Limited-Ingredient Dog Food: Is It Right for Your Dog?

Limited-ingredient dog food is formulated to reduce the number of ingredients that your dog is exposed to within their diet. It is often made with novel proteins like duck, venison, or rabbit.

The most common reason to feed a limited-ingredient dog food is to diagnose or manage food allergies (adverse food reactions).

Here’s what you need to know about limited-ingredient dog food and how you can determine if it is right for your pup.

What Does “Limited Ingredient” Mean?

“Limited ingredient” simply means that this dog food uses fewer ingredients than your average dog food formula. It is not a regulated term, so there are no set rules for the number of ingredients required to be considered “limited.”

For example, JustFoodForDogs Sensitive Stomach formula contains just five main ingredients plus a blend of nutrients.

Limited-ingredient diets are often recommended for dogs with food allergies or sensitivities. In fact, the only true way to test a dog for a food allergy is by performing an elimination food trial with a hypoallergenic dog food.

What’s Usually in a Limited-Ingredient Dog Food?

Generally, a limited-ingredient dog food diet has a novel protein (one that’s not common in other dog foods), and sometimes, a carbohydrate source that is out of the ordinary. LID dog foods may contain a carbohydrate source that is an unlikely cause for food allergies, such as rice.

Protein in Limited-Ingredient Dog Food

Limited-ingredient diets often list less-common proteins such as:

·       Alligator

·       Bison

·       Duck

·       Fish (trout, herring)

·       Kangaroo

·       Lamb

·       Pork

·       Rabbit

·       Venison

Carbohydrates in Limited-Ingredient Dog Food

Common carbohydrate sources used in limited-ingredient dog foods are:

·       Brown rice

·       Lentils

·       Oatmeal

·       Peas

·       Potatoes

·       Rice

·       Sweet potatoes

Does My Dog Need Limited-Ingredient Dog Food?

A limited-ingredient diet is not necessary for healthy dogs with no medical issues. The most common reason to feed a limited diet is to diagnose or manage a food allergy or intolerance.

The principle with food allergies and limited-ingredient dog food is that a dog cannot be allergic to an ingredient that it has not been exposed to before. That's why many of these diets contain less-common proteins.

Food-allergic dogs can have symptoms involving the ears, feet, inner thighs, armpits, face, and area around the anus. Itchy ears, with or without infection, may be the only symptom in up to 25% of dogs with food allergies.

Some dogs may only have recurrent skin infections, with or without itching. Some dogs with chronic diarrhea may have an underlying food allergy, as 10%–15% of dogs with a food allergy have GI symptoms.

If your dog has these symptoms, talk to your vet about testing for a food allergy and ask if a limited-ingredient diet might be right for your dog.

Is Limited-Ingredient Dog Food Hypoallergenic?

Limited-ingredient diets are not automatically hypoallergenic. While some limited-ingredient diets can be appropriate for a dog with a food allergy, it truly has to be a novel protein to that individual dog. When diagnosing a food allergy, it’s imperative that the protein be carefully selected to avoid all proteins they have eaten before. 

There is often a very big difference between over-the-counter and prescription LIDs. OTC LIDs may be manufactured on equipment used for other foods and can still have trace amounts of other proteins not on the label from cross contamination. For this reason, a dog with a suspected food allergy should be put on a veterinary therapeutic LID for a diagnostic elimination diet trial. Your vet can help you find the right therapeutic diet for your dog.  

OTC diets can be helpful for dogs with food intolerance and not a true food allergy. The difference between an intolerance and an allergy is that with food allergies, the immune system is involved instead of just a digestion issue as with an intolerance. 

While a LID may reduce the risk of exposure to foodborne allergens, it should not be considered synonymous with a hypoallergenic diet. Prescription hydrolyzed or appropriately selected novel protein diets are the preferred way to diagnose and manage a food allergy.