True allergy caused by an immune response is relatively rare in dogs. However, food intolerances are much more common. With so many dog food brands and formulations on the market, buying hypoallergenic dog food can be a hassle. Have you already tried countless varieties of wet and dry food, only to find that your four-legged friend just can’t stand them? Is your dog suffering from gastrointestinal problems, rashes or coat problems? An allergy test by the veterinarian or an elimination diet often indicates that your dog has a food allergy, and this usually means a change in food. You can find out in our guide how hypoallergenic dog food can help.
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What Is Hypoallergenic Dog Food?
Hypoallergenic dog food is dog food made with a simple set of ingredients and a novel protein not commonly found in most commercial dog foods. The ingredient list will usually be short and consist of foods puppies are unlikely to encounter, including vegetables like potatoes and meats like duck, venison or even kangaroo.
Food made from a short list of unusual ingredients helps pet owners avoid common puppy triggers. This can be extremely helpful, but you’re unlikely to be lucky if you pick up any bag of “hypoallergenic” food off the shelf. To know which hypoallergenic dog food to buy, you need to have a good understanding of what your pet is allergic to, or at least where you would like to start testing.
What Are the Most General Allergens in Dog Food?
When dogs eat something they are allergic to, their immune systems may react with symptoms such as itchy skin, sneezing, and stomach tenderness. If you think your dog is having an allergic reaction and you’ve ruled out other common causes, the first step is to get your dog tested for food allergies.
Food allergic reactions and intolerances in puppies are most frequently exceeded down genetically from dad and mom to puppies. Dogs with food allergies cannot digest certain proteins (and the most common allergens are almost all proteins). Once you know which proteins your dog is allergic to, you can choose a hypoallergenic dog food that eliminates those proteins, which will put an end to your puppy’s symptoms. Click here https://mysqmclub.com/ to get more details about nutritional food for your pet.
In terms of allergies, these are the most consistent types of food with difficulty for dogs:
- Beef
- Dairy
- Wheat
- Corn
- Egg
- Chicken
- Lamb
- Soy
- Pork
- Rabbit
- Fish
Figuring Out Your Dog’s Allergies
So how do you determine the allergens responsible for your dog’s symptoms? The gold standard is a skin or blood allergy test performed by a veterinarian that can be life-changing for puppies in severe cases. But they are also usually expensive, which has led to a growing market for home allergy tests for dogs, not all of which are reliable.
The most thorough and affordable way to find out what foods your pet is allergic to is through an elimination diet.
With an elimination diet, you choose an ingredient in your pet’s food to eliminate. Most pet owners choose to start with protein as it is statistically more likely to be the culprit. For example, if your dog’s current diet includes chicken, you’ll switch to a hypoallergenic dog food that doesn’t contain chicken and instead uses a different protein, such as salmon or duck.
Food allergies in dogs can also be caused by the dog food itself. Even if you have been feeding your pet the same type of food for a long time, the dog may suddenly stop tolerating it. Or perhaps you offer the same variety from a different manufacturer and it causes an allergic reaction. According to experts, this may be the result of poor quality food. One possible indication of this is the inclusion of animal by-products, sugar, and artificial additives in the ingredient list. That’s why it’s important to provide your dog with high quality food, made from natural, controlled raw ingredients, with vitamins and minerals that have been specifically selected to create the most nutritious diet possible. If this food is suitable for the health, age and energy needs of your dog, you can continue to give it for a long time. Hypoallergenic dog food is of very high quality, as it is formulated for a specific diet and uses only selected ingredients. For more information about the top dog food for hypoallergenic dogs, visit this website: https://colonialsun.com/