What Is The Best Dog Food For Dogs With Allergies And Sensitive Skin?

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What Is The Best Dog Food For Dogs With Allergies And Sensitive Skin?

Currently, there are so many dog food formulas and brands in the market that make shopping for one quite challenging, especially if you have a dog with allergies and sensitive skin. In general, specialized dog foods might be a little more costly than ordinary dog food because proteins like venison, duck, and bison (mostly considered hypoallergenic) form part of its ingredients. 

 

Knowing If Your Dog Has Allergies

When a dog has eaten something they are allergic to, they will begin to have allergic reactions. This might include sneezing, having a sensitive stomach, and itchy skin. Furthermore, if you think this is your dog’s case, testing if your pet has food allergies is the first step.

With vital data in hand, your veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist can help you find out how to make your dog feel better about their allergic reactions. Moreover, most of the time, food intolerances and allergies in dogs are genetic. To know more about this, you can check out dogloverspup.com.

Below are the most common food problems for dogs with allergies:

• Dairy
• Beef
• Corn
• Wheat
• Chicken
• Egg
• Soy
• Pork
• Lamb
• Fish
• Rabbit

 

The 5 Best Dog Foods You Should Know About

As a responsible and loving pet owner, you would want your pets to live a happy and healthy life. Moreover, suppose your pooch has allergies and sensitive skin or is a dog who is a picky eater. In that case, you should know that a specialized diet can help out your furbaby when it comes to eliminating or controlling their allergic reactions and keeping them well nourished. Lucky for you, there are several dog foods available for your dog’s condition:

Canidae Pure Dog Food (Real Lamb, Goat, and Venison Recipe)

This dog food brand is only made with eight ingredients. Although other varieties are available, the real lamb, goat, and venison variant has novel proteins. This will less likely trigger your dog with any allergic reaction. Not only that, but it also contains added probiotics, which promote good digestive health. Moreover, it also has glucosamine, which is responsible for your dog’s healthy joints.

Key Features

• No corn, wheat, or soy in the ingredients;
• Limited ingredient diet that only has eight total ingredients;
• It contains goat, lamb, and venison.

Benefits

• Supports joint health with chondroitin and glucosamine;
• Contains probiotics and antioxidants;
• Contains Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids (responsible for giving your dog a healthy coat and skin);
• Available in multiple recipes, which includes salmon, bison, duck, wild boar, and chicken.

Disadvantage:

• Most Canidae dog foods are safe for dogs with allergies. However, the chicken recipe might not be as effective.

Brothers Complete Allergy Care Dog Food (Goat Meal and Egg Formula)

This dog food avoids most of the ingredients that are known to cause allergies in dogs. It also includes goat as the main protein ingredient. Moreover, this brand also promotes balanced nutrition and healthy weight and incorporates probiotics for gut health.

Key Features

• It contains goat meat and turkey;
• Includes prebiotics and probiotics;
• Grain-free dog food;
• Limited ingredient diet;
• Includes eggs, which contain 23 amino acids.

Benefits

• No potatoes, sweet potatoes, grains, soy, or sugar;
• High in amino acids;
• It contains goat meat, which most dogs don’t have any allergies with;
• Made in the USA (this means all ingredients are sourced only in the US).

 Disadvantages:

• Contains eggs (one of the most common allergens for dogs);
• It might be costly than other dog food options;
• Some pet parents might not like grain-free.

No Small Breed Freestyle Limited

This dog food brand features a single protein. It is available in turkey or salmon variants. Moreover, it is specially created without the most common allergens.

This dog food brand also takes pride in a patented probiotic. This is best in promoting digestive health. Furthermore, this type of dog food may come in multiple bag sizes so that you can quickly test it out without spending a lot of money on buying bigger bags.

Key Features

• Made with a single protein (salmon or turkey recipe);
• No corn, chicken, wheat, eggs, peas, soy, potatoes, and tapioca;
• Small breed dog food that is best for pets with allergies;
• Also available in puppy and adult formula.

Benefits

• It contains a patented probiotic that promotes gut health;
• No artificial preservatives added;
• Made in the USA;
• Available in multiple bag sizes (4 to 24 pounds)
• The bags are designed with a ziplock top to help keep dog food fresh.

Disadvantages

• Costly than regular dog food kibble

P.S. Grain-Free Complete Dog Food

The founder of this dog food brand created his own line of dog food. This was based on his personal experiences of having a dog with allergies and sensitive skin. When you buy this type of dog food, the company will send you several emails that give you guidelines on how to transition your dog to a new food variant and practices and tips to help dogs that experience allergic reactions. Moreover, the company offers a satisfaction guarantee; if you are not happy with what you bought, you can return the product for a full refund.

Key Features

• Dog food specially formulated for allergy care;
• Provides informational emails;
• It contains a grass-fed New Zealand lamb ingredient;
• Satisfaction guaranteed.

Benefits

• Best for dogs of all life stages;
• Money-back guarantee;
• It contains essential vitamins and minerals.

Disadvantages

• It might be costly than other dog food brands;

Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Diet

This dog food brand contains salmon as the single protein ingredient. It also has potatoes as the main carbohydrate. Furthermore, this dog food brand has patented “LifeSource Bits, " a blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Key Features

• Gluten-free carbohydrates;
• Contains salmon as the single protein source;
• Additional vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants;
• Limited ingredient and grain-free dog food.

Benefits

• No wheat, corn, soy, eggs, dairy, artificial preservatives, or flavors;
• Contains essential vitamins and minerals;
• Contains Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids;
• Also available in lamb and duck recipes.

Disadvantage

• Some pet parents might not like grain-free.

 

To Sum It Up

If you think your dog has food allergies and sensitive skin, then taking precautions is a great way to go. It would be best to figure out what type of food they are allergic to. Moreover, once that is done, you should always do your best not to expose your dog to anything that gives them an allergic reaction. That way, your dog can continue to live a happy and healthy life free from any allergies.

If your dog is refusing to eat all together, check out these possible causes and solutions.

 

Author’s Bio

Courtney John is a freelance writer for animal and pet care for over a decade now. She is also a volunteer dedicated to animal rescue and welfare, working for different organizations all over town. She lives with her two adopted cats and rescue dog.