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As pet parents, our dogs’ health and well-being are our priority. In the crowded pet food landscape, it can be daunting to decide on the best dog food for your pup. For pet parents facing dog food allergies, digestive issues and other food sensitivities, finding a food solution can be even more overwhelming. So let’s explore what hypoallergenic dog food is, what dogs benefit from these diets, and why Bramble is the best hypoallergenic dog food you can find.
Food Allergies and Food Sensitivities
A true food allergy is an immune system response to an ingredient — usually protein — that causes a rapid release of histamines, which cause allergy symptoms, such as itching and sneezing.
Common symptoms of food allergies include:
- Digestive Issues and Sensitive Stomachs: diarrhea, vomiting, excessive gas
- Itchiness: itchy skin, constantly licking paws, frequently rubbing their faces
- Recurring Ear Infections
- Skin Allergies: redness and hot spots, inflamed, irritated skin issues or skin infections
While food sensitivity symptoms can look very much like food allergies, food sensitivities do not actually involve an immune response. For example, a dog can be lactose intolerant, meaning the dog’s body does not digest milk well, which causes gastrointestinal issues, such as diarrhea, but not an actual allergic reaction.
Switching your dog’s diet can certainly help to manage skin conditions and other symptoms, regardless of whether it is a true food allergy.
What Is Hypoallergenic Dog Food?
Hypoallergenic dog food is formulated to reduce the risk of allergic reactions to protein sources. They do not contain common allergens, which are primarily beef, dairy, and chicken, fish, eggs, corn, and wheat gluten. There are two kinds of hypoallergenic dog food:
- Novel Protein Diets: contain a single protein that most dogs have not been exposed to before
- Hydrolyzed Protein (“HP”) Diets: protein amino acid chains that have been broken down and thus do not risk causing allergic reactions
In addition to novel protein and HP diets, you will sometimes find “Limited Ingredient” recipes markets as hypoallergenic solutions, since fewer ingredients mean fewer potential allergens.
The most common veterinary diets used to treat food allergies are made of plant protein, which is less likely than animal protein to trigger allergic reactions. Hill’s Prescription Diet for food sensitivities is made with hydrolyzed soy protein and without animal protein. Similarly, Royal Canin’s hypoallergenic dog food’s predominant protein source is hydrolyzed soy protein. While there is a presence of animal fat for palatability, dogs have allergic reactions to protein sources rather than fat.
Does Hypoallergenic Dog Food Work For Food Sensitivities?
While hypoallergenic dog food can help manage true food allergies, it does not necessarily mean the food is high-quality. Food that is formulated to treat food allergies to specific protein sources is often ultra-processed, full of fillers as the top ingredients, and could continue to pose gastrointestinal issues, digestive issues and other adverse reactions to the quality of food and ingredients themselves.
With respect to food sensitivities, we can draw parallels to our own diets. People have been increasingly sensitive to wheat gluten, which begs the question whether it is wheat, per se, or what the American food system does to a lot of the grain we consume. In order to make processed items such as bread, cereal and pasta more shelf stable, companies start by stripping wheat of the bran, fiber and nutrients. Folic acid is then added to enrich the nutrient-dead ingredients. Depending on the product, bleach, synthetic dyes and preservatives are also added. It should come as no surprise that more and more people have difficulty metabolizing wheat that has been stripped of its nutritional value, enriched, bleached, and dyed. In contrast, those same people might have less of a food sensitivity to wheat in its whole, unrefined form.
This is the same for dogs — especially when we consider that much of the raw ingredients in dog food are the by-product leftovers from the human-grade food supply chain. Similar to the lactose example we used, some pet parents turn to grain-free dog food when in reality vet nutritionists say that dogs do not have a true food allergy to grain. Rather, some dogs have difficulty digesting much of the by-product refined filler carbohydrates in processed wet and dry dog food. Take a look at some of the other hypoallergenic pet food options, and ask yourself whether brewers rice (the broken grains of white rice left over from the milling process for human consumption) and animal fat are quality ingredients that support overall well-being.
At Bramble, we believe in feeding high-quality, fresh dog food for the same reason we believe in feeding ourselves this way: whole food, made with fresh ingredients that are gently cooked, is better in quality, digestibility and taste. The fresher, less processed the food, the more nutritious it is – for ourselves and our pets!
Indeed, studies support feeding a fresh food diet. A 2019 study at the University of Illinois showed that fresh food made with human-grade ingredients is more digestible than dry dog food. And, a 2003 Belgian study by researchers, Gerard Lippert and Bruno Sappy, surveyed 500 dogs over a 5-year period and proved that dogs fed with industrially processed food (kibble) live an average of 10.4 years, while dogs fed high-quality, homemade food can reach an average age of 13.1 years — almost 3 years longer!
Even for dogs without food allergies, switching to Bramble can make a significant difference in their health and well-being. By eliminating all the common allergens in pet food and focusing on high-quality, plant-based protein sources, Bramble is easier to digest, supports gut health, reduces inflammation, and can improve your dog’s quality of life.
Why Bramble is the Best Hypoallergenic Dog Food
Switching to a high-quality, hypoallergenic fresh food diet offers numerous benefits for dogs with and without food allergies and food sensitivities:
- Minimizes Allergic Reactions: By eliminating common allergens, Bramble reduces the frequency of scratching, skin issues, and digestive problems.
- Easier Digestion: Gently cooked plant-based protein sources are easier to digest, and reduce the risk of inflammation and other gastrointestinal issues.
- Supports Overall Health: Unlike ultra-processed pet food, an independent feeding trial showed that Bramble’s fresh, hypoallergenic food improves gut health, reduces the risk of obesity, and promotes healthy skin and coats.
- Maintains a Healthy Weight: Over 50% of dogs are overweight or obese. Bramble’s feeding trial showed that dogs fed Bramble have lower cholesterol, which is especially helps to maintain a healthy weight.
- Increased Moisture: The high heat processing of dry food removes all the moisture, which leads to dehydration.
- Taste: Let’s face it, fresh human food tastes better than ultra-processed dry kibble!
We know from our own diets that ultra-processed food, made with ingredients that have been stripped of their nutrients to be more shelf stable rather than nutritious, is making us sick and overweight. Unlike other ultra-processed hypoallergenic pet food options, Bramble sources human-grade whole food ingredients that you could literally enjoy yourself! Our veterinary nutritionist-formulated meals are gently cooked rather than intensely heat processed, maintaining the optimal nutrition of the ingredients. What truly makes Bramble the best hypoallergenic dog food is the taste. Finally you don’t have to choose between your dog’s needs and their happiness at meal time. In addition to clearing up itchy skin, ear infections and soothing sensitive stomachs, Bramble is a food your pup will devour. And you will feel better knowing that you’re nourishing their long-term well-being. You can shop for Bramble’s hypoallergenic, fresh food here.