Feeding a Dog with Allergies

1. Identify Allergens:
Work with your veterinarian to identify the specific allergens affecting your dog. Common dietary allergens include grains, dairy and certain proteins such as Chicken and Beef.

2. Hypoallergenic Dog Food:
The term ‘Hypoallergenic’ is used far too often these days as there is no technical classification as to what makes a food ‘hypoallergenic’. This has reached a stage where you can even find Veterinary prescription diets labelled as ‘hypoallergenic’ that still contains grains and inferior hydrolysed protein sources. Therefore, you should be diligent in checking ingredients yourself rather than trusting them based off of the word ‘hypoallergenic’.

3. Avoid Common Allergens:
If you are unsure what allergens solicit a reaction from your dog, then you should try to avoid common allergens all together. These include: Grain (wheat, cereals gluten etc), Soy, Dairy, Beef, Chicken and Poultry in general.

4. Safe Diets:
If your dog is prone to reactions but has not had allergy testing done yet, then one of the safest options is a grain free Fish based diet. Fish is a relatively unique Protein source, with very few dogs having an intolerance towards it. Fish is also very easy to digest, so less likely to cause any digestive issues when breaking it down. Naturally, Fish contains high levels of Omega Oils which are beneficial in aiding skin and coat condition; the importance of which is paramount due to allergy flare ups commonly affecting the skin.

5. Process of Elimination:
In order to find a food that suits your dog best, you may need to experiment with some trial and error. This would involve stripping back their diet to just a grain free complete food containing one meat source and eliminating treats. If there are still signs of a reaction after trialling this, you should transition to a different single meat source food (e.g. from Chicken to Fish) and monitor the progress. Once the dog seems settled on a particular complete food, you can slowly begin introducing natural grain free treats back into their diet, ideally using the same single meat source that replicates their complete food.

6. Supplements:
Depending on your dogs’ specific needs, there are a variety of supplements that your dog may benefit from. A drizzle of Salmon Oil over each meal is a great way to boost their Omega Oil intake for promoting healthy skin and coat. Digestive supplements with pro-biotics and pre-biotics help maintain a balanced gut and digestive health.

7. Create Your Own Raw Diet
If your dog suffers severely from a wide variety of ingredients, you may consider feeding a custom-made raw diet with home sourced ingredients/meats. Feeding a complete raw diet correctly takes a lot of research, but it leaves you in full control over what your dog eats. Even though we only supply dry food here at Bentley’s, we are happy to share our nutritional expertise with you to help create a tailor-made raw diet plan for you if you feel there are no other options.

8. Regular Monitoring:
Consistently monitor your dog for any signs of allergies or adverse reactions, including itching, redness, gastrointestinal issues, or changes in behaviour. If problems persist, consult your Vet. If your dog has severe reactions, you may consider having allergen testing done. You can also contact your food manufacturer for their recommendations on other recipes that may suit your dog better.