# Hypo-allergenic Dog foods



## Jeven's Tyde (Feb 1, 2012)

Regarding the Taste of the Wild Bison one, anyone have any issues with their puppy being allergic?

Tyde's been scratching a lot lately... could he develop allergies to it, even if he's been eating it?

What is the BEST (and I know a lot of people will offer different opinions) food for an allergic dog? 

I don't necessarily know for sure it's his food... but I figured him eating the most hypo-allergenic dog food there is, wouldn't hurt the situation...

And... I JUST searched for "hypo-allergenic" dog food and up pops this blog... Any one familiar with these dog foods? (Orijen is listed and I know people are familiar with that and it's highly recommended - so I mean the others). I'm not sure how old this site is... 

Hypoallergenic Dog Food


----------



## kbella999 (Jan 6, 2012)

Personally I would do raw but if you don't want to go that route, you could try Go! Natural Salmon. It is a pretty good food as far as kibble goes and limited ingredients. GO! SENSITIVITY + SHINE Salmon Recipe for Dogs | Petcurean


----------



## Jeven's Tyde (Feb 1, 2012)

I've thought about feeding him raw, but honestly, my budget is limited and I thought it would be more expensive (by far) than dog food... but if the hypo-allergenic dogs foods are way more expensive, then feeding raw wouldn't be any different.

I will go check out the threads about feeding raw. I think what worries me most is making sure he gets the right amount of balance in his diet. _Supposedly_, I should be able to feed him dog food, and he receive the right amount of the things he needs... where as with raw food, I would need to make sure I'm giving him a variety of things to keep the right balance (which I have no idea what the right balance of "things" is). It's worrisome to me on whether or not he'd get the right amount of whatever if I'm the one figuring it out...

I'm sure there are typical menus on the raw forum of what to feed.

Thanks for the hypo dog food suggestion too!


----------



## sabledog (Mar 13, 2012)

You don't need to feed anything but the right amount of meat, bones, and organs. I add salmon oil and vitamin e, but you don't have to add anything else at all.

The best hypoallergenic food is going to depend on what your dog is allergic to. Do you know if he has any allergies against certain protein sources? Or just grains?


----------



## Jeven's Tyde (Feb 1, 2012)

I'm not really sure what or even if it's food... I just figured I'd start with his diet, get him on something better, and if he doesn't stop itching/scratching, my next stop is the vet. 

I'm not really assuming it's a food allergy... just figuring that IF it IS a food allergy, I can switch to a hypo-allergenic food, and even if it's NOT a food allergy (and he continues to itch/scratch), a hypo-allergenic food be still be ok for him.


My daughter did notice some red blotchy spots in his armpit the other day... but they're no longer there. He usually itches/scratchs his hindside, top of his hind legs (when doing the bitting scratch), and his when he's scratching with his back paws, it seems to be his neck and top of his back.


----------



## Jeven's Tyde (Feb 1, 2012)

Oh, and I was looking at the Excel sheet for figuring out proper amounts/weights/ounces... it was extremely confusing. I didn't understand what way to put on the sheet... it said your dog's "Ideal" weight, or it might have just said weight... maybe it was "target" weight... I don't know what that is...He's just a pup. (I hope I don't sound too ignorant here...) 

I need basic and simple instructions, typical costs, etc...

Like "Take a whole chicken, chop it up, weigh out 10oz bags and feed your dog twice a day, with gizzards on the side once a day"... or "10 oz of porkchop twice a day" etc.... and you'll spend APROX $100/month doing that... depending on meat prices.


Lol. I, personally, would love to do what's best for my dog... I love this guy. I'm limited by my available funds, but also fightened by all the info, etc. I think it seems pretty elementary to people who are use to doing it, or who have been doing it for a long time... but for me... it's a bit overwhelming. (Hope I'm not the only one that thinks so... or I'll feel like a real dimwit... LOL).


----------



## sabledog (Mar 13, 2012)

Well, here's what I do:

I buy about 20lbs of whole chickens a month and have them chopped into an 8 piece cut. Then I buy about 40lbs of muscle meat (this month was ground turkey and flank steaks). Then I buy green tripe.

I buy from a co-op, so it's easy for me to do this. My dogs are grown, so I feed 3% of their body weight. 50% of that is raw meaty bones, 10% is organ meat, and the rest is muscle meat.

I have a storage freezer and put everything into the big Gladware Tupperware containers. That way I can thaw it as I need it. Right now I have three containers in my fridge of the different meats. They last about 5 days, and when I run low I just thaw more.

As far as veggies go, I have one dog that can only eat The Honest Kitchen (he has IBD), so a few times a week I give my other dog a cup or two of that.

There are a ton of good hypoallergenic kibbles. Just look up good brands of kibble, and then see if they have a hypoallergenic or limited ingredient food.

With a growing puppy, you'll feed 5-10% of his body weight.


----------



## sabledog (Mar 13, 2012)

Also, any animal can develop an allergy to anything at any time of its life, regardless if it's had it before.

And just keep in mind that when a dog has allergies, it's rarely to food, and if it is it's usually grains. Sounds like your pup has environmental allergies though. But it's always good (just expensive) to check!


----------



## Jeven's Tyde (Feb 1, 2012)

Is that 3% of their body weight for each feeding, or per day?

3% of Tyde's body weight would be ... 3% of 30 lbs = 14.4oz (if my calculations are correct... lol)

Seems like two meals of 7oz worth of meats... seem about right?


----------



## Jeven's Tyde (Feb 1, 2012)

Well... that I didn't know. (there's ton of stuff I don't know... I can admit that easily... Haha).

I figured most often it would be grains/foods...

He fits right in with my family though if it's like seasonal allergies. My two children and I all have the worst allergies ever. 

I should probably just go ahead and have him tested at the vets so we'll know for sure. 

I don't like all the itching, poor guy.


----------



## sabledog (Mar 13, 2012)

Since he's growing you'll feed him 5-10% of his body weight per day. When he's grown, 2-3% of his body weight per day.

This forum has very knowledgeable people who will talk you through the process. It's a great source of information for raw feeding and basic training (though if you're doing any protection sports, don't listen to that advice, haha).

http://leerburg.com/webboard/topiclist.php?forum_id=12

Join, and tell them Katie and Danni sent you


----------

