Hypoallergenic dog food is food designed to lower the chance of an allergic reaction. Most of it works in one of two ways: it breaks the protein down into pieces too small for the immune system to recognise, or it uses a protein your dog has never eaten before.
"Hypo" means less, not none. No food can promise that your dog won't react, and the word means different things on different labels, so it is worth knowing what to look for.
What does "hypoallergenic" mean on a dog food label?
It depends on who is using it. There is no single agreed definition of "hypoallergenic" for dog food, and brands use it for very different recipes, from prescription diets built on hydrolysed protein to everyday foods that simply leave out chicken or beef.
What is regulated is a narrower category. A dog food can be sold as a dietetic feed for the "reduction of ingredient and nutrient intolerances" only if it is a complete food built on a selected, limited number of protein sources, on hydrolysed protein, or on selected carbohydrate sources. Its label has to name those sources and recommend asking a vet before using it (Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/354, as it applies in Great Britain).
So rather than relying on the word, read the label. Check which proteins are in the food, which common allergens it leaves out, and whether it is sold as a dietetic or prescription diet.
What is the difference between hydrolysed and novel protein diets?
They are the two approaches vets use, and they work in different ways.
Hydrolysed protein diets
A hydrolysed diet takes a familiar protein and breaks it down into fragments small enough that the immune system is less likely to recognise them. These diets are usually sold through vets.
They reduce the risk of a reaction rather than removing it. A systematic review found hydrolysed foods were less allergenic than the original protein, but in three controlled studies up to half of the dogs with food reactions had more symptoms on a partially hydrolysed diet (Olivry & Bizikova, Veterinary Dermatology, 2010).
Novel protein diets
A novel protein diet uses a protein your dog has not eaten before. A dog cannot be sensitised to a protein it has never met, which is why novel proteins are a standard tool in veterinary elimination diets.
Whether a protein is novel depends on your dog's history, not on the ingredient. Lamb, duck and venison now appear in many dog foods, so for a lot of dogs they are no longer novel. Insect protein, such as black soldier fly larvae, is a protein almost no dog in the UK has eaten.
Novel is not the same as non-allergenic. Any protein can cause a reaction, and insect proteins are still being studied for cross-reactivity with house dust mite allergens.
What are dogs most commonly allergic to?
Animal proteins they have eaten for a long time. In a review of 297 dogs whose food reactions were confirmed by a food challenge, the most frequently identified triggers were beef (34% of dogs), dairy (17%), chicken (15%) and wheat (13%), followed by soya (6%), lamb (5%), corn (4%) and egg (4%) (Mueller, Olivry & Prélaud, BMC Veterinary Research, 2016).
Those figures describe dogs in published cases, not the dog population as a whole. They still give the clearest picture available of what dogs actually react to. There is more on this in the most common food allergies in dogs.
Is grain-free dog food hypoallergenic?
Not necessarily. In the same review, wheat was the fourth most common trigger and corn was identified in 4% of dogs, but the three most common were all animal proteins: beef, dairy and chicken.
A grain-free food made with chicken would not help a dog that reacts to chicken. If you suspect a food reaction, look at the protein first.
Can hypoallergenic dog food guarantee my dog won't react?
No. Any protein can cause a reaction, hydrolysed diets reduce the risk rather than removing it, and what is in the bag does not always match the label.
A review of studies that tested pet foods in the laboratory found ingredients that were not on the label in a median of 45% of the diets tested, and in 33% to 83% of foods sold with "novel" or "limited" ingredients for elimination diets. Hydrolysed diets fared much better, with only one found to be mislabelled (Olivry & Mueller, BMC Veterinary Research, 2018).
If you are running an elimination trial, ask your vet which food to use and how strict to be.
How do I find out if my dog has a food allergy?
With an elimination diet, run with your vet. Your dog eats one diet based on a novel or hydrolysed protein and nothing else (no treats, chews, table scraps or flavoured medicines) for long enough to see whether the signs settle. The old food is then reintroduced. If the signs come back, food was the cause.
In a review of published trials, signs had settled in more than 85% of dogs with food reactions by five weeks on an elimination diet, and in over 95% by eight weeks. The authors recommend a minimum of five weeks (Olivry, Mueller & Prélaud, BMC Veterinary Research, 2015).
Blood, saliva and hair tests sold for food allergies are not a reliable shortcut. A review of the evidence concluded that serum tests are not reliable in dogs and that no other test can be recommended for diagnosing food reactions (Mueller & Olivry, BMC Veterinary Research, 2017).
Our guide to elimination diets for dogs walks through the process, and how to tell if your dog is allergic to their food covers the signs to look for.
Does my dog need a prescription hypoallergenic diet?
That is a decision for your vet. Prescription hydrolysed diets are often used when signs are severe, when several proteins are suspected, or when a dog's diet history makes it hard to find a protein it has never eaten. For other dogs, a vet may be happy to run an elimination trial on a complete novel-protein food.
Either way, the trial needs to be strict and long enough to give a clear answer.
Where Grub Club fits
Our packaging calls our complete foods hypoallergenic, and we mean it in one defined sense: the recipe is built to leave out the ingredients dogs most commonly react to. All-Day Buffet, Good Gut Grub and our wet recipes use one novel animal protein, black soldier fly larvae, and contain no chicken, beef, lamb, fish, dairy, wheat or soya.
Here is exactly what we mean by hypoallergenic: There’s no single agreed definition of “hypoallergenic” for dog food, so here’s what we mean when we use it on our packaging and product pages: the recipe is built to leave out the ingredients dogs most commonly react to.
Our complete foods use one novel animal protein, black soldier fly larvae, and contain no chicken, beef, lamb, fish, dairy, wheat or soya.It describes what’s in the recipe, not a guaranteed outcome. No controlled trial has yet tested insect protein in dogs with confirmed food allergy, and any protein can cause a reaction. If your dog has a diagnosed food allergy, your vet should guide any change of diet.
One difference matters if your dog reacts to plant ingredients: All-Day Buffet contains pea protein and potato, while Good Gut Grub contains neither, using tapioca and fava bean instead. If you are looking for a wet food, our guide to hypoallergenic wet dog food covers what to look for.
On the evidence: in a small preliminary trial, eight dogs with diagnosed food reactions, already settled on an elimination diet, stayed stable on a black soldier fly diet for four weeks. One was withdrawn after its itching worsened. The trial was uncontrolled, and the authors call for larger studies (Srifawattana et al., Veterinary Sciences, 2025). No controlled trial has yet tested insect protein in dogs with confirmed food allergy. Our Knowledge Hub sets out what the research does and does not show.
Our foods are not prescription diets and have not been clinically tested as a treatment for food allergy. If your dog is itchy, has recurring ear problems or loose stools, speak to your vet before changing their diet. You can also book a free consultation with our vet, or browse foods for dogs with allergies.
References
- Mueller, R.S., Olivry, T. and Prélaud, P. (2016). Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats. BMC Veterinary Research, 12, 9. doi:10.1186/s12917-016-0633-8
- Olivry, T. and Bizikova, P. (2010). A systematic review of the evidence of reduced allergenicity and clinical benefit of food hydrolysates in dogs with cutaneous adverse food reactions. Veterinary Dermatology, 21(1), 32–41. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3164.2009.00761.x
- Olivry, T., Mueller, R.S. and Prélaud, P. (2015). Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (1): duration of elimination diets. BMC Veterinary Research, 11, 225. doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0541-3
- Mueller, R.S. and Olivry, T. (2017). Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (4): can we diagnose adverse food reactions in dogs and cats with in vivo or in vitro tests? BMC Veterinary Research, 13, 275. doi:10.1186/s12917-017-1142-0
- Olivry, T. and Mueller, R.S. (2018). Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (5): discrepancies between ingredients and labeling in commercial pet foods. BMC Veterinary Research, 14, 24. doi:10.1186/s12917-018-1346-y
- Srifawattana, N., Phimolsiripol, Y., Boonchuay, P., Na-Lampang, K., Piboon, P., Umsumarng, S. and Nganvongpanit, K. (2025). Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae as a protein substitute in adverse food reactions for canine dermatitis: preliminary results among patients. Veterinary Sciences, 12(1), 68. doi:10.3390/vetsci12010068
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/354, Annex, Part B: reduction of ingredient and nutrient intolerances (dogs and cats), as retained in the law of Great Britain. legislation.gov.uk
