Hypoallergenic dog food - How to help your dog with allergies!

 What does "hypoallergenic" dog food mean?

As a rule, certain proteins and protein compounds are the trigger for the allergic reaction to feed allergies. It is therefore important that dog food for allergy sufferers does not contain these proteins. This is the case with hypoallergenic dog food, because, as the name suggests, it is "provided with little allergenic substances". Frequent allergy-causing protein structures are dispensed with in the composition and alternatives are used instead. Hypoallergenic dog food from Green Petfood uses high-quality insect protein for this, as this is a very rarely used source of protein - this makes sustainable dog food an allergy-free dog food par excellence.

In line with the intention to contain as few or no allergenic substances as possible, anti-allergy dog food is also grain-free. InsectDog Hypoallergen is a complete feed that is ideally suited for adult, allergy-stricken dogs due to the use of selected ingredients and the absence of frequently used animal protein sources. Due to its components and additives such as certain vitamins and minerals, our InsectDog Hypoallergen, like all of our other varieties, is tailored to ensure that your dog is well looked after. For this, it has been certified by the DLG and rated "very good". In addition, it was tested in a clinical study at LMU Munich and rated as very positive.

It is important for food intolerance that you not only give your fur nose hypoallergenic dog food, but also make sure that the treats do not contain the allergenic substances. Because with a strong dog food allergy, even the smallest dog biscuit can cause the allergy symptoms. You can only protect your dog from the allergens by the interaction of a hypoallergenic complete feed and the same reward. Treats are also not necessary to fully and healthily feed your dog. They are primarily intended to reward and pamper him. For these reasons, it is especially nice if you use high-quality products. Or you can squeeze a little of the daily portion of dry food and let your dog work it out - even so he can feel rewarded.

These signs may indicate that your dog is struggling with an allergy or intolerance. This is due to certain substances that cause a reaction in the immune system. They are called allergens and cause various symptoms.

Characteristics of a feed allergy:

diarrhea

Vomit

Inflammation of the ear or ear canal

Fur loss

Inflamed skin areas (so-called hot spots)

Itching in the mouth or on the body

Flatulence

Fragile claws

The symptoms appear when your darling has a dog food allergy, but they can also be indications of other diseases. It is therefore important that you have the cause clarified by a veterinarian, such as through an allergy test. Itchy skin, frequent licking and scratching as well as hot spots can also be triggered by a mite allergy. Changing the feed too quickly, spoiled food or poisoned baits can also cause diarrhea and vomiting.

This includes:

Parasites like fleas, mites or worms

Mushrooms

Bacterial infections

Organic suffering

stress

Furthermore, in many cases, allergies are also caused by food because it contains ingredients that your dog cannot tolerate or that fights its body's defense system. More specifically, these are certain protein-containing components that can cause allergic reactions in the dog. So-called hypoallergenic dog food can help to prevent your dog from reacting defensively to the allergens.

Although studies on the prevalence of feed allergies in dogs have been conducted for over 30 years, there are still no reliable figures on the frequency of occurrence of the complaints. On the one hand, this may be due to the fact that there are no uniform, comparable studies. On the other hand, due to the different nomenclature, it is difficult to distinguish between allergic and non-allergic causes of feed hypersensitivity. Common to several study authors is only the similar result with regard to actual feed intolerances: Much more common than a feed allergy in dogs is the intake of unsuitable feed and non-immunological feed intolerance.

Even if typical symptoms of a dog food allergy appear to more and more four-legged friends, different researchers agree independently: There are no breed, gender or age predispositions in dogs (but also in cats). Studies in the 1960s, 80s, 90s and early 21st century provided similar results. In many studies, a relatively large number of dogs (between 33 and 55%) affected by food intolerance were under one year old.

What can you do if your dog is intolerant to feed?

First of all, it is best to go to the vet with him to have the intolerance determined. This is possible through an allergy test, i.e. examinations of the blood and skin, but also through an exclusion diet. With this, your dog has to eat special food for allergy sufferers for several weeks, which consists only of a certain meat and carbohydrate source. You can either buy this ready or you can cook it yourself for your dog. A nutrition plan drawn up by the veterinarian will support you.

Once the allergens have been determined, the feed can be changed. You should take this slowly and bring patience. The desired effect does not appear immediately in every four-legged friend. For some, it takes up to a quarter of a year for the allergy symptoms to go away completely.

In order to optimally feed your dog with a dog food allergy, we have developed a special product. This uses insects as an alternative source of protein.

Reasons and advantages for insects as feed:

Insects have so far not been used in the production of pet food.

In other cultures, for example in Asia, insects have been valued as high-quality protein suppliers for many years. They also have lots of valuable minerals and fatty acids, so they contribute to your dog's healthy diet.

In contrast to the use of meat, the environment is less polluted when producing feed with insects. This results in fewer greenhouse gases, less stress on the soil and much less water consumption.

Allergy-free dog food with insect protein has a positive effect on both the environment and humans. On the one hand, less agricultural land has to be used for production. On the other hand, feed consumption is significantly lower than with conventional meat production, so that the scarcity of resources can be counteracted.

A special product, such as hypoallergenic dog food, does not necessarily have to be used to change the feed. This has primarily ingredients that in most cases do not cause allergy or intolerance. However, even such a special product cannot rule out a dog food allergy if it contains a substance that your dog cannot tolerate. It is therefore important that you give him a feed that does not contain the allergen. This is why the exclusion diet is so important because it tells you what ingredients your dog is reacting to. Many dogs are responsible for proteins that are contained in cereals or meat. A grain-free dog food or a product that does not contain certain animal protein sources can be the solution to your dog's symptoms.

Special ingredients are used for our products so that the feed is particularly well tolerated and allergies to typical dog food components are almost impossible.

For example:

Wheat, oats, barley and other cereals are replaced by carbohydrate alternatives such as potatoes and peas.

Typical animal proteins from beef or fish are not used. Instead, high-quality vegetable protein sources such as peas or alternatives such as insects provide essential proteins.

An optimal nutrient supply is guaranteed by natural additives like algae and yeast

When your dog reacts to grain and meat proteins, you legitimately ask yourself whether a grain and meat-free diet would be healthy for him. The answer is very clear: yes! Because of their genetic development, dogs are omnivores, unlike their ancestors, the wolves. You can not only use meat, but also fruit, vegetables and cereals. With starchy foods like potatoes or rice they have no problems. It has been scientifically proven that they can digest them - much better than the wolf. A wide range of different foods is therefore available to provide your dog with a healthy diet. It is crucial in the selection and composition that your four-legged friend receives all the nutrients that are important for his health.

An allergy test in dogs is not intended to reveal the diagnosis of an allergy, but rather to determine the tolerated or disease-causing substances. Since dogs without allergy also have positive test results and animals with the same disease can be tested negatively, an allergy test is only recommended if no other cause can be found for the symptoms such as itching. If no bacteria, fungi or parasites have been identified and metabolic diseases have been ruled out, an allergy test makes sense. If an allergy test is positive, the veterinarian will initiate the appropriate therapy: In the event of allergies to dust mites or insect bites, hyposensitization or desensitization therapy is possible, which serves to lower the excessive immune response. In the case of feed allergies, an elimination diet is the first choice, i.e. avoiding certain feeds while strictly selecting the protein sources.

Some Green Petfood products contain high-quality herbal ingredients that are optimally tailored to the needs of dogs. Because of the absence of typical allergens such as wheat and meat protein, they are well suited for dog food allergies. Hypoallergenic dog food usually reduces the symptoms of feed allergy from a few days to a maximum of a few weeks. You should continue to use hypoallergenic dog food even after the symptoms have disappeared. Later sensitization to the "new" food components is possible, but is rather rare.

Allergy in dogs can have different causes and has to be determined in sometimes tedious procedures.

If you recognize your darling and his story of suffering when it comes to food, don't think twice and get in touch with us. We are at your side with advice and day and will find the right food for your best friend. We have a selection of different types of food that are suitable for allergy sufferers and help you choose the right one. Regardless of whether you choose our VeggieDog (meat-free) or our InsectDog (with insect protein), they offer your four-legged friend an alternative if he suffers from intolerance or allergies.