Maybe your dog has intense itching and scratches often? Do you think it has a food allergy, or has the vet already confirmed this diagnosis? The next step is to see what you will feed your pet from now on.
But first, let's see why food allergies happen.
So, Why Do Allergies Happen?
An allergy is an exaggerated reaction of the immune system on contact with a substance or ingredient that it considers foreign or non-self. Most dogs with food allergies have been eating that particular diet that caused the allergy for a long time before the condition occurred. Many times, the signs of a food allergy are so minor after the first contact with the allergen that the owner does not even realize there is something wrong with their furry baby.
When the dog's body is repeatedly exposed to that food ingredient that causes it problems, the body's sensitivity reaction becomes extreme, and the clinical signs become visible. Most often, food allergies are manifested through:
- Itching and scratching.
- Paw licking.
- Rubbing the face on the carpet or furniture.
- Dandruff or excessively dry skin.
- Excessively greasy fur.
- Chronic or recurrent ear infections.
- Abundant secretions in the ears.
- Redness of the paws or skin, especially in the belly region.
- Lethargy.
- Irritability.
- Red and watery eyes.
- Eye infections.
- Gastrointestinal disorders: diarrhea, gas, vomiting, or soft stools.
If your dog has any of these symptoms, it probably has a food allergy. What you can do is change your pet's diet and introduce it to a food that contains unique animal proteins, fruits, and vegetables. Among the best ingredients for food allergies in dogs are:
- Sweet potato
- Green beans
- Green peas
- Lentils
- Broccoli
- Apples
- Watermelon
- Pears
- Coconut
Sweet potato
Sweet potato is not considered particularly hypoallergenic, but many hypoallergenic dog food recipes use it. It is considered whole food, and your dog is less likely to be sensitive to it and develop a food allergy.
The benefits of sweet potatoes include lowering the risk of obesity, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease. They are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.
Green beans
Green beans are considered hypoallergenic and have low-calorie content, are rich in fiber, and have several beneficial properties. They help eliminate free radicals, regulate the digestive processes, and prevent the occurrence of many types of heart disease.
Green peas
Green peas are very nutritious.They are rich in phytonutrients, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants and help eliminate free radicals from the body and lower cholesterol levels.
Pea protein seems to be the most hypoallergenic of all protein powders, with an assimilation rate of 98%. It is a whole protein that contains all the essential amino acids.
Lentils
Lentils are an important source of protein. They are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals and have benefits for the heart, including improving "good" cholesterol (HDL). Lentils are considered hypoallergenic, often being part of the hypoallergenic diets for dogs.
Broccoli
Broccoli is rich in carbohydrates, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and potassium. It is also a rich source of glucosinolates, phytonutrients, and flavonoids, such as kaempferol and other important antioxidant compounds. This vegetable has a multitude of benefits for the body. It has antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects, prevents the occurrence of eye and heart diseases, and regulates the water balance in the body.
Broccoli is considered hypoallergenic and is recommended for dogs with food allergies.
Apples and pears
Apples are a good source of vitamins and minerals, like most fruits. They are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants and can have a positive effect on the digestive system.
Apples and pears are considered hypoallergenic foods that can be introduced into the diet of a dog with a food allergy.
Coconut
Coconut is considered hypoallergenic and has many benefits for the body. It supports the proper functioning of the circulatory system, protects cells from oxidative stress, helps regulate blood sugar, and has many other health benefits.
When you have a dog allergic to a particular diet, the treatment is to change its food. If you don't know what ingredient in that diet makes your dog allergic to it, then you need to replace its food with a new one. The new diet should contain a new animal protein (a protein that your dog has never eaten before) and other hypoallergenic foods or foods with a low potential for allergies, such as sweet potatoes, peas, lentils, or coconut.
Wilder Harrier offers hypoallergenic diets that contain all these ingredients that are best for allergies for both adult dogs and puppies. Both age groups benefit from insect dog food and fish dog food.
You can try Farmed Insects Recipe or Sustainable Fish Recipe for adult dogs or Farmed Insects Recipe and Sustainable Fish Recipe for puppies.
Your dog does not have to be allergic to eat these diets. Both are complete and balanced and are suited for all dogs.
Insect dog food is a new diet that helps allergic dogs with their health condition. This diet contains Black Soldier Flies (BSF), sweet potatoes, peas, lentils, and coconut and is enriched with vitamins and minerals to promote your pet's health and nutrition.
It is a rich source of protein, amino acids, and calcium, and the taste is no different from standard dog food. Insect dog food is suited for all adult dogs (adult variety) or puppies (puppy variety), not only the ones with food allergies. So, if you want to let your dog try something new, insect dog food is the winner!
The fish recipe is made with Asian carp (the silver variety), a fish that resembles salmon from a nutritional point of view, being rich in protein and fatty acids. In addition to fish, this recipe also contains lentils, peas, coconut, blueberries, and chickpeas - hypoallergenic ingredients that can help your allergic dog. This fish dog food is enriched with vitamins and minerals to help repair damaged skin and fur and to promote health and nutrition.
You can also give it a try with our hypoallergenic dog food samples for free before buying them and let your pet choose its favorite!
About The Writer:
Dr. Iulia Mihai is an experienced veterinarian, researcher, and medicine. She did her Bachelor's in veterinary medicine followed by a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Veterinary Medicine, and has over 10 years of experience in the field, she knows her way around animals. In addition to working with animals at a vet clinic, she also helps the team at Wilder Harrier help dog parents on topics such as health, allergies, diet, and care for pets.
