.com Forum · Real Show Dogs

I have two Australian Shepherds, both which are very active in agility, as well as some other performance sports. My three year old Aussie is also showing in conformation. Recently, his vet recommended he go on Hill's Prescription Diet z/d because of the limited ingredient list and because it is "hypoallergenic." She believes that he may have some sort of food intolerance. He is currently on Taste of the Wild, which I've never had a problem with. My bitch is also on TOTW, but I suspect her to have allergies.

I am looking for something to switch to that offers limited ingredients, specifically that could be helpful for any dog with potential food allergies/intolerances. I realize how difficult it is to pin point the cause of an allergy, as well as the likelihood of it being an actual food allergy that my bitch has. I'm hopeful that someone here has dealt with something similar before, whether it be through a food "intolerance," or an allergy.

Merricks Grain free Pork formula ... pork is not a common ingredient so limited exposure. I wouldn't feed ANYTHING manufactured by Hills or any other "veterinary" food!! They are all garbage and floor sweepings, cost outrageous amounts for terrible quality and have so many additives that it's impossible to see what the poor dog is actually ingesting.

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Last edited by Tizzy Too on 12/31/2014 8:15:30 PM

We feed our 2 BRT pups 4Health Salmon and Potato formula. They do really well on it, but neither have a food intolerance, just certain ingredients we don't allow them to eat for different reasons.

Our IWs eat Diamond Naturals, either Maintenance, Hi-Energy or the beef/lamb/chicken formulas (we rotate them)

Oh Tizzy Too, I threw that sample baggie they gave me away the moment we walked out of the door. Then I looked up the ingredients and information, just to see if I was possibly overreacting. Yeah, not going to happen...

I once fed my former dog something from Hills, vet recommended of course, and it had the most disappointing results. Never again. And yes, the price on this z/d crap is 2x what i'm paying now for a good quality food. Major downgrade.

Exactly why I want to mimic what it is the vet was getting at, while not compromising the quality of food my dogs deserve (while also not draining my wallet without cause).

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Last edited by wahottsdogs on 12/31/2014 10:54:25 PM

Tizzy has the right idea. But first to start- you can not mimic what the vet is offering. That particular food contains hydrolyzed proteins, which is how it achieves it's hypoallergenic effect. You won't find that in "normal" pet food. and a small selection of dogs are so highly allergic that they end u needing a food like that.

The good news is, most dogs can be maintained on something commercial and higher quality.

You need to personalize this to your dog- what proteins have you fed your dog regularly? What grains/starches? Then find something that contains NONE of them. Be sure to read all of the ingredients, as many foods may say "Salmon flavor" but when you read the ingredients you see they also have chicken or corn or other stuff you want to avoid. This is Really important.

I generally recommend as a start to an allergy elimination diet, that owners start with a grain-free fish-only formula. However, if your dogs have been eating TOTW they may well have been exposed to a lot of fish already. But it's not a terribly common allergen, unlike chicken, beef, corn, wheat, or soy. So it's a start.

Also look at other unique ingredient diets- pork, turkey, ostrich, kangaroo, camel, there's even a brushtail food.

And of course, remember that a dog on an allergy diet gets ONLY treats that have the exact same ingredients as his food- so on a fish diet, dried salmon would be fine. But treats containing salmon and wheat would not be at all- you need to read all the treat ingredients and eliminate table scraps. It doesn't work if you feed an allergy diet, but then keep feeding them the allergen in a treat!

Foods that are known for making allergy diets-
Natural Balance
California Naturals
Grandma Lucy's
Nature's Variety
Evanger's
Addiction
Pure Vita
Natural Planet

Try also-
Fromm
Wellness
Avoderm
lotus
Canidae

You really need to find what works right for you and your dog.

If you want a personal recc- I'll put in a very good word for Orijen Fish. It's one protein- fish. And it is grain and potato free. One bonus this food has is the very high quality of the ingredients that go into it- they are all hormone/antibiotic/pesticide free, free-range etc etc. The bags are inanely pricey per bag, but your dog has to eat a lot less of them. My 20# dog eats it and because she eats so little it works out to just $20/month for me. We tried other grain frees before this one, and she eats significantly less of the Orijen than other high-quality grain frees like Natural Balance. I think the quality of this one is really a plus when choosing allergy diets.

That was me, I timed out.

Have you looked at lupo sensitive 24/10?
"Feeding your dog Lupo Sensitive 24/10 is hypo-allergenic complete dog food, which can reduce food allergies. Some dogs are very sensitive to all sorts of ingredients so it is important that your dog eats a dog food which provides all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy, yet does not contain anything which might provoke an allergic reaction, digestive issues or skin and fur problems. It is not always individual ingredients which cause a reaction, but rather the way they have been processed which can cause denaturisation."

www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/luposan/lupo_sensitive/304241

Have tried it with my girl and she liked it.