A food allergy or intolerance in a dog or cat: what is the difference?

Hypoallergenic food

When the ingredients your pet reacts to are known from the allergy screening by the veterinarian, you can look for a food that is free from these allergens. This also applies to the elimination diet: if your dog or cat responds well to the specific protein source after 6 weeks of the elimination diet, you can continue to feed this food or look for a food that contains the ingredients your pet reacts well to.

Hypoallergenic foods are often the most suitable for food allergies or intolerances. These are foods low in allergens, significantly reducing the chance of a negative reaction. Hypoallergenic dog or cat food has several definitions. For example, hypoallergenic food can consist of only one (animal) protein source, but it can also be made with unique protein sources or hydrolyzed protein sources. In the blogs ‘What is hypoallergenic dog food?' and ‘The benefits of hypoallergenic cat food' we go deeper into these different definitions.

Always check the ingredient list

When you are looking for a suitable food for your dog or cat with a food allergy or intolerance, make sure to always carefully read the ingredient list of the food. If a food is hypoallergenic, the manufacturer always states this on the packaging. Because a dog or cat with a food allergy can react to even a small amount of protein in the food, it is important to choose a food with a clear declaration of the ingredient list. This means that all nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements) are present in the correct ratio and listed on the packaging. In the blog ‘Dog food, what exactly is in it?' we give you some tips on what to watch out for when reading the ingredient lists of pet foods.

It is important not to be misled by certain texts. For example, a package may say ‘with beef,' but when you look at the ingredient list, it may contain other animal proteins besides beef, making the food unsuitable for your dog or cat with a food allergy or intolerance. Another term to watch out for with pets that have a food allergy or intolerance is ‘meat and/or animal by-products.' When this is stated on the packaging, it is unclear which protein source is used in the food. Not ideal if your pet is sensitive to a particular protein source…

Note: dogs or cats with a food allergy or intolerance can only react to the proteins in food and not to fats (because they contain no proteins). For example, if your dog or cat is sensitive to chicken and the food is free of chicken proteins but contains chicken or poultry fat, your dog or cat can still eat this food without suffering from their allergy or intolerance.

Why choose Riverwood dog or cat food?

The main ingredient of Riverwood dog food and Riverwood cat food is the meat from three hypoallergenic unique protein sources (note: in the case of the cat foods, only the Outdoor, Derma, and Sterilised variants are hypoallergenic). Due to the high meat content, the foods have high digestibility. In addition, all Riverwood dog and cat foods are completely grain- and gluten-free and are completed with a selection of fresh fruit, vegetables, and a rich blend of powerful herbs. The hypoallergenic dog and cat foods from Riverwood are therefore suitable for and ideal to use with pets with food allergies or intolerances.

Besides dry foods, Riverwood also has a range of canned foods for dogs, namely the Mono Protein canned wet food. These canned wet foods contain no less than 70% meat from, as the name suggests, only one protein source. This wet food can therefore be perfectly used in a selective diet resulting from food allergies or intolerances.

Riverwood also offers a wide range of natural meat strips and trainers, treats and natural chew treats. Most of these snacks are made with unique protein sources, and some snacks even contain only one protein source. In the product composition, you can find which ingredients are used in the snacks, so you can determine whether the snack is suitable for your dog with a food allergy or intolerance.

Are you unsure whether a particular food is suitable for your dog or cat or do you have other questions? Please do not hesitate to contact us. We are happy to help!

Many pets already enjoy Riverwood every day. Do you want your dog or cat to also enjoy our delicious foods and are you curious which variant would suit your dog or cat best? Then answer here a few questions about your dog or here about your cat and order a discounted trial package right away.