At BUNCH we are in constant contact with the most diverse dog owners, be it on the phone, a dog events & shows or across our social media platforms.
One of the questions we hear more and more often is about feeding dogs with many allergies. Statements like, "my dog does not tolerate wheat" or "my dog does not tolerate chicken" are usually on the agenda. Unfortunately, the fact that too many dogs suffer from allergies is the sad truth. Here at BUNCH we strive to help reduce the risk of allergic reactions with stating every content of all of our products even down to the smallest percentages, we even have a range of Dry RAW food specifically for this so that your dog and you can deal with an allergy as easily as possible.
What exactly is a food allergy?
Feed intolerance's can have many faces. Often reactions to the skin or in the digestive system are triggered. Typical symptoms include itching, redness, hot spots and pustules.
Have you ever watched your dog scratching, biting or licking all the time? For example on the paws? Also, frequent ear infections can be the result of an allergy.
If the digestive tract is affected, diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn and bloating usually occur. Often, however, such signs can also come from industrial, unnatural feed. Because vitamins degrade over time, it is common in the industry to spray higher dosages of synthetic vitamins and minerals than indicated on the packaging to ensure that the specified nutritional value is still present at the end of the best before date. Synthetic vitamins - even in the right dosage - are no comparable alternative to vitamins and minerals from fresh ingredients. Because artificial vitamins and minerals are often not bio-available for the dog and therefore cannot be sufficiently processed. This is due to the different chemical compositions. In the worst case, the synthetic vitamins and minerals can even cause disease themselves. Therefore, our BUNCH products contain only fresh meat, fresh offal and fresh fruits and vegetables.
How vulnerable a dog is to allergies depends on the breed and the age of the dog.
Intolerance's in young dogs
In dogs less than one year of age, the incidence is greater because their "oral tolerance" has yet to be built up, and the body has to learn which foods are "good" and which "bad." It is therefore better to gradually take care of puppies get used to solid food and try not too many foods at the beginning.
The risk of developing an intolerance is also increased if they ingest poor quality proteins in their food which they cannot process or offer poor energy benefits. This includes, for example, corn or animal meal, which unfortunately all too often included in many dog food brands available in the UK.
At BUNCH we have waived grain and meat meals, and instead relies on purely natural ingredients without additives.
A RAW food diet offers through healthy and natural ingredients an optimal start to the gentle development of this food tolerance. You know exactly which ingredients are in their diet and also decide which quantity of this protein they will enjoy. This reduces the risk of food intolerance already at puppy age.
Healthy nutrition forms the basis for a healthy dog . That's why we have developed three special menus for puppies as a supplement to our Complete Plus . Our Junior Menus consist of various combinations of lots of fresh muscle meat, an increased level of calcium bone, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. Optimally matched oils, algae and herbs provide all the necessary nutrients, both frozen and dried,
In addition, you do not need to worry about your dog reacting to something he can not tolerate, as we always list each ingredient exactly and all of our menus are mono-protein sources. That is, each menu consists exclusively of pure muscle meat, offal, and calcium bone from a single animal.
What can cause allergies?
In principle, a dog can be allergic to anything. Whether a food can cause problems also has a lot to do with the frequency of occurrence. All across the UK & Europe, chicken and wheat are very common in the feed industry, so many dogs are known to have developed a food allergy. The main cause of this is due to the undigested feed protein, which can trigger this allergy.
Identifying an allergy and its triggers can be extremely difficult. The only thing that gives clear results is an exclusion diet.
Of course, you should first visit a veterinarian first to rule out another trigger for the symptoms.
Elimination diet, what is it?
An elimination diet is performed in case of when a food allergy is suspected. As an owner you should only feed a single meat and vegetable variety over a period of 10 weeks. This is the easiest way to spot the protein which may be causing the allergic reaction as the allergic symptoms your dog was previously showing will gradually disappear in the course of this diet.
BUNCH Hypoallergenic Mindful Menus is ideal for adult dogs of all breeds and sizes who suffer from allergies and intolerance's, so they should be fed an exclusion diet. In these menus only pure muscle meat of a single rare protein source is used in conjunction with the vegetable variety. As a result, the most common allergenic feed ingredients are avoided. You can simply feed our menu as you like best, as RAW or Dry RAW.
In these 10 weeks, care should be taken to actually feed nothing but the type of meat and vegetables that you decided on in the beginning. After the exclusion diet (when it was last symptom-free), other foods may gradually be added. This is the easiest way to recognize what has caused the allergy in your four-legged friend.
Top Tip – When feeding an exclusion diet, remember to not feed any biscuits or treats which may contain wheat or other proteins. Even a small quantity of these can be enough to trigger a reaction, many dog owners forget this and sometimes focus purely on their dogs main feed as the cause of the reaction. You can of course still feed treats and chew though we recommend only feeding a 100% natural treat with no hidden ingredients and as per the current protein you are using as part of the exclusion diet. We offer a wide range of treats and chews which contain only PURE meat which can easily be fed along side your dog main diet. If feeding our Hypoallergenic why not try out our Hypoallergenic Range
Has your dog experienced a food allergy recently or are you still in limbo trying to find the root of the problem?
Help out your fellow dog lovers, comment below any tips of tricks or simply tell us about your journey to tackle this common dog health issue.
