mel and Sebastian
Hi, Please, please, take him to another vet for a second look. It is not normal and he is so young.
Also ask the vet if you should be feeding him the milk – perhaps he can give you puppy milk to try.
Good luck.