Your dog may love to eat all sorts of things. However, it may not be able to stomach everything. Sometimes our canine friends are allergic to certain food elements, and we need to sniff them out. Hypoallergenic foods are the best way to deal with allergies. Before you purchase the best dog food for allergies, make sure you know which food is causing the allergy.
How Do I Know My Dog Is Developing Allergies?
After meals, your canine fellow may show signs of tummy troubles. The classic case of gastrointestinal issues includes vomiting, diarrhea, and gas. Other symptoms include; common Yorkie skin problems like rashes, red patches, loss of hair, and swollen parts of the face. The presence of these is a strong indicator of an underlying food allergy. Another indicator of food allergies is the canine being prone to infections.
The most common indicator of food allergy is itching, making up 80% of dog allergy cases. Look for these actions.
- Ear itching
- Paw licking
- Rubbing the rear end on the ground (highlighting anal sacs associated with food allergies).
If these allergies go unnoticed, your dog will continue to itch, and chronic inflammation will slowly progress to skin infections. Hives are also a standard indicator. Instances of raised red patches commonly occur on their bellies. Which they then proceed to bite or chew off.
Lastly, lethargy is also linked to dogs with food allergies. Certain times owners miss out on the indications, as mentioned earlier. However, the lack of energy, weight loss, and unstemmed aggression.
Contact your vet as soon as possible to mark the allergies through tests.
What Are the Most Common Dog Food Allergens?
Food is the most common source of allergens. In food, proteins are the most common allergens to dogs. Dogs are often allergic to more than one type of protein. Dairy products are next in line to cause allergies.
We have mentioned some common allergens found in food below and their instances.
Beef – 34%
Beef is the most typical food allergen, as it is found in most pet foods. Feeding the same diet for a long time can develop intolerance or allergy. The best way to avoid the situation is by rotating the meats for your dog.
Dairy Products – 17%
When dealing with this ingredient, it is vital to know whether it is intolerance or allergy. The symptoms are similar, but the skin patches are a key differentiator. Intolerance will always mess up their stomach, but an allergy will have skin patches, itchiness, and all the work.
Other Products
- Chicken – 15%
- Wheat – 13%
- Soy – 6%
- Lamb – 5%
- Corn – 4%
- Egg – 4%
- Pork – 2%
- Fish – 2%
- Rice – 2%
Knowing the first few items on this list are some of the most common ingredients of dog foods, you need to keep a keen eye out.
How To Track Food Allergies in Dogs?
Deciphering Yorkie allergies or any other food allergy in dog breeds is relatively easy. You can either shift your dog to a hypoallergenic diet. This will be his constant companion for 8 to 12 weeks. From there on forward, you will have to work on an elimination round of foods.
The hypoallergenic diet mustn’t contain any ingredients your dog has consumed in the near past. The elimination trial will work on reintroducing the former-familiar elements one by one. As soon as a reaction springs up, there’s your culprit!
‘But a dog can be allergic to more than one ingredient?’
You will continue the re-introduction elimination trial once you are sure you have covered all the ingredients on your checklist. We have mentioned some common allergens for you to start with. Things would have been a lot easier had there been a cure.
Any diagnostic tests?
Certain serum IgE tests are carried out. A RAST or radioallergosorbent test is one of those. This blood test can detect the antigens a dog may be allergic to. Intradermal skin testing is another sort. The latter seems to be more accurate and is considered to be the gold standard. However, for this test to occur, you need to have access to a dermatologist, have large chunks of hair shaved off of your canine and get them through anesthesia. On the other hand, RAST only requires a slight pinch to get a single blood sample.
Then why not go for RAST?
RAST has a higher ratio of false positives. Due to this, intradermal skin tests must be trusted for them to be confirmative. RAST only comes of use during hyposensitization. Hence RAST will not diagnose but will get to the underlying cause of the diagnosed condition.
Which Dog Species Are More Prone to Food Allergies?
Every individual may have a varying list according to their geographical location. You may be seeing many dogs having food allergies near you. However, it is vital to understand that not all allergies are food allergies.
Usually, Bulldogs, Dachshunds, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Pugs, Pitbulls, and Cocker Spaniels have commonly affected breeds.
Best Dog Food for Allergies and Sensitive Stomach – Our Top 11 Picks
If you don’t have access to homemade dog food for allergies, consider Hypoallergenic dog foods. These are a great way to deal with pups with allergies. The following list of dry dog food has a wide variety that caters to canines with varying food allergies. These formulas are stacked with nutritious ingredients that keep your dog well-fed and away from allergies.
Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Diet – Best Dog food for Allergies
The first on our list is Wellness Simple. They incorporated main proteins along with meat meals. Meat meal is a high-protein variant produced by dehydrating the protein entirely. Furthermore, it costs way less too. Add that to the mix of other nutrients, and you have a well-balanced meal for your dog.
Don’t worry, no fillers!
It goes easy on your dog’s tummy with easily digestible carbohydrates. They also added prebiotics, anti-oxidants, and Omega fatty acids to support digestive and immune systems and develop a healthy coat.
Wellness Simple has a vast range of grain and grain-free variants. They have an added variety of limited-ingredient diet foods. Your dog can enjoy various forms without missing out on any nutrients. Wellness Simple is especially good for pets with chicken and beef allergies as it sources its proteins from ducks. Other ingredients include oatmeal, peas, ground rice, potato protein, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, or artificial preservatives.
The only drawback is its non-suitability for dogs with pea allergies. The oatmeal and ground rice variants are not for dogs with grain allergies
Canidae Grain-Free Pure Limited Ingredient – Best Dry Dog Food for Allergies
Next, we have yet another dry hypoallergenic formula. They have incorporated premium ingredients and no grain formula with a well-balanced nutrition proportion. It comes in various flavors, including; Chicken, Lamb, and Salmon. This way, you control what protein goes in your pup’s stomach.
It is crafted with natural food ingredients. It has all the goodies like lentils and peas, which are coated with free dried protein alternatives to amplify taste. This hypoallergenic food also has probiotics, minerals, and vitamins that go easy on the gut. The Canidae is free of additives or unnecessary fillers.
The ideal ratio
This dry formula has a well-proportioned recipe of 36% protein, 20% fat, and 36% estimated carbs. This creates a fat-to-protein ratio of 56%, an ideal high-end recipe for adult dogs.
The only downsides of this dry tummy-sensitive formula are;
- Not for dogs with pea or lentil allergies.
- Not for puppies.
Taste of the Wild Prey – Best Limited Ingredient Dog Food
What to do when your dog is allergic to the main proteins like lamb or chicken? Well, you go for Taste of the Wild. This pro-sensitive dog food has non-cliché protein variants like; Angus Beef, Trout, and Turkey. Moreover, this dry dog food supports stomachs of all breeds and sizes.
The Taste of the Wild believes in no Meat meal. Only a high-quality, protein-rich diet for leaner, stronger muscles.
How many ingredients?
It caters to four key ingredients; Cage-free turkeys (or any other variant of protein mentioned above), lentils, tomato pomace, and sunflower oil. These key ingredients make it easy for your dog to digest and not get an allergic reaction.
In addition to the mains, it has micronutrients and omega-fatty acids for healthier skin and coats. Taste of the Wild also has added savory flavor, which isn’t harmful to the pup. They contain 80 million CFU/lb proprietary Probiotics for added digestive support.
A selective ingredient hypoallergenic diet with no grains or GMO, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
Only problematic for dogs not being able to digest lentils. It has a smaller ingredient list than other alternatives.
Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets HA Chicken Flavor – Best Chicken Dog Food for Allergies
Nothing beats chicken, and if your dog can’t seem to let go of the chicken despite having allergies, Purina it is then. This is a pro-planned veterinary diet with HA Hydrolyzed Chicken in a dry formula.
Hydrolyzed protein sources?
This protein has been broken down into minute pieces, similar to the gut. This goes easy on the digestive system and makes it difficult for the body to detect it as an allergen.
This high-quality protein contains carbohydrates, sunflower oil, much-needed probiotics, and Omega-6 fatty acids, making it a highly nutritious, well-absorbing, savory meal. This meal is a sure-shot way of calming allergies without depriving your dog of its favorite food.
When there are no allergic reactions, there will be no scratches. This food has no signs of wheat, soy, or corn, making it an affordable hypoallergenic food.
While Purina makes some of the best dog food for Yorkies, this one is suitable only for adult dogs.
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Dog Food
Another selective ingredient is a dry diet for your dog. Merrick is another variant that offers grain and grain-free alternatives with different single-source animal proteins.
Why Merrick?
Some dogs are sensitive to by-products too. The supplemental vitamins and no sign of chicken rest well with allergy-prone dogs.
The ingredient list isn’t long but is quite well crafted. They also have wet food for dogs on shelves to well cater to your dog’s moods. Without any fillers or additives, this kibble has all that is needed for a healthier digestive system.
There are no signs of dairy, soy, corn, eggs, wheat, artificial flavors, colors, gluten ingredients, or preservatives. Suited for all breeds.
However, this kibble is not suited for pups. Moreover, this food may not sit well with picky eaters. Transitioning may help.
Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Hydrolyzed Protein Adult HP – Best Adult Dog Food for Allergies
If it is another brand offering the same thing, it must be worthy. Royal Canine Hypoallergenic diet is another name offering Hydrolyzed Proteins.
Suitable for all canine breeds and sizes, this alternative offers hydrolyzed soy. If your dog has become allergic or intolerant to common meat sources, your dog needs to go vegetarian.
Royal Canine offers boosted Omega-3 Fatty acids best for the dog’s skin and hair. There are chelated minerals incorporated to aid in food absorption, improving digestion. The mix also has rice as a simple starch making it further easy for your dog to digest. Apart from keeping a healthy gut flora, Royal Canin is boosted with various vitamins and minerals, including; Vitamin C, Vit B6, Taurine, Magnesium, and many others.
However, proper transitioning is key as all pups don’t prefer its taste. The lack of ingredients also puts this on a lower nutritional scale.
Brothers Complete Formula Dog Food – Best Advanced Allergy Dog Food
To give your dog an instantaneous boost with 5 key ingredients. These include Turkey meal, lamb meal, whole eggs dried, cassava root, and peas.
Suited for all breeds and ages, this product offers a well-rounded diet. There is no sign of white potatoes or grains for you to worry about. The easily digestible recipe includes 38% protein, 16% fat, and 38% estimated carbs, all rounding off to have a fat-to-protein ratio of 42%.
So, what’s different?
The small batch nutrient dense are small-batch recipes. These keep the food fresher in contrast to larger batches going stale with time.
Smaller batches mean you have to purchase more bags, which are hence more expensive.
Hill’s Prescription Diet Z/D Skin Food Sensitivities
Hill’s is another veterinary-proof way of addressing your dog’s allergies.
Their range includes venison, Salmon, chicken, and duck. The safe single protein sources are grain and soy-free recipes.
This is also a hydrolyzed form of hypoallergenic food. There would be nothing to break down for your gut to stem any allergic reactions. Hill’s is available in a wide variety of kibble bag sizes to suit all sizes of dog families.
Moreover, adding anti-oxidants, purified carbohydrate sources, and essential fatty acids mean a healthier pup.
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets
Natural Balance has a vast range of limited-ingredient diets. The first 5-star ingredients are Salmon, menhaden fish, brown rice, and rice bran for added fiber.
There is no added corn, wheat, or soy. The single-source protein is freshly sourced and has meat meals incorporated.
This whole-grain dry kibble contains 27% protein, 17% fat, and 49% estimated carbs, having a fat-to-protein ratio of 63%. You will have lesser ingredients to worry about when dealing with allergic dogs.
Not to forget, it’s enthusiastically liked by dogs. So, the transitioning period will be a breeze.
However, it isn’t suited for puppies.
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach – Best Dog Food for Itchy Skin
Purina Pro Plan is a great way to deal with doggies leaving doo-doo everywhere and itching themselves to oblivion whenever they eat. Their exquisite blend of ingredients will make your lives poo-free.
This formula has fortified probiotic fibers paired with oatmeal to ensure a healthy immune and gut system. Sunflower oil brings in the necessary Omega-6 for a healthy coat.
It is a vet-prescribed hypoallergenic diet that comes in various selective ingredients. These include lamb and oatmeal, Salmon and rice, small and large breed formulas, and the same variations for puppies.
It is pretty affordable too.
Zignature Turkey Formula Limited Ingredient Dog Food
Another hypoallergenic dry kibble. For doggie’s allergies to chicken, we offer turkey. The high-quality turkey is an excellent source of protein combined with high ratios of vitamins and minerals but is low in fat. This kibble has riboflavin, which aids your pup’s gut in absorbing more nutrients.
Zignature has many flavors to suit your furry friend’s palate. These include kangaroo, catfish, duck, goat, guinea fowl, lamb, pork, Salmon, trout, turkey, venison, and whitefish.
That’s not all!
There are other nourishing ingredients in the blend too. These include peas, chickpeas, and flaxseed, ensuring your dog is healthy from the inside out. Zignature is free from common allergens like soy, chicken, dairy, corn, and wheat.
This kibble is not suited for puppies and dogs with pea allergies.
A Final Word
Always contact your vet before taking the hypoallergenic journey. Even if your dog has no said allergies but shows a few of the symptoms or your dog has been on the same diet as when you got them, it is best to contact the vet. Still, we hope these products will help you make an informed decision. Thank you for reading!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Best Dog Food for Allergies
Can My Dog Develop a Food Allergy Overtime?
Feeding the same thing to your dog can most likely develop an intolerance. This will not happen spontaneously but will develop gradually.
You won’t eat the same thing every day now, will you? Don’t force your canine friend to barf to be aware.
Are Dog Food Allergies Genetic?
Well, yes. If your dog has multiple little ones and has a reported food allergy, chances are high that the younger ones will be allergic to the same foods. A specific name for it would be ‘Canine Atopic Dermatitis. Canine atopy starts to show when dogs reach the ages of 1 and 3 years.
What’s the best raw food for dogs with allergies?
Rabbit and Lamb meat are two of the best raw dog food. There are some other foods as well, but consider your dog’s particular condition before offering it anything.
