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As a dad to foodie pupper Dex, I keep my eyes peeled for anything he may put in his mouth. Given Dex’s appetite for everything that smells good or looks nice, I worry he’ll eat something that may make him sick.
Why?
Because food allergies are pretty common in dogs.
In most cases, allergy symptoms manifest over a long period of time, after your dog has been exposed to the allergen for days, weeks, or even months. You may wake up one day to find that your Fido has suddenly become allergic to beef or chicken (those are two of the most common food allergens in dogs).
Unfortunately, there are no reliable tests to determine if food is the cause of an allergic reaction. But feeding your dog food designed for digestive sensitivities and allergies can vastly improve its quality of life. That means choosing between hypoallergenic, limited ingredients, or a novel protein diet.
Mighty confusing, I agree. It’s easier searching for the best dog food for allergies. Here’s what I found after hours of research and trial by Dex.
Wild Earth Performance Formula
Wild Earth Performance Formula
We Feed Raw Dry Dog Food
Farmina N&D Quinoa Dog Food
Although far less common than environmental factors, food is still one of the leading causes of allergic reactions in dogs. Despite not having a permanent cure, food-induced allergies can be controlled if you switch to allergy food for dogs. Listed below are the ten best dog foods for skin allergies.
Flavours: Veggie Chick’n Kabob
Type: Dry
Calories: 346 kcal/cup
Crude Protein: 28%
Recalls: None
The Upper Pawside Verified
Bundle With
About the Product:
Wild Earth Performance Formula is a new and improved version of the brand’s original Complete Protein vegan dog food.
The brand uses unorthodox plant-based ingredients to make a nutritionally complete formulation that meets AAFCO’s standards for dog feed. It has 28% crude protein primarily sourced from dried yeast and potato protein. Both are rich sources of protein that contain essential amino acids and are easily digestible.
That’s why the Performance Formula is an excellent choice for dogs of all ages with beef, chicken, egg, or similar animal-sourced protein allergies.
Although not grain-free, Wild Earth uses millet, barley, and sorghum. These are excellent replacements for wheat, which is notorious for causing allergies and GI issues in all dogs.
Wild Earth Performance Formula comes in a lip-smacking veggie chick’n kabob flavor that even a picky eater like Dex loved to bits.
Flavours: Turkey and ParsnipType: Dehydrated Calories: 516 kcal/cup Crude Protein: 24.5% Recalls: February 2013About the Product:
This is the only dehydrated limited-ingredient dog food I have included in this list because it’s worth a try.
With just six key ingredients, including turkey, parsnips, navy beans, coconut, pumpkin, and parsley, this dehydrated dog food is a good choice for picky eaters with food sensitivities. It will tickle their taste buds.
All its human-grade, high-quality ingredients are easy on the stomach and have a very low chance of triggering allergic reactions. This well-balanced formulation is also guaranteed to improve your dog’s digestive health.
You will notice positive changes in your dog’s bathroom schedule once you start it on this diet and it helps with its immune system too.
However, The Honest Kitchen is an expensive brand. I suggest including The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Turkey Dog Food as a meal topper, along with your dog’s regular anti-allergy diet.
Flavours: Pork and SquashType: Dry Calories: 388 kcal/cup Crude Protein: 31% Recalls: NoneAbout the Product:
Although ACANA is known for its limited-ingredient adult dog food range, this particular formulation with pork meat, pork liver, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, and cranberries is my favorite. It is so well-balanced that it makes for a complete meal, despite being a limited ingredients diet.
Pork is considerably less likely to trigger meat allergies than beef or chicken. It’s very easily digestible while being extremely nutritious at the same time. The brand also ensures that it sources only fresh and human-grade meat.
In addition, ACANA further fortifies the formula with a handful of dog-safe vegetables and fruits, maintaining a 65-35 percent ratio between meat and veg. This careful selection of ingredients ensures their dog food has a low glycemic index.
Given that most, if not all, special diet foods are often calorie-heavy, ACANA wins brownie points for being so well-rounded. It is one of the best dry dog foods you can bank on, especially if your dog has a tendency to put on weight.
Flavours: Turkey, Duck & MoreType: Frozen Calories: NA Crude Protein: NA Recalls: NoneAbout the Product:
We Feed Raw is a raw dog food brand that delivers premium quality cleaned and pre-portioned raw meats to your doorstep. They offer a variety of novelty proteins like turkey, venison, and duck – all of which are great for dogs with meat and dairy allergies.
The best part about We Feed Raw is that it contains nothing but pure meat, only minimally processed. You could call it the most sophisticated limited-ingredient dog food on this list since it only has the one ingredient you choose.
Therefore, you can rest easy and not worry about any food sensitivity your dog may have. Dog allergies are unpredictable, but a raw single-protein diet can easily tackle that problem.
You may question a wholly raw food diet, but recent studies reveal that even a 20% raw food diet successfully reduces allergies and intolerances in dogs.
If you have a particularly sensitive dog and have tried many formulas without improvement, give We Feed Raw a shot.
Flavours: Turkey and PotatoType: Dry Calories: 348 kcal/cup Crude Protein: 20% Recalls: 2012About the Product:
The Turkey & Potato Skin and Stomach Care is a limited-ingredient dry kibble from BLUE Buffalo. This grain-free formula uses minimal ingredients, with antibiotic-free turkey as its primary and only source of protein.
Turkey is a lean and hypoallergenic source of protein that works well for dogs allergic to beef, lamb, or chicken. Since the formula has an easily digestible protein and only a handful of ingredients, it’s great for senior dogs with diminishing metabolic capacity.
Blue Basics Turkey and Potato also eases dietary distress by reducing gas and constipation in old dogs.
Although Dex is too young for this formula, I checked with friends who had put their older dogs on a diet of Blue Basics. They confirmed seeing remarkable improvement in their dog’s coats.
In addition, the formula is also fortified with glucosamine and taurine. Both these nutrients help provide extra care to an aging dog’s joints, muscles, and heart health.
Packed with clean ingredients, this is one of the best dog foods for allergies and sensitive stomachs. The food is an excellent choice for a senior dog suffering from fur loss and itchy skin due to food allergies.
Flavours: Salmon and Sweet PotatoType: Dry Calories: 469 kcal/cup Crude Protein: 32% Recalls: May 2012About the Product:
Canidae is perhaps the only dog food brand that makes dog food with ten or fewer main ingredients – and the Real Salmon and Sweet Potato kibble is a fine example of that. It has only eight main ingredients, with salmon as its primary source of protein. Brewers yeast is also added as a supplement.
This combination makes for a hypoallergenic yet protein-dense diet for dogs. Although salmon is not a novel protein, its quality is what makes a big difference in this variety of dry food. It is a great alternative for dogs allergic to meats and dairy.
Salmon contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, antioxidants, and other powerful compounds. It is known to boost immunity and reduce inflammation caused by allergies.
Sweet potatoes are also rich in vitamins A, B6, C, and other nutrients.
Altogether, Canidae Pure Real Salmon & Sweet Potato makes for a well-balanced meal that takes care of your dog’s food allergies and overall health.
If you’re on the lookout for the best salmon dog food for allergies, Canidae would be my top recommendation.
Flavours: DuckType: Dry Calories: 367 kcal/cup Crude Protein: 23% Recalls: NoneAbout the Product:
Farmina N&D Quinoa (Skin & Coat) formulation uses a single novel protein source, duck, to create dry food for dogs with food sensitivities to poultry or meat. Since 92% of the protein content in the food comes from duck and given that it is a grain-free formula, it is one of the best grain-free dog foods for skin allergies.
I love that this dog food uses duck meat as its single and primary source of protein. Since it is not common in dog diets, duck is a novel ingredient for most dogs. In addition, it is lean and it contains amino acids, Vitamin B, and loads of antioxidants.
While most specialty diets for dogs are not that appetizing, this one’s different because duck meat is delicious and flavorful.
Plus, the recipe also contains coconut oil and turmeric – two powerful skin and coat-friendly ingredients.
This dog food from Farmina N&D is said to reduce the incidence of food intolerance while at the same time repairing existing damage to skin and coat.
Flavours: Turkey & RiceType: Canned / Wet Calories: NA Crude Protein: 2.8% Recalls: 2019 (Not specific to this recipe)About the Product:
Hill’s Science Diet dog food is one of the most highly recommended brands by vets, and this turkey and rice stew is my top pick. While most hypoallergenic or veterinary diets dog foods are typically dry, this one comes as a stew – it has excellent slurpy consistency with easy-to-chew chunks of turkey and rice.
As I mentioned earlier, Turkey is a great alternative source of protein for dogs allergic to beef, chicken, or dairy. But it’s the addition of rice that makes this wet food a reliable choice.
Good quality rice helps to improve metabolism in dogs and makes for an excellent source of dietary fiber. It is one of the most easily digestible grains and also helps maintain the pH balance of your dog’s stomach.
Hill’s Science Diet Tender Turkey & Rice Dog Food is not just easily digestible; it also allows for optimal absorption of nutrients in your pet’s body.
Apart from taking care of food allergies, this diet also helps facilitate easy and regular bowel movements in your pet and helps keep it hydrated, especially if your dog is averse to water or you live in a region with hot weather.
Flavours: FishType: Dry Calories: 466 kcal/cup Crude Protein: 38% Recalls: NoneAbout the Product:
This Canada-based brand believes in mimicking the natural diet of wolves (yes, you heard that right) for dogs with allergies. That is not surprising since dogs descended from wolves in the first place.
The Allergy Care mix has whole-caught pichard, mackerel, hake, flounder, rockfish, and sole as its main ingredients. The most nutrient-dense parts of the fish, including the liver, are freeze-dried to preserve taste, flavor, and benefits so your dog gets a wholesome diet.
All fish are rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids are extremely effective in reducing inflammation and infection in dogs of all ages and breeds. Raw and fresh fish also qualify as a novel, clean and lean protein.
A primarily fish-based diet has other advantages too. It not only takes care of food allergies but is also effective against skin rashes, ear infections, and bloating.
The Six Fish Dog Food does have a strong fishy smell, but dogs love that. Dex almost pawed the bag open when I brought some home for this trial. So if your picky eater has a food allergy or intolerance, this is a high-quality hypoallergenic food you can try.
However, it’s very high in calories and, therefore, not great for lazy dogs. It’s one of the best dog foods for German Shepherds and similar high-energy but allergy-prone dog breeds.
Flavours: NAType: Dry Calories: 323 kcal/cup Crude Protein: 17% Recalls: 2007About the Product:
Royal Canin Ultamino Dry Dog Food is a vet-exclusive dry dog food for adult dogs with extreme food sensitivity.
Made from hydrolyzed poultry by-products and cornstarch, this specialty diet has proteins broken down into tiny, nearly unrecognizable oligopeptides. A dog’s digestive system cannot recognize these oligopeptides as a protein source and therefore does not trigger an allergic reaction to them.
That’s how Ultamino helps dogs with severe food allergies where no other special diet helps.
The formulation is also packed with Vitamin B, essential amino acids, and omega-3 fatty acids. All these nutrients work in tandem to arrest allergy-induced skin problems and improve your dog’s coat over time.
However, Ultamino is a specialty diet, meaning you cannot feed this food to your dog without the vet’s approval. And remember to keep a fresh bowl of water handy for your dog when it’s on an Ultamino diet because the food can make your pet very thirsty.
That said, it is undoubtedly the best dog food for allergies and yeast infections.
Some dog food allergies can have precursors that result from genetic errors in metabolism. For example, Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds are more predisposed to food allergies than other breeds.
Dogs with allergic parents are also more likely to develop allergies than those with a healthy lineage. Although incurable, such allergies can be kept under control with the help of a prescription diet.
While hypoallergenic food is much less likely to trigger an allergic reaction in dogs, it is still not a foolproof solution to the problem.
Your dog might develop an allergy to one or more of the ingredients present, even in a limited-ingredient diet. Since food allergies are incurable, the best you can do is cut out ingredients that cause allergies.
All kinds of allergies, including food allergies, can trigger hair loss in dogs. Also, allergic reactions make a dog’s skin so itchy and irritable that it ends up excessively scratching, biting, or licking the area, leading to hair loss in patches.
A diet change coupled with topical or oral medication could help in such cases.
The top breeds most prone to developing food allergies include Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Dalmatians, Boxers, French Bulldogs, Chinese Shar-peis, Lhasa Apsos, and most terriers.
Although any ingredient can trigger allergies in dogs, the most common allergens include proteins like beef, egg, and chicken. Other allergen sources are dairy, wheat gluten, and soy products.
Since commercially available kibble always contains proteins, carbohydrates, and fats – it is highly likely to trigger some food allergy or the other in dogs.
Food allergies are unpredictable. That’s why, as responsible pet parents, we must always err on the side of caution and do our due diligence and research before putting our pets on a limited ingredient, hypoallergenic, or novel protein diet.
Before zeroing in on any product, ensure it does not contain beef, chicken, dairy, soy, or wheat. Those are the top five allergens you should avoid in your pet’s diet.
But please seek your vet’s advice before making any changes to your pet’s diet.
I’ve handpicked some of the best dog food for allergies keeping varying requirements in mind. I hope it helps you make better, safer, healthier choices for your beloved furry.
Meet Sheryl, a dedicated pet mom with over 20 years of hands-on experience as a pet mom to various dog breeds, from German Shepherds to Shih Tzus. Join her on her pet-centric journey as she aims to empower pet owners with practical tips and guidance. With her experience and passion for pets, she strives to make a positive impact in the lives of pets and their devoted owners.
