How to Choose a High Protein Dog Food for Dogs With Food Allergies

By M. H. Bonham

Instructions

Step 1:
Put your dog on a hypoallergenic diet. There are many prescription diets available through your veterinarian.
Step 2:
Look for a high-protein pet food with the same protein and carbohydrate sources if your dog does not show sensitivity to the food after several weeks.
Step 3:
Add a small amount of the new food to your dog's current food. Ninety percent of your dog's food should be the old hypoallergenic food and 10 percent should be the new food.
Step 4:
Feed the new ratio for two weeks, watching for any signs of sensitivity such as hot spots on the skin, itchy coat or digestive problems.
Step 5:
Increase the amount of the new food by 10 percent and decrease the old food by 10 percent, if no health problems appear.
Step 6:
Decrease the old food by 10 percent and increase the new food by 10 percent each day until you have completely switched your dog over to its new food.

Tips & Warnings

Your veterinarian can suggest proper hypoallergenic foods and can even help you select a high-protein dog food.
Talk with your veterinarian before switching your dog to another diet.
Lamb is no longer hypoallergenic due to the increase of lamb and rice dog foods.
If at any time your dog shows allergy symptoms, stop feeding the new food and consult with your veterinarian.

More Puppy Pages

Low Protein Diets for Dogs

Dogs with certain health problems are often put on low-protein diets to help them cope with their conditions. Many veterinarians think low-protein diets are the only way to feed a dog with kidney or liver problems. A low-protein diet decreases the level...

Is your dog scratching her ears? Shaking her head? Does she have a sour, yeasty smell? She could be one of the two out of five dogs who suffer from chronic, recurring ear infections. The cause is often a combination of allergies, bacteria and yeast. One...

There are three main causes of allergies in dogs, and to confuse matters further, some allergy-prone dogs can be reactive to multiple allergens. The most common allergens are atopic or inhalant: airborne pollens, dust mites and molds. Flea allergies are...

When dogs experience allergies, they may be itchy and uncomfortable. A major cause for allergies in dogs is the food they eat; therefore, the best solution is often just to make adjustments to the dog's diet.

All dogs need protein in their diets; without protein and its amino acids, no puppy would survive past weaning. There has been debate over both the amount and the type of protein necessary. Wood cellulose (sawdust), chicken feathers and corn gluten...