Dog foods aren’t the same as they used to be. Over the past few years, pet owners have grown more concerned about the food their dogs eat. At the same time, dogs with food sensitivities have become more common. AvoDerm Natural® pet food has always included high-quality ingredients to provide your dog with holistic nutrition and incredible taste. However, for dogs with sensitive stomachs, even these real food ingredients can cause trouble for your pet. That’s where limited ingredient dog food comes in.
What is Limited Ingredient Dog Food?
Also known as a limited ingredient diet (LID), limited ingredient dog food contains fewer ingredients than your average dog food formula. Typically used for dogs with food sensitivities or sensitive stomachs, a limited ingredient diet still provides your dog with the right nutrients in the right proportions. This simplified formula of fewer ingredients merely helps to narrow down what your dog could have an intolerance to in other meals. Nevertheless, pet owners should always check with a professional to identify the cause of their dog’s food sensitivity.
A rotational diet helps pets with food sensitivities by exposing your dog to a healthy variety of ingredients. Limited ingredient dog food recipes achieve the same goal by isolating the sources of nutrition in your dog’s diet, so you can identify which additives or ingredients may be bothering your pup. Most limited ingredient dog foods contain a single protein or grain source, including uncommon sources of protein such as lamb, duck, and even sweet potatoes. Dogs that receive a rich variety of real ingredients and proteins are less likely to develop negative reactions and pet food sensitivities.1
If you look over the ingredients list in lower quality dog foods, you may find that the list of ingredients takes up half the space of the packaging. It can be difficult to identify the sources of your dog’s essential vitamins and nutrients. Some ingredients sound like chemicals and others you can barely pronounce. That’s why AvoDerm Natural pet food formulas are loaded with high-quality proteins, antioxidants, grains, and vitamins you can trust. With human food favorites such as natural avocados, your dog gets all the nutrients they need, including essential fatty acids to promote healthy and beautiful coats, and antioxidants to support immune function.
Benefits of Limited Ingredient Dog Food
Dogs, like humans, enjoy a rotating diet. Trying different foods and ingredients is not only enjoyable, but healthy for them as well. Introducing new sources of protein and carbohydrates helps your dog avoid future food sensitivities. The risk of food sensitivities may be reduced by removing repeat ingredients, or switching them out for ingredients your pup has never eaten before.
When to Start a Limited Ingredient Diet
If your dog has come down with a food sensitivity, a limited ingredient diet can help ease their symptoms. After several months, you can introduce more ingredients, one at a time, to your dog’s meals. This can help identify the exact food sensitivity in your pup. Other perks to a limited ingredient meal are:
- Relief from an upset stomach
- Maintaining normal energy levels
- Stable digestion
- Fewer additives to dog food2
Some additives, such as binders and antioxidants, are nutrient-heavy and contribute to your pet’s overall health. However, preservatives that are found in many lower-quality dog foods can be very harmful to your pup.2
What you feed your dog plays a major role in their overall health and happiness. Thankfully, dog foods are becoming more health-conscious for our beloved pups. With a growing market for pet foods made especially for pups with food sensitivities, and other healthy pet food alternatives, owning a food-sensitive pet has never been easier.
SOURCES:
- Zinkevych, Dmytro. “Limited Ingredient Dog Food: Is It Right For Your Dog?” PetMD.
- “Benefits of Limited Ingredient Dog Food.” Dog Spectrum, 5 Dec. 2016.
