Our customers asked for all natural, holistic grain-free pet foods. We responded by consulting with our nutritionists and veterinarians to develop two new CANIDAE grain free formulas: CANIDAE Grain-Free Salmon and CANIDAE Grain-Free All Life Stages. These grain-free diets are formulated for dogs that do not tolerate grain well, are prone to dietary allergic reactions, and require a higher level of meat protein in their diets.

Traditionally, CANIDAE has offset the abundance of meat protein in its foods by including nutritious grains or starches. For many dogs this provides an optimal blend of protein, carbohydrates and fat. Some dogs however can benefit from a further increase in meat protein and a complete absence of grains of any kind. In these grain-free formulas, the carbohydrates are derived from sources like potatoes and peas instead of grains.

Our CANIDAE Grain-Free All Life Stages diet is an optimal blend of multiple meat sources. With a protein level of 34% and fat at 18% you will need to make sure your dog can tolerate that high a level of protein and adjust the intake to your dog's nutritional needs. Our CANIDAE Grain-Free Salmon diet yields a protein level of 40% with fat at 20%. Because Salmon yields such a high meat protein value and we utilize a low starch offset, this product is much higher in protein than our other formulas. We feel as though very sensitive dogs, higher stress dogs, and underweight dogs will benefit from our CANIDAE Grain-Free Salmon formula.

These grain-free foods may not be suitable for all dogs. It is always best to consult with your veterinarian before making a substantial change to your dog's diet.

Yes. We offer our CANIDAE PLATINUM® and FELIDAE PLATINUM® lines specially formulated for a lower calorie, nutritious diet.

It is safe to change flavors or products. However, remember to introduce a new product gradually over a 7-10 day period. Sudden changes in a pet's diet can cause intestinal upsets, more so in dogs than in cats. Also, constant changes can create a finicky eater. Please see our dog food transitioning guidelines for information on how to best transition your pet to a new diet.

Your pet should always have fresh clean water available to drink as he/she pleases.

Many people think that their pets have allergies to their food, but science tells us that food allergies are much less likely to be causing your pet’s skin problems than other ailments. Did you know that food allergies are the least common type of allergy diagnosed in dogs and cats and make up only about 5% of ALL cases of skin disease seen by veterinarians? So, if 100 dogs came into the vet clinic with itchy skin, only 5 of those dogs would be itchy because of a food allergy.

A common myth about food allergies is that they develop when the food is changed. This is the opposite of how an allergy develops. Food allergy takes time and many pets have been eating the offending food for years.

The most likely cause of these symptoms is Demodectic mange. This can be diagnosed and treated by your veterinarian. However, about 1/3 of confirmed food allergy cases (in dogs) are in pups younger than one year of age. This tells us that these dogs have a genetic component to their allergy. Adult dogs with food allergies should not be bred, as they might pass the allergy on to their offspring.

What does a food allergy look like? In cats, the symptoms are typically scabs and itching around the face and neck. Ear mites are a common ailment of kittens that will also cause itchy head and neck, so it is important to have your veterinarian do a thorough check of your cat’s ears. Dogs with food allergies are most itchy around their face, belly and feet. They also will have recurrent ear infections. These dogs are even more itchy than dogs with other types of allergies, often scratching or rubbing their skin to the point that it is raw and inflamed.

Food allergies are not seasonal. The most common types of allergies are flea allergy and atopy (inhaled allergy). Spring is the time of year when both of these types of allergies tend to flare up. Keeping up with flea control is critical to protect pets from flea allergy dermatitis. Just because a diagnosis is made of flea allergy does not mean that the pet is infested with fleas. Flea allergy tends to be very strong and a dog or cat can become very itchy even after being bitten by a single flea.

Interesting fact: Dogs with flea allergies may have allergies to foods as well. If the fleas are completely controlled though, the food allergy symptoms may never appear. If the fleas are not controlled, the dog might show flea allergy dermatitis and evidence of food allergy together.

This is the most common allergy in dogs and cats. As mentioned above, the bite of a single flea is enough to cause significant irritation and itching in these pets. The pattern of itchiness is typically the back of the neck and the base of the tail for both cats and dogs. If pets have a flea infestation, they will be itchy everywhere because of the fleas themselves and the reaction to the bites. A serum test or skin test will confirm a diagnosis of flea allergy. In many climates, year round flea prevention is necessary. In areas with hard freezes that last through the winter months, prevention may be stopped (get advice from your veterinarian) and started again when the thaw begins. It is easy to control flea allergy dermatitis, just use a veterinary recommended product to prevent fleas from biting your pet.

The second most common allergy, inhaled allergens of many different types will cause your pet to be very itchy. These are often seasonal, but can be year round (dust mites, food storage mites, carpet fiber). These are best diagnosed by serum or skin tests. They can be managed with allergy shots, just like people with seasonal allergies.

Serum and skin tests are not as effective for diagnosing food allergies as they are for the other types of allergies. The only true way to make a diagnosis (and confirm it) is with elimination diet and food challenge. The way this works is to feed the pet either a hypoallergenic diet (hydrolyzed protein, veterinary prescription formulas only) or a limited antigen diet (one protein and one carbohydrate) for a period of 8-10 weeks. Once the symptoms have resolved, the only way to test for the offending ingredient is to feed it. The symptoms may reappear as late as 2 weeks after the food is introduced. Once a pet is symptom free, pet owners are very unlikely to try and bring the symptoms back with a food challenge, so true food allergies are often not ever diagnosed for certain.

It is very important to work closely with your veterinarian no matter what the cause of the skin problem or itchiness is. Veterinarians can help make the correct diagnosis and offer the most appropriate treatment to keep your pet comfortable and happy.

• The Pet Health Library
• Canine allergic dermatitis: Pathogenesis, clinical signs, and diagnosis by Karen A. Moriello, DVM, DACVD
• If you need to find a veterinary dermatologist, use the American College of Veterinary Dermatology’s finder tool