Immune Sysytem
Q. My English Bull Terrier has a problem with his immune system & has to be on a hypoallergenic diet. Have you got any advice/recommendations on dried food brands or treats. He has chicken, fish & rice 3 times a week but does tend to get bored. I did find some vegetarian dog biscuits that were suitable for him & he loved but the shop doesn't stock them anymore. Many thanks for any ideas.
I’m not very clear from the information you have sent whether your dog has been diagnosed with a food allergy and if so what this allergy is actually to. I’m assuming that it’s not to chicken, fish or rice but I would point out that this is not a balanced diet for him long term. The vegetarian dog biscuits I am assuming were Ok because they were made with vegetable fat rather than animal fat which could have contained traces of the protein that your dog was allergic to.
There are a lot of assumptions here, so any recommendation needs to be checked out by your vet to ensure it is compatible with your dog’s condition. One possible option would be Hill’s Science Plan Sensitive Stomach or Sensitive Skin diets. These diets are made with chicken or egg as the main source of protein. They are not really made for dogs with true allergies though and do contain animal fat – which could potentially contain a tiny trace of protein which in some dogs could trigger a reaction. Both diets have added antioxidants which help to support the immune system.
If your dog has a true food allergy then Hill’s Prescription Diet Canine z/d Ultra would be the best choice. This diet has all the proteins broken down into tiny components that are not sufficiently large enough to trigger an allergic reaction.
The whole topic of allergies and food intolerances is quite complex so if there is any other information you can supply I’ll attempt to come up with more detailed advice. Certainly you need to be extremely careful of what you do feed if your dog has a true allergy because a very small amount of the offending ingredient can be enough to trigger an allergic reaction and that means petfoods made in factories where a number of products are being made or stored could easily become accidentally contaminated by the smallest trace. That’s why a Prescription Diet made under special conditions may be a safer option.
By Libby Sheridan (Hills Pet Nutrition) (Professional Advisor)
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