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Low Histamine Foods For Allergic Dogs

Not everything in a fresh food diet is appropriate for all dogs and this is even more relevant to dogs with allergies

Histamine is a necessary response in bodies however when the body produces too much this becomes problematic especially for allergic dogs.  A healthy diet contains moderate amount of histamines, however plenty of healthy foods are high in histamines and these are the ones we want to avoid in allergic dogs.

Puppy Jack russell with scratching himself and bite fleas..jpg

  • Fermented foods such as Kefir, Kombucha & Fermented Veggies

  • Avocado

  • Dried Fruits

  • Eggplant

  • Spinach

  • Bone Broth

  • Shell Fish

  • Aged Cheese

  • Processed or smoked meats

  • Frozen, salted, or canned fish, such as sardines and tuna

  • Vinegar

  • Legumes, such as chickpeas, soybeans, and lentils

  • Yogurt

  • Green Tea

  • Pineapple

  • Strawberries

  • Cherries

  • Cloves

  • Cinnamon

 

In addition to foods that are high in histamines, there are foods that trigger a histamine response in the body such as:

  • Tomatoes

  • Bananas

  • Wheat Germ

  • Beans

  • Nuts

  • Citrus Fruits

  • Food Dyes

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Foods you'll want to include that are low in histamines:

  • Fresh meat and freshly caught fish

  • Non-citrus fruits

  • Eggs

  • Gluten-free grains, such as quinoa

  • Dairy substitutes, such as coconut milk and almond milk

  • Fresh vegetables except the ones listed above

  • Olive oil

  • Cream Cheese

  • Butter

  • Coconut Milk

  • Most leafy greens except spinach
     

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There are also probiotic strains that aren't ideal and some that are:
 

Histamine Producers:

  • Candida

  • Citrobacter

  • C. perfringens

  • E. coli

  • H. pylori

  • Lactobacillus bulgaricus

  • Lactobacillus casei

  • Lactobacillus reuteri

  • Staphylococcus

  • S. thermophilus

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Histamine Degraders:

  • Bifidobacterium infantis

  • Bifidobacterium longum

  • Lactobacillus gasseri

  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus

  • Lactobacillus plantarum

  • Lactobacillus salivarius

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Now, in saying all of this, it also comes down to how many histamines receptors are in the gut, some individuals have many, some have none so whilst food may be high in histamines or trigger histamine production, it may not mean anything to the individual - this is where food elimination trials are helpful.

Download a complete and balanced low histamine recipe here created by Nutritionist, Sacha Packer from The Balanced Canine. This recipe makes a batch of food around 1 kilo in weight.

This recipe uses Grass-Fed beef because it comes to dogs with allergies, we want to try and avoid triggers where possible and Grass-Fed beef does not get fed grains that could trigger your dog.  We also use free-range eggs but if you can get backyard/pastured eggs, that is the gold standard. Seaweed Calcium powder is used in this recipe, you can buy pet versions but human versions are fine too and probably higher quality. As many of the foods we would normally use for Vitamin D can be triggering for histamines, we have used Vitamin D liquid, just 1 drop is necessary - we use Ostelin 400iu.

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