Understanding Doggy Food Allergies
Dogs can’t talk, but their actions speak volumes, especially when it comes to food. Dr. Kevin Puzycki, our doggy food detective, is here to help us understand what our fur buddies might be trying to tell us.
Ever noticed your pup scratching like crazy or acting a bit off? That could be their way of saying, “Hey, my tummy doesn’t agree with something!” Dr. Puzycki tells us it’s not just about the skin – upset tummies and weird behavior might mean our dog is having a food-related issue.
Dr. Puzycki points out the troublemakers causing chaos in our dog’s tummy. Proteins like chicken, beef, and lamb often play the lead role in allergy dramas. But it’s not just the proteins; sneaky characters like dairy, wheat, and soy join the party too. Knowing these suspects helps us plan meals that won’t make our furry friends feel yucky.
Now that we know who the troublemakers are, it’s time to create a diet that suits our dog’s needs. Dr. Puzycki suggests avoiding ingredients that often cause allergies. It’s like making a special menu just for our pups, so they can enjoy their meals without any itchy consequences.
Decoding Dog Food Labels
Ever felt confused when picking dog food at the store? Dr. Puzycki is here to help us understand what’s written on those dog food labels.
Figuring out what’s in dog food can be like reading a secret code. Dr. Puzycki suggests we look at the ingredient list. Watch out for proteins like chicken, beef, and lamb, and be careful with ingredients like dairy, wheat, and soy.
To make a diet that’s just right for our dog, we need to know what’s on the menu. Dr. Puzycki introduces us to the idea of a dietary elimination trial – a simple plan. We try a special diet for 8 to 12 weeks, cutting out possible allergens and giving our dogs meals that won’t make them itchy.
Now that we’re experts at reading labels, we can confidently choose dog food that won’t cause allergies. Dr. Puzycki says be smart about labels, so our dogs can enjoy meals without any problems. It’s like giving our dogs a passport to a tasty, allergen-free food journey!
Special Diets for Dogs with Allergies
Let’s jump into the world of doggy diets designed for our four-legged friends who need a bit more TLC when it comes to their food.
Simple Meals for Happy Tummies
Think of it like this – sometimes, too many ingredients in our meals can be overwhelming. Same goes for our dogs! Dr. Puzycki suggests trying limited ingredient diets. These are like simplified recipes, making it easier to find out what our dogs are allergic to while keeping their meals delicious.
Fancy Flavors to Switch Things Up
Feeling a bit adventurous? Novel proteins are like trying a new, exciting flavor. If your dog has allergies to common proteins like chicken or beef, give unique options a try – like rabbit, alligator, or kangaroo. Dr. Puzycki promises these are not only tasty but also safe for our pups.
No Grains, No Problem
Imagine a yummy feast without any unnecessary extras. That’s what grain-free formulas offer. Dr. Puzycki suggests these for dogs who might be sensitive to grains. It’s like serving a delicious meal without anything that could upset their tummies.
Top-Quality Proteins
Just as we love a good, high-quality meal, our dogs do too. Dr. Puzycki reminds us to choose dog food with premium protein sources. It’s the key to keeping our pups healthy and their tails wagging with happiness.
Best Dog Food for Allergies and Sensitive Stomach
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.
Managing Allergy Symptoms and Veterinary Guidance
Taking care of our furry friends involves more than just choosing the right food. Let’s explore how to manage allergy symptoms and why getting advice from the vet is crucial.
Dogs can’t talk, but they can show us when something’s wrong. Dr. Puzycki helps us spot signs like itchy skin, tummy troubles, or changes in behavior. Finding these signs early helps us take quick action.
Vets are like our dog’s health superheroes. Dr. Puzycki says it’s super important to get professional advice. Vets can suggest special diets, like Blue Buffalo Natural Veterinary Diet NP Novel Protein Alligator. It’s like a personalized health plan for our furry pals!
Prescription diets are like superhero meals but for dogs. They’re made for specific health problems. Dr. Puzycki tells us about Blue Buffalo’s special formula. It helps dogs with skin and tummy troubles caused by food allergies. It’s like giving our dogs a special boost to live their happiest lives.
In our journey of caring for our dogs, it’s not just about what they eat. It’s about understanding their signs, asking pros for advice, and picking diets that fit their special needs. With our vets and the right food, we’re making sure our dogs have a life filled with wagging tails and lots of joy!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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.
