Become a chew expert

Allergies and Ingredients

Practical, honest guides on natural chews — sizing, safety, and what actually keeps dogs busy.

A German shorthaired pointer sitting on a kitchen floor beside a single empty stainless steel bowl

Your Dog Is on an Elimination Diet: Which Chews Are Allowed?

During an elimination diet trial your dog gets no chews at all, ours included. What the trial counts as food, why one slip costs weeks, and what your vet may allow.

Aug 27, 2026 6 min read

The back of a Foodiepaws lamb collagen chew bag showing the feeding instructions and cautions, an ingredient line reading lamb collagen from lamb skin, and the guaranteed analysis panel

How to Read a Dog Chew Label, and What Single Ingredient Guarantees

A dog chew label carries eight required items, four federal and four from the AAFCO model. Plain chews like pizzles and ears are exempt from all of them.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

A fawn French bulldog sitting upright on a patterned apartment rug looking up toward the camera in bright daylight

Lamb Collagen vs Beef Collagen: When the Protein Source Matters

Lamb and beef collagen chews behave the same. The animal is the only real difference: beef was the reported allergen in 102 of 297 dogs, lamb in 14.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

A shih tzu sitting on a woven living-room rug scratching at one ear with a hind leg in daylight

Which Proteins Dogs Are Allergic To: The Ranked Evidence

Beef tops the dog food allergen ranking: 102 of 297 dogs, or 34%, then dairy 17% and chicken 15%. The table, its limits, and the lamb figure that gets misquoted.

Aug 27, 2026 6 min read

A cream goldendoodle sitting on a kitchen tile floor looking up beside an open lower cabinet door

Dog Chews Sorted by Protein: Which Allergen Each One Contains

Sort chews by the animal: bully sticks are beef, yak chews are dairy, lamb collagen and tripe are lamb. One table, the ranked evidence, our own shelf audited.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

A golden retriever puppy sitting on a wooden back-porch deck beside an empty stainless steel bowl

Can Puppies Eat Lamb? Yes, and the Chew Is a Separate Question

Yes — lamb turns up in about 5% of confirmed canine food allergy cases. Whether a lamb chew fits your puppy is a separate question, and ours start at six inches.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

A brindle french bulldog curled on a rug on a bedroom floor licking one of its front paws in afternoon light.

Can Dogs Be Allergic to Bully Sticks? Beef Is the Reason

Food allergy is uncommon in dogs, but beef leads the list when it happens — 102 of 297 already-diagnosed cases. The beef-free chews, and the pack to skip.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

An orange-and-white brittany spaniel standing alert on green grass in a fenced suburban back yard

Is Lamb Hypoallergenic for Dogs? No, and Here Is What That Word Means

No. Lamb is not hypoallergenic, and no meat is. In 297 dogs with confirmed food reactions, lamb was the trigger in 14. Novel means novel to your dog, not the meat.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

A beagle lying flat on a cool tile floor looking subdued

Can Bully Sticks Cause Diarrhea? The Usual Cause Is Not an Allergy

Yes, but the usual cause is dose, not a beef allergy. Tell the three causes apart by timing, then put the chew back on a schedule with real days.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read