“Hypoallergenic”. It’s everywhere on the label of things we would buy for ourselves such as clothes, jewellery, skincare, and food. It’s also a commonly found term on pet food packaging. 

But what exactly does hypoallergenic mean? Let’s break it down:

Hypo means low/ reduced/below normal, it is the opposite of hyper which means high/ increased or above normal.

Allergenic means having the capacity to induce allergy.

Putting two and two together, it means that this certain product (like pet food) is less likely (but not impossible) to cause an allergic reaction.

Hypoallergenic Pet Food

When a pet food label has this term, it means that it contains fewer or none of the common ingredients such as wheat, beef, dairy and poultry. It also sometimes excludes certain additives, colourings and grains.

In replacement of these excluded ingredients would be the more uncommon ingredients such as:

• Novel protein sources (lamb, venison, kangaroo, etc)
• Alternate carbs (rice, oatmeal, potato, etc) \

The thought is to prevent the immune response from continuing to be triggered.

However, these initial food allergies happen due to the frequent and constant consumption of these ingredients or additives. By switching your pet over to “hypoallergenic” pet food that contains the same amount of preservatives (albeit different ones), it could simply just be a temporary relief to their current itch. 

As pet parents, we’d love to have our furkid happy, itch-free and eating well. We might have considered buying different types of dog food that contains different ingredients, but this also raises another set of worries. Some of them would be:

• Dog food going rancid after prolonged storage
• Mite infestation in kibble
• Developing intolerance to the new ingredients over time
• Bowel issues due to a constant diet of dehydrated and overlu processed food
• Health concerns due to consumption of preservatives and additives 

With that in mind, here’s an alternate and healthier option for your furkid.

Fresh Human-Grade Pet Food

At Petchef we truly believe in feeding our pets affordable, nutritious and balanced meals. Understandably, there is a long list of non-safe human foods for both dogs and cats thus making it seem like a daunting (or inconvenient) option for busy pet parents.

Which is why we’re here to help curate and cook the best suited meal for your pet and deliver it right to your doorstep. 

What’s in a Petchef meal?

Our meals consist of freshly sourced and cooked human-grade meats, vegetables, herbs and oils that are nutritionally balanced and biologically appropriate for both dogs and cats, with no additives or preservatives! 

Why eat a fresh food diet?

Benefits of the fresh food diet for your pet includes, better energy levels, less allergies, a floofy shiny coat, and a healthier weight. With your pet eating food that’s not akin to junk food, they’ll also enjoy the joys of having lesser visits to the vet and a longer life to enjoy with their favourite humans!

However, should your pet have specific medical issues that require more than the standard amounts of vitamins and minerals, you may need to supplement according to your vet’s instructions. 

How do I choose the best meal option?

We get it, hours of browsing through a million fresh pet food recipe tabs doesn’t seem like an attractive task. But we get that pet parents still love their furkids, it’s just that sometimes we don’t have the time and energy to do all that research on our own.

Here’s where we have our friendly Petchef Advisors to simplify that process for you.

Through a chat, we’ll find out:

• All about your pet (dog/cat, age)
• The goal you wish to achieve with your pet’s diet
• Any allergies where certain ingredients need to be avoided 
• Medical issues that need to be addressed in the diet

With this information, we’ll recommend the best diet for your dog/cat with the right nutrients in the right ratios.

The 8 proteins we serve here at Petchef are dory (for dogs only), beef, lamb, salmon, tuna, and pollock.

Besides proteins, we’ll also add in a healthy dose of veggies, carbs, herbs and oils in the best amounts for dogs and cats.

How do I store and serve Petchef’s meals?

Each monthly subscription is packed into serving sizes for each meal so you can easily store them in the freezer and defrost them the day before feeding.

As our meals are made without any added preservatives and additives to last longer than it should, each monthly prescription will only keep for 3 months in a standard home freezer.

If this sounds like a viable option to your pet’s hypoallergenic dietary needs, click here to have a quick chat with our friendly Petchef Advisors and request a free sample on us!

PS: Here’s our Petchef QnA on everything you’re possibly wondering what we’re serving your pet 😉