What does hypoallergenic dog food mean?

A lot of times, we’ve been asked about the term naturally hypoallergenic that we use for our product line; a term that is often recognized by a lot, but properly understood by a very few. 

This blog is for the folks who agree to the above, or are completely unaware of the term and would like to know it more.

We will explore what hypoallergenic actually means, if food allergies are common and how to make the right food choices for your dog. To understand a little more about this, lets first analyze the key differences between intolerance and allergy.

Intolerance vs Allergy

An allergy is usually a response to a protein, where the protein triggers an immune system reaction. The reaction can vary in severity from minor itching to more severe, and sometimes even life-threatening reactions. Fortunately, these are very rare and dogs are much more likely to suffer from intolerance. An intolerance is where something doesn’t quite agree with their digestive systems, but there isn’t an immune system response e.g. lactose. For dogs with allergies or intolerance, feeding a hypoallergenic diet can be helpful BUT only if that diet avoids your dogs’ specific allergen, as hypoallergenic recipes differ. For example, if your dog is sensitive to chicken, choosing a “hypoallergenic recipe” with chicken as the main protein source is probably not a good idea.

Environmental Allergies

Environmental allergies are much more common than food intolerance. Food intolerance are actually rare and allergies even more so. When your dog starts itching, more than often, pet parents will put food to blame, but statistics show that just 1% of skin itching is down to food intolerance. Your dog is much more likely to be itching due to an environmental sensitivity including dust, mold, fleas, ticks, or pollen.

Even though food intolerance’s are less common than environmental, some dogs do have them. Hypoallergenic recipes are sought by pet parents looking to avoid certain allergens, however are increasingly being seen as a signpost for high-quality pet food. It is important not to get fooled by what are, in reality, marketing terms. Instead, it is always recommended to thoroughly review the ingredients list on the back of the pack to understand whether a recipe is appropriate for your dog.

Symptoms of dog food intolerance

If your dog is displaying any of the below symptoms and you’ve already eliminated seasonal or environmental factors as the culprit, it is recommended to visit a vet and discuss the condition. They’ll likely advise you to start an elimination diet, which is the only way to identify which ingredient is at fault. This process can take a number up to 3 months to work through as you slowly re-add ingredient by ingredient back to their diet. The symptoms for dog food intolerance to watch out for include:

• Itchy skin
• Red skin or a rash
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Chronic ear problems
• Sore tummy when touched
• Excessive farting (note some breeds do just fart, like bulldogs)

What does hypoallergenic mean?

Hypoallergenic simply means less likely to provoke an allergic reaction. This means that hypoallergenic dog food has a decreased tendency to provoke an allergic reaction. having a little possibility of causing an allergic response. It means that it is used only to limit your dog’s exposure to ingredients that may trigger its allergic reaction. Therefore, a hypoallergenic diet was designed not to cure dogs’ allergies, rather to reduce the possibility of causing one.

In pet food, hypoallergenic can be used to describe any recipe that avoids some or many common food allergens. In theory, as so many things can be allergens, this means a pet food can be labelled as hypoallergenic despite containing some allergens, as long as some other common allergens are avoided. Common allergens include dairy, corn, beef, lamb, chicken, eggs, soy, gluten, and wheat. All ingredients that you’ll find in majority of the pet foods.

As a dog can be intolerant to practically any ingredient, it’s important to review the ingredients to check it’s suitable for your dog based on his/her allergic responses.

Is there a certification for hypoallergenic dog food?

There is no certifying body or certification required to use the term. Equally, there are no regulations or set of tests that pet food brands are obliged to undertake to use the term. Seeing as anything can be an allergen, it makes it impossible to regulate. Therefore technically any pet food could label itself as hypoallergenic, whether it has actually designed its recipes to avoid common allergens or not.

There is no official list of ingredients for pet food that is classified as hypoallergenic. But a genuine hypoallergenic dog product will indeed not contain any processed chemicals, additives, preservatives, as well as artificial colors or flavors that will harm your dog’s health.

This type of dog food should also replicate the food that canines would eat in the wild such as wholesome and natural food to supply the purest nourishment your dog’s body needs. Likewise, it’s essential to consult with the canine medical professional before making any radical changes to your dog’s food choices.

Benefits of Hypoallergenic Dog Food

Since it can be rather challenging to narrow down which particular ingredient your dog may be allergic to, it can be challenging to decide what to feed him. To relieve your puppy from these dreadful symptoms, it usually helps to offer him hypoallergenic dog food, especially when you’re traveling. If you want to be guided about the essential things to consider when traveling with your dog, you can navigate to this website to find out more.

There are plenty of benefits to be gained from making a switch to hypoallergenic dog foods. One of the obvious ones is, of course, to try and eliminate all the allergens from your dog’s food that could potentially trigger their allergic response.

Moreover, a properly hypoallergenic diet for dogs will result in a host of upsides for your dog, such as considerably reducing the risk of various health problems such as obesity, arthritis, blocked anal glands, periodontal disease, digestive issues, heart disease, and some kidney ailments.

We formulated all our recipes to be free from majority of the common allergens, so never include; dairy, soy, beef, gluten or corn. Our entire product-line at Shvaan is made with completely natural premium quality ingredients, made to a fixed formulae, and does not contain any processed chemicals, additives, preservatives, as well as any artificial colors or flavors that can cause any allergic reactions, thus qualifying as naturally hypoallergenic . 

We also recommend that you read the list of ingredients printed on the food pack before buying!