Vegan dog food as an alternative

If a dog has a reaction to its food, a positive influence can be exerted on its treatment if it is fed on a food free of all the main allergens triggering its reaction, i.e. food devoid of animal protein and gluten. The moist and dry food from VEGDOG matches this profile. This "first 100 per cent plant-based main food providing the correct nutrition", according to the company, is free of gluten and soya and is therefore suitable even for exclusion diets.
After flea bite allergy and atopic dermatitis, food allergies are the third most common allergy in dogs. In 60 per cent of dogs, the allergy results in dermatological symptoms such as itchy skin or ear infections. 20 per cent suffer gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea or vomiting and 15 per cent display a combination of dermatological and gastrointestinal symptoms. Once a food allergy or intolerance is initially diagnosed, medicines such as cortisone or Apoquel are frequently prescribed. Although these alleviate the symptoms, they do not tackle the root cause and so dog and owner continue to suffer.

In a number of studies, grain (primarily wheat) and soya have been cited as a frequent trigger of food intolerance. However, maize can also cause intolerance in dogs, while meat - especially beef and chicken - can also provoke an allergic reaction. Dogs are often unable to tolerate hens' eggs and dairy products too. Since dogs suffering from food allergies frequently suffer from multiple hypersensitivities, feeding a food that is free of animal protein and also devoid of other potential allergens such as soya and wheat can have a positive influence on managing their intolerance. In a first step, dog owners can prepare their dog's food themselves and add a supplementary mineral powder such as VEGDOG ALL-IN-VELUXE to cover all of their pet's nutritional needs. If the dog appears to respond favourably to this, a transition can be made in the next step to a moist or dry food providing adequate nutrition. VEGDOG SENSIBELCHEN No1 is optimally adapted to the requirements of adult dogs with nutritional sensitivities, according to the manufacturer. The purely plant-based main food guarantees fundamental nutrition with essential amino acids thanks to the use of lupins, peas and amaranth. To create a purely plant-based, nutritionally adequate main food, the recipes also contain carnitine, taurine, Vitamin B12, copper, zinc and schizochytrium algae, which have been shown to guarantee an…