[Azrael]

What kind of food should be given to a 5 week old mini doxie? I want to do whatever I can to prevent my little puppy from having long term back problems and need help on feeding

[fredg]

HI,
Thanks for asking a question here, and Welcome to this site.
Dry puppy food is the best for right now. Then, later any good Dry Dog Food would be great.
Dry food has all the nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and other, that puppies and dogs need. Do NOT feed your puppy any table food! It's very fattening, and does not have the nutrients it needs.
Also, here is a suggestion, if you get the National Geographic TV channel.
As a new puppy owner, I highly recommend a video by Ceaser Millan, a Professional Dog Behaviorist. He rehabilitates dogs, and trains people.

He has his own TV program, the Dog Whisperer, on the NGEO (National Geographic) channel, on Friday nights mainly, but also comes on some other days. This video is available from:
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/
I also ordered his new book, "Ceaser's Way", from Walmart online, around $15 US, and it's very good!

There are other good videos available on the web, but this one is really worth your attention.

Ceaser Millan was also on the Oprah show just recently.
Another good TV program is on Animal Planet, called Good Dog U.
Any dry puppy food is good.

[Azrael]

While that is a very good suggestion and is what I planned on doing, my question was if there were any suggestions as to what brand of food and/or how long should I keep her on puppy food before switching to adult food to prevent as many back problems that are inherent in dachsunds.

[Saluki-Sue]

I feed my dogs Nutro and they do very well on it. They make a very good puppy food. But there are so many very good foods on the market these days, it really is just a madder of you picking what you like best. But here are some I can think of right now.

Nutro
Nutro Ultra
Chicken soup for the dog lovers soul
Timber wolf
Solid Gold
Wellness
Egal Pack

All of these food make a puppy food or life stages food. Most people keep their dogs on puppy food until they are about 8 month to a year old. As for avoiding back problems the best way to keep your pup healthy and safe is to keep his/her weight down and not let the pup jump on and off fruniture.

Hope this helps

[stewpen]

This information is for anyone who is searching for information on feeding miniature dachsunds in order to keep them from back problems.

We had an 8 year old mini who started having intense back problems and pain to the point that we were contemplating either surgery or euthanasia. We were very upset and did some research online. I came across a site that recommended giving them vitamin C on a daily basis. We figured it was worth a try and so we started her on a vitamin C supplement. We simply used the vitamin C tablets (500mg) that we ourselves took - we crushed them and then mixed it in with about a tablespoon of soft food. Within a week her swelling was gone and she no longer was in pain. She is now 13 and has no back problems, she even can jump up on things and runs around like a puppy. We have continued the practise of a pill mixed in with her food every morning and truly believe it was what has saved her as it is the only thing we changed. We have two other minis ( a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old) that we give the Vitamin C to daily and we anticipate it will keep them from developing any problems.

I hope this information will help someone to keep their beloved pet for a long healthy life.