Dogs with food allergies often must eat a special diet in order to prevent itching, hair loss and other allergy symptoms. Options include prescription diets, commercially available allergy foods and home-cooked or raw diets designed to meet the individual dog's needs. Successfully managing a dog's food allergies requires the identification of ingredients that cause an allergic reaction and the removal of those ingredients from the dog's diet.
Elimination Diets
An elimination diet is a diet designed to determine what a dog is allergic to. It should consist of one protein and one carbohydrate source, both of which have never before been fed to the dog being tested. A dog accustomed to a food containing chicken and corn could be switched to a food with lamb and rice. Some dogs have been exposed to numerous proteins and carbohydrates, making elimination diets difficult.
After a diet has been identified that has limited ingredients and doesn't cause an allergic reaction, the owner should add one ingredient back into the dog's diet at a time and watch for allergy symptoms. If an ingredient is found to cause a reaction, it should be permanently removed from the dog's diet.
Prescription Diets
Many veterinarians sell prescription foods for dogs with allergies. These diets tend to be expensive and often use ingredients that are no higher-quality than those used in basic nutrition pet foods. While some owners successfully feed prescription allergy diets, it is usually possible to spend less money and get the same benefits from a non-prescription allergy food or from a homemade diet.
Commercial Foods
Numerous pet food manufacturers offer allergy formulas with limited ingredients for sensitive dogs. These formulas should avoid common allergens such as corn, wheat, soy and chicken. They should also contain one high-quality protein source and one carbohydrate. These foods are most effective if rotated to avoid the development of new allergies due to long-term exposure.
Natural Balance makes several dog food formulas appropriate for dogs with food allergies. Canidae, Wellness, California Natural, Innova, Ziwi Peak and The Honest Kitchen are also brands that should be investigated as potential foods for dogs with allergies.
Home-Cooked Diets
Some owners prefer to cook at home for dogs with allergies. Home-cooked diets require significant research and preparation. The obvious advantage of cooking at home is that you control every ingredient that goes into your dog's food. No formula inconsistencies or food recalls are likely to affect dogs on home-cooked diets. Cooking does destroy beneficial enzymes in meat, so supplements are necessary if cooking for your dog. Wholesome, high quality meats and ancient grains such as quinoa should be included in home-cooked diets.
Raw Diets
Many owners report excellent results when feeding a raw diet to dogs with allergies. Most dogs raised on kibble or canned food have never been exposed to raw meat proteins. Raw meat differs enough from cooked meat that some dogs can be severely allergic to a particular meat when cooked while no allergic reaction occurs if the same meat is fed raw. For dogs that have eaten so many cooked proteins that using kibble as an elimination diet is impossible, a raw diet may be the only sensible choice.
As with home-cooked diets, raw diets are difficult to formulate and require advanced knowledge of a dog's nutritional needs. Meat, bones and a variety of organs must be included. Owners wishing to feed a raw diet should research this choice extensively and discuss it with a veterinary nutritionist.
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