Shopping for hypoallergenic dog food can be a challenge, with so many options related to dog food brands and formulas. It is also expensive, as proteins like venison, bison, and duck- sometimes a part of hypoallergenic formulas normally cost more.
Thinking if your dog should be fed hypoallergenic dog food?
The diet is created specifically for canines that are affected by food-related allergies causing bad effects to their health physically. Usually, the molecules that become allergens are glycoproteins or intact proteins.
These diets offer various protein sources that are different by using proteins that are unrecognizable by the antibodies of dogs as being antigens, reducing allergic reactions.
In this article, we will look at the choices from the best affordable hypoallergenic dog food. First of all, let’s discuss the basics about canines and the food allergies related to them.
Dog allergies
Two main sources of allergies are
- Food
- Environment
Luckily, it is a very less percentage that gets affected with allergies. Dogs tend to have either food or environmental allergies when they tend to have allergies.
Figuring out your dog’s allergies
On the market, there are commercial blood and skin allergy tests available, and your vet might suggest starting them. However, the deepest way to discover which foods cause allergies must be eliminated from the diet.
According to studies, take off all the dog food it’s eating and feed him with the food that he never tried.
After the improvement, start reintroducing the old foods that we think might cause problems in the first place. If the dog reacts in response, which takes a few days to a few weeks usually, then it has a food allergy.
After determination of the allergen, next, you have to select a healthy diet free from any problematic foods. There are many other routes to follow.
- Go for food items recommended by a veterinarian. The limited-food ingredients are available through a pet food store or from your pet. All you have to do is to prescribe, or your vet’s contact information, verify the prescription and ask any queries.
- Start preparing your dog food from zero. It is the best way to control the ingredients consumed by the dog. Here there are some healthy dog food recipes to share.
- Buy hypoallergenic commercial dog foods designed with limited ingredients.
We will discuss a list of the best brands related to hypoallergenic commercial dog foods.
What are the common food allergens?
When a dog consumes something that causes allergies, its immune system shows some specific symptoms like
- sneezing
- itchy skin
- sensitive stomach
If you have figured out the common causes and you think the dog is suffering an allergic reaction. It is a good step to test them for dog food allergies.
With some information in hand, your vet can help you to find out some points on how to make a dog feel better.
In dogs, food intolerances and allergies are mostly genetic and inherited from parents to their pups. Dogs that are suffering from specific food allergies are unable to digest some proteins. It is likely to bring relief by removing that particular type of protein.
Insect protein is a substitute for proteins for dogs and we haven’t observed dogs suffering from this protein.
These are the common problematic e food for dogs when it comes to allergies.
- Dairy
- Beef
- Wheat
- Lamb
- Rabbit
- Soy
- Chicken
- Egg
- Pork
- Fish
- Corn
It is best to consult your vet if you think food allergies are a problem as dogs can be allergic to multiple things.