Hypoallergenic Dog Foods

Like humans, dogs can be allergic to various things. In fact, many dogs have allergies, and often these are triggered by the foods they eat. The most common food allergies among dogs include being allergic to dairy (many dogs are lactose intolerant), eggs, soy, wheat, yeast, beef, chicken, and corn.

When a human is allergic to something, the course of action usually taken is to remove the allergen. This is the same with dogs. If your dog has an allergy, it makes sense to stop serving it foods that it may be allergic to. Sometimes, however, it isn't the food itself, and simply an ingredient found in the food. This can be hard to tell, however, and it will take you a long time to figure out which ingredient your dog is allergic to. Not to mention the fact that you will go through a lot of trial and error when it comes to dog foods!

Luckily, you can turn to hypoallergenic dog foods for the answer. Hypoallergenic dog foods are commercial dog foods specially designed for dogs with allergies or sensitive stomachs. They are foods that do not have and chemical preservatives or additives and they do not contain any of the ingredients that dogs may be allergic to. Instead, they aim to provide a balanced diet using alternative sources of meat, vegetables, and fruit.

There are eight hypoallergenic dog foods that are recommended great for dogs to eat. Usually, they are not only safe for your dog to eat, but they also try to reverse or alter any damage done by the old allergy. For example, your dog had an allergy which caused the shedding of fur and itchy skin. You can find hypoallergenic dog foods that apart from being hypoallergenic seek to give your dog shiny fur that grows strong and healthy.

Most of the time, the packaging of these foods will tell you which allergies it combats best, and so you have a good idea of where to start! Other hypoallergenic dog foods contain probiotics good for dogs, which can be helpful to your dog's digestive tract. These allergy-sensitive foods are great for healing your dog, but they are also good long term diets for your dog. If your dog responds really well to the food and becomes healthier and happier, you can keep them on a hypoallergenic diet!

Though there are commercial counterparts, the best hypoallergenic dog foods for your dog are those that follow the raw feeding system. Even some commercial companies that sell hypoallergenic dog foods have started packaging frozen raw dog food or raw dehydrated dog food for sale because it really is healthy for dogs. Raw food usually works best with allergies like dermatitis or anything similar and allergies caused by preservatives and food colorants.

Some dogs are allergic to commercial hypoallergenic dog foods, but it's very rare that they are allergic to organic raw dog food. In general, make sure your dog food does not contain chemical preservatives and uses good sources of protein and vegetables. Sometimes changing the source of your food is all that is really needed. If your dog has a food allergy and none of the recommended hypoallergenic dog foods worked, switch them to a raw diet. It will definitely help!

The eight recommended hypoallergenic dog foods are: ACANA, Avoderm, Canidae, Flint River Ranch, Go Natural! Nature's Way, Orijen, and Pinnacle.