Dogs with dietary allergies can leave their owners feeling perplexed and overwhelmed by the choice of an appropriate diet for their dog. There are so many diets available, and each manufacturer claims its diet is the best for dogs with allergies. Fortunately, vets can help you choose the correct diet based on their recommendations.
Veterinarians recommend diets that limit ingredients and have novel protein sources. Dog foods that make use of hydrolyzed protein may also be beneficial for some dogs and are often suggested by veterinarians. For dogs with severe allergies, fresh food may be the only answer.
It is essential to understand what makes a diet hypoallergenic. In addition, it is critical to know what ingredients your dog is allergic to.
How Do You Choose A Diet For Your Allergic Dog?
Dogs with dietary allergies can be complex to manage. The dog must undergo elimination diet trials to find the ingredient which causes allergy symptoms in the dog.
The dog may only eat a hypoallergenic diet selected by the veterinarian for eight weeks. The dog can have no other treats or food at all. Exposure to other food during this time can significantly affect the results.
After eight weeks, the veterinarian will assess the changes in the dog’s symptoms and may ask you to feed some of the dog’s regular feed as a dietary challenge. If there is a return of symptoms, then it is clear that an ingredient in the food is causing the allergy.
Elimination trials are essential to help ascertain which ingredient is causing the food allergy. The trials can be time-consuming as it is difficult to isolate each ingredient. The best trials include diets with only one or two components, which can be challenging for both the owner and the dog.
The owner plays a vital and valuable role in monitoring the dog’s responses to various diets. Food diaries are helpful in this endeavour. The owner records precisely what the dog has eaten and any allergic symptoms that are noticed.
What Is A Good Food For Dogs With Allergies?
There are several ingredients in dog diets that commonly cause allergies. The most common components are chicken, beef, pork, wheat, and soy.
The problem is that these are cheap, easily accessible proteins that occur in many dog foods. Removing them from food can increase the price of dog food.
Wheat and soy are carbohydrates that can be replaced with other carbohydrates, so they are usually omitted from hypoallergenic diets.
Some hypoallergenic diets work on the principle of changing the shape and size of the protein molecule so that the immune system cannot identify it as an allergen. The protein is usually described as being hydrolyzed.
Other hypoallergenic diets focus on using novel proteins. These are meat sources to which the dog has not been previously exposed. They include meats such as ostrich, duck, fish, kangaroo, lamb, and venison. The reasoning is that the immune system will not have identified these as harmful substances. Consequently, there will be no allergy symptoms.
In summary, good food for dogs with allergies will consist of the following:
- A novel or hydrolyzed protein
- Alternative hypoallergenic carbohydrates. Rice, potato, sweet potato, yams, and butternut are good options.
- Probiotics assist with digestion and help keep the skin and immune system healthy.
- Omega oils are beneficial for dogs with allergies.
What Dog Food Do Vets Recommend For Dogs With Allergies?
Veterinarians have preferred foods that they feel are best for allergic dogs. Some veterinarians will only consider commercial hypoallergenic kibble; others have a more holistic approach and will consider fresh food diets.
Veterinarians specializing in nutrition will work with clients to develop unique diets for each allergic canine patient.
Limited ingredient foods are high on the list of preferred foods for dogs with dietary allergies. They make sense as the diet is simple with no confounding variables. Three foods that provide limited ingredient diets to the canine market are:
- Nom Nom Fresh Food
There are no preservatives or colourants in this food. Ingredients are kept simple and individual meals are freshly packed according to the dog’s needs. This product is popular with clients who have found no other solutions to their dog’s dietary allergies.
- Wellness Simple Food
This food uses a single protein source, which is valuable when dealing with allergic dogs. They use digestible carbohydrates and guarantee their food has no fillers or additives. This is available as kibble or canned food.
- Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet
Merrick Limited ingredient Diets are available as grain-free or grain inclusive kibble or wet food.
Hydrolyzed protein food commonly recommended by veterinarians include:
- Royal Canin Hypoallergenic Food
- Hill’s Veterinary Diets
- Purina Pro Plan Hypoallergenic Diets
Diets that include novel proteins that are popular with veterinarians include:
- Field and Forest
- Purina Pro Plan for Sensitive Skin
- The Earthborn Range of foods has some unique protein sources not found in other canine diets.
- Orijen Diets
What Meat Is Best For Dogs With Allergies?
Common meats found in dog foods are chicken, beef, and pork. These are the meats that form allergens for most dogs with dietary allergies.
Novel meats such as rabbit, lamb, duck, game, ostrich, and kangaroo may be beneficial but must be assessed for allergy in the dog. Very allergic dogs may react to novel proteins, so it is best to proceed cautiously.
Fish is a good protein source for allergic dogs as it is a novel protein. It has the benefit of being high in omega oils which benefit the skin and overall health of allergic dogs.
Conclusion
There are many diets and dog foods available for dogs with dietary allergies. Choosing the correct food is critical and relies heavily on food elimination trials to determine suitable food components. Once the offending foods have been identified, your veterinarian can help you choose the most appropriate diet for your dog. Diets with the fewest ingredients have the most chance of success.
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