A dog suffering from food allergies shouldn't live in a world without treats!
We've come up with a list of the 11 best hypoallergenic dog treat recipes. The best part of creating dog treats at home is you have full control over the ingredients, and your pup isn't at risk of having a reaction.
But before we get started we'll quickly go over how food allergies affect dogs, and the types of ingredients to watch out for...
How Dogs Get Allergies
Just like humans, dogs can develop allergies at any time, and react to just about anything.
However, dogs commonly develop food allergies due to over-exposure. Meaning: if your dog has been fed kibble with chicken for several years, they may begin to develop an adverse reaction to all things chicken.
Signs of Allergies
- Itchy, red, inflamed skin and ears
- Itchy, puffy, and runny eyes
- Itchy, red ears
- Sneezing
- Constant licking and scratching
- Digestive problems
Common Food Allergens
Hypoallergenic dog treats are developed by simply avoiding the most common allergens.
Specific Proteins including: Chicken, Beef, Pork, Lamb, or Dairy.
Specific Carbohydrates including: Corn, Wheat, Soy, or Yeast.
With that in mind, your dog can develop allergies to almost anything, so picking a recipe requires you to have a little knowledge on what works for your specific pup. Discovering what your dog is allergic to will require some detective work and a consultation from your vet.
A Quick Warning:
It's not uncommon for dogs to be allergic to multiple ingredients or sources. So please use your discretion - the following recipes use ingredients that are less likely to cause a reaction by avoiding common allergens, but are in no way guaranteed to be completely hypoallergenic for your specific dog.
Many of these recipes make use of peanut butter. Please ensure that you're buying all natural peanut butter, and that it doesn't carry any other ingredients or by-products (the ingredients should just list: Peanuts - and nothing else!).
Also check out our list of grain free treat recipes you can make at home.
12 Hypoallergenic Dog Treat Recipes
Picture: Proud Dog Mom
1. Banana Coconut Frosty Bones
Using some Coconut Oil, Peanut Butter, and just a little Ginger - these pack a super healthy punch of essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants. But more importantly, your dog will absolutely love them. With 3 Ingredients and made in just a few minutes (plus some time to freeze) - it doesn't get any easier than this. Check out the recipe here.
2. DIY Frozen Apple Dog Treats
Sticking with our theme of frozen treats we have apple and plain yogurt - that's it! Super delicious, packed with healthy probiotics, and some extra fiber to boot. Frozen treats are great as a summer treat to cool off with. Learn how to make some frozen apple treats.
3. Hypoallergenic Sweet Potato Dog Treats
There is beauty in simplicity, and the less ingredients you use the less likely your dog is to have an allergic reaction. Dogvilles does a perfect job by making sweet potato "jerky", topped with a little olive oil and cinnamon. They're very easy to make, and I can attest that my dog absolutely loves these treats.
Picture: Damn Delicious
4. Peanut Butter Banana Dog Treats
Butters and Ollie are some very lucky Corgis - they have pro baker and chef Chungah to make bake them some amazing looking treats. Using just 4 ingredients, and with a little love, she created beautiful baked healthy treats that I'm sure your dog will appreciate. Also, I won't judge you if you decide to sneak a few for yourself.
5. Zucchini Chews
Here's something I never would have thought of - creating Zucchini "Jerky". It makes perfect sense though, it's a super healthy snack that's easy to make. Simple slice it up, add a little extra flavoring as needed, and stick it into the often for a few hours. Keep in mind the recipe does ask for Chicken Bouillon, so if you're dog has a chicken allergy (or you're unsure) just skip that part.
6. Holiday Dog Treats: PB & Ginger Snaps
Is your fur baby feeling the holiday spirit? You can celebrate with some amazing peanut butter ginger snaps that I promise you'll both enjoy. I think it's pretty safe to say that all dogs love peanut butter, so this one will be a home run. Recipe here.
Picture: Golden Barrel
7. Peanut Butter Coconut Oil Dog Treats
Another simple yet beautiful looking treat, this recipe only uses 3 ingredients and about 15 minutes of your time. Coconut oil, Peanut Butter, and a touch of Cinnamon - I won't blame you for sneaking a few.
8. Dried Banana Chews
Sugar the Golden Retriever shares her favorite treats - Chewy Banana Treats! And it doesn't get any easier than this, peel a banana, cut it length-wise, and place in the oven. For a few dollars you can get a full stack of tasty treats that are perfect for any dog. Sugar would have wanted all pups around the world to try her favorite recipe <3
9. Almond Oatmeal Hypoallergenic Dog Treats
What's better than Peanut Butter? Almond butter - now we're talkin, it has more manganese and calcium than PB, and it adds some new amazing flavors. Now the recipe does use eggs, so if your dog has a chicken allergy this may cause a reaction... but I haven't found any evidence that chicken allergies mean you're automatically allergic to eggs as well. Check out the full recipe here.
Picture: DogVills
10. Banana Oatmeal Hypoallegenic Dog Treats
Another super simple, and super delicious recipe from Dogvills. The best part is you probably already have these ingredients in your home, and they only take 25 minutes to make - so let's get cooking 🙂
11. Frozen Fall Pumpkin Treats
Pumpkin, yogurt, and peanut butter - that actually sounds pretty good. I'm sure by now you may have noticed the theme around here is dominated by Peanut Butter, but that's a good thing! Now freeze it with a little pumpkin and plain yogurt and you've got an easily digestive and probiotic punch. Just remember to use All Natural Peanut Butter. More info here.
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Great content thanks!
Great article! Really helpful
Thanks =)
My dog is allergic to at least one item in each of these recipes. Do you have experience substituting ingredients? She is very fragile and on multiple meds which we’ve used low fat cheese for, but she gets diarrhea from it. Then her hips get more painful from going so much. I need a muffin type recipe so I can use bits to cover her pills. We used zucchini muffins which she loved but it upset her GI system too… thanks for your time…
I don’t know how to make the following. I have purchased from Costco some treats made out of dried duck breast (I would think any dried meat would work) wrapped around moderately dried sweet potato in sort of a fry shape. My Shar Pei cannot get enough of them. Hope this helps. My dogs also have a variety of allergies.
My Shar Pei has inflammatory bowel disease, and foods she can eat are very restricted, plus she’s on lots of meds, so I make kangaroo mince & sweet potato (cook the potato first) burger patties in batches & freeze some. Then I heat the pattie in microwave for 20 seconds, cut through the middle, hide crushed meds, put the top jalf back on & she devours the lot!
Have you tried Olewo carrots? I have a dog with digestive tract issues. Aside from being allergic to a lot of grains and other things, he’s allergic to potatoes and peas. I finally found a 4 ingredient food he can have and now with the addition of Olewo carrots, he’s a happy camper. No more gas, no more diarrhea and firm stools. I’m not associated with the company. I just love their product it has been a life changer for my dog.
Hi Melissa! Here’s a suggestion that we use for our dogs to give gffn their meds. Blueberries. Specifically, blueberries that are plump and large enough to push the pill into the center. After both dogs swallow the “doctored” berries, they get a few more as a reward. Hope this might be an idea to try.
Am going to try a couple of these recipes. Thanks! Thought I would point out though that an allergy to pumpkins is quite common in dogs. Canines who develop allergies to foods such as pumpkin can experience chronic conditions such as ear infections, gas, and wheezing as well as the swollen, itchy skin. … A pumpkin allergy is an over-reaction of your dog’s immune system to an unwelcome protein that is present in pumpkins or their seeds.