Senior Dachshund wheat intolerance food refusal fix

A 15-year-old Dachshund with established wheat intolerance who's now turning their nose up at food — that's a tricky combination, and it's quite common in very senior dogs whose appetite and sense of smell both decline. True food allergies in dogs are actually less common than intolerances, and it sounds like you've already done the hard work of identifying the culprit. The challenge now is finding something wheat-free that your dog will actually eat. Can you tell me a bit more — what food have they been on recently, and is the refusal total or just patchy? And are you seeing any digestive symptoms alongside the reduced appetite, or is it purely that they're walking away from the bowl?

That makes a lot of sense. At 15, a Dachshund's sense of smell is often reduced, and dry kibble — even a good one — loses its appeal because so much of palatability in dogs is driven by scent and moisture. It's not the intolerance acting up; it's that dry food just isn't interesting enough anymore. The fix is almost always moving to a wet or fresh-format food, which has a much stronger aroma and much higher moisture content, both of which help elderly dogs eat more willingly. You still need to stay completely wheat-free, and at her age you also want something gentle on the digestive system. What does her current kibble cost roughly per month, and are you open to wet food or a topper if that's what it takes to get her eating reliably again?

Perfect. At 5kg and 15 years old she's eating modest portions, so a quality wet food is very affordable in practice. My recommendation is Forthglade Complete Grain Free Senior wet food — specifically the turkey or chicken varieties. It's grain-free so completely safe for her wheat intolerance, it's formulated for senior dogs with adjusted protein and added joint support, and critically it's a soft loaf texture with a strong natural aroma that elderly dogs consistently find very appealing. It uses named single proteins, no fillers, and the ingredients are genuinely clean. For a 5kg dog you'd go through roughly one 395g tray every day to day and a half, which makes it very manageable cost-wise. I'd start with the turkey variant — in my experience it tends to be the one fussy seniors respond to fastest. Give it three or four days before concluding anything; sometimes it takes a meal or two for an old dog to accept a new texture.

Given that the problem is appetite rather than a sensitive stomach acting up, you can be fairly direct about the switch — a gradual mix is fine if you want to be cautious, but honestly at this point the goal is getting her interested in eating, and a bowl of purely the new wet food often works better than a mixed bowl where she picks around the kibble she's already bored of. If her digestion has been stable with no loose stools recently, I'd just offer the Forthglade on its own from day one and see how she responds. If you want a belt-and-braces approach, one meal mixed and one meal pure wet food for the first couple of days is perfectly reasonable. The main thing is don't panic if she's cautious on day one — let her come to it, don't hover, and warm it very slightly if she's still hesitant as that really amplifies the aroma for older dogs.

Good luck — I think you'll see a real difference quickly. One last practical note: Forthglade trays keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours once opened, so you can serve half a tray and refrigerate the rest without waste. If after a week she's eating well, you've found your long-term answer. If appetite is still patchy, it's worth mentioning to your vet in case there's an underlying reason beyond age-related sensory decline — but in a healthy 15-year-old Dachshund, this kind of switch usually does the job.