Within our pack we have dogs allergic to certain grains and dogs allergic to certain meats, some allergic to both but interestingly more of our dogs have issues with grains than they do meats.
We have seen genetic inheritance of allergies and intolerance to food types, so knowing the health history of parents, litter brothers and sisters, can help when choosing the right diet for your dog. Always ask the breeder if there are any issues you should know about. The right diet could save you a lot of money on vet bills.
There are two main elements to food allergies and we have to tackle them both at once. (ok there can be other ingredients that cause allergies but these 2 are the most common)
Meat & Fish Allergies
Your dog could be allergic to one, two or all protein sources. They may be allergic to all fish or just Salmon. They may be allergic to duck but absolutely fine with all other poultry. It may also only take ingesting the tiniest amount for symptoms to arise.
The good thing about a lot of our recipes is they are SINGLE SOURCE PROTEIN. For example: There is No chicken (poultry) or beef fat hidden in our Pure Life Salmon or Salmon Superfood recipes. Vice versa, there is No Salmon or Salmon Oil in our Chicken & Turkey Pure Life Recipes.
All our ingredients are clearly listed on the label. This makes it very easy to eliminate Proteins that may be causing allergies and Intolerance. If you suspect a protein allergy or intolerance you need to take a look at the food and treats you are/were feeding and choose a new food that contains a Novel Protein Source (this is simply a new meat or fish that your dog has never had before). This way is much quicker than eliminating one ingredient at a time, we want to try eliminate as many as possible and then slowly begin adding them once we have got the symptoms under control, this is less stressful on the immune system.
Grain Allergies
Dogs can be allergic to different grains just like they can different meats or fish. We have recipes that are completely Grain Free or we have a selection of Hypoallergenic Recipes (these do contain some grains but no Wheat or Wheat Gluten). These make it possible to eliminate various grains and identify Grain Allergies and Intolerance.
Finding the right food for your dog to thrive, is not as difficult as you think
1 Know what is in the food you have been feeding
2 Know what symptoms to look for:
Itching (aka pruritus)
Sneezing
Itchy paws
Hot spots
Skin rashes
Scaly and/or oily skin
Pigmented skin
Leathery skin texture
Eye discharge
Red eyes
Hair loss
Ear infections
Secondary yeast or bacterial infections (aka pyoderma) of the skin or ears
Urine infections and cystitis
Wind
Diarrhoea
Soft Stools
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO:
If your dog has symptoms you need to take a look at the ingredients in their food and eliminate as many of the ingredients that could possibly be causing the problem/s. The ingredient we first look at are Meat & Fish and Grains, this will involve switching to a Hypoallergenic Recipe, a Single Source Protein or a Grain Free Recipe (our chosen method is always a single source protein – grain free recipe)
If you chose to start with a Hypoallergic Recipe, you need to take into consideration that to qualify as HYPOALLERGENIC (according to the PMFA Pet Food Manufacturers Association) a food must be ‘formulated without Wheat, Wheat Gluten, Soya, Dairy, Beef or Pork’. This can still leave a lot of possible allergens within the ingredients of a hypoallergenic recipe, so a hypoallergenic recipe alone may not solve your problem. Your dog could be allergic to other grains, meat or fish in the hypoallergenic recipe. However, Hypoallergenic does eliminate the top 5 allergens so it is a place to start and if you are lucky it may work.
(Do not forget to check your dog treats for the ingredients you are trying to eliminate. If your dog is on a Hypoallergenic, Grain Free Diet or a Single Source Protein Kibble his treats also need to be the same.)
HYPOALLERGENIC RECIPES
From our Hypoallergenic Recipes we would recommend:
Super Premium (Hypoallergenic) Salmon & Potato. Here you have eliminated the top 5 known allergens: Wheat, Wheat Gluten, Soya, Dairy, Beef or Pork.
Click here – Super Premium Salmon & Potato 15KG
If your dog was already previously eating a fish recipe try: Super Premium (Hypoallergenic) Duck and potato. Here you have eliminated the top 5 known allergens: Wheat, Wheat Gluten, Soya, Dairy, Beef or Pork. Plus switched to a new protein source.
Click here – Super Premium Duck & Potato 15KG
NB BOTH THE ABOVE RECOMMENDED SUPER PREMIUM RECIPES CONTAIN CHICKEN FAT. THEY ARE NOT SINGLE SOURCE PROTEIN. IF CHICKEN IS WHAT YOUR DOG IS ALLERGIC TO, THEY COULD STILL REACT TO EVEN THE SMALLEST AMOUNT.
SINGLE SOURCE PROTEIN – GRAIN FREE RECIPES- PURE LIFE & SUPERFOOD 65
If you are already feeding or have tried a Hypoallergenic Recipe and are still getting symptoms you can opt for a Grain Free Recipe. We highly advise trying a SINGLE SOURCE PROTEIN recipe that only has one meat or fish source, this way you can cut out all of the meats or fish that were in the food that was causing the problem.
Our Recommended Single Source Protein Recipes – (Choose a Protein that your dog was not eating before, remember to check the fat and stock in the old food)
Click here – Grain Free Pure Life Turkey, Sweet Potato & Cranberry 15KG
Click here – Grain Free Pure Life Pork, Sweet Potato & Apple
Click here – Grain Free Pure Life Chicken, Sweet Potato & Herbs
Click here – Grain Free Pure Life Duck, Sweet Potato & Orange
We also have various Grain Free, Multi Fish Recipes available.
Click here – Grain Free Salmon, Trout, Sweet Potato Asparagus 15KG
Click here – Grain Free Tuna with Salmon, Sweet Potato & Broccolli 15KG
Click here – Grain Free Haddock with Sweet Potato & Parlsey 15KG
Superfood 65 Single Source Protein Recipes
For a 65% Meat or Fish Content, Single Source Protein, Grain Free Kibble. Try one of our Superfood 65% Recipes.
Click here – Superfood 65 Salmon & Sweet Potato, Dill, Spinach, Fennel, Asparagus & Tomato
Click here – Superfood 65 Duck with Sweet Potato, Parsnip, Beetroot, Orange, Asparagus & Pumpkin
Once you find a food that suits your dog you can start adding more proteins or grains, one by one, this way you can watch for any adverse reaction. You can then begin to feed multi-protein recipes or switch between single source protein recipes, this not only keeps your dog/s interested in their food but research shows that switching between flavours stops the body developing Allergies to proteins they are constantly fed. Remember, allergies can come on at any stage in a dogs life.
Puppy Food Pure Life Grain Free & Superfood Salmon Puppy
Our Grain Free Pure Life Puppy Kibble has a 60% Meat content, all contents are clearly listed in the composition and there is no hidden ingredients, no artificial colours or preservatives. If you have a puppy showing allergy symptoms to chicken, beef or lamb we would recommend trying the All Fish recipe. We also have 2 Single Source Recipes available in our Superfood 65 Recipes.
Click here – Grain Free Puppy 60% Salmon, Haddock, Blue Whiting with Sweet Potato & Asparagus
Click here – Grain Free Puppy 60% Chicken, Turkey, Salmon, Sweet Potato & Carrots
Click here – Grain Free 60% Large Breed Puppy Salmon (Single Source Protein Recipe)
Our Superfood Salmon Puppy Kibble is available in 65% Salmon content or 65% Beef conten, these are Single Source Protein Recipes.
Click here – Superfood 65 Salmon Puppy Recipe with Dill, Spinach, Fennel, Asparagus & Tomato
Click here – Superfood 65 Beef & Sweet Potato, Carrots, Green Beans, Cauliflower, Tomato & Courgette. (the beef is labelled adult but suitable for all life stages)