Homemade Dog Food Recipe for Your Dachshund
If your Dachshund is a picky eater, has allergies, or you just want to provide some new nutrients to their doggie diet – we have the perfect Dachshund food recipe for you.
Providing a healthy homemade dog food recipe for your Dachshund is a great way to introduce delicious new flavors and healthy ingredients that won’t be found in their regular store-bought kibble.
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Table Of Contents
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Why Should I Change My Dog’s Food?
Fill in the Nutritional Gaps: There are so many wet and dry dog food choices out there, it’s hard to know if your dog is getting all of the required nutrients they need.
Avoid Toxins: By occasionally switching up your doxie’s regular food, it can help minimize the damage some highly processed dog foods may be doing to your dog overtime. Many dog foods are full of fillers and artificial flavors that are toxic for your Dachshund’s health.
Allergies: If your Dachshund struggles with itchy skin or food sensitivities, the best dog food for Dachshund allergies is a homemade diet. Knowing exactly what’s in their food can make all the difference.
Same Boring Food: Dachshunds are picky eaters! They eventually stick their nose up when it comes to the same kibble day in and day out. Changing it up and giving your Dachshund homemade dog food for picky eaters once in a while will help keep them happy and healthy.
Weight Control: Many Dachshund parents start feeding their doxies table scraps when they won’t eat their regular kibble. Then, they end up with an unhealthy, overweight Dachshund in no time.
Post You May Like: 5 Easy Weight Loss Tips for Dachshunds
How To Introduce New Dachshund Food
Never give your Dachshund new dog food all at once. It’s best to introduce the new Dachshund dog food gradually overtime to avoid an upset stomach. This chart provides guidelines for gradually transitioning to new dog food without an upset tummy.
Dog Food Change Chart:
Before Diving In!
> Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian, doctor, nutritionist, or dietician. Please review our Food and Nutrition Disclaimer.
> This recipe is formulated for Adult Dachshunds over 1 year old, not for puppies.
> All dogs have varying nutritional needs and consume different amounts of food. Please consult your vet to customize this recipe according to your dog’s requirements.
> You can choose to make this fresh dog food recipe as a topper to your doxie’s regular kibble if you aren’t comfortable totally switching over.
Dachshund Food Recipe: Turkey, Rice, And Veggies
Cook time: ~20 minutes
Servings: 5-7 servings (1 cup servings)
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
1 cup cooked brown rice (or white rice)
1 pound lean, ground turkey
1 large egg (Omit if your dog has allergies)
1 cup of chopped baby spinach
1-2 large carrots finely shredded (use this Food Chopper!)
1 zucchini shredded (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
COOK TURKEY: Heat oil in the large stockpot, add ground turkey and cook until browned. Separate and crumble the meat with a spatula.
COOK EGG: Add the egg to the meat mixture, cook thoroughly.
COOK VEGGIES: Stir in chopped spinach, shredded carrot, and shredded zucchini. Cook on medium heat until spinach has wilted (about 5 minutes).
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER: Stir in the cooked brown rice. Mix all together and heat the mixture on low for about 7 minutes.
Let it completely cool before feeding it to your pup.
STORAGE & SAFETY:
Please Read! According to the USDA guidelines, cooked ground turkey should be consumed within 3 to 4 days when refrigerated.
To stay safe, store some of this fresh dog food in the freezer, and store only a few days’ worth in the refrigerator at a time.
You can freeze it for up to 3-4 months.
Always store in airtight containers.
Nutritional Facts:
The following Nutrition Facts are provided by recipecard.io.
Dog Food Ingredient Substitutions
Rice: You can substitute the brown rice for white rice or a sweet potato. Although healthier, brown rice can sometimes be harder to digest.
Spinach: Can be substituted with kale.
Ground Turkey: Can be substituted with ground chicken.
Veggies: If your doxie has a sensitive tummy, try one vegetable at a time. Add in a new vegetable when you make your next batch of homemade dog food to make sure they can tolerate it ok.
Oil: You can use sunflower oil or coconut oil for this homemade dog food recipe.
Measure Out Your Portions
Make sure to measure out your dog’s food. Portion control is key for weight management – especially with Dachshunds who are prone to obesity.
I like to use these pet food measuring cups to help provide the correct amount of dog food to my doxies, Eko and Gretta.
How Much to Feed Your Dog
Figuring out the right amount of homemade dog food compared to dry kibble involves considering your dog’s weight, age, activity level, and overall health.
Here are a few ways you can find out your doxie’s right amount of fresh dog food:
ChatGPT is a free online AI tool that can use a ton of information on the internet to help calculate dog food. It uses those complicated calculations to give an estimate at least as a starting point, which is awesome!
*Please note: these calculations are based on the estimated caloric content of the recipe and your doxie’s daily caloric needs. It’s really important to monitor your dog’s weight and overall health, adjusting portion sizes as necessary!
Consulting your vet can provide personalized guidance tailored to your dog’s specific needs.
Keep in Mind: The homemade dog food requires a larger volume to provide the same caloric intake as the dry kibble food.
Using ChatGPT to calculate your dog’s homemade dog food amount:
Ingredient Benefits
Each fresh ingredient in this dog food recipe provides certain vitamins and minerals. Let’s break it down.
Eggs: Vitamin D, iodine, protein, vitamins A and B12, folate, iron, selenium, riboflavin, and rich in many essential amino and fatty acids.
Brown Rice: Provides magnesium, calcium, iron and riboflavin. It is full of natural fiber, which helps your doxie’s digestion. It includes vitamins D and B (for heart health). Brown rice is not artificially enriched with nutrients like white rice is and is higher in protein and fiber than white rice.
White Rice: Brown rice can be harder for a dog to digest because it is not as processed as white rice. If your dog has trouble digesting brown rice, substitute in white rice instead.
Sweet Potato: Fiber, protein, vitamin A,C,E, potassium, and B vitamins.
Turkey: Lean ground turkey provides protein, iron, vitamin D, and zinc.
Spinach: Provides iron, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, zinc, copper, vitamin K1, folic acid, iron, and calcium. Also includes potassium, magnesium, and vitamins B6, B9, and E.
Zucchini: Vitamin A, manganese, vitamin C, K, and B6, magnesium, potassium, folate, phosphorus and copper, carotenoids (antioxidant).
Carrots: Beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, and antioxidants.
Sunflower Oil: Omega 6 and Omega 3s, and lots of vitamin E.
Adding in Additional Nutrients
If you are using this dog food recipe as more of a topper to your dog’s current food, you don’t need to add additional supplements – skip ahead.
This Dachshund food recipe does provide lots of excellent vitamins and minerals, but there are a couple more things that need to be added.
Additional calcium, fiber, and probiotics should be added to this homemade dog food for Dachshunds to be considered more balanced.
You are going to need a spice or coffee grinder, like this one: Electric Coffee Grinder.
Adding in Calcium:
How to add Calcium to the Dog Food Recipe: 1/2 teaspoon of ground eggshell powder per 1 pound of meat. Add your calcium at the end of the recipe, after your meat and veggies are all cooked up and mixed together.
Adding in Fiber:
Ground flaxseeds provide protein, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, folate, calcium, iron, potassium, and zinc. Unfortunately, whole flaxseeds don’t fully break down in your gut, so they need to be ground up.
Buy organic whole flaxseeds (not roasted) from the grocery store and grind them up at home. Purchasing the pre-ground flaxseed only lasts about 2 weeks when opened. So, only grind up what you plan to use.
Using a coffee grinder is the easiest way to grind up those tiny flaxseeds.
How to Add to the Dog Food Recipe: Add in 1/2 teaspoon of ground flaxseed powder to your dog’s food per day. Just mix it in with your dog’s food when you are ready to serve.
Substitution: You can substitute 1/2 tsp of flaxseed oil for the flaxseeds to get the added omega 6 bonus, but miss out on the fiber.
Adding in Probiotics:
Probiotics are the good bacteria that can help strengthen your Dachshund’s immune system, aid in healthy digestion, and improve the absorption of vitamins and nutrients.
Proviable Probiotic (from Amazon or your local pet store) is a highly rated probiotic and prebiotic supplement that I give to my Dachshunds. I have also used the Proviable Dog Probiotic directly from my vet.
How to Add to The Dog Food Recipe: Give 1 probiotic per day. Open up the probiotic capsule and sprinkle the powder over your dog’s food, mix, and serve when they are ready to eat.
Learn More: 6 Signs Your Dachshund Needs Probiotics
Don’t Forget The Teeth
Now, because we are giving this delicious homemade dog food to our doxies, we will need to stay on top of their dental care needs. Dachshunds need to have their teeth brushed regularly.
Having something crunchy to chew on helps reduce the build up of tartar and plaque on your Dachshund’s teeth. So, now that they aren’t getting that crunch with this new food, they will need some different ways to keep their teeth clean: 4 Easy Ways To Clean Your Dachshund’s Teeth.
Why Homemade Dog Food for Dachshunds?
There are a couple of reasons why I make my Dachshund’s food at home.
Picky Eaters: I have always had this theory that if a dog is hungry, they will eat when they need to. That changed when my Dachshund puppy, Eko, arrived on the scene. Around 9 months old, he achieved his stubborn male hormones, not only showing us more doxie attitude, but becoming a very finicky eater.
Eko just wouldn’t eat his plain dry dog food anymore. He stuck his nose up to it and he would literally make himself sick to his stomach by refusing to eat his plain kibble…until I added this Dachshund food recipe as a topper to help him eat.
Cancer: Now, please here me out. My dog, Ardi, died of cancer when he was 7 years old. At the time, I had all of my dogs on a branded dog food from the grocery store. Nothing fancy, just a dog food that was more “middle of the line” in quality.
Yes, Ardi’s cancer could have been something hereditary. But he was only 7 years old; he was energetic and healthy. To me, it didn’t add up.
Over the last few years, I have learned so much more about the toxic fillers that are found in most commercial dog foods that we purchase in the store.
Expensive or not, these overly processed dog foods have a lot of extra crap in them that we really shouldn’t be giving to our dogs on a daily basis.
So, for me, switching up my dog’s food once in a while gives me peace of mind.
Your Takeaway
Like any homemade Dachshund food recipe you discover online, it’s essential to do your own research to ensure the meal you select provides a balanced and healthy diet for your Dachshund.
Discuss all Dachshund food diet recipes with your veterinarian to determine the best food plan for your little long dog.
I hope you enjoyed this Healthy Dog Food Recipe for Dachshunds. Please let me know how your doxie liked the recipe below in the comments.
We Want to Hear from You!
Have you made homemade dog food for your Dachshund? Share your favorite recipes or tips in the comments below.
Disclaimer
My baby is allergic to all poultry. What meat would you recommend as a substitute?
Hi there, fish is considered the best protein for dogs with allergies. Lean ground beef is an option, but if you’re looking for low-allergy options, lean ground bison or venison could work too. Note: introducing fish like salmon or whitefish can also provide those essential omega-3s. Just remember to avoid bones and any seasoning, keeping it simple and dog friendly. I hope this helps. Your vet may also have some good poultry alternative ideas for you as well. :)
Sorry to ask so many questions, but after starting on a homemade dog food diet, has anyone experienced their dog starting to drink less water?
Hi Deborah, no problem at all. No, I haven’t noticed my dachshunds drinking less water when they eat the homemade dog food recipe, and I haven’t received any comments from other dachshund parents about that either. Adding some water to the diy dog food recipe when serving it to your doxie can help add some hydration if they don’t drink that much water on their own. But, as always, if there are any concerns with eating or drinking, Definity check in with your doxie’s vet to make sure their health is ok.
Thank you for the quick reply. I will start adding a little water to her food as well. I did do some other research and found that it is not uncommon for dogs to drink less as most wet or homemade foods are 60-80% water. My research said that as long as there are no other changes, such as lethargy, not eating (DEFINITELY not a problem – she LOVES this food!!), etc., there’s no need to worry. But vigilance is key. If we see any other changes, we will seek our vet’s advice immediately. Thanks for all your help. I’m new to this and appreciate all the guidance.
Hello Deborah, Thanks so much for letting us know. I’m so glad your dachshund loves this homemade dog food.
Hi – just made this for Leo – he is a mini (more like somewhere between standard and mini) is 14 yers old and is morbidly obese. I have a question that I do NOT know the answer to – this great recipe calls for 1c brown rice and to cook it. Done! but, when I looked at the amount of rice, it seemed like a lot. Do you mean 1 c COOKED rice or 1 c uncooked rice – makes a huge difference in the amount of food. I think, until I hear from you, I will substitue sweet potatoe the next time I make it. but please – help!
Hi there, Thank you for your question. The 1 cup of rice listed in the ingredients is uncooked. If that seems like a lot of rice, definitely cut it down to a smaller amount as needed. Nice job, Sweet Potatoe is a nice substitution. Luckily this recipe has some wiggle room for substitutions and can be tailored to your doxie’s needs. The one thing that I would advise is to ask your vet to help you come up with a meal plan to find the right amount of fresh dog food for Leo. Just to make sure he is getting what he needs and how to help him safely lose weight gradually. Best of luck to you. :)
FYI, I recently updated the homemade dog food recipe to 1 cup of ‘cooked’ brown rice (or white rice). After making it several times and doubling the recipe to freeze for later, the rice was a bit much. So, it’s more proportional now with less rice.
After the holistic brand of dog food we were feeding her changed their recipe and our little Mini Dachshund would no longer eat it, we were desperate to find another food for her. We thought we found one, but it seemingly made her sick and she won’t eat it. So the search began again. Frustrated with every brand for one reason or another, I came back to this recipe that I had bookmarked over a year ago, knowing that once she was over a year old, I wanted to start making her food. She LOVES it. She gets overly excited when she knows it’s meal time. Literally shaking with excitement! I plan to gradually introduce other fruits and veggies, but this was a great place to jump into the homemade food world. Thank you!
Hi Deborah! I’m so glad your mini dachshund loves this dog food recipe. Thank you so much for letting us know, that means a lot.