Q&A: What kind of food would you suggest for a dog who might have food allergies?
Question by Sweet Nice: What kind of food would you suggest for a dog who might have food allergies?
i have a 8 month old puggle. she seems to have allergies to food (cesar and pedigree). i was wondering what i can give her instead of those brands.
Best answer:
Answer by Trevor
Look for foods that are grain free since grain usually is the cause of most food allergies in dogs. Pedigree and Cesar are packed full with grains and by-products. So are brands like Purina, Iams, and Beneful. Don’t let the fancy packaging and slogans fool you, those brands are far from quality.
I feed my dog Canidae grain free, Earthborn also makes a grain free food.
Some other premium brands include:
Wellness Core
Orijen
Blue Buffalo
Innova Evo
Give your answer to this question below!
You have an 8 month old MUTT…ok?
What is she allergic to? What ingredient?
Is it soy? wheat? corn? chicken?
There are plenty of foods available out there
Try a brand with limited ingredients and see if your dog does better on it. Wellness has a food that is used for dogs with allergies to certain ingredients…go on their website and look it up.
I’d never feed my dog a food that can be found at a grocery store. That stuff is mostly the junk-food of dog foods and it might actually be the crummy ingredients causing the problems.
I’d go for a higher quality dog food and if that alone doesn’t help the problems go for one that has fish, lamb, venison, or buffalo in them rather than the typical beef or chicken. Some brands I have used: Merrick, Wellness, Solid Gold.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com can also help you finding good high-quality foods.
The main causes of food allergies are corn, wheat & soy….which basically any brand at the grocery store will have tons of.
Try Blue Buffalo, I’ve been using it for years and it’s fantastic! You can get it from Petsmart or Petco and none of their foods contain any of those three culprits. My dogs’ coats are shinier, their teeth are cleaner, and they’re both almost 8 years old and still act like puppies. PLUS, the food is much better quality, so you’ll find that you don’t need to feed them nearly as much (which helps make up for the difference in price)!
)
Oh, also, if she has a picky tummy, stay away from chicken and beef, it’s harder for them to digest.
Trevor makes a valid point. Most allergies point to grains, but this is not always the case.
In fact, many dogs are actually allergic to white/sweet potatoes as well.
Many dogs are fine as long as it is whole grains. Some don’t do well with any, so there are grain-free brands that are really great.
I would advise consulting your vet prior to switching their food. Reason being, your vet will know your dog best. The breed and history make a difference as well.
Some of these brands are excellent quality (I use Innova Evo for my dogs) however, even with that…you may have to end up mixing foods based on that specific dogs’ needs. I’ve one that has low blood sugar, so I have to supplement her food.
Also grain free foods are extremely high in protein which make them too rich for some dogs. Some may induce underlying issues in some breeds, like pancreatitis or UTIs.
You have to pay attention to their stools, their skin and their behavior when trying new foods.
But I do agree that the higher quality foods are easier and better due to their simple natural ingredients. The more specific the ingredients, the easier it is to pinpoint the allergy your dog may have to that food. That is when you try another, eliminating one of the major ingredients and repeat until you find one that works for her.
I really hope this helps. I can tell you are a pet lover and you want what is best for your dog.
Good luck!
I go to chuck & dons and have the people help me pick out dog food for my dog. Tell them what she’s allergic to and they’ll get all the right food and treats for her.
You say might have food allergies, has this dog been tested to see just hat she is allergic to. Try giving her taste of the wild. A lady who bought a pup from me said that is what she feeds the pup and there is no signs of any allergies showing up yet.
California Natural, in my opinion, is the best food for dogs with food allergies-the most limited ingredient list of any dry food on the market, and high quality, too. Other good options: Natural Balance Limited Ingredient, Wellness Simple Food Solutions, and Canidae Lamb & Rice. There are many good dog foods out there, but the less ingredients, the less there is for the dog to be allergic to. I would try the Cal. Natural Lamb and Rice for a few months and see if the allergic symptoms improve. If that doesn’t help, see your vet for allergy testing (it’s not that expensive) and immunotherapy. Most allergies are not to food products, but to things in the dog’s environment…at 8 months, immunotherapy would be well worth pursuing, if necessary.
By the way, allergy testing starts around $ 150. It is a much less expensive route to go than constantly treating allergy symptoms such as skin infections, ear infections, and using steroid therapy.
Nutro Natural Choice is an excellent food. This food is all natural. It has no ground yellow corn, which is a filler and a big allergen among pups. No by-products, which can include heads, feet and intestines. Nutro also has the highest levels of essential fatty acids (Omega 3 & 6) to help promote healthy skin and coat and also reduce shedding. They are actually the only company that I know of the guarantees healthy skin & coat. And all of their foods are 100% guaranteed! So give it a few weeks, if you don’t notice a difference, return the food (with your receipt), and either try another formula or get your money back. I would start out with either the venison or herring formulas and see how it works for her. A lot of times it is the main protein source (chicken, lamb, etc) that could cause the allergies. And because these are not common protein sources, they usually seem to work best for dogs with allergies. Also these two formulas are limited ingredient diets, which make them easier on the dog’s system. But, if these don’t work I would also try the lamb or chicken. Unless your dog gets an allergy test, it’s usually just hit and miss with the different foods until you find one that works.
Hope this helps!