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Get insights into natural dog food ingredients and learn how they support your pup’s overall health and well-being.
Updated on June 19th, 2026
Suspect dog food allergies cause GI issues? Discover common symptoms like vomiting/diarrhea. Get expert Petco guidance to understand and relieve your dog's discomfort.
Updated on July 17th, 2026
Discover how to choose the right dog food based on your dog’s breed and size to support their unique nutritional needs and health.
Updated on October 23rd, 2025

Discover how to choose the best supplements for your pet’s health, from essential vitamins to joint support and digestion aids. Learn age-specific and seasonal supplement tips for cats and dogs.
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Learn how to improve your dog's life with nutritional probiotics. Help your dog regardless of age or size & manage inflammation, gastrointestinal health & arthritis.
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Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Allergens are small proteins that cause the immune system in animals/mammals to 'over-react'. What constitutes an allergen will vary from animal to animal and depends on what their specific immune system 'doesn't like'. Therefore, there is no way to say any food has 'No allergens'. For example, peanuts are an allergen to a person with a peanut allergy, but not to a person without peanut allergies. In general, most animals don't have allergies to food, and unless you are seeing signs of food allergies (diarrhea, vomiting, itchy skin/feet/bum/ears)) then any food protein or carbohydrate is ok. I generally recommend a good quality large breed food with low fat and high fiber. If you want the best for Luns, talk with your vet about Hill's T/D which helps prevent dental disease and also has some efficacy at helping prevent joint disease. It is also an AAFCO supported food so you know it is well balanced and scientific studies have been done to ensure it is a good quality food. Other good food companies are Royal Canine, Science Diet, Eukanuba, etc. Find a food that Luns likes to eat, and has a good quality hair coat and normal poops. Best of luck with Luns!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Please keep in mind that she may be itchy because of allergies. Grain free food has nothing to do with being hypoallergenic helping with allergies and actually has not been really shown to have any benefit over food that contains grain. There have been reports that have linked grain free foods with heart disease. I would consider feeding her a canned or wet diet which may be easier to eat for her. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. You could add joint supplement such as Dasuquin or Cosequin to help with joint health. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
As far as dog food goes, I tend to recommend Hill's Science Diet or the higher end Purina products. If you are looking to go a more natural route you would want to try something like Earthborn or Acana. Periodontal disease can be delayed with regular teeth brushing if Ratchett will allow it. You should be able to purchase most of what I mentioned at one of those stores. Hope this makes sense.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
I like hydrolyzed protein diets for the hypoallergenic diet trial. Hills z/d and Purina HA are my 2 favorites. They make the protein sources so small that the immune system can not recognize it as an allergen. Diet trials should be continued for 12 weeks to know if they are helping. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Since Cash is a small dog, you might consider one of the more expensive options such as a dehydrated or fresh food diet. They are able to control their ingredients much more easily than a large manufacturing plant does that makes dry food. I have been very pleased with The Honest Kitchen ( https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/ ) and Just Food For Dogs ( https://www.justfoodfordogs.com/ ). Both have foods that will not have chicken and both have options without any poultry. You do not have to worry about the potential addition of chicken fat which a number of dry food companies do as well. If those are not good options for Cash, then you may consider a canned food which again will generally be safer than a dry food at making sure there isn't any chicken contamination. I have been pleased with Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets ( https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/ ), but be sure to read the labels carefully. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025