Dachshund food - what to absolutely avoid

A dachshund has no separate list of forbidden foods: the same things are toxic as for any dog. What changes is body weight. At 4 to 9 kilograms, the same square of chocolate is a far higher dose per kilogram, so with a small dog the question is never only whether something is toxic, but how much was eaten and how much the dog weighs.

This article is informational and does not replace veterinary advice. If you suspect poisoning, do not wait for symptoms, call a clinic.

Red flags: call a clinic now

• Vomiting or diarrhoea after eating anything from the list below
• Muscle tremors, restlessness, rapid breathing
• Weakness, stumbling, collapse
• Seizures
• Sudden heavy drinking and large volumes of urine

Take the packaging of whatever the dog ate. The ingredients and weight let the vet calculate the dose.

Toxins you must never feed

• Chocolate: the toxic agents are methylxanthines, mainly theobromine. Dose matters: mild signs are reported from roughly 20 mg of theobromine per kilogram of body weight, cardiotoxic effects from 40 to 50 mg/kg, seizures from 60 mg/kg [S1]. The darker the chocolate the more theobromine, and the smaller the dog the less it takes
• Xylitol (in chewing gum, sweets, some peanut butters): triggers a rapid insulin release and hypoglycaemia in dogs, less often liver injury. Hypoglycaemia has been associated with doses above roughly 100 mg per kilogram [S2]. For a 5 kilogram dachshund that is a few pieces of gum
• Onion and garlic: damage red blood cells and lead to anaemia [S3]
• Grapes and raisins: linked to acute kidney injury; diagnosis rests on history and excluding other causes [S3]
• Avocado: the flesh causes stomach upset and the large pit poses a blockage risk. Persin is mainly toxic to birds and horses, in dogs it rarely causes systemic illness [S3]
• Raw fish: parasite risk; in North America salmon poisoning disease is an additional hazard, which is not a practical concern in Europe

Reading the food label

The first three ingredients are the key. You want:

1. Specific named meat (e.g. “chicken 35%”) - not “poultry meals and derivatives”
2. Whole grain or vegetable - brown rice, sweet potato
3. Named fat source - “salmon oil” yes, “animal fat” no

Avoid any food containing:

• “By-products” / meat derivatives
• Sugar and caramel coloring
• Preservatives BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin
• Fillers (corn, soy in the first three)

How much to feed a dachshund

Adult dogs need energy proportional to metabolic body weight: RER ≈ 70 × kg^0.75 kcal/day, multiplied by an activity factor (1.2-1.6 for a neutered indoor pet) gives MER. For an 8 kg dachshund this works out to about 240-330 kcal per day split into 2 meals. A standard 9-12 kg adult dachshund sits in the 280-410 kcal range. Check the food label and adjust to body condition.

The best weight test: you should be able to easily feel the ribs but not see them. Waist visible from above.

BARF or kibble

Both are fine if balanced. BARF requires consulting an animal nutritionist - composition errors lead to deficiencies in calcium, protein, vitamins. Kibble marked “complete” already has full balance.

The biggest mistake is “half and half” - half a cup of kibble plus table scraps. A direct path to obesity and pancreatitis.