Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Already a member? Sign in
Become a credit card member today!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
APPLY NOW
Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

What food for my dog with severe grain and multiple food allergies?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Beagle | Male | neutered | 4 years old | 27 lbs

My 4 year old beagle is allergic to many grains and other foods, wheat, barley, rice, corn, soy, white and sweet potatoes, corn, flax, green beans, carrots. Would he be okay on a food with millet? what food do you suggest for him?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on August 3rd, 2020

Wow - Ryder certainly has many food allergies! It is surprising that he's allergic to many of the grain sources because as Dr. Leigh mentioned, the vast majority of dogs are allergic to proteins rather than grains. The prescription diets that Dr. Leigh mentioned, including Hill's z/d, Royal Canin HP, Royal Canin Ultamino and Purina HA, are all hydrolyzed diets. This means that the ingredients supply necessary nutrition, but are broken down to the point where the immune system cannot react to them. An immune system response is what occurs with an allergy. I strongly recommend discussing one of these diets with your veterinarian, as it has the greatest chance of helping Ryder.

As far as your question about millet goes, it's certainly worth a shot. There is no way of knowing if he's allergic to it without exposing him to it. I don't know of any commercially available diets that does not contain one or more of the ingredients you'd mentioned. If you're really against using a prescription diet, cooking your own food (as long as you're using the proper vitamin/mineral supplement!) is an option. The website www.balanceit.com has recipes formulated by boarded-veterinary nutritionists. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM
Veterinarian
Most dogs are actually allergic to the protein in the diet and not the grains. If your dog has a food allergy then you should try him on a prescription hypoallergenic diet like Hill's z/d, Royal Canin HP, or Purina HA. You should be able to get these diets through your vet.
0Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on September 28th, 2018
Hi there. I normally recommend feeding a food like Royal Canin, Iams, or Purina.
These companies have a great deal of research behind their diets to prove that they are complete and balanced, and provide appropriate nutrition for whatever age or life stage the food is labeled for - puppies, adult dogs, seniors, etc.

There is no particular benefit to feeding a grain-free diet unless your dog happens to be allergic to some type of grain, which isn't very common - most food allergies in dogs are to proteins such as chicken, beef, etc.

If you think that Gary has food allergies, you may want to talk to your veterinarian about doing a diet trial with a prescription hypoallergenic diet such as Purina HA or Hills z/d.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on August 13th, 2018
Given all of George's food allergies, it might be better if you did a homemade diet for him. There are two websites that have recipes for homemade diets formulated by veterinarians who are specialists in veterinary nutrition, and that can help you tailor a diet for him that avoids the foods he is allergic to but gets grains into his diet to avoid grain free. I will put links to the websites below. I hope this helps!

https://secure.balanceit.com
https://www.petdiets.com
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Food & Nutrition

Puppy with severe food allergies: What prescription diet should I try?

I would try hills z/d ultra or royal canin anallergenic (an even more restricted version). Ensure also she is not receiving any additional treats, flavored tablets, bones, table scraps or raiding any garbage bins. She may also require prescription medication to resolve the current flare up. A home prepared diet may be an option but would have to be formulated with the help of an expert nutritionalist and can only comprise of novel ingredients (foods she has never eaten before such as kangaroo/venison/sweet potato etc - these are very difficult to supplement sufficiently and are very expensive to maintain in the long term)

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

Affordable dog food for allergies? Vet's prescription is too costly.

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! :-)

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog has a meat allergy. Is his grain-free food safe from DCM?

It's going to be hard to notice symptoms before it's too late - but signs that would be concerning are panting at odd times, decreased exercise capacity, rapid breathing while resting, and coughing. There are prescription diets that are hydrolyzed - which means the food is mechanically or chemically broken up in to such small pieces that the immune system no longer recognizes it as chicken or pork (etc). I would recommending asking your vet if one of those diets would be appropriate. If you can't find another diet that works for Padfoot, it's important to know that the risk of heart disease is low, even though it's higher for grain-free or boutique diets than others, so you have to weigh controlling allergies that cause immediate harm with the possibility of heart disease.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

What affordable dog food is safe for corn, wheat, soy allergies?

What food is appropriate will depend on how sensitive your dog's GI tract is to these ingredients. There are some over the counter foods without these ingredients in them. A low cost version available at Tractor Supply is the 4Health Salmon and Potato formula: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/4health-salmon-potato-formula-for-adult-dogs-5-lb-bag?cm_vc=-10005 Another option available at most pet stores would be Purina Proplan grain free formula such as the Savor Turkey and Chicken formula https://www.proplan.com/dogs/products/savor-grain-free-adult-shredded-blend-turkey-chicken-formula#ingredientsandguaranteedanalysis However, over the counter foods are made in facilities that produce many different foods so contamination of a food with an ingredient not on the label is a possibility. If the food allergy is severe, then a prescription diet available from your vet may be necessary (these special foods are made in a facility where contamination doesn't occur). These foods are unfortunately much more pricey. Another option is cooking for your dog. You can use the website Balanceit.com to find a properly formulated homemade diet for your dog.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My dog hates her allergy food. What can I feed her for fish, grain, egg allergies?

Royal canin makes other hypoallergenic diets such as rabbit and potato or Iams makes kangaroo and Oats. Purina and science diet have their share are hypoallergenic diets also it might be worth trying one of these and possibly rotating some so she does not get bored. Food allergy testing through blood is it very accurate, typically trial and error with food is more reliable

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My dog has allergies. What hypoallergenic diet does a vet recommend?

I'm not Dr. David, but I'm still happy to help recommend a few options for hypoallergenic diets for Jasper. :-) All truly hypoallergenic diets are prescription based and would need to be prescribed by Jasper's vet. Some of these options include Royal Canin Ultimano ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=32052 ), Royal Canin HP ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=32078 ), Purina HA, or Hill's Z/D ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=31574 ). It can take a minimum of 6-8 weeks to determine if a diet change is effective and these diets must be fed exclusively (i.e. no other treats or table foods). Novel protein diets (one protein source/one carbohydrate source) can be helpful for some cases of food allergies and are available over the counter. Dick van Patten's Natural Balance Limited ingredient diet is one example ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=30717 ). I hope this helps and that all goes well!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My dog has protein intolerance. Need Hill's Z/D food alternatives?

Without a full diet history it is impossible to prescribe a diet. Hills z/d is a hydrolyzed formula where all the proteins have been broken down (akin to being pre-digested) into small pieces so the immune system should not react to them and so should resolve the food intolerance symptoms, it is easily digested and highly absorbable by even the most sensitive bowel. A similar, hydrolyzed option is royal canin hypoallergenic or anallergenic and many pets find these extremely palatable. Some cases can do well on a 'novel protein diet' of home prepared food based on a protein source which she has never eaten before. This should be formulated only by a specialist nutritionist - tufts university clinical nutrition team are available by phone or appointment to help with this but it can be extremely expensive and time consuming to feed such a specific and strict diet and commercial brands are often more successful in resolving symptoms in the long term

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Share