Limited Ingredient Dog Foods: Solving Allergies Or Causing Problems?

Coping with canine allergies is no fun. Your poor pup can experience anything from GI upset to horrible itching. And if you’re faced with a potential food allergy, things get more complicated. When you start making a list of everything in their treats, chews, dental care tools, and flavored toys, the list gets ENDLESS. How do you know what’s causing the problem? You can try switching them to one of the limited ingredient dog foods on the shelf. But if you don’t understand everything involved in those foods, you may swap one problem for another. That’s why we’re going to explain exactly what limited ingredient diets (LID) mean – and what you need to watch out for.

Limited Ingredient Diets

While allergies in dogs DO happen, food allergies aren’t as common as some people think. Only around 15% of dogs with allergies have problems with food. Originally, LID foods belonged strictly to the realm of prescription diets. Expensive, owners didn’t want to go that route. So dog food companies latched onto the idea. And the concept of limited ingredient dog foods was born.

Since then, limited ingredient dog foods have become a craze. And while the term sounds impressive, it’s NOT regulated. There isn’t a team of veterinarians or nutritionists overseeing the production of these foods. And while many display the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) label, that’s standard for quality pet foods. It doesn’t mean the LID is special.

And that’s where the trouble starts.

The Truth

At the core, a limited ingredient dog food is a diet with one protein and one carbohydrate. By focusing on a “limited” list of components, the intent is to figure out where your dog’s food allergies may be coming from. They don’t use a lengthy list of ingredients you may see with other dog foods on the market.

And that’s all there is to it. It’s NOT guaranteed to be healthier for your dog. Fewer ingredients do NOT equate to better. And depending on WHAT they’ve put in the food, you may end up placing your dog in harm’s way.

The idea that “less is more” is an illusion.

And since no one’s regulating limited ingredient dog foods, they get away with sneaking in extras. In 2018, a study found plenty of LID foods contained ingredients NOT shown on the label.

Limited Ingredient Dog Foods: The Protein Problem

People turn to limited ingredient dog foods out of concerns for food allergies. And protein sources are usually the biggest culprit.

This is why veterinarians prescribe hydrolyzed diets. When proteins get hydrolyzed, they’re broken down into amino acids. At that point, they’re considered too small for the dog’s body to recognize and attack them as an allergen. But elimination diet trials are complicated. And they’re LONG to conduct. So people don’t like them.

It’s much easier to go to the store and buy a limited ingredient dog food. Especially if the label says it includes a novel protein. And that IS how prescription LID foods got their start. But there’s a problem.

Novel No More

The most common proteins used in limited ingredient dog foods include:

• Alligator
• Bison
• Chicken
• Duck
• Fish
• Kangaroo
• Lamb
• Pork
• Rabbit
• Turkey
• Venison

Do they sound familiar? They should. These proteins appear in dog foods ALL the time. They weren’t common a couple of decades ago. And that made them novel and unique. But now? Plenty of dogs have been exposed to them.

And a protein your dog’s body has encountered isn’t novel. So if you’re worried about an allergy, that diet won’t work. It’s one of the biggest frustrations in the veterinary world. The proteins they relied on for prescription diets don’t work anymore.

Even worse, though, the companies creating limited ingredient dog foods don’t know how to use the proteins. They don’t keep nutritionists on their staff. And then they mix the proteins with strange ingredients. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Limited Ingredient Dog Foods: Carbohydrate Catastrophe

Despite the fact dogs rarely show an allergy to grains, limited ingredient dog foods label them the enemy. In reality, wheat is the biggest offender in the carbohydrate allergy category. And plenty of dog foods omit wheat. But, outside of prescription diets, limited ingredient dog foods have declared grains evil.

And in their place, they created a new evil.

Grain-Free Nightmare

Limited ingredient diets are NOT the same thing as grain-free diets. However, in their choices of carbohydrates, they’ve become grain-free:

• Brown rice
• Lentils
• Oatmeal
• Peas
• Potatoes
• Rice
• Sweet Potatoes

Except for the rice and oatmeal, those ingredients are all on the FDA’s suspected list. In choosing to pick up one of these LID foods, you may put your dog at risk for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). It’s a rock and hard place. You don’t want your dog to itch and feel miserable. But potentially ending up with a horrible cardiac disease? You don’t want that, either.

Making the Best Limited Ingredient Dog Food Choice

Coming from a veterinary background – and working in Cardiology when the FDA broke the connection on grain-free diets – this was a difficult post to write. Because all of the diets listed here? They’re grain-free. They ALL have suspect ingredients. And it breaks my heart to recommend them. Because I’ve seen what some of them did to dogs under my care.

If you feel your dog has food allergies, talk to your vet. While allergy testing doesn’t work in that situation, your vet can still help. And prescription LID foods? They’re safe. They’re created by teams of veterinarians and board-certified veterinary nutritionists. While you WILL pay more, it will cost less than a diagnosis of DCM.

The Best Limited Ingredient Dog Foods

Elimination dog food trials with hydrolyzed diets can drive owners up the wall. They last for up to four months. And you have to remove EVERYTHING else from your dog’s diet. Limited ingredient dog foods are easier for most people to handle. But you need to proceed with caution. The label may not reveal the entire story. And a short label? It doesn’t tell you you’re getting quality. It’s important to do as much research as you can. And ALWAYS talk to your vet.

If you offer your dog an LID food, especially one with lentils, peas, legumes, or potatoes, take care. Have your vet listen for ANY changes in their heart. Watch for changes in their activity level, especially if they collapse or lose energy. At the first sign of worry, get in for a check ASAP. And make sure you know where your nearest Cardiologist is located.