What Is the Best Food for Dog Allergies?

What is the best food for dog allergies? One with a specific meat listed first on the ingredient list on the side of the food container.

A Meat Must Be Listed First

When looking for a quality food for dog allergies, ensure the first ingredient listed is a meat. Most commercial grade dog foods list corn, wheat, a meat byproduct, meal or soy as the first ingredient. In fact, often the first three or four ingredients are not a meat, but a filler. These are not nutritionally the best food for your dog and, in fact, seem to encourage dog allergies.

When looking at labels, choose a food that specifically says turkey, chicken, beef, fish or lamb. You may find labels with novel meats like rabbit, duck, salmon, lamb or venison interspersed with the traditional meats. If your dog has allergic reactions with one type of meat, try a different food with a another meat featured.

A Perfect Blend?

Many veterinarians recommend a food for dog allergies that contains a 40/50/10 ratio. This ratio splits up required nutrition categories as 40% meat, 50% vegetables and 10% carbohydrates. Instead of a beef or chicken meat, try using turkey or fish instead.

Avoid dog foods with animal byproducts and preservatives like BHA, BHT and ethoxyguin. These preservatives are being looked into as possible cancer causing agents. There should be no fillers included in the list of ingredients nor any potentially harmful preservatives containing chemicals that may trigger dog allergies.

Hypoallergenic or Organic?

Hypoallergenic dog food contains no fillers, preservatives, additives or meat byproducts. These foods are specifically blended to help your dog avoid food or fillers that often trigger allergic reactions.

Some hypoallergenic dog food brands available on the market are Addiction Pet Food, Health Pro, Hills Prescription Diet, Holistic Blend, Purina Veterinary Diets HA Hypoallergenic Canine Formula, and Nutro Ultra Holistic.

Organic dog food has no artificial colors or enhanced flavors. There are no poisonous pesticides or chemical additives included. Dog food that is called organic contains only quality proteins and grain ingredients of good nutritional value. This concept supports your pet's immune system and enhances immunity to skin infections.

Some organic dog food brands are Innova, EVO, California Natural, HealthWise and Karma.

Food Supplements for Dog Allergies

Food supplements to complement your dog's diet to assist in resisting allergies are enzymes, omega-3 fatty acids or fish oil, antioxidants, vitamins A, C and E, and a mineral called Selenium. Adding these supplements to your allergic dog's diet will help boost his immune system. It will also assist in decreasing or preventing pain, itching and inflammation that having an allergy brings.

Probiotics will help control the pain and discomfort that allergies carry. Yogurt containing lactobacillus, a live culture bacteria, is a beneficial food for dogs with allergies. Yogurt can be mixed with dry dog food or fed by itself. Yogurt can also be used topically to bring relief to dry, itchy and inflamed skin.