What Does Hypoallergenic Dog Food Mean?

Hypoallergenic dog food is designed to eliminate your dog’s exposure to potentially harmful allergens, thereby reducing the chances of allergic reactions and intolerances. If you’re looking to learn more on the topic, “what does hypoallergenic food mean”, you can find a complete definition below.

You can also get advice on checking to see if your dog is allergic to their food, the types of foods dogs can have reactions to, and we provide a breakdown of some of the best hypoallergenic food currently available in the UK.

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What Does Hypoallergenic Dog Food Mean?

Hypoallergenic dog food is specially formulated to reduce the risk of allergic reactions in dogs by avoiding common allergens and using carefully selected ingredients. These diets typically exclude ingredients like beef, chicken, dairy, grains like wheat, soy, and corn, which are frequent triggers of food allergies in dogs. Instead, they often feature novel protein sources such as lamb, venison, duck, or fish, and contain limited ingredients to help pinpoint and avoid specific allergens more easily. This makes hypoallergenic food particularly useful in elimination trials supervised by vets.

While hypoallergenic diets can benefit dogs with food allergies, intolerances, or sensitive stomachs, they’re not guaranteed to be allergen-free, as each dog may react differently. What’s hypoallergenic for one dog might still cause issues for another. Therefore, it’s always best to consult with a veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist before switching to such a diet. Hypoallergenic food can support better digestion, reduce itching or gastrointestinal symptoms, and help improve your dog’s overall quality of life if used appropriately.

How Can I Tell If My Dog Is Allergic To His Food?

Thankfully for owners, the symptoms of an allergic response to food is quite clear in dogs. However, they can be confused with other conditions, as well as food intolerances.

Dogs can inherit food allergies from their parents, so if you know that they had any problems then chances are your dog could experience the same.

The main symptoms of a dog food allergy reaction include:

• Rashes, particularly on the stomach, feet, face, ears, groin or chin
• Swelling
• Itchiness of skin, paws or ears
• Skin that’s tender to touch
• Sneezing
• Eye discharge
• Red eyes
• Stomach upset, such as diarrhaea or vomiting
• Saliva staining, which can be pink or brown
• Dogs can also break out in hives
• And they may suffer from excessive wind

These symtoms may not show up right away, but in most cases dog allergic reactions are instant. Be aware. however, that it can take between several minutes or hours, or up to 14 days for symptoms to develop.

If your dog breaks out in these symptoms, it’s worth calling your vet. Explain the situation on the phone and the food that they’ve eaten (keep hold of any packaging if you can) and they’ll likely inform you whether or not you need to visit them. At the very least, they’ll offer advice on what to do to help your dog.

What Foods Can Dogs Be Allergic To?

There’s a range of different foods that dogs can be allergic to. Some of these allergies can be developed over time too, particularly in cases of repeated exposure.

Below, we’ve broken down the top few foods and given some extra details about the science behind it:

• Beef – the biggest food allergen for dogs are the proteins found in beef. It’s a common ingredient used in many types of foods. If a dog doesn’t enjoy a varied diet then it’s possible for them to develop an allergy to beef over time.
• Wheat – this is a type of grain which some people believe are allergens to dogs, hence why there are so many brands of grain-free dog food. An allergy to wheat is rare, however, so it’s always best speaking with your vet to work out the true triggers.
• Eggs – dogs can suffer reactions to the proteins found in egg yolk. It essentially forces them to overract, triggering symptoms.
• Chicken and Lamb – as with beef, repeated feeding of chicken and lamb can cause sensitivities to the proteins found in these meats. Lamb is less common, however, because it’s not as widely fed to dogs in comparison to beef and chicken.
• Soy – dogs are known to have poor reactions to soy, causing problems beyond the symptoms of an allergic reaction. It’s said to impact the thyroid and liver. Further research and consultations with your vet would be necessary before giving your dog any type of soy product.

Is hypoallergenic dog food the same as grain-free?

No. A true hypoallergenic dog food doesn’t contain any allergens. However, a grain-free brand of food focuses on that specific ingredient; it may still include chicken, beef and lamb.

Which Hypoallergenic Dog Food Is Best (UK)?

We all want what’s best for our dog, but we also want them to enjoy their lives and that includes the food that they eat. With so many different brands out there, we thought we’d provide you with some information on each one to help you make the best decision for your pooch:

• Purina Pro Plan Hypoallergenic Dry Dog Food – this brand is a true hypoallergenic dog food, containing no proteins in at all. It is replaced, however, with soya, so check with your vet first to see if this could spark a reaction. Some reviewers online have commented on this so it could be an issue.
• Royal Canin Hypoallergenic Dry Dog Food – like with the Purina brand, this one also uses a soya protein. However, it’s classed as a hydrolysed soya protein isolate with a low molecular weight. The impact of this is that it’s low in allergenicity. Again, check with your vet to see if this could be suitable before feeding.
• AVA Health Sensitive Skin And Stomach Dog Food – this hypoallergenic brand of dog food utilises a white fish recipe. It doesn’t contain any soya like the other two brands, nor does it have wheat, pork,or dairy. Reviews of this brand have been positive, despite comments over the bad packaging.

What Does Hypoallergenic Dog Food Mean? – Get More Advice

To learn more about what hypoallergenic dog food means, you can check out these links below:

• A guide to dog illnesses and allergies by the RSPCA
• A guide on diet and nutrition for dogs by the Dogs Trust
• What are good natural dog treats?
• How often should you treat your dog for fleas?

If you have any more questions, be sure to contact us. And to learn more about what Luna’s Pack, check out our About page.