The Best Dog Food for Dachshunds | Reviews and Ratings of the Top Wet and Dry Brands for Wiener Dogs in 2021

There are many dog breeds out there, but few are as recognizable as the Dachshund. These short and stout dogs are popular family dogs, thanks to their laidback personality and low maintenance.

However, these dogs often come with a host of health problems. Their long backs are not particularly well-supported, which can lead to problems down the road.

Choosing a great dog food for your Dachshund could be the difference between a painful back injury and living gracefully into their twilight years.

Picking the right food isn’t always easy, though. Luckily, we’re here to help. This article includes everything you need to know about Dachshund nutrition, including the best foods on the market for these unique canines.

How to Choose the Best Food for Your Dachshund Weiner

While choosing the best dog food can be complicated, it doesn’t have to be that way. If you follow a few guidelines, you’ll be picking out food like a pro in no time.

The most important thing to consider about any dog food is the macronutrient content. Macronutrients include fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. These are the building blocks of nearly every species on the planet, including our canine. But every species needs a different ratio of macronutrients to thrive.

Studies have found that our dogs need a ratio of about 30% protein, 63% fat, and 7% carbohydrates. Some similar studies have found a lower amount of fat, though all studies agree that our canines need a diet high in both fat and protein.

Sadly, it is not always easy to find a dog food containing this macronutrient content. Most are much higher in carbohydrates than the optimal 7%.

When reviewing each dog food, we sought only to include those that were below 30% carbohydrates. We may occasionally include a food that is higher – but this is very rare.

Secondly, the ingredient list is an extremely vital source of information. Some ingredients are better for dogs than others. Preferably, you want meat to be the first few ingredients. Meat is mostly fat and protein, so this helps the macronutrient content a bit. Plus, our dogs evolved to eat mostly meat.

Some veggies and fruits are perfectly fine, however, especially if they provide needed vitamins and nutrients. Not all veggies are great for our dogs, and some are often purposefully used as fillers. Sweet potatoes are preferable to regular potatoes, for example. 

In general, while every dog food is going to include some veggies, you want it to contain plenty of meat as well.

Ingredient quality is essential as well. We preferred natural ingredients when possible.

Whole meat is always the better option. However, by-products are not necessarily harmful. This phrase just means that the pet food also includes parts of the animal we usually wouldn’t eat – like the hooves and ears. However, some of these cuts are full of nutrients and mirror what our dog would naturally eat in the wild.

With that said, you do not want unidentified meat-meal or by-products. The source of the meat should always be listed. Otherwise, it could be anything.

When feeding a Dachshund, you may want to ensure that their kibble contains joint supporting ingredients like glucosamine and chondroitin. Dachshunds are prone to back problems due to their little legs and elongated back. These ingredients may help your adult dog’s joints and back stay healthy, which will prevent health problems.

Dachshunds are also prone to skin problems. While these are genetic and nature and unchangeable, choosing food with fish oil and omega-6 fatty acids may help your dog’s skin stay healthy.

Some Dachshunds have sensitive stomachs and therefore might need a dog food containing limited ingredients. This won’t be applicable to all canines, but it will matter substantially to others. 

Reviews of the Best Dog Foods for Dachshunds

Macronutrients (Dry-Matter Basis):

• 37.04% Protein
• 18.52% Fat
• 14.81% Carbohydrates

A Great Dachshund dog food

Nom Nom Now makes fresh dog food that is delivered right to your door in pre-portioned bags. After filling out a profile, they personalize the food to match your dog’s needs, which often results in a high-quality option for your dog. All the food arrives to your door at a regular interval and is fully cooked. All you have to do is pour each serving into your pet’s bowl.

While this company has a few different recipes, we reviewed their beef mash in particular. We highly recommend choosing the variety pack, however. It is always best to diversify your pet’s food. It keeps them interested and provides them with a wide range of nutrients.

The macronutrient content of this food is quite good. Protein is very high at 37%, and fat is over 18%. Carbohydrates are decently low at 14%. That’s somewhat close to the 7% our dogs would eat naturally and far lower than most other options on the market.

We liked the ingredient list as well. Ground beef is the first option, and eggs are included pretty high on the list as well. Both of these ingredients are an excellent option for your Dachshund and provide plenty of vitamins and minerals.

Recall Info: None

Macronutrients (Dry-Matter Basis):

• 44.44% Protein
• 16.67% Fat
• 22.22% Carbohydrates

best Wet dog food for miniature dachshunds

This dog food by Merrick is designed for tiny dogs and is the perfect choice for smaller Dachshunds. It contains high amounts of omega fatty acids, glucosamine, and chondroitin – everything your Dachshund needs to counteract their bad genes.

Plus, prebiotics and probiotics are also included to help your dog’s digestive system. If your pet has digestive problems, this is the food you need to switch them to.

We loved the ingredient list on this food. It includes some sort of meat product as the first four ingredients, including various kinds of broth. Using broth instead of water is a bit more expensive, but it also adds a decent number of extra vitamins and minerals to the food. The broth is likely one of the reasons why this food is so high in protein.

Beef liver is even included, which is one of the best meats your dog can eat.

The macronutrient content is also pretty good. Protein is very high at over 44%, which carbohydrates decently low at just over 22%. Fat is a bit lower than we would have liked, but the high amount of protein makes up for this.

We highly recommend this wet food to anyone with a smaller Dachshund. Keep in mind, those with Dachshunds pushing 20 pounds may want to look elsewhere since this food does come in tiny containers.

Recall Info: Some

Macronutrients (Dry-Matter Basis):

• 50% Protein
• 22.22% Fat
• 11.11% Carbohydrates

Best Wet Food for Larger Dachshunds

This is another fantastic wet food for Dachshunds. It comes in smaller serving sizes, which makes feeding to small Dachshund much easier. However, the package sizes are slightly bigger than what some other small-breed formulas provide, so this food works particularly well for Dachshunds that are on the somewhat larger side.

The ingredient list of this dog food is fantastic. It includes beef as the first ingredient, and then a slew of other meat products. Keep in mind, chicken is included. If your dog is allergic to chicken, this isn’t going to work. If your dog has no chicken allergies, though, this is excellent food. It is always best to diversify your pet’s food to prevent allergies and increase the diversity of nutrients they eat.  

While this food does use water instead of broth, this doesn’t appear to be much of a problem. The protein content is still extremely high at 50%, and the carbohydrate level is very low at only 11.11%. The macronutrient content is one of the best we’ve seen on the market, which is one of the reasons we recommend this dog food so highly.

Recall Info: Yes

Macronutrients (Dry-Matter Basis):

• 44.44% Protein
• 16.67% Fat
• 22.22% Carbohydrates

We loved this food as well – though not quite as much as the other foods we reviewed.

The ingredient list is pretty decent, with beef as the first ingredient. It includes many sources of meat, including both whole beef and whole chicken. Chicken liver is included, and beef broth is used instead of water. All of these ingredients set this food up to be fantastic.

The macronutrient content isn’t anything to complain about either. It includes protein at 44.44%, higher than most other options on the market. Fat is somewhat low at only 16.67%, while carbohydrates are also pretty low at 22.22%. We would have liked to see fat a bit higher, but it wasn’t low enough for us to complain too much.

The one thing we don’t like about this dog food is the brand. This brand is notorious for recalls. They aren’t a particularly old brand, but they have had plenty of recalls. That makes us somewhat untrusting. Odds are, they will have another recall in the future.

Recall Info: Lots

Best Dry Food for Dachshunds

Macronutrients (Dry-Matter Basis):

• 48.89% Protein
• 22.22% Fat
• 20% Carbohydrates

healthy Dry Food for Dachshund Wieners

Out of all the dry foods we reviewed, this one is the best. It contains some form of meat as the first four ingredients, including deboned chicken and turkey. In all, it has 11 different animal ingredients, which is far more than most dog foods have. Furthermore, many of the ingredients are of very high quality.

The macronutrient breakdown is also excellent, especially for dry dog food. This food included almost 50% protein and over 20% fat. Carbohydrates are decently low as well, at only 20%. It could be a bit lower, but this is very good for dry dog food.

We liked this food overall, but the brand is not as trustworthy as we would like. Blue Buffalo has had many recalls despite not being a very old company. Because of this, the chance of them having another recall in the future is pretty high. Some of their recalls have been serious as well, so this is something to keep in mind.

Recall Info: Lots

Macronutrients (Dry-Matter Basis):

• 35.56% Protein
• 22.22% Fat
• 33.33% Carbohydrates

This dog food is formulated for all pet stages, including adult Dachshunds so that you can feed it to your Dachshund their whole like. It includes added algae as a healthy and sustainable source of omega-3 fatty acids, which may provide help for your dog with any skin or coat problems. We also appreciated that they included L-carnitine. This ingredient supports fat metabolism and can help keep your pet underweight. Because Dachshunds already have enough back problems as it is, the last thing they need is to be overweight as well.

The ingredients on this dog might not seem to be the best at a glance, but they’re pretty decent. Chicken meal is the first ingredient. This isn’t the best option, but it isn’t a bad option either. Brown rice is the second ingredient. If your pet is allergic to grain, this is a problem. However, most dogs are perfectly fine with some grain in their diet. Whole grain is quite suitable for your dog.

The other ingredients are all quite good, including the chicken fat and herring meal.

The macronutrient breakdown could be a bit better and is one of the main reasons we had to mark this food down. Protein is decently high, as is fat. However, they could both be a bit higher. Carbohydrates are over 30%, which is usually our cut off range.

Recall Info: None

Macronutrients (Dry-Matter Basis):

• 38.46% Protein
• 21.98% Fat
• 30.77% Carbohydrates

This food isn’t great, but it isn’t bad either. It is much better than most of the other dry foods on the market for Dachshunds. The ingredient list is decent. It includes chicken as the first ingredient followed by chicken meal. Both of these ingredients are decent choices, though we would have liked to see more chicken instead of chicken meal.

But the chicken meal is a good source of glucosamine, so it balances out.

The macronutrient content of this food is somewhat decent. The protein is quite high at over 38%, and the fat is pretty high as well at 21%. But the carbohydrates are much higher than what we would like to see. For this reason, we had to mark this food down half a point.

It is an okay food, but not the best we’ve reviewed. Your dog will likely be okay eating this food, but there are other better options out there.

Recall Info: Some

Best Puppy Food for Dachshunds

We recommend the Annamaet Original Small Breed Formula we reviewed above for Dachshund puppies. It is designed for all life stages, including puppies, and is much better than the other small-breed puppy formulas on the market.

Why You Should Trust Us

I’ve been a dog owner and health-nut my whole life. All of our reviews are based on scientific evidence, not marketing ads. We carefully stay up to date on the latest research so that we can recommend only the best to you and your pets. 

Before making it into any article, each Dachshund dog food has to pass a rigorous review process that involves more than just surface-level information. We calculate all of our own macronutrient data. While we weigh heavily the ingredient list, we also consider macronutrient ratios and recall frequency.

How Much to Feed Your Dachshund?

It is vital to keep your Dachshund from becoming obese. Over half the dogs in America are currently overweight, so this is a widespread problem.

Dachshunds are particularly prone to the problems that come with being overweight. Their back is already not well-supported, and they are prone to spine problems. Being overweight can make these problems even worse.

You should always follow the feeding instructions that come from the dog food container. Different foods contain different caloric amounts and nutrients, so your dog will need varying amounts of food depending on what you purchase.

Monitor your dog’s weight carefully. Even being a pound overweight can be a problem for a Dachshund. While the instructions on the dog food bag are often accurate, this isn’t always the case. Your dog’s genetics and activity level can play a role as well. You may need to adjust your dog’s intake, especially as they age.

Dachshund Nutritional Requirements

Dachshunds have about the same nutritional needs as any other dog. As we previously discussed, they should eat a diet high in fat and protein but low in carbohydrates. This is simply how dogs evolved and is valid for all breeds, including Dachshunds.

On top of that, these small dogs also need about the same vitamins and minerals as every other dog. Of course, they’re smaller, so they need smaller amounts of these nutrients. However, proportionally, they need the same things other dogs do.

You may want to choose a food high in joint-supporting ingredients simply because Dachshunds are prone to back and joint problems. It is pretty easy to find a food with added glucosamine and chondroitin in it, so we generally recommend choosing one with possible.

Fish oil and other omega-3 fatty acids can help your dog retain a healthy coat and skin. Not all Dachshunds have skin problems, but some do. If your dog has a problem with their coat or skin, switching to a food with a high amount of fatty acids and fish oil can be useful.

They have supplements for these things as well, just in case you can’t find an appropriate dog food that contains whatever nutrients your dog needs.

Allergies Information and Best Foods

Dachshunds are not particularly prone to allergies, but they can happen to any dog. Allergies occur in dogs after they’ve eaten the same types of foods for an extended period. Because of this, allergies are usually common dog food ingredients, like wheat and chicken.

If your dog starts showing symptoms of food allergies, like unnecessary scratching, then you need to look at the food they’ve been eating. Odds are, they’ve become allergic to one of the ingredients in their current food.

Then, switch their food to a formula that doesn’t contain those ingredients. You don’t have to avoid all the ingredients necessarily, but try to avoid the main protein at least. If your dog has been eating a chicken formula, find them a formula that doesn’t contain chicken meat. Chicken fat is okay since dogs are allergic to the proteins of the meat, not the fats.

To avoid allergies, it is best to switch your dog’s food often. Allergies often develop after a dog has been eating the same protein for years. Switching your dog between several different foods can prevent these allergies from forming in the first place. 

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