Hypoallergenic dog food?

[dolphin]

Is there such a thing as hypoallergenic dog food?

 

[cali baker]

This is something taken directly from Dog Food Advisor Dot Com:
(there's more info about this on their website, btw)

Hypoallergenic dog foods usually share one of three basic designs. They are typically products made with:

• Limited ingredients
• Novel ingredients
• Hypoallergenic recipes

First, because they do contain fewer components, limited ingredientdog foods can make it easier to pin down the suspected allergen to which a pet might be allergic.
Next, novel ingredient dog foods contain components the animal might not have been previously exposed to — so, therefore, less less likely to be sensitive to.
These foods contain relatively obscure ingredients — like buffalo, pheasant, kangaroo or millet.
And finally, hypoallergenic recipes avoid the use of ingredients most likely to provoke an allergic reaction. According to an article published by Drs. Foster and Smith, they include…

• Beef
• Dairy
• Chicken
• Lamb
• Fish
• Corn
• Wheat
• Soy
• Yeast

Surprisingly, dogs aren’t naturally allergic to many of these items. It’s just that these are the ingredients most commonly used in dog food recipes.
So, they’re simply the ones dogs are most frequently exposed to.
And many times, it’s not even the ingredients that are the problem. Dogs can also be allergic to what’s in the ingredients, too.


[h=2][/h]

 

[cefe13]

Castor ate Royal Canin Veterinary Diet - Hypoallergenic for a while when the vet suspected he had allergies. They recommended it at the animal hospital but then it turned out that Castor most likely wasn't allergic after all (he stopped his excessive scratching as soon as he'd had his soft palate surgery) so he's not eating it any more. It was rather expensive and he didn't find it very tasty, and I think he got more yeast in his facial folds while on it, but his tummy did well, which was a bonus, of course.

 

[dolphin]

This is something taken directly from Dog Food Advisor Dot Com:
(there's more info about this on their website, btw)

Hypoallergenic dog foods usually share one of three basic designs. They are typically products made with:

• Limited ingredients
• Novel ingredients
• Hypoallergenic recipes

First, because they do contain fewer components, limited ingredientdog foods can make it easier to pin down the suspected allergen to which a pet might be allergic.
Next, novel ingredient dog foods contain components the animal might not have been previously exposed to — so, therefore, less less likely to be sensitive to.
These foods contain relatively obscure ingredients — like buffalo, pheasant, kangaroo or millet.
And finally, hypoallergenic recipes avoid the use of ingredients most likely to provoke an allergic reaction. According to an article published by Drs. Foster and Smith, they include…

• Beef
• Dairy
• Chicken
• Lamb
• Fish
• Corn
• Wheat
• Soy
• Yeast

Surprisingly, dogs aren’t naturally allergic to many of these items. It’s just that these are the ingredients most commonly used in dog food recipes.
So, they’re simply the ones dogs are most frequently exposed to.
And many times, it’s not even the ingredients that are the problem. Dogs can also be allergic to what’s in the ingredients, too.

Thank you for this, I think the answer is no. We've now been through every single flavor that Fromm's makes and the allergies continue in stride, in fact the allergies have now caused more digital cysts and he's got a staph infection on his belly button. I'm going to take him over to the Dermatologist over by you this weekend. It's gotta be environmental.
[MENTION=9875]cefe13[/MENTION] you're so lucky that Castor has no allergies.

 

[TyTysmom]

Is there such a thing as hypoallergenic dog food?

Yes, there is but its usually prescribed by the vet, and the quality is not good. Not anything I would feed my dog anyway. Tyson also tried most Fromms, I never tried him on any of the seafood options, but they didn't agree with him. Most recently, we are trying Nature's Variety Instinct LID - it's a super limited kibble, one protein. Grain free, no dairy, grain, gluten, eggs, chicken, beef or fish. We just started... so time will tell. I can still see tear stains, and he's shedding like crazy but I know I need to allow time..... and I wonder if its the food or if its "time of year" for him to shed his coat. Ughh...Its like an never ending battle with allergies. I know it will never be 100% due to environmental, but I want to try and control it as best as possible.

 

[dolphin]

[MENTION=13133]TyTysmom[/MENTION] I guess that's all we can do ultimately. I think it is all environmental and I seriously have scoured the internet and have read to many books about allergies to believe that it's the food that causes this. What amazes me are the grass allergies, what dog on earth should be deprived of walking on grass.

 

[cali baker]

Sorry to hear this about Buster. Hoping the dermatologist will be able to give you some answers and a good plan of attack on these allergies. I struggle w/this myself; Tate's tear stains are non-stop despite home cooking and I've been adding ACV into their food daily, and now I am adding a teaspoon of CO into the food too to see if this will help internally.

 

[TyTysmom]

@TyTysmom I guess that's all we can do ultimately. I think it is all environmental and I seriously have scoured the internet and have read to many books about allergies to believe that it's the food that causes this. What amazes me are the grass allergies, what dog on earth should be deprived of walking on grass.

The joy of being a bulldog owner. Hahah... I too have researched til the end of the earth for everything. You get recommendations, which are great, but each dog is different, so it stinks. I've done the ACV, yogurt, coconut oil etc...since its all natural I don't mind trying out things (but only one at a time).... One thing I'm going to try... which I had to order is fermented fish - I've heard wonders on it from several people, some members here, and online.. heck, its worth a try. You just add it to their food, apparently it comes frozen... I only ordered 2 quarts from our local store.... I can't wait to see if it helps any. I'll keep ya posted!

 

[dolphin]

The joy of being a bulldog owner. Hahah... I too have researched til the end of the earth for everything. You get recommendations, which are great, but each dog is different, so it stinks. I've done the ACV, yogurt, coconut oil etc...since its all natural I don't mind trying out things (but only one at a time).... One thing I'm going to try... which I had to order is fermented fish - I've heard wonders on it from several people, some members here, and online.. heck, its worth a try. You just add it to their food, apparently it comes frozen... I only ordered 2 quarts from our local store.... I can't wait to see if it helps any. I'll keep ya posted!

fermented >><)))> !!! That's a new one!! Please do let me know, can't imagine what it must smell like, wow anything for our bullys hahahaha.

I'm going to try out that Nature's Variety Instinct LID, see what happens. The Dermo wants $100 just to walk into the clinic. lol

 

[Manydogs]

[h=3][/h]
Merriam-Webster defines "hypoallergenic" as "having little likelihood of causing an allergic response." Easy enough? Unfortunately, no.
When it comes to dogs, there is great variation between what ingredients are likely to cause an allergic reaction in one individual versus another. For example, lamb has often been thought of as a "hypoallergenic" protein source for dogs, but in a review of 278 cases of canine food allergies, 13 dogs were determined to be allergic to lamb. Thirteen out of 278 (5%) may not sound like a big problem, but to put it in context, fewer dogs were allergic to corn (7), pork (7), fish (6), and rice (5). So, for dogs that are not allergic to lamb, a lamb-based diet is indeed "hypoallergenic," but if yours happens to be a member of the 5%, it is anything but.
Let’s look at the study in another way. The most allergenic ingredient was beef (95 cases), meaning that about one-third of dogs with food allergies are allergic to beef. So, beef can’t be hypoallergenic, can it? Well, for the two-thirds of dogs who are not allergic to beef, that’s exactly what it is.
Most veterinarians now do not recommend feeding potentially food-allergic dogs diets containing such commonly used ingredients as either lamb or beef. Instead, we often rely on limited ingredient diets made from weird protein and carbohydrate sources like duck, venison and sweet potato. I haven’t had the greatest of luck in managing food allergic dogs with these types of diets, however. Most of the time, I suspect treatment failures occur because the dogs are sneaking (or being snuck) small amounts of food that contain ingredients to which they are allergic. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, to find out that some dogs are developing allergies to “novel” ingredients that used to be out of the ordinary but are now becoming an increasingly common component of pet foods.
If any individual dog can, hypothetically speaking, be allergic to any protein source, novel-ingredient foods can’t really be considered nonallergenic, and even those thought to be hypoallergenic may incite an allergic reaction in a particular patient. For these reasons, I don’t refer to novel or limited ingredient foods as hypoallergenic.
I consider other products that take a different approach to be truly hypoallergenic. Several pet food manufacturers produce "hydrolyzed" diets made from proteins that have been split into such tiny pieces that the immune system does not mount an allergic reaction against them. The carbohydrate source and other ingredients that are included are also very unlikely to stimulate the immune system. While nothing in veterinary medicine ever works in all patients, I’ve had much better luck diagnosing and managing food allergies in dogs since I’ve started relying more on hydrolyzed foods and using novel/limited ingredient foods in a backup role.
If you’ve had trouble managing a food-allergic dog, ask your veterinarian if a hydrolyzed diet could be an appropriate option or you.

Dr. Jennifer Coates
Image: chaoss / via Shutterstock
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ABOUT NUTRITION NUGGETS
[h=2]JENNIFER COATES, DVM[/h]

... graduated with honors from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. In the years since, she has practiced veterinary medicine in Virginia, Wyoming, and Colorado. She is the author of several books about veterinary medicine and animal care, including the Dictionary of Veterinary Terms, Vet-Speak Deciphered for the Non-Veterinarian .
Jennifer also writes short stories that focus on the strength and importance of the human-animal bond and freelance articles relating to a variety of animal care and veterinary topics. Dr. Coates lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband, daughter, and pets.

[h=2][/h]

 

[cefe13]

[MENTION=6717]dolphin[/MENTION] Sorry to hear about Buster's problems. I realise Royal Canin is not ranked as high quality, but the dermatologist we visited swore by it as a good starting point to rule out allergies. The reason he recommended it was the hydrolized protein which apparently reduces the likelihood of an allergic reaction. I think the idea of this kibble is that if it works, you can keep the dog on it (i.e. it contains everything the dog needs).

We're happy Castor doesn't suffer from allergies - or, perhaps we are in denial?! Right now, he's definitely suffering from being a teenager, though - obsessively licking wherever female dogs have been.
[MENTION=13133]TyTysmom[/MENTION] fermented fish, he he - we eat that here!

 

[TyTysmom]

@dolphin Sorry to hear about Buster's problems. I realise Royal Canin is not ranked as high quality, but the dermatologist we visited swore by it as a good starting point to rule out allergies. The reason he recommended it was the hydrolized protein which apparently reduces the likelihood of an allergic reaction. I think the idea of this kibble is that if it works, you can keep the dog on it (i.e. it contains everything the dog needs).

We're happy Castor doesn't suffer from allergies - or, perhaps we are in denial?! Right now, he's definitely suffering from being a teenager, though - obsessively licking wherever female dogs have been.
@TyTysmom fermented fish, he he - we eat that here!

Good to hear another fermented fish user! I should be getting mine in this week, hopefully. I'm crossing my fingers it will help, even if just a little
[MENTION=6717]dolphin[/MENTION] - good luck... I'm gonna finish this bag to see if I see any differences, who knows where I'd go next if it doesn't work out. My last option would be home cooked, or raw... unless I try some of the seafood flavors from Fromms. While the tear stains aren't the prettiest, at least his yeast, and itching seems to be okay so far. But that shedding, oh lord.

 

[2BullyMama]

@TyTysmom I guess that's all we can do ultimately. I think it is all environmental and I seriously have scoured the internet and have read to many books about allergies to believe that it's the food that causes this. What amazes me are the grass allergies, what dog on earth should be deprived of walking on grass.

If you think it is environmental... having you been wiping him off after being outside? I had to do this with Banks, belly, paws and face with a cool wash cloth

 

[dolphin]

If you think it is environmental... having you been wiping him off after being outside? I had to do this with Banks, belly, paws and face with a cool wash cloth

Yes we do it all the time, he's so good about it too he just looks up at you with those eyes and stands there and we wipe head to toe and then he gets his treat and is off to his next thing.

I don't know anymore

 

[TyTysmom]

If you think it is environmental... having you been wiping him off after being outside? I had to do this with Banks, belly, paws and face with a cool wash cloth

Yes, we do. Each time we come in.... paws, belly, booty, face. (not in that order, but ya know )