Shelter Dog Meal Donation Count:

Learn More

20 Best Foods for Australian Shepherds with Allergies

| Published on February 3, 2023
Dealing with your Australian Shepherd’s food allergies can be beyond frustrating! We asked our 800,000 members of Australian Shepherd community on facebook the following question: “Those of you with Australian Shepherd’s who have allergies…. what food do you use and why?” We received hundreds of replies, and summarized the top 20 responses here.
As always, be sure to consult your veterinarian before making any health changes to your Australian Shepherd’s diet. iHeartDogs is reader supported, so some of the links below may be affiliate links where we receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

20 Best Dog Foods for Australian Shepherds with Allergies

Hills Science Diet Lamb and Rice.

Author: Holly K.

Likes: 0


For my Aussie’s food allergies it’s by prescription from vet – Hills Z/D. Then cause he has some environment allergies too a allergy shot every few months if he starts scratching a lot.

Author: Lisa H.

Likes: 1


Not a food recommendation, but I would HIGHLY recommend this allergy supplement on Amazon. Reduced my dog’s itching substantially. My vet said keep using it!

Author: Jay C.

Likes: 18


I feed Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach salmon and rice, wet and dry. Allergies cleared up, coats are thick and beautiful again.

Author: Lorie E.

Likes: 0


My dog ate whole earth farms , lamb/grainfree for a few years once i discovered his chicken allergy. Then i switched because his coat was very dry. No problems with blue buffalo, it’s been about 4 more years now.

Author: Kathleen Rodweller W.

Likes: 2


Check how to do a food elimination diet. Forget the ‘tests’, this is the gold standard, and is not difficult to do. Playing Food Monopoly is not fun, I don’t know how many foods we went through, finding some that all four Aussies could eat without blasting us out of the living room. Different from allergies, but tracking sensitive ingredients helps. My BC could never handle the grain-free formulas, did super on the single grain models. Food elimination. My husband was a holistic Vet, and we set up a whole lot of them. Google is your friend.

Author: Valerie V.

Likes: 2


Fromm duck and sweet potato or whitefish and potato. No chicken or corn as those were the allergens.

Author: Mary Lucas S.

Likes: 2


My dog was not allergic to chicken, he was allergic to the additives they out in dry food. And they almost all use them. I wa advised by some friends to try feeding raw food and that worked like a charm. I add all natural vitamins that are recommended for raw diets and when you read the ingredients on the label. You know what they are putting in the vit mix. I give eggs twice a week. And add apples, carrots, greens, any fresh vegetables I have in the fridge to give them some variety. My dogs love it and I know what is in my dogs food. You could use the same mix and just cook the meat if you are worried about feeding raw, but my do great on the raw. And I buy their meat from the grocery store so they are getting human grade food.

Author: Patty B.

Likes: 1


I cook lamb and rice with green vegetables also, my aussie is allergic to preservatives in kibble and cookies, so I make everything for my boy from scratch

Author: Tracy Lee H.

Likes: 1


I used Royal Canin Selected Protein Rx – uses only 3 ingredients, rabbit meat being the protein. Vet prescribed.

Author: Carolyn P.

Likes: 0


My boy started having some skin issues and no matter what food I tried after that, be it a grain or grain-free food, skin issues seemed to always be lurking. Then I hear NOT to feed grain-free foods, and hear some brands like Purina and others highly encouraged by veterinarians…seriously, I wouldn’t touch Purina. Interesting to me was that the ones most touted by vets are the ones they happen to sell in their offices and most likely get kick-backs for. So I just stopped searching and make my dog’s food with a variety of ingredients from the grocery store. My boy is very healthy and at ideal weight, and his vet approves.

Author: Jennifer Z.

Likes: 3


I just switched from nutro to diamond naturals, yes stay away from chicken… I use beef for 2 of my dogs and salmon for my other dog… my aussie gets paw itching beginning of fall so we take him to vet for allergies shot.. but it has nothing to do with food.

Author: Jen S.

Likes: 1


Mine can’t have peas, pork, oats or peanuts. Peas are in most dry food as a filler so finding a food he can eat is difficult. He currently eats Royal Canin Gastrointestinal diet

Author: Sarah E.

Likes: 1


Mine don’t have any known food allergies, fortunately, but I know a lot of dogs are allergic to chicken. Mine enjoy a rotation of different foods, and one of their favorites is Purina One lamb and rice. Might be good for a doggo allergic to chicken.

Author: Rebecca K.

Likes: 1


Avoderm grain free trout. It’s an all life stages and my one Aussie mix can’t have grains. It works for all of them

Author: Christine S.

Likes: 2


I’m in Canada but something like this may be available or perhaps shipped to you? Best food I’ve ever found.

Author: Jeni G.

Likes: 3


I cut out chicken and have him on Nutri-Life fish and pork never had a problem!

Author: Wendy Farnsworth-M.

Likes: 0


Purina pro plan sport salmon. Only food 2 of my Aussies can eat that doesn’t cause them to break out in hives.

Author: Angel Lea Cochran-K.

Likes: 1


Taste of Wild, Pacific Stream. It’s a salmon based kibble, grain free. Mine are allergic to grain.

Author: Christopher L.

Likes: 0


This is what I use for my food allergic Aussie. She’s allergic to chicken, and barley. It is available on both Chewy and Amazon WITHOUT a prescription. Forza10 Active Colon Support Diet Phase 1 Hydrolyzed Dog Food, Dry Dog Food Helps Dogs with Diarrhea, Colitis and Constipation, Wild Caught Anchovy Protein Flavor, 22 Pound Bag

Author: Veronica Ramsey Graham-W.

Likes: 0


As always, be sure to consult your veterinarian before making any health changes to your Australian Shepherd’s food. iHeartDogs is reader supported, so some of the links above may be affiliate links where we receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Recent Articles

Interested in learning even more about all things dogs? Get your paws on more great content from iHeartDogs!

Read the Blog