What to feed your dog *Dachshund*
This time I wanted to write about a breed which has become increasingly popular and always draws a crowd due to how cute they are.
A short-legged, long-bodied breed belonging to the hound family, the Dachshund originated in Germany. The name literally meaning “Badger Dog” in German, the Dachshund’s short, but long slender body has resulted in numerous nicknames such as Hot dog, Sausage dog, Weiner dog, Doxie, and in modern German they are more commonly known by the name Dackel or, for more hunting oriented dogs, Teckel.
Being bred for hunting the specific parts of Germany where they developed had rocky foothills housing wild boar and burrowing animals like badger and ground rodents. This area also produced many varieties of vegetables such as potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and greens. Nutrients from these vegetable sources have high amounts of fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin A as beta carotene.
Due to originating in this area, today’s Dachshund will do well on a diet with its vitamin A source coming from beta carotene sources, instead of coming from palmitate or fish oil.
Many breeders claim the dachshund requires a very high fat-low protein ratio in their food. Therefore, a valid suggestion is to feed this breed commercial dog food formulated for puppies during its entire life cycle.
Food sources to avoid with this breed include beet pulp, soy, and both white and brown forms of rice
