Dogs with Food Allergies: Novelty Protein Dog Food

Dogs with Food Allergies: Novelty Protein Dog Food

The story

I have a Boxer, Bull Mastiff Mix named Leo who constantly struggles with itching and scratching. It got to a point where I felt so bad for him, not just because he's my best friend, but because I can tell he felt uncomfortable. I finally had enough and collected my vet's phone number and made a trip to the vet. Leo had rashes on his stomach and kept licking his paws to catch infection.

The first thing the vet asked me was, “What kind of food do you feed him?” I responded with “a healthy meal without corn or by-products.” He said, “That’s good, but what’s the formula?” I told him it was chicken. He said I might want to try feeding a novel protein, something other than chicken beef or lamb, which are common ingredients in dog food. The vet told me that most people come in thinking their dogs are scratching from fleas, but it turns out it's usually the food they're feeding. He said if I try feeding a healthy dog ​​food with a novel protein, my dog ​​will most likely respond better because he has never been exposed to that specific meat source. The vet said that just like humans, dogs can become allergic to any ingredient at any time. He had mentioned a few options for food that I could feed, but I insisted on going home and doing my own thorough research to find out which dog food would be right for my dog. I came across a lot of very healthy foods that were grain-free, but I still didn't know which direction to go. I eventually narrowed it down to a few limited ingredient diets that included a new protein as the first ingredient that might work for my dog. The types of dog foods I found were very simple, easy on the stomach and easy on the skin.

The progress

Week after week, Leo became a whole new dog. His skin problems have improved greatly and the areas of dermatitis between his paws have disappeared. His rashes near his stomach had also disappeared.

The solution

It turns out that Leo was simply reacting to the chicken. Now, not that chicken is a bad ingredient, but chicken is a cheaper protein and most of the foods he ate had chicken as the main ingredient. After switching to a Novelty protein The skin cleared up.

The conclusion

If your dog has skin problems, look at the ingredients on the package of dog food you feed and see what meat sources are available. If you see chicken, beef, or lamb, this is probably the problem. Also, make sure there is no corn, wheat, or soy. Grain-free would be a good choice with a single novel protein.

Inspired by A. B. Ryan