What To Feed A Dog With Allergies

What Is Ringworm In Dogs

Despite the name, ringworm isnt actually caused by worms, but rather by a fungal infection. Ringworm is contagious to humans and can be transferred from dogs to humans and other animals.

The symptoms of ringworm in dogs are itching and patches of hair loss, usually located on the head, ears, and forelegs. This helps to differentiate it from a flea bite allergy.

Environmental Allergiesanother Common Dog Allergy

Environmental allergies in dogs are very common and can be difficult to manage if the allergen is something that is very prevalent in the environment, such as pollen.

Some owners swear by bathing their dogs more frequently during allergy season to remove allergens from the coat. Others install air purifiers in their houses to remove particles.

Dogs with environmental allergies may respond well to hyposensitization, as this can be easier than trying to remove contact with the allergen.

Protein From Whole Meats

High-quality protein should always be the first ingredient of canine food. Protein is incredibly important to a dogs overall health and development. It plays a significant role in growth, muscle development, energy, immune system function, and skin and nail health. All high-quality products should have whole meat listed as the first ingredient. Chicken, fish, beef, and lamb are popular choices. Fresh meals should not contain high levels of meat meal, powdered meat, or meat derivatives.

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Food Solutions For Dogs With Allergies

When it comes to food for your dog with allergies, you have two options: limited ingredient food or hypoallergenic food.

Limited Ingredient Food

Diets with fewer components can make it easier to tell which specific ingredient your pup is allergic to. Once you figure it out, you can feed your dog a diet with limited ingredients to ensure they are avoiding the allergen. Limited ingredient foods come in a wide range of flavors and styles and you can find one tailored to your pup’s specific needs.

Hypoallergenic Food

Hypoallergenic dog food diets use unique protein sources that are generally not recognized by your dog’s antibodies as being antigens, meaning they won’t cause a reaction. Many hypoallergenic foods use proteins that have been “split” into their basic amino acid building blocks, rendering the original allergen virtually “invisible” to your pet’s immune system. Hydrolyzed soy protein is a good example of a protein that could be found in hypoallergenic food.

In some cases, your vet may need to write you a prescription for hypoallergenic food.

Many are made using proteins that have been chemically split into their basic amino acid building blocks which can make the original allergen virtually invisible to your pets immune system.

Can Dogs Digest Corn

Its true that if youve got a counter-surfing canine, youll want to stop them from eating corn on the cob at your backyard barbecue. The tough cob is a common culprit for life-threatening intestinal blockages in dogs, and they cant easily digest raw corn.

However, the common belief that corn in dog food is difficult to digest is inaccurate. Canine nutritionist Linda Case explains that dogs can efficiently digest cooked starch from maize or any other plant starch , with raw starch being about 60 percent digestible compared to about 95 percent for cooked starch.

The difference occurs because mammalian enzymes do not efficiently penetrate the starch-containing granules of raw starches. However, cooking will expand these granules, allowing an animals digestive enzymes better access to starch molecules so that they can be digested, says Case.

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Senior Dogs Picky Dogs

One tip I can share is you can use riced frozen vegetables. I have used packages of riced cauliflower, sweet potato, and broccoli. All work great, save time and are convenient, but they are a little more expensive. These will work great for dogs that canât chew well, are picky, donât each much food, or wonât eat larger pieces of dog food.

At The End Of 2019 During Our Yearly Vet Check We Received The Devastating News That Our 11 Year Old Dog’s Blood Work Showed That He Was In Stage 4 Kidney Failure

Honestly, I was a basket case, how on earth did we miss this? He seemed like he was just dealing with some symptoms of getting older – frequent urination, sometimes excessive water drinking. It definitely didn’t feel like life-threatening symptoms. As much as the diagnosis was a shock, the price tag of the prescription diet he would need to eat for the remainder of his life was pretty horrifying too!

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Best Food For My Boxer Puppy With Sensitive Stomach

If your Boxer puppy is suffering from a sensitive stomach, you may want to talk with your vet about switching to a puppy food specifically designed for sensitive puppy tummies.

Tummy upsets are not uncommon during the short and stressful high-intensity growth period that takes place during puppyhood.

What Is Canine Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin condition associated with allergies in dogs. It can either be the result of an allergic reaction, or due to coming into contact with an irritant, such as a chemical, or a certain plant or animal.

Canine atopic dermatitis usually appears in younger dogs, between the ages of 3 months and 6 years. It may, however, take some time to diagnose, and can worsen with age.

Symptoms include:

Atopic dermatitis typically affects areas where the skin is thinner or more sensitive, such as the ears, around the eyes, underarms, groin, muzzle, and between the toes.

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Dog Food Allergies Causes And Cures

Dog food is one culprit behind allergic reactions in dogs that owners often overlook it’s easy to attribute the itching or licking to an environmental factor that causes skin allergies. Just like us, canines can suffer from food allergies and intolerances. Food allergies in dogs can be very serious and cause not only digestive problems like vomiting and diarrhea, but also skin issues, and even behavioral problems.

We talked to Dr. Justin Shmalberg, a DVM and one of Nom Nom‘s own veterinary nutritionists, to create this comprehensive guide that covers the following:

• Best Dog Food for Allergies

Common Causes Of Food Allergies In Dogs

Often in dogs with food sensitivities, proteins from animal or plant-based ingredients in the diet are the cause. Beef, corn, dairy, and wheat are some of the most problematic ingredients.

It may seem counterintuitive, but it can take a long time for symptoms of food allergies to become apparent. Often dog’s appear to ‘suddenly’ become allergic to a food that they have been eating for months.

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Health Dietary Changes In Boxers

It is possible to manage food-related health conditions in Boxers by modifying their diet.

The nutritional adjustments listed below can help with some conditions if you implementing them in your dogs fresh homemade diet.

Some Boxers have a hard time with skin and coat issues. If they have skin allergies or joint pain, adding dog fish oil may be a good idea. The AKC says fish oil promotes healthier coats by reducing itchiness and flakiness in the skin because of its omega-3 fatty acid content which also has other important effects such as promoting improved immunity while strengthening heart health in dogs.

Why Dog Food Allergies Are So Difficult To Deal With

Food allergies are a tough issue to crack in canines.

Treating your dogs environmental allergies typically involves reducing your pets exposure to the offending allergen, and then starting them on a therapy to gradually desensitize their body to the substance.

Although theres no guarantee of success, these strategies can help alleviate the symptoms of many canine allergy sufferers.

But food allergies present an especially challenging problem. After all, you cant very well reduce your pets exposure to food at least not for more than 12 to 24 hours at a time!

Accordingly, food allergies must be treated by altering your pets diet in very specific ways to help eliminate the allergens, without neglecting your dogs nutritional needs.

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Blue Buffalo Basics Grain

This Blue Buffalo Basics dog food boasts a single source of animal protein as well as easy-to-digest carbohydrate sources, making it a good option for dog food that is hypoallergenic. Its balanced with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that promote healthy skin and has a blend of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that promote a healthy immune system. Made with high-quality ingredients that are gentle on your dogs stomach, this salmon and potato recipe has no chicken, beef, corn, wheat, soy, dairy, or eggs.

Blue Buffalo Basics Grain-Free Natural Hypoallergenic Recipe

This salmon and potato recipe is formulated with truly minimal ingredients: It has no chicken, beef, corn, wheat, soy, dairy, or eggs.

American Journey Lid Venison & Sweet Potato Recipe

First 5 ingredients: Deboned Venison, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Chickpeas, Venison Meal

Unsure of the animal source to choose? Well, Venison is a safe choice. One of the reliable novel protein sources, venison is a great alternative for your red meat-loving adult dogs with food intolerance and allergy to the usual proteins like chicken and beef.

This grain-free formula has real venison meat and venison meal for your skin-sensitive pooch, plus sweet potatoes. It also has fish oil for the healthy omegas for healthy skin and fur, and the dogs immune system enhancement. This grain-free dog food is pretty affordable too.

200 Chewy customers gave this kibble an average grade of 4.3 out of 5 stars, with a 90% acceptance rate. 81% of the reviews were praiseful, especially when pertaining to the formulas suitability to a dogs sensitive skin and sensitive stomach issues.

The remaining comments were mostly about finicky dogs that didnt like the flavor, and with a few comments about more poops with this dry dog food.

Pros:

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Blue Buffalo Basics Duck & Potato

Grain-free, limited-ingredient duck-based food

This recipe features duck as the single animal protein source and relies on potatoes, peas, and pumpkin for carbohydrates, leaving out grains with gluten that can trigger allergies.

About: Blue Buffalo Basics Duck & Potato is a grain-free, limited-ingredient dog food designed to help alleviate your dogs allergies through the use of a shorter, less complex ingredient list.

This Blue Buffalo formula features duck as the single animal protein source, which means its perfect for dogs allergic to more common proteins like beef, chicken, fish, or lamb.

This dog food relies on potatoes, peas and pumpkin for carbohydrates, leaving out grains with gluten that are more liable to cause allergy issues with dogs.

Blue Buffalo Basics Duck & Potato doesnt contain chicken by-product meals, corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors, or preservatives.

PROS

The food is created from a limited number of ingredients, and those that it does contain are rarely the source of allergies. The single-protein source of duck makes it a great choice for an elimination diet.

CONS

This dog food is fairly expensive, so it might be difficult to maintain this diet outside of an elimination diet phase.

Deboned Duck, Potatoes, Pea Starch, Peas, Pea Protein…,

Our Top Pick For Dogs With Allergies Is Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient

Steven Rowe is a writer and passionate pet owner specializing in reviewing pet products. His writing has also appeared on online outlets such as Psych Central, Greatist, Verywell Health, and Verywell Family. In addition to a handful of cats, Steven has rescued two retired research beagles.

We independently research, test, review, and recommend the bestproductslearn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

Our favorite dry food is Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient, which uses a unique protein source to weed out many meat sensitivities common to dogs. If your dog prefers wet food, we recommend Hill’s Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach Canned Food instead.

If your dog is experiencing diarrhea, vomiting, or skin issuesitching, rashes, redness, hair lossit might be a food allergy. Its not uncommon for dogs to be allergic to one or more of the ingredients commonly found in dog food. If you notice that your furry friend is having a bad reaction to food, first talk with a veterinarian. If it is the result of an allergy, you’ll be given new dietary guidelines for your pet.

The most common food allergy which afflicts dogs is the protein source, says Dr. Michelle Burch, a Veterinarian and Veterinary Consultant with Safe Hounds Pet Insurance. The most common allergies include beef, chicken, lamb, and wheat.

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Treating Itchy Skin And Ear Issues Caused By Food Allergies

The only way to treat a food allergy is to remove the offending food from the dogs diet, but there are options for temporarily treating the symptoms caused by food allergies.

Oral and topical medications are sometimes prescribed to help minimize itching. Any secondary problems, like skin or ear infections, will also have to be addressed.

If youre concerned about any symptoms your dog is experiencing, or youre simply wondering whether the food youre offering is the best choice for your pet, speak with your veterinarian.

What Food Is Best For Dogs With Skin Allergies

Once you’re sure that your dog has food allergies through an elimination diet or a vet, the next step is to give your pet the right food. Avoid food with ingredients that trigger any symptom.

You can use prescription dog food from your vet, make food from scratch, or try various types of allergy-safe food until you find what’s best for your pup.

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Do Boxer Dogs Have Special Dietary Needs

Though boxers make wonderful family pets, theyre a highly active breed and prone to a number of serious health problems. Boxers have a higher risk for several heart conditions as well as diet-related issues such as food allergies and bloat.

Here are some key things to look for in dog food for boxers:

• Natural, whole-food ingredients. High-quality ingredients are the key to a healthy diet for dogs. Look for a rich source of animal protein as the first ingredient with limited carbohydrates and no artificial additives, byproducts, or fillers.
• High in animal protein. Though your boxer needs a minimum of 18% protein as an adult and 22% as a puppy, more is usually best for this well-muscled breed. Meat, poultry, and seafood are rich sources of animal protein and highly digestible for your dog.
• Moderate healthy fats. Boxers are fairly high-energy dogs, so they may need more than the minimum 5% recommendation. Animal-based fats like chicken fat and salmon oil are preferable but can be combined with plant oils to ensure a balance of omega-3 and omega-6s.
• Complete and balanced. Look for a dog food for boxers that contains the vitamins and minerals they need, in the right amount, by checking the Association of American Feed Control Officials nutrient profiles.

Taste Of The Wild Pacific Stream

High-quality recipe made with fish proteins

This recipe relies exclusively on fish protein sources and is grain, dairy, and egg free.

About: Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream is one of the best-selling hypoallergenic dog foods on the market.

This food relies exclusively on fish protein sources no chicken, lamb, beef, or other meats mixed in. The recipe includes salmon and ocean fish meal as the first two ingredients, with smoked salmon and salmon meal further down the ingredient list.

Its also grain, dairy, and egg free, avoiding those common allergens as well.

Many owners report that their dogs allergic symptoms vanished after switching to Taste of the Wild, and some noted that their dogs coat became softer and shinier. The product also contains the dried fermentation products of several Lactobacillus species, which may impart some pro-biotic characteristics to the food.

It also includes a mix of fruits and veggies for antioxidant benefits.

Guaranteed Analysis Info

Salmon, ocean fish meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas…,

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Hill’s Prescription Diet Z/d

First 5 ingredients: Corn Starch, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Powdered Cellulose, Soybean Oil, Calcium Carbonate

As for the best hypoallergenic dog food and prescription diet, nothing beats a formula designed by animal nutritionists and veterinarians.

Hills Prescription Diet z/d formula is a highly touted hypoallergenic dog food made with hydrolyzed protein to help dogs with food intolerance and food allergy avoid allergic reactions.

Of course, its also enriched with essential nutrients for good health. As the protein content of this food is quite minimal, its best to find another hypoallergenic recipe after the prescribed period, or to supplement your pups meal with more protein sources once your vet has given his/ her approval.

There were over 800 Chewy reviewers for this hypoallergenic dog food that gave it an average grade of 4.6 out of 5 stars and a 94% acceptance rate. You know that its the right dog food for allergies when more than 700 of these respondents had great things to say about this dry dog food.

Most of them said that this dogs diet is the only one that worked in alleviating their dogs allergies and calming their poochs sensitive stomach.

Only about 11% said otherwise, with a few saying there were no improvements in their dogs condition, while others have varying complaints like the high price, the kibble being too hard, and the taste not being very likable.

Pros: