Last Updated: 02/06/2025
Best Dog Food for Skin Allergies
Does your dog suffer from skin allergies? Check out the different skin diets available for your dog.
Author: Dr Carla Paszkowski BVSc (Hons)
Reading Time: 29 minutes - medium read
Do you suspect that your dog may have an allergy? You definitely aren't alone. Itchy skin is one of the most common issues that dogs are presented to the vet for. In most cases, the cause of itchy skin is an allergy - either to a contact allergen, insect bite, or a food ingredient.
In this article
How Common are Food Allergies in Dogs?
Does itchy skin = food allergy?
You may have read about food allergies in dogs and how they often manifest in itchy skin. This is different to food allergies in humans, which usually present as gastrointestinal upset (or anaphylaxis, if you are highly allergic!). However, don't fall into the trap of assuming your dog's itchy skin must be caused by a food allergy. If you consult 'Dr Google', you are likely to read a lot about how food allergies, particularly grain allergies, are a major cause of itchy skin in dogs.
The truth is, true food allergies are not all that common in dogs - only about 5% of dogs harbour a true food allergy. It's actually much more common for your dog to be allergic to environmental allergens such as plants, pollens, insects, and dust mites. And when a true allergy does exist, the most common allergies are to meat proteins including chicken, beef, or pork, rather than grains.
But regardless of whether your dog truly has a food allergy, or is simply suffering from allergy to plants, nutrition will always help.
Different approaches for different dogs
- For dogs with a food allergy, the primary goal is to feed them a diet free from the causal allergen.
- For dogs with any other type of allergy, say to grass, the primary goal is less about restricting certain ingredients, and more about providing extra skin supporting nutrients like omega fatty acids.
Please be aware that only nutrition is discussed here. The most common causes of itchy skin in dogs are related to atopy, seasonal allergies or fleas. For a complete guide to the causes of itchy skin in dogs, see Dr Carla's article 'Here's Why Your Dog Won't Stop Scratching'.
Hydrolysed Diets
Suitable for: Food allergies and sensitivities - for use in elimination trials to diagnose a food allergy or as a maintenance diet for some dogs with food allergies
A hydrolysed veterinary diet is the gold standard for completing an elimination diet trial. An elimination diet trial may be recommended by your vet to help determine whether your pet has a true food allergy. It involves feeding nothing but the hydrolysed diet for a few weeks, and then introducing one new protein every week to 'test' whether your dog has a reaction. In some cases, a hydrolysed diet may be fed long term if a dog is found to be overly sensitive and the diet is the only thing that gives them relief.
How do hydrolysed diets work?
Hydrolysed diets typically contain protein that has undergone a process called 'hydrolysation' - this is where the protein structure is broken down into its component amino acids. Hydrolysation is a process that reduces the 'allergenicity' of the protein, making it so small that it's unlikely to trigger an immune reaction. Diets that fall into this category are Prescription and Veterinary dog diets and can therefore only be recommended by your veterinarian.
These diets have been formulated under pharmaceutical grade conditions. This means that the manufacturer has undertaken extra processing steps to eliminate contamination with other protein sources. This is done through rigorous cleaning of all production equipment followed by testing of the equipment for traces of proteins before production begins.
Learn more about Food Allergies in Dogs.
Top Hydrolysed Diets for Allergies
What are the drawbacks of a hydrolysed protein diet?
- The cost. As you can imagine, the extra processing and care taken to produce these diets isn't cheap
- Reduced palatability
- Lack of evidence documenting whether dogs allergic to the parent protein will actually tolerate a hydrolysed product
- Some diets are contradicted in puppies, pregnant and lactating dogs
- May not be suitable for dogs with pancreatitis
- A veterinarinary prescription is required before purchasing. Click here to find the diet recommended by your veterinarian.
Skin Care Diets
Suitable for: Non food related skin conditions in dogs cluding contact allergies, insect allergies, or allergies of unknown cause
For the purpose of this classification, 'skin care diets' refers to those diets which are available without a prescription, which are formulated for the purpose of providing extra skin support. Generally these are considered to be 'everyday' diets, with added skin care nutrients.These 'general skin care' diets are perfect for dogs who have mild but persistent skin issues such as dry skin, seasonal allergies, or allergies of unknown cause.For dogs with moderate to severe skin irritation as a result of environmental allergies, fleas or skin infections, the new Royal Canin Veterinary Skintopic diet is rich in omega fatty acids, vitamin A and E and biotin, to support a healthy skin barrier function, and reduce skin irritation. As this is a prescription diet, similar to the hydrolysed diets above, your vet needs to recommend this diet specifically for your dog.
So what special ingredients are in 'skin care diets'?
Every skin care dog food on the market does have marginal differences in their recipes, so we've had a look at Royal Canin Dermacomfort as an example, to see what ingredients they include for skin support. These ingredients include:
- B group vitamins
- An essential amino acid - combined with the B Vitamins, these help support cerumides, which are the connecting bonds between skin cells. This ultimately helps to strengthen the skin barrier.
- Omega 3 fatty acids (including EPA and DHA) - these have a proven antiinflammatory effect which helps soothe itchy, inflamed skin
- Omega 6 fatty acids (including gamma-linolenic acid) - helps support healthy skin and a shiny coat
- Antioxidants including Vitamin C and Vitamin E - help suport the immune system, and reduce skin-damaging free radicals
Top Skin Care Diets for Itchy Dogs
Novel Protein Diets
Suitable for: Maintenance diet for known allergies or sensitivities to common meat proteins as well as in some cases use in an elimination diet trial.
On a similar train of thought to the 'Hydrolysed Diets' discussed before, another option is to feed a novel protein diet. A novel protein is a new meat source that your dog hasn't encountered before. The theory goes that if your dog hasn't encountered it before, they are unlikely to be sensitive or allergic to it.
Novel protein sources commonly used in pet food include venison, duck, goat, kangaroo, and fish. For the purpose of this article, we have separated fish-based diets into their own category below, due to their extra level of natural skin support, and the growing number of fish diets available.
Novel protein for elimination trials: Some pet owners choose to try a novel protein source instead of a hydrolysed diet when completing an elimination trial, as they can be more affordable than a hydrolysed diet, and they are non-prescription. In general, the principal is the same (ie, feed something they won't react to as the base diet, and introduce one new ingredient per week until you figure out what their trigger is). However, novel protein diets are not the 'gold standard' for elimination trials for two main reasons:
- The proteins in these diets have not been hydrolysed, and could therefore still trigger a reaction.
- Unless these diets have been manufactured under very strict conditions, it is possible for cross contamination from other foods manufactured on the same line to occur, which could also trigger a food reaction.
Note: When selecting a novel protein diet, it is important to check that the recipe is actually single-protein dog food. Some pet food varieties may be labelled as a novel protein (such as 'kangaroo') but will also include 'chicken' or poultry byproducts in their recipe.
Top Novel Protein Diets for Dogs
Fish-Based Diets
Suitable for: Maintenance diet for dogs with known allergies or sensitivities to non fish meat proteins, as well as those with non food related skin conditions.
Fish-based diets have a double-whammy benefit: they are both a novel protein, and full of skin-supporting nutrients from the natural fish oil. This means that they are at the same time suitable for dogs with food allergies (unless your dog is allergic to fish, which is very rare) and also good for dogs with general dry skin or unknown allergies, who just need a little support. Plus, if you are concerned about a grain allergy, most of the recipes can be classified as grain-free dog foods too.
A growing number of dog owners are reporting great results when they swap their itchy dog over to a fish-based diet. It's often unclear whether this is due to the exclusion of common allergies like chicken, or simply due to the increased level of omega fatty acids from the natural fish oils. But who really minds what the cause is, if it gives your dog relief?
Fish-based diets are often the first recommendation for itchy dogs, as they are at the same time a novel protein diet and contain high levels of natural fish oil, making them similar to a 'skin care diet'. This means they are likely to help with any type of skin allergy.
Similar to novel protein diets, it is important to check that the recipe only contains fish and no other meat sources. Some pet food varieties may put poultry into the recipe.
Top Fish-Based Diets
What about a Home-Cooked Diet?
Preparing your pet's food at home might sound like a good option and there are certainly some benefits. You'll know exactly what is going in to the food, and can be sure there are no hidden pet food additives or contamination with other protein sources.
However, it can be difficult to balance without the help of a veterinary nutritionist. This makes it not ideal for growing animals or pregnant females. If you choose to home cook your dog's food, we recommend discussing some balanced recipes with your vet.
History
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Fri Feb 14 2025
Edited by Dr Teagan Lever BVSc (Hons)Dr Carla Paszkowski BVSc (Hons)
Veterinarian
Dr. Carla graduated from the University of Queensland in 2013 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and worked for a number of years in small animal clinics across South East Queensland. While Carla enjoys most facets of clinical veterinary work, she holds a special passion for feline medicine, pocket pets, and nutrition.
