Food for dogs with allergies and sensitive stomachs

Food reactions usually show all year round rather than with the seasons: itching, red skin, paw licking, repeated ear infections, or loose stools and gas. Fleas, mites and pollen cause the same signs, so ask your vet to rule them out first. Chicken, beef, dairy, wheat and egg are among the most common food triggers in dogs.

Pick one recipe with a protein your dog has never eaten, and feed only that, with no treats, chews or table food, for about 8 weeks. If the symptoms settle, you have found a food that suits your dog. Your vet can then help you reintroduce old foods one at a time to find the trigger.

“Hypoallergenic” dog food usually means a veterinary diet: either the protein is broken down so small the immune system doesn’t react to it (hydrolysed), or it uses a single protein the dog has never eaten. Our recipes are not veterinary diets. What they offer is a short, visible ingredient list and proteins other than chicken, which is how most parents start. For a severe allergy, your vet may prescribe a hydrolysed diet.

Only if grains are the problem. True grain allergies are less common than reactions to meat proteins. Some vets are cautious about grain-free food because in 2018 the US FDA began investigating a possible link between some grain-free diets, heavy in peas and lentils, and a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). It has not concluded that grain-free food causes it. If your dog does well on grains, there is no need to avoid them; if you choose grain-free, choose a complete and balanced recipe.

Change food slowly, over 7–10 days, keep to one recipe at a time, and avoid rich extras. Lighter recipes such as Fish Supper suit many sensitive stomachs. Vomiting or diarrhoea lasting more than a day, or blood in the stool, needs a vet, not a food change.