Best Hypoallergenic Dog Food Novel Meat Formulas
We have already mentioned Zignature and our favorite Pork Formula in this article however, while not as nutritious as some of the other Zignature formulas, Kangaroo Formula contains a genuinely unique meat source.
It is highly unlikely that your dog would have ever consumed Kangaroo meat, and as a consequence, they are also unlikely to suffer from any related allergies to Kangaroo.
Therefore, this formula is the perfect example of a Novel Ingredient Diet. Kangaroo formula combines its unique meat source with legumes as a high-quality carbohydrate source and source of dietary fiber.
Kangaroo is often thought of as very exotic and expensive. However, the Kangaroo formula from Zignature is not particularly more expensive than any of its other formulas that they produce and could be a realistic and affordable option to many dog owners.
Due to Kangaroo being a novel ingredient, this formula may be best suited to dogs who suffer from multiple meat and fish related allergies and need a drastic approach to reduce their dogs symptoms.
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Chicken Review
A best-of guide would not be complete without the addition of a Merrick formula. As many of you who have read some of our other content are aware, we are big fans of many of their formulas, including their wide range of canned dog food.
While their limited ingredient range isnt quite as satisfying as some of their other ranges, the Chicken formula is by far the best.
Just like the other limited ingredient formulas mentioned, this recipe contains a very select number of ingredients that can be easily split into two categories.
Firstly a number of Chicken ingredients, including Chicken, Chicken Meal, and Chicken Fat. Secondly, vegetable ingredients, in particular, legumes. This includes Peas, Chickpeas, and Flaxseed.
What makes the Chicken formula stand out in comparison to the other limited ingredient formulas offered by Merrick is the much more satisfactory nutrition it provides.
This nutritional profile includes a more than a satisfactory portion of protein and fat without an excessive portion of carbohydrates. This balance of nutrition closely matches a dogs ancestral diet.
Due to the fact that this formula only contains a single meat ingredient in Chicken, it may be best suited to those dogs who can not eat other meat ingredients like red meat or fish.
Client Education On Allergies In General
It is common for a dog or cat to have allergies. There are three different types of allergies: flea bite dermatitis , Atopic dermatitis or a food allergy . In many cases, your dog may have all three of the above types of allergies. Therefore, limiting the offending factors is essential to controlling your dogs allergies. ipage
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Different Conditions Different Symptoms
The symptoms of an allergy can include skin rash, hives, itching, paw biting, obsessive licking and sometimes nausea or vomiting.
The signs of food intolerance include digestive distress, gas, bloating, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
Again, lets use milk as an example
A milk intolerance would look more like gastric distress.
This can include symptoms like gas, bloating or diarrhea.
However, a true milk allergy would produce an immune reaction .
What Is Food Allergy
Most people know someone who is allergic to certain foods, such as strawberries or nuts.
“Food allergy is one of the five most common allergies or hypersensitivities known to affect dogs.”
Food allergy is one of the most common allergies or hypersensitivities known to affect dogs. In a pet with an allergy, the immune system overreacts and produces antibodies to substances that it would normally tolerate. In an allergic reaction to a food, antibodies are produced against some part of the food, usually a protein or complex carbohydrate. Since antibody production is required for an allergy to develop, food allergies usually manifest after prolonged exposure to one brand, type, or form of food.
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Healthy For Humans Not For Fido
Avocados are considered healthy for humans but that’s not the case for dogs. All parts of the avocado plant can cause stomach upset but of greatest concern is the pit, which can cause serious digestive obstruction. Bread dough can result in stomach upset causing reduced blood flow to the stomach and respiratory distress as the dough expands. Onions and garlic — all members of this shallot family — can cause damage to red blood cells, lethargy and weakness.
How Are Food Allergies Treated
Unfortunately, there is no cure for dog and cat food allergies. However, once your vet has identified the exact cause of your pets food allergy, you can steer clear of those ingredients. Here are a couple tips for doing so:
Switch their food source: Your four-legged friend will need to eat dog food and cat food made from simple, clean ingredients free of the allergen.
Make sure your pet doesnt consume the allergen: If you have multiple pets, it helps to feed them in different rooms so theres no chance your pet will snag a bite of something they shouldnt eat. Additionally, youll need to relay the message to your family, pet sitters, and boarding and daycare facilities.
Vet-prescribed medication might be needed: In some cases, vets will prescribe antihistamines, corticosteroids, or other medication for extreme allergy symptoms.
Keep an open dialogue with your veterinarian: Remember, you can always talk to your vet about any concerns you have. You can ask your veterinarian about your pets nutritional needs, allergy symptoms, and advice about what to feed them.
Bottom line: Getting your furry companion the medical care they need is part of responsible pet parenting, and this is especially true if you suspect your pet has a food allergy. Consulting a veterinarian to obtain a definite diagnosis is important so you can begin to improve their quality of life.
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How To Choose The Best Dog Food For Allergies
If your dog seems more interested in pawing at his ears or scratching her skin than hanging out with you and youve ruled out other causes, then it could be time to consider experimenting with their diet.
But with as many free-from foods on the market for dogs as there is for people, knowing where to start can be daunting. Thankfully, weve come up with a few simple guidelines that will help point you in the right direction.
Look for products that have short ingredient lists, generally with one form of protein and one form of carbohydrate which makes it easier to identify the potential allergen. While there are both risks and benefits, raw dog food is another option worth looking into. With few ingredients and zero additives, our guide to the best raw dog food is a great resource if youre not sure where to start.
Look for added vitamins, minerals, prebiotics and probiotics. Vitamins C and E and probiotic strains like lactobacillus and acidophilus are great for soothing the GI tract and ensuring good digestive health. Antioxidants from fruits and vegetables and Omega-3 fatty acids are also great additions.
Finally, if youre noticing your dog displaying any of the symptoms of a possible allergic reaction be sure to consult your vet who will be able to help identify the cause and recommend the best course of treatment.
Diagnosis Of Egg Yolk Allergies In Dogs
The symptoms caused by the allergic reaction will prompt your veterinarian to collect skin scrapings from affected areas for cutaneous cytology. Cutaneous cytology is the microscopic evaluation of dermal cells to search for nuisances like mites, yeast infections, or signs of disease. If no underlying cause is apparent, then a food allergy may be suspected. In order to confirm the allergy, an elimination diet is usually implemented to confirm the diagnosis. An elimination diet involves replacing the diet your dog is currently eating with either a reduced ingredient or hypoallergenic commercial food or a diet of bland human food.
When choosing an appropriate replacement diet, all of the ingredients in the dogs current food should be avoided. In many cases it may be the entire food family that your pet is reacting to, so switching from a chicken diet to a mammalian source such as rabbit may have better results than switching to another avian species like duck. A properly implemented elimination diet will cause the signs of allergy to cease.
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Iii How Can You Get Food Allergy Testing For Your Furball
If you have any suspicions that your pooch is plagued by a food allergy, you should make an appointment with your vet to discuss the issue and to get to the bottom of it.
There are many commercially-available skin tests and blood allergy tests. This is a common starting point. Unfortunately, theres a lack of evidence supporting the accuracy of these tests, so they should be considered as a rough benchmark rather than a guaranteed and precise diagnosis.
The most systematic approach is to start an elimination diet to determine which food is provoking the allergy in your furball. Here, you start by removing all the foods your dog has been eating, and you give him foods he has never tried before. Once symptoms of the allergy abate, you begin reintroducing his old foods gradually. If a reaction occurs and this may take from a few days to a week or more to manifest youll then be able to permanently eliminate that ingredient from his diet.
Alcohol Is No Good For Your Pup
Any form of alcohol is unsafe for dogs as they are much more sensitive to it. When ingested, Fido can become uncoordinated, lethargic and in some cases, seizures, or death can occur. Included in this category are the hops used in the beer brewing process. Extreme hyperthermia can occur in dogs and requires immediate veterinary attention.
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How Can Food Allergies Be Treated
The best way to treat a food allergy is to make sure you dont feed your dog the ingredient theyre allergic to. Since it can be hard to pin down exactly which component of the food your dog is reacting to, many owners opt for feeding their dogs a food which has completely new ingredients that theyve never eaten before. This may be hard to accomplish since dog foods often contain a number of common ingredients that youll find in any commercially produced food.
If you dont want to commit to feeding your dog a homemade, or totally raw or freeze dried dog food, another option is to implement a limited ingredient diet. With fewer components that go into the dog food, its easier to identify which item is causing your dogs reaction and then avoid it moving forward. This is where limited ingredient dog foods provide a great option for your pooch.
Food Allergy Testing For Dogs
If you suspect your dog is suffering from a food allergy, the first thing to do is talk to your vet about how to pinpoint the allergen. There are commercial skin and blood allergy tests on the market, and your vet may recommend starting there. You can read about one owners experience of this testing here.
However, theres no evidence yet to show that these tests are accurate, so the most thorough way to discover which foods your pet is allergic to is an elimination diet.
The process goes like this, according to Dr. Susan Wynn, a veterinary nutritionist, in an interview with PetMD.
What we do is take the dog off all the foods its eating and we put him on a food that hes never had before. Ive sent people out for alligator and yak. Once the dog has improved, we start reintroducing the old foods that we think caused the problems in the first place. If he has a reaction, which usually takes a few days to a few weeks, then we know he has a food allergy.
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Treatment Of Egg Yolk Allergies In Dogs
It can take several weeks for the elimination diet to reveal that egg yolk is the allergen and during this time your pet may experience lingering symptoms. Use of corticosteroids may ease the swelling and itching of the skin, but they also make it harder to determine the source of the allergic reaction by masking the signs and symptoms. For this reason, many veterinarians prefer to complete the elimination diet before applying any medications to address the symptoms.
Antibiotics may be prescribed to ward off any secondary skin infections as are commonly seen with food allergies. Once the allergen has been identified as egg or egg yolk, you will want to avoid feeding that ingredient to your dog. If anaphylactic shock symptoms are showing, your pet will be admitted to the veterinary hospital as soon as possible for an injection of epinephrine, as well as for support treatments, such as IV fluids and oxygen therapy.
I What Is A Canine Food Allergy
A food allergy in dogs occurs in the same way as food allergies in humans. Many people have allergies to nuts, for instances. Some are allergic to fruits like strawberries.
Food allergy is among the top five hypersensitivities known to impact dogs adversely.
If your dog develops an allergy, his immune system will overreact by producing antibodies to substances that are normally well-tolerated. When its a food triggering the allergic reaction, Rovers immune system produces antibodies against some part of that food, typically either a form of protein or complex carbohydrate.
In order for a full-blown allergy to develop, your dogs immune system needs to start producing antibodies. This means that most food allergies develop after sustained exposure to a single type of food, or food exclusively from a single brand.
Now, a food allergy is not the same as a food intolerance. If your dog has a food intolerance, he might find problems digesting some ingredients dairy, for example where with a food allergy, an immune response is triggered by the food.
Essentially, your dogs immune system makes a mistake. It identifies a component of the food usually protein or carbs as harmful rather than beneficial. Resultantly, your furballs system starts kicking out defensive antibodies to fight back against this ingredient based on this flawed response.
If your dog has developed a legitimate food allergy, look out for any of the following common markers:
- Skin rashes
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Purina One Smartblend Sensitive Systems Formula
PetListed Verdict:
Purina ONE Sensitive Systems is made for dogs with food sensitivities and intolerances. It includes salmon as the main protein, and contains ingredients that are easier to digest for a dogs stomach. Note that this product does contain chicken and beef in smaller quantities keep this in mind if your dog is allergic to these proteins.
Key Features:
- Single source of protein from salmon
- Antioxidant blend to help support a strong immune system
- Glucosamine to support optimal joint health
Pros:
- Included prebiotic helps your dogs digestive system more efficiently absorb nutrients
- Contains Omega 6 fatty acids and Vitamin E for skin and coat health
- Suitable for dogs of all breeds and sizes
Cons:
- Limited ingredient diet thats made for dogs with food sensitivities, and not necessarily allergies. Compare the ingredient list with any potential allergens your dog has.
- Contains chicken and beef products
Taste Of The Wild Pacific Stream Grain
Best grain-free dog food for allergies
Item form: Dry | Age range: 4.7 | Key nutritional inclusions: Antioxidants, prebiotics, Omega-3 and 6
If youre looking to treat your furry friend to one of the most premium products on the market then this offering from Taste of the Wild is sure to impress.
The ingredient list for this formula reads like a health lover’s dream with red salmon leading the pack, a novel protein thats great for dogs with allergies as its easy to digest. Sweet potato provides energy that is slowly released into the bloodstream and the antioxidants from the tomatoes, blueberries and raspberries help support the immune system and overall health and wellbeing.
We love that this grain-free formula steers away from common allergens and instead chooses to go with fiber-rich alternatives like lentils, which are gentle on the digestive tract. The recipe also omits eggs, another common trigger for dogs with sensitivities, and the inclusion of chelated minerals help maximize the absorption of valuable nutrients.
This high-quality product uses chicory root as a prebiotic to support healthy digestion and comes packed with Zinc, Selenium, Vitamin E and Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, all of which will keep your mutts mane looking its best. The addition of Taurine is great for eye and heart health and also stimulates bile acid in the stomach to help break down and metabolize fat.
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Difference Between Food Allergies And Food Intolerance
You need to know whether your dog suffers from food intolerance or an allergy. This will help you know which dog food to purchase because they are two different things. Intolerance happens when your dog cannot digest an ingredient. For example, dogs tend to have lactose intolerance, just like humans. When your dog feeds on a particular element, it will react by vomiting, have flatulence, or diarrhea.
On the other hand, allergies are related to the immune system. Usually, the immune system would identify a harmful item and release antibodies to fight it. An allergic reaction could be rashes or disorders associated with the respiratory system.
Natures Logic Canine Pork Meal Feast Review
Natures Logic is a lesser-known dog food brand, but that shouldnt and doesnt diminish the strength of its formulas. Natures Logic produces a wide range of formulas, including some that make use of less common meat and fish ingredients such as Sardine, Venison, Lamb, and Rabbit. Some of these ingredients could be considered Novel Meat formulas.
One of the most significant advantages of Natures Logic is that they very clearly display a vast range of nutritional and ingredient information on their website, which is far more information than most of their competitors are willing to make public.
This array of information includes accurate levels of a wide variety of micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals. They also show you exactly where their ingredients are sourced on an easy-to-understand visual map.
This approach shows they are passionate about dog nutrition and not ashamed of the nutrition their formulas provide or the source of their ingredients.
Their Pork Formula is very high in protein, which should be at the core of every dogs diet. The formula does not contain any other meat or fish ingredients, which is ideal for a dog who is looking to narrow its potential allergens. Unfortunately, the formula does use a single grain as its source of carbohydrates.
Millet isnt considered a high-quality source of carbohydrates, but for those dogs who do not have difficulty digesting Millet, it may be acceptable.
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