Best Hypoallergenic Dog Food – Best Low Allergy Food Comparison

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When your dog has food allergies, finding the right dry food can be a daunting task.  We have made it our mission to give you the best premium and budget hypoallergenic dry food for your canine.

The main criteria we used to assess the foods were: Protein source and type, vegetable content, and overall quality of ingredients.  For more information on these criteria, see below.

Best Premium Hypoallergenic Dog Food – Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Fish

• Why it’s best premium: At $~57 for a 26 lb bag, Natural Balance LID is well-known company when it comes to hypoallergenic foods. Its emphasis on limited ingredient is exactly what allergic dogs need, as it tries to reduce the number of possible allergens and reduce known allergens in general.

• Protein (21%): Salmon, Fish meal, Potato Protein. These novel proteins (ones to which your dog likely hasn’t been exposed as much) are great for allergic dogs. There’s no trace of poultry or beef meat or fat.

• Fat (25%): Fish oils and canola oil are the main sources of fat, which are a good source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which also help in preventing arthritis. More importantly, these oils likely won’t cause any allergies.

• Vegetables: Sweet potatoes. There’s not many other vegetables in this food, as it attempts to limit the ingredient, but the list of added nutrients is enough to make this food healthy. That said, it’s important to add some fresh vegetables to your dog’s diet occasionally to expose it to fresh, un-processed nutrients if you’re relying primarily on this diet. Dogs rarely have allergies leafy greens.

• Controversial ingredients: Canola oil has had some controversy in both human and pet foods depending on the source of the oil. Natural balance sources all ingredients from verified responsible suppliers, but the controversy remains for highly picky eaters.

• Dollar value: $2.19 per pound; ~ $57 for 26 lb.

• Reputation and recall history: Natural balance has had a few recalls over the years, but never this product. The last recall was over 5 years ago.

• What other reviewers say: With the use of such premium ingredients, reviewers feel very comfortable giving this food to their dogs. Their dogs are excited to eat it and have noticed a notable difference in bowel movements. The absence of common allergens means it will likely work for your dog if it has allergies.

Runner up: Hypoallergenic Dog Food – BLUE Basics Salmon and Potato

• Why it’s best budget: At $49.99 for 24 lb, BLUE Basics never contains chicken, beef, corn, wheat, soy or dairy products which can cause allergies in many dogs. They also enhance their products with vitamins and minerals essential to a dog’s health.
• Protein (20%): Deboned Salmon, Salmon Meal, Pea Protein, and Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal make up the protein basis of this food. Although they are not all within the first few ingredients, each provides a main source of protein to keep your dog energized.
• Fat (14%): Salmon Meal, Canola Oil, Flaxseed supply the fat in this food through omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, all natural sources.
• Vegetables: Peas, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Dried Chicory Root, Parsley, Dried Kelp, Blueberries, Cranberries, and Barley Grass give your dog a variety of vitamins and carbohydrates that are easily digestible.
• Controversial ingredients: Natural Flavor is not specific as to the type of flavoring or origin of the flavor. Found also in human foods, natural flavor, although controversial, has not been proven through studies to aid in disease or sickness.
• Dollar value: $2.08 per pound, ~ $50 for 24 lb.
• Reputation and recall history: BLUE has had a few recalls over the last few years which included possible excessive amounts of the added vitamins, and packaging defects, but not salmonella or other bacterial contamination.
• What other reviewers say: Great for dogs with a sensitive stomach and has helped with energy levels and dry skin due to allergies.

Notable mention hypoallergenic dog food

#1 Notable mention: I and Love and You” Nude Food Red Meat Medley Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

Provides both meat and vegetable proteins such as pork, wild boar, and pea protein which give your dog higher amounts of protein to help your dog get the energy it needs.

Some notable vegetables included in this flavor are garbanzo beans, sweet potato, zucchini squash, apples and pumpkin. Zucchini and pumpkin, not always found in food, can aid in better digestion. With 38% protein and only 17% fat, “I and Love and You” is a great choice for ~ $52 dollars for 23 lb.  “I and Love and You” has not had any recalls on their dog foods.

#2 Notable mention: Royal Canin HP Hypoallergenic Hydrolyzed Protein Dog Food

is an option to try once you’ve tried a number of animal protein-based diets above, and your dog still uses allergies. Hydrolyzed protein is a protein that’s been partially “broken up” so it becomes extremely easy to digest and absorb for your dog. This process is know to reduce or eliminate any allergies associated with the protein in question in your dog’s food.

This is a “heavy duty” hypo-allergenic dog-food that is commonly recommended by Vets, because it’s very unlikely that your dog will be allergic to this form of protein. Even though it’s soy protein, which generally isn’t great for animals in pure form (because it’s hard to digest and assimilate), once it’s hydrolyzed it becomes easy to digest and therefore has no bad consequences.

The carbohydrate source is rice – which is easy to digest and is know to be suitable for allergies, and the minerals are all chelated which means they will again, be easily absorbed by your dog. The main draw-back of this food is the price. It’s priced on the higher side. If you can’t afford this food as a regular dog food for your animal, you could use it for a few months, and slowly start to re-introduce ingredients to isolate the source of your dogs allergies.

#3 Notable mention: Halo Vegan Garden Medley

is a vegan dog food. Peas, Garbanzo Beans, Pea Protein, and Alfalfa Meal are all plant based proteins included in the first ten ingredients.

Plant based protein is an option for dogs who show allergies to various meat proteins, and should be tried only if you’ve exhausted all other options including the hydrolyzed protein option.

For a dog the #1 concern in food quality is the quality of the protein, so don’t take this lightly. Dogs are carnivorous animals, and meats are much better absorbed by your allergic dog, but if allergies to all food persist, you may need to resort to something like this.

Maybe even if just to help isolate which animal protein your dog is allergic to. At $32.71 for a 10 lb bag, Halo uses high quality natural vegan ingredients.

Their brand offers a variety of flavors that can be suitable for a dog that will simply won’t stop being allergic no matter what. The fat composition (25%) is flax seed. Flax seed oil and sunflower oil are the main sources of fat that are a good vegan sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. It’s also loaded with Peas, Garbanzo Beans, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Beets, Spinach, Carrots, Celery, Lettuce, Blueberries, Cranberries and Chicory Root. These ingredients provide an abundance of natural vitamins, minerals, fiber and proteins. While Canola oil is used, Halo sources all ingredients from verified responsible suppliers and do not get any ingredients from China, a main supplier of controversial canola oil.

How to Know if Your Dog has Food Allergies

Food allergies make up 10% of all allergies that can be seen in dogs and can start occurring as early as five months of age to 12 years old. Neither male or female, neutered/spayed or intact dogs, or a specific breed are more prone to food allergies, so you need to look for symptoms to see if your dog is suffering.

One of the most recognizable symptoms your dog might show is constant itching. The areas most affected by the itchy skin are the face, feet, ears, and area around the anus. Chronic or recurrent ear infections or yeast infections in the ear, hair loss, skin infections, excessive scratching are all additional signs of possible food allergies. If you notice your dog has an increased amount of bowel movements daily, you should consider looking into changing your dog’s diet or food.

How to Go About Determining the Cause of the Allergy

The first thing to know is what is in your dog’s food. Many dogs that suffer from food allergies show an allergy to chicken and grains or wheat but they could also suffer due to corn, beef, lamb, soy or dairy products. With this list, you’re probably thinking, “That’s just about everything, so what do I do?”

If you see that the first few ingredients listed are specific protein sources like chicken and chicken meal, you might consider changing to a different flavor such as salmon or beef. Keep in mind that many non-poultry flavored foods still have chicken meal or chicken fat as an ingredient so read through the ingredients carefully before purchasing.

When switching foods, it’s important to do this gradually over the course of a few days so your dog doesn’t get a shock to his system. The first day use 75% of the current food with 25% of the new, 50/50 the next day, 25/75 the third day then completely switch over on the fourth day. It will take a week or two for your dog’s body to become acclimated to the new food so after a week or so start watching for the allergy signs.

After changing out the protein, you might see that it has fully “cured” your dog or lightened the symptoms. If you still see that your dog is suffering, try a food that is grain free. This means there are no oats, barley, rice, corn, or wheat in the food. Oatmeal and rice are the least likely to cause any allergy problems among grains for your dog.

These are all sources of carbohydrates which give your dog his energy but carbs can also be found in many fruits and vegetables that are added to foods so you don’t need to worry about him missing out on these necessary components to his diet. There are many great foods on the market that are both poultry free and grain free for those dogs that suffer from both allergies.

Unlike with humans who can get tested to determine what foods they’re allergic to, there is no way to determine this in dogs through blood tests. A skin test on a dog is only accurate for testing inhalant allergies.

The Criteria We Used for Determining our Best Hypoallergenic Dog Foods

• Protein content and quality – The specific sources of the protein in the foods we looked at was the top criteria followed by the percentage (20-25%). We were looking for foods that contained protein straight from meat or plant protein because it’s the most natural means of obtaining the energy your dog needs. Because specific meat allergies can play a factor in choosing the right hypoallergenic food, we chose a plant based protein for our best premium food. When picking a food for your allergy suffering dog, look for foods with protein that comes from a quality meat source, not by-products or meal. With hypoallergenic foods proteins are not always listed in the first few ingredients because they can also come in the form of some of the vegetables that are added to the food so don’t throw an option to the side because you don’t see enough protein listed at the top.
• Fat source its quality – Hypoallergenic foods will include fat sources that come from fish protein or oil and natural seeds or oils such as flaxseed, olive oil, sunflower oil and coconut oil. If animal fats are used as a fat source, you want to make sure it is listed explicitly; Chicken fat is a common fat source found in many foods and is specific. “Animal fat” can be a combination of fat from many animals and if your dog has a specific allergy that you’re trying to curb, this one ingredient might cause him to continue to have symptoms. If your dog is young with lots of energy or a breed that tends to be more active, it’s vital to add additional natural fats to his food as needed. Adding a spoonful of coconut oil, olive oil, or another healthy fat to your dog’s food is perfectly acceptable and can also benefit him in ways of a healthier skin and coat.
• • Vegetable types and quality – There are not many vegetables and fruits that dogs have allergies to but if you’ve noticed from giving him a piece from the table from time to time that a specific one doesn’t sit well with him, try avoiding it when finding the right food. Fruits and vegetables provide your dog with carbohydrates, protein and vitamins which are all essential for a balanced diet. Blueberries and cranberries provide antioxidants and pumpkin can help with digestion. Carrots, peas, potatoes and many other vegetables that are common in dog foods give dogs vitamins and nutrients needed to live a healthy life.
• Controversial ingredients – Ingredients like “chicken meal” are a source of protein for your dog, but it’s a combination of chicken skin and other parts of the bird which might not be the healthiest addition to your dog’s diet.
• Dollar value – Hypoallergenic dog foods tend to be on the more expensive side because of the quality and types of ingredients used. Although dollar value was a factor, it isn’t common to find a 20+ lb bag of this type of food for under $30.
• Reputation and recall history – Recalls can be an indicator that a company doesn’t take pride in the product they produce and do not use the highest quality products. During our selection process, we eliminated foods that came from companies with histories of recalls due to bacteria.

Fun Tips for Picking New Foods

• While going through the food allergy trial and error process in determining the cause of the allergies, it is recommended to purchase small bags of the food you’re going to try so you don’t waste extra food and money if it does not solve the problem. You can also use a hydrolyzed protein based food – they are highly unlikely to cause any allergies. If you need more help finding a good brand of dog food, then check out our vet recommended dog food post.