What is the best food to feed a dog with food allergies ?

My vet speculates that our dog has food allergies and recommend we switch foods, but he didn't really give us any options. Anyone have any suggestions ?|||The only way to find out what foods your dog is allergic to is to put him on a diet that contains a protein source AND a carbohydrate source that he has NEVER had before. That is because you have to be exposed to something more than once to be allergic to it. You cannot buy a food like this over the counter, unfortunately, because almost all dog foods use the same sources for calcium, phosphorus, trace minerals, and vitamins and these can be derived from food items that your dog is allergic to! So, most vets recommend either using a prescription food or home cooking the dogs food using a weird protein source and weird carb source. The prescription foods are nice because they are completely balanced with just the right amount of protein, carbs, fats, vitamins and minerals and they have taken care to not get any extra food items in the food, nor do they even cook or process the food in a dish that has been used to make other kinds of dog or cat food in. These diets are usually made by Royal Canin or Waltham, there may be some other companies too. But ALL these diets are sold by prescription only, you cannot get them from a pet store. They come in whitefish, salmon, rabbit, duck, venison, and sometimes even kangaroo. The carb sources are usually potato, rice, or peas. If you elect to cook for your dog, you will have to follow a diet that has the right percent of meat to carb and not add any extra vitamins or minerals at first, to be sure that the dog is not allergic to these ingredients first. You have to feed ONLY the prescribed diet, no treats or people food or dog bisquits or bones or table scraps, not even a flavored vitamin or heartworm supplement! And you have to do this for 2 months before you are sure it is going to work or not. It is difficult to follow such a rigid diet plan, but that is what it takes to be sure he isn't allergic to anything he is eating. Once you are on a diet that works, you can try adding in ingredients one at a time, one per week or so (like with new babies on their first baby foods) to see what else he can eat. There is nothing wonderful about raw diets compared to cooked ones where allergies are concerned. Good luck!|||You need to get your dog off commercial kibble and switch to raw dog food immediately. I had an epileptic yellow lab who was actually cured of his seizures because we switched him to raw food (he didn't have a seizure over the final 5 years of his life)... if it can do that for an epileptic dog, imagine what it can do for an otherwise healthy dog.





Here's an article that explains everything you need to know about transitioning to raw food:





http://www.darwinspet.com/transitioning-鈥?/a>





Hope that helps, good luck!|||Well that mostly depends on what your dog is allergic to? If its allergic to any kind of grain, switch to grainfree food (actually theyre almost always the better option for any dog). If the allergies are more complex, you can start preparing the food yourself e.g. a raw diet. For that youd need to do some research but its not as complex as it sounds really and if you do it right, its very good for your dog. Good dog food brands for example are Innova Evo, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Blue Wilderness, Acana and Wellness Core.





If you dont know what your dog is allergic to, start with a diet to exclude certain things. Im not quite sure of the name right now. Basically start feeding him 2 things only, hes never had before. For a lot of dogs that would be horsemeat for example and potatoes. If hes fine with that, after a couple of weeks add a third component and so on and so on. It takes a long time, but youll find out what you can actually feed the dog and then change its diet accordingly. Theres a dog food brand called Exclusion I believe, they offer canned dog food with only 2 components. Maybe you could use that to start.





Another option is a blood test, but theyre not very reliable. Id go with the exclusion diet to find out.





Good luck.|||You need to ask your vet specifically what foods he recommends you feed your dog. There are a lot of diets out there that are specifically meant for allergies that involve specific proteins such as venison, lamb, ostrich, shrimp, etc- or he might mean switching to another general diet.





Since we weren't in the appointment for you, and you are paying your vet good money for his opinion, I would call back and ask him to explain more about what he meant in terms of what you should get.





He knows your dogs health problems intimately- no one on YA! has the training or the personal knowledge of your dog to be able to help.|||The best proteins and carb sources for dogs with food allergies are:





kangaroo and oat





bison/venison and potato





duck and potato





fish and sweet potato/potato





The least common food allergens for dogs are fish and rabbit.





Natural Balance and Wellness CORE are good brands to try, so is Taste of the Wild, or even California Natural. Stay away from foods that have beef, dairy, or wheat.|||Eukanuba is certainly by far NOT the best food out there. I recommend a raw diet as a first choice, but if you can't do that try a minimal ingredient food, like Natural Balance or California Natural.

The best place to start though would be finding out what exactly your dog is allergic to then finding foods that don't have those ingredients.|||my dog has food allergies,i use D ick van Pattens Natural Balance


go to their website and take a look at all of the dog foods.


if your dog itches a lot or losing a lot of his hair,it could be allergies:my dog was tested(a blood test)


if your dog vomits or has diarrhea a lot,try the canned foods:these are easier to digest


if your vet is only speculating and not doing any blood tests,i would go to a different vet.|||I will suggest you Innova Natural Dog food that is tasty for the pets and full of healthy nutrition. It contains a handy composition of meat, dairy items, vegetables, grains and fruits. I have never tried it but listened very appreciative user reviews about that brand. I am sure it will solve your issue.|||The theory is that a lot of allergy issues and shedding comes from a lack of nutrients in your dog鈥檚 diet, namely fatty acids and zinc. This is especially true for people who don鈥檛 feed their dog鈥檚 high quality food.





Give Dinovite 100% All Natural Dog Food Supplement a try from http://www.k9healthsolutions.com/, there's a 90 day money back guarantee if it doesn't help and it鈥檚 cheaper then the vet bills. Honestly dinovite works depending on your dog鈥檚 problems and current diet. It's not a "miracle powder" but has helped many dog owners over the years increase the overall health of their pets.





Dogs, just like people, need certain nutrients in order to be healthy. Without these nutrients, dogs can develop common health problems that can be frustrating to both pet and owner. If you're concerned about your dog's well being, or if they're experiencing some health issues now, take a look at what's in his dog bowl and see if it's really meeting his needs.|||If your dog has serious allergies, you might want to consider switching to a raw diet.





If raw is something you can't do, then try eliminating all grain from his diet. No corn, wheat or soy. Personally, I would avoid rice as well. If he still has problems, then look at the protein source. Beef and chicken tend to be common allergens. Fish based formulas are often well tolerated.|||I would look into the grain-free diets, since grains are the most common allergens for dogs. I personally like Taste of the Wild, Pacific Stream Formula, this is one of the best foods out there and beats anything comparable on price point. It is also made by a company relatively safe from being bought out by Proctor and Gamble.|||I have a dog with horribly allergies and after trying some expensive dog foods to no avail I finally tried making my own food and it worked great. My dog hasn't been better. He was never a big eater but now he can't wait for his meal.





Here it is online


http://www.k9criticalcare.com/pages/PetM鈥?/a>|||you didnt state what your dog is allergic to so there really isnt much that i can tell you as far as what to feed your dog...





my dog has allergies too...chicken, beef, turkey, lamb...so i feed her Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream...





works great for me..





you need to get more information from your vet...|||You should ask a vet about this, try out this site - http://bit.ly/c6qYat - the site offers professional veterinarian's advice and you get feedback regarding your concern in 5-15minutes.|||Eukanuba. Best dog food out there. There are many different "flavors". If you are not sure exactly what your dog is allergic too, you'll have to try to figure it out by checking the ingredients of the food when he gets sick. If you do know what he is allergic to, just read the ingredients on the dog food and make sure that its all good.