The majority of dog food brands in the United States don't worry about pets that have food allergies.
Sure, they may dedicate maybe one or two product lines to the issue, but for the most part what matters is everyone else...
the dogs that have no problems processing protein.
Yet, in the process, they fail to realize the greater lesson behind hypoallergenic dog food.
Yes, easier protein consumption is a major goal of hypoallergenic dog food, but what is done to achieve this goal? And should these methods be considered by other dog food manufacturers, who don't have to worry as much about the hypoallergenic nature of their product? Well, first off, if a hypoallergenic dog food company is legitimate, chances are no meat byproducts are going to be used in their ingredients.
They will also hold off on fillers, such as bone or other 'foods' that hold little if any nutritional value.
Some hypoallergenic dog food companies will take things a step further and produce their food through organic methods.
This means the animals used for the meat portion of their product will usually be free of growth hormones, and the vegetables will be free of pesticides.
Finally, most legitimate hypoallergenic dog food companies will be very concerned about the nutritional value of their product.
They will make sure they are using an appropriate amount of animal protein...
even if they are limited to the types of animal protein they can use.
In conclusion, the practices of hypoallergenic dog food companies should not be ignored by both the public and other players in the dog food industry.
Even if they don't have to worry about allergies, they still need to be concerned about whether or not dogs are getting an appropriate amount of nutrition from their product.
This factor alone should be enough to get manufacturers to begin changing their business practices.
If it isn't perhaps consumers could do more rallying to force such action through legislation.