What Is Hypoallergenic Dog Food?
How would you know if your dog has a food allergy? One of the most common signs of an allergic reaction to a food or ingredient is a skin rash, but other symptoms can be itchy paws and ear infections. If your dog is suffering from any of these symptoms, it’s always advisable to seek the advice of your vet. However, you can also take a close look at what your pet’s eating, as the reason could stem from one or more of the ingredients in their diet. If this is the case, it may take some time as you patiently play detective and try to eliminate ingredients or introduce novel proteins (such as duck or venison) your dog has not eaten before.
What are food allergies in dogs?
Oh, don’t we all wish they could talk! If there are no obvious signs, such as a rash or itchy paws, it can be tricky to spot a food allergy in a dog as their symptoms may be similar to other ailments. Food allergies occur when your dog’s immune system mistakenly identifies a particular food, usually a protein, as harmful and the immune system then produces defensive antibodies to fight them.
One of the quickest ways to rule out potential food intolerances is by switching to a hypoallergenic food. Guru’s Tasty Tucker can really help your pet’s day-to-day health as it’s not only hypoallergenic but as with all of Guru’s recipes, it’s also free from gluten.
How is hypoallergenic dog food different?
‘Hypoallergenic’ simply means ‘unlikely to cause an allergic reaction’ and some foods contain a variety of protein sources with limited or novel ingredients and can also be grain free.
One protein that is low on the list of potential allergens is chicken, so a good place to start would be our Tasty Tucker that also includes fish with healthy omega 3 oils. This limited ingredient approach is a simple (and tasty) way of feeding your dog with identifiable food allergies.
Our popular Venison Sausages are a single, novel protein and don’t contain any other meat. As many dogs have not eaten venison, this rare and delicious treat could be the answer. We also use duck as a main source of protein in our Full On Feast recipe which is both grain and gluten free.
Can healthy food prevent allergies?
Yes it can! We’re conscious that food allergies are a problem and we keep this in mind while creating our recipes. For example, we use maize germ in our food as it offers high levels of energy and is easily digestible but the germ doesn’t have the starchy endosperm that contains the carbs and gluten. Also, in the recipes where we include grain, we prefer to use brown rice for carbohydrates, as very few dogs seem to be allergic to it.
We also use a limited number of main ingredients, which hark back to our home feeding days, as meat can be a common cause of allergies in dogs. This is one of the reasons why we ensure that all our varieties of food and treats are made with different proteins.
If you would like to know more about our ingredients or our cold pressed food, please drop us a line at [email protected] or you can also find a full list of ingredients and nutrients on the shop page of our website.
If you think your dog may have an allergy or food intolerance, there’s no need to panic. Get in touch with the Guru Geeks and we’ll help you find the the perfect hypoallergenic dog food for your Geekster xx
