Dogs can develop allergies to many things, including fleas, things they come into contact with, such as bedding or a flea collar or your living room carpet. It is when they develop an allergy to the food that you feed to them that life can become really miserable for your dog.
You may notice that your dog is overly itchy or his skin is irritated. He may even have “hot spots” which are sores that ooze and may become infected. Soon, your dog will develop a plethora of health issues if you do not deal with the issue at hand as soon as possible, and that is the poor diet that you are feeding to your dog. So what is contained in dog food for allergies?
The question here, really is what is not contained in dog food for allergies. The reality is that commercially prepared dog foods contain a lot of ingredients that you may not be able to identify by reading the label. If you knew the truth behind what some of these ingredients actually are or what they are derived from you would be shocked and horrified.
The Issue with Commercial Dog Food
A lot of the ingredients in dog foods are scraps and by products which are basically “parts” such as the beaks and legs and bones of chickens or other animals. These by products are what is not used by meat plants for human consumption. Sometimes, animals are specifically butchered for dog food production, like elderly horses.
We could really get into the gory details here, but we will spare you those. The truth is that in searching for a dog food for allergies, you should search for a food that is hypo allergenic and contains less “filler”. If a food starts off with a corn by product or rice or some other grain, it is likely to cause an allergic reaction in your dog.
Other options include making your own food at home with ingredients that you purchase from a local store, or purchasing an organic dog food. If you choose to make your own dog food, you should make sure you get some good recipes to ensure that you are including all of the foods your dog requires to obtain the necessary nutrition from his food.
Finding Hypoallergenic Dog Food Recipes
Dogs with allergies need special consideration and part of that is a change in diet. This can be easily accomplished by a simple search for dog food recipes for dogs with allergies.
Dogs that have allergies in the large part have a serious sensitivity to commercially prepared food, which is the food that is generally available for a fairly low cost in your local supermarket.
Although commercially prepared dog food may be convenient, there is actually very little that the manufacturers take into consideration when it comes to your dog’s health and need for a nutritious food.
- The ingredients that are used in these recipes are usually whole or fresh foods, or foods, lean meats and broths for flavoring. There are no added preservatives or fillers. Fillers are added to commercially prepared dog food to increase their bulk and weight, but provide absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever.
- You can control exactly what goes into dog food recipes for dogs with allergies by choosing the recipes that you deem appropriate.
- Large batches of these recipes can be prepared and then divided into individual serving sizes which can be frozen for future use.
Many dog owners find that dog food recipes for dogs with allergies are readily available in many popular sources.
You may go to your local bookstore and purchase a book, download one online or even find recipes for free. The recipes in themselves are great; however, you will need to supplement the food by adding minerals and vitamins to ensure that your dog is getting all of the nutritional value that he requires daily.
There are many ways to prepare dog food recipes for dogs with allergies.
Making Dog Food in Bulk
The best thing to keep in mind is that you want to prepare large quantities of the recipe as mentioned earlier, so that you do not have to prepare it repeatedly throughout the week. You may wish to prepare enough for several weeks, and you also may wish to prepare more than one recipe to give your dog some variety.
Eating the same thing day in and day out can become very mundane, as you are probably quite aware. In addition, if you are supplementing, be sure to keep the vitamins and minerals separate from the recipe, adding it in only at the last moment in order to ensure optimum benefit from a fresh supplement.
Once you stop feeding your dog a commercially available food and begin feeding him a restaurant quality home recipe dog food (restaurant quality when compared to the garbage available for purchase in a bag). You will begin to notice many changes for the better.
Your dog will probably stop scratching, hot spots and dog skin irritation will disappear, there will be no more paw licking and his skin will begin to become less dry. Your dog deserves to be healthy and happy and you have a responsibility to feed him as best as you can, while also ensuring he is receiving the proper nutrition.
Following dog food recipes for dogs with allergies is a simple and cost effective method of enhancing your pet’s general well being.