I Think My Pet Has Food Allergies! What Is The Best Answer?
May 15, 2008
This is a basic description of popular dog foods based on cost and marketed as advisable for dogs with food allergies.
At the cheaper end of the market Chicken Soup dog food has a higher level of fruit and vegetable in their recipe including potatoes, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, cranberries and spinach.
Avoderm is made with avocados to promote healthy, glowing, beautiful skin and coat. They also make vegetarian recipes.
In the mid price range Eagle Pack make Holistic Select which are protein rich recipes with added prebiotics, probiotics and antioxidants. The chicken meal is hormone free and fruits and veggies are all human grade. Eagle dog food comes in dry and canned formulas in a variety of flavors.
Blue dog food or rather Blue Buffalo dog food bases its recipes on what humans eat, with high protein, whole grains, veggies and fruit. Because of their unusual ingredients such as sweet potato and brown rice, dogs are unlikely to have encountered these foods before, and therefore less likely to be allergic. Blue Buffalo dog food comes as dry and canned varieties (although some of their products were involved in a product recall in 2007).
In the same way, Pinnacle’s Canine Holistic Allergen-Free Formulas for dogs use unusual foods in recipes such as trout and oats to which dogs are less likely to be intolerant. Nature Recipe dog food is beef, wheat and corn free as these are common allergy-promoting foodstuffs. Inova dog food manufacturers make EVO, a high protein diet with veggies and raw fruit.
Life’s Abundance dog food does not contain by-products, corn or wheat, chemical preservatives, artificial colors or flavors. Typical ingredients include chicken meal, fish meal, carrots, apples, spinach, celery, alfalfa meal, ground brown rice, antioxidants, live probiotics and chelated minerals.
At the top end of the market the Abady dog food company make frozen raw diets for dogs containing fewer “nasties″ such as soybeans, beet pulp etc. They make dry and canned formulas with quite a hefty price tag.
The IVD dog food brand, now known as Royal Canin, makes breed specific recipes and special need recipes like Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Hypoallergenic HP 19, which is a lactose and wheat gluten free recipe.
Remember though, these recipes may be a quick fix. If you do suspect your dog has food allergies, you would be better off analyzing which foods are causing the problem and then feeding accordingly.
Your veterinarian can guide you if needed, and if your dog is showing signs of food allergies, it is best to have him looked at by a professional.
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