My dog has allergies, vet suggests pricey Royal Canin. Any alternatives?

For an ideal diet trial for a suspected food allergy, it is typically recommended to feed a hydrolyzed protein diet (proteins are broken down to the point where they can't trigger the immune system) exclusively for 6-8 weeks. After that point, some dogs are rechallenged with their original diet to see if signs recur or started on a novel protein diet (one protein source/one carbohydrate source). If signs of a food allergy are still present, some dogs need to remain on the hydrolyzed diet indefinitely. The hydrolyzed diets are prescription based and include Royal Canin Ultimano, Royal Canin HP, Science Diet Z/D ultra, and Purina HA. There are many pet food companies online that can also dispense these diets with a prescription from your vet (chewy.com is one example). If the cost of a hydrolyzed diet is still not feasible for a diet trial, talk to your vet about starting Rico on a novel protein diet. Many of these are still prescription based, but I have also been impressed by the Dick van Patten Natural Balance limited ingredient line, which is available over the counter. With any diet trial, it can take 2-3 months to determine if it is effective and you need to be strict in that Rico would only receive his dog food with no other treats or table foods. I hope this helps! :-)

I am unfamiliar with those particular brands. I would trust your vet and choose whichever feels right. There is nothing wrong with less expensive diets! Especially if your vet trusts them. You could try the cheaper one for 6 weeks and then reevaluate how Cacau is doing on it. If she hasn’t had resolution in her symptoms, then you could switch to the more expensive diet.

The various sensitive skin formulas on Royal Canin's website all are listed to include grains. Royal Canin diets have not been known to correlate with the development of DCM in dogs, so I would not worry about this too much. If this diet is too expensive, consider discussing alternative options with your vet. A novel protein diet may be a reasonable option but it is hard to recommend a diet without knowing what the cause of your dog's allergies are. I recommend trying to buy larger bags as they are more cost-effective and consider price hunting on various websites.

I am happy you were able to figure out what was causing Zoeys issues. Typically with food allergies we recommend a hypoallergenic diet that is a prescription food. I am not sure the RC diet she is currently taking is over the counter or prescription. Most of the time dogs are allergic to the protein source like beef or chicken. If the RC food is prescription I would recommend talking to your vet about possible Hills or Purina which also has prescription foods. If your RC diet is over the counter you can try and switch foods but I would watch close for the protein source and realize it is possible the new food might cause problems if it was contaminated when made. I hope that helps

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! All the good allergy foods have a comparable price. The best in my opinion is the Royal canin Ultamino. This is the one recommended by the dermatologists at my hospital. Good luck and have a great day!

Hello! Canine allergies can be a really difficult problem to manage, so I sympathize! There are two main classes of allergies- environmental and food. If allergy testing hasn't been done, it is an expensive investment, but it can give you a report of the most common environmental allergies. Most environments that are colder and snowier tend to have less pollens, allergens, and insects overall and many allergic dogs may cope better in colder climates for that reason. Dogs with environmental allergies benefit from regular baths and having their feet wiped down with hypoallergenic baby wipes after they go outdoors to mechanically remove any possible pollens, etc that may be stuck to the feet and triggering a reaction. Dogs that are primarily allergic to ingredients of their food may do much better on a different diet. Dogs tend to be allergic to proteins in their diet, such as beef or chicken. Grain allergies are possible but exceedingly rare- grain free diets are widely considered a marketing ploy by vets and not actually helpful. My own dog has a beef allergy and does just fine on over the counter food with no beef products, for example. It takes 8-12 weeks after exposure to the food allergen for the reaction to completely go away- for this reason, many people get frustrated with new diets too early and give up. The diet also will not work if she is being fed any outside table scraps or treats, so compliance is key. Trying a diet with a new protein she has not had before, such as fish or kangaroo, for an entire 12 weeks may be a beneficial idea to discuss with your dermatologist. If you do this, transition the food slowly over 7 days to let her GI flora adjust and make sure if you have a dog food bin, you clean it well between the two foods as to not contaminate the new food. The most important thing to remember with allergies is that she is likely constantly being exposed to them, so treatment needs to be just as constant to battle it. I hope this is helpful! Let us know if you have any more questions after your dermatology appointment!

There are a lot of prescription brand foods to try. We tend to stick to prescription brands because we know they don't have any contamination of other products in the food. However, there is one food that I have seen some success with, called California Natural by Natura. You can also visit your local organic pet food store to see if there are other options available in your area, like Fromm, WIld Frontier, etc. I hope that you find something that is affordable for Harper to continue on, as you complete your evaluations during his food trial. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952600 Best wishes and take care.