When you have a dog with food allergies, it can be a struggle to find a food that works for your dog, especially if you haven’t had them tested for food allergies. That would be my first suggestions since it gives you a printout of the foods your dog is allergic to. That way you can take that list to the pet food store and find the right food for your dog. If you can’t afford the allergy testing, or just haven’t done it yet, I wanted to suggest some limited ingredient foods and treats that might be helpful for your dog.
Limited ingredient foods usually consist of one protein and one carbohydrate, plus a beneficial oil like canola or sunflower. Here are a few of the limited ingredient brands that are available:
I really like the simplicity of this brand. It contains only 5 main ingredients in the formula: Duck, Lamb or Salmon, Ground Rice, Canola Oil, Tomato Pomace and Vitamins & Minerals. This simple, natural recipe limits the number of ingredients your dog is exposed to each day while nourishing simply and completely. We tried bot the Lamb & Rice and the Duck & Rice formulas. Both Phoebe and Emma liked the food and did quite well on it. The downfall for us was the higher price and smaller bag. We go through food rather quickly around here with two dogs, but if this food fits your budget, I highly recommend it. Wellness Simple Solutions is also available in canned food.
This is the brand that we are currently feeding. We like the Lamb & Rice formula. It’s available in large & small bites, and also comes in cans. The girls both do great on it and it’s reasonably priced. It has 9 main ingredients including: Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins & Minerals, Taurine and Rosemary Extract. There are other formulas available like Chicken Rice, Herring & Sweet Potato, and some new grain free formulas, but they’re not quite as simple as the Lamb & Rice. Grain free formulas can be tricky with allergenic dogs, because the foods tend to include a large amount of vegetables and fruits to make up for the grains. When you add in more ingredients, there’s a higher chance for your dog to be allergic to something in the formula. But every dog is different, so if you know what your dog is allergic to and you find a grain free formula that works for your dog, you should definitely give it a try.
Natural Balance Lamb & Rice
Photo Credit: www.naturalbalnceinc.com
Natural Balance Allergy Formulas
This is another brand that we’ve used a lot. We sometimes rotate this with the California Natural Lamb & Rice. Main ingredients include: Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, Ground White Rice, Rice Bran, Canola Oil, Lamb and Tomato Pomace. This formula also comes in large bits and canned food. Natural Balance makes 7 allergy formulas, so you should be able to find one that’s right for you dog. The bags are a decent size and are reasonably priced.
Now for some treats…
Finding limited ingredient treats is a lot easier than it was when Phoebe was first diagnosed with food allergies almost 6 years ago. The thing that always bothered me, was that you could have a great limited ingredient food, but the treats from that same brand weren’t limited at all. I make my own treats occasionally, and you can find that recipe here. But for those of you who would prefer to buy treats, here are a few brands I recommend:
Barkwheats Grain Free Dog Treats are made with a variety of nutritious ingredients. Barkwheats is located in Stockton Springs, Maine and they source all their ingredients locally, with the exception of their Fair Trade Ginger. Barkwheats uses buckwheat flour which is actually not a grain but a berry, making these treats grain free. The treats are available in four flavors:
SeaVegetable & Chamomile: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Honey, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Kelp (Sea Vegetables), Organic Chamomile
Blueberry & Lavender: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Blueberries, Honey, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Lavender
Ginger & Parsley: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Honey, Organic Canola Oil, Fair Trade Certified Organic Ginger, Organic Parsley
Pumpkin & Sage: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Pumpkin, Honey, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Sage
Max & Ruffy’s 5 Star Blueberry TreatsMax & Ruffy’s organic, vegan treats are handmade using nutritious, limited ingredients and are available in six flavors and two sizes, regular bites and mini bites:
W.P Pizza: Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Organic Tomato Paste, Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Parsley, Organic Oregano, Organic Garlic
Molasses Explosion 1919: Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Blackstrap Molasses, Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil
5 Star Blueberry: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Blueberries, Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Ginger
Powerhouse: Sweet Potato & Alfalfa: Buckwheat Flour, Organic Sweet Potato, Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Sun-Cured Ground Alfalfa
The Kelp Highway: Butternut Squash & Kelp: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Butternut Squash, Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Dried Kelp, Organic Parsley
Mother Quinoa’s Pumpkin Patch: Organic Pumpkin, Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Quinoa Flour, Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Nutmeg, Organic Cloves
I hope these suggestions are helpful to you and your pup. If you have any other questions about limited ingredient foods or treats, please feel free to leave a comment. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon.
Andi
Dogs with Allergies
