Vegan owner, dog food allergies: Pomeranian advice

It sounds like you're navigating a tricky overlap — you're vegan, and the standard advice for dog food allergies usually involves introducing novel meats, which understandably feels uncomfortable. Worth knowing upfront: true food allergies in dogs are actually less common than food intolerances, but either way the most reliable fix is an elimination diet using a novel or hydrolysed protein food. Hydrolysed diets are particularly useful here because the protein is broken down so small the immune system doesn't react to it — meaning no whole meat ingredients to worry about. To point you in the right direction: what symptoms is your Pomeranian showing, and have you already been to the vet or tried changing her food?

Those symptoms — facial and paw itching combined with digestive upset — are a classic pattern for food sensitivity, so your vet is probably right to flag it. The good news is that a hydrolysed protein diet sidesteps the whole novel-meat question entirely. The proteins are broken down to a size that typically won't trigger a reaction, so you're not having to source rabbit or kangaroo or whatever, and there's no ethical conflict for you. The key rule with elimination diets is strict: nothing else for 8–12 weeks — no treats, no table scraps, no flavoured supplements. Has she been on the same food for a long time, or has it changed recently?

Plain rice and plain vegetables are low-risk, but during a proper elimination trial you'd want to cut those out too — even seemingly innocent additions can muddy the results. The two-year history on chicken is actually useful information: chicken is one of the most common dietary triggers in dogs, so switching away from it makes a lot of sense. Given her size — Pomeranians are typically 2–3kg — you don't need large quantities, which also keeps costs manageable. I'd recommend Royal Canin Hypoallergenic Small Dog dry food. It uses hydrolysed soy protein and hydrolysed chicken liver at a level that avoids triggering reactions, it's formulated for small breeds, and it's widely available on Amazon UK. It's a genuine veterinary-grade elimination option without requiring you to handle raw or whole meats at all.

Very strict, unfortunately — that's the one non-negotiable. No other food, treats, chews, or flavoured toothpaste for the full 8–12 weeks. Skin symptoms can take longer to resolve than gut symptoms, so don't give up at week four if the scratching hasn't fully cleared. Most people start to see digestive improvement within 2–3 weeks if food is the culprit. After the 8–12 weeks, if she's improved, you'd reintroduce her old food to confirm the reaction — if symptoms return quickly, that's your confirmation. It's a slow process but it's the only way to get a clear answer without expensive allergy testing. Given her age and the chronic nature of the scratching, it's worth doing it properly once rather than going round in circles.

Good plan — and do keep a simple diary of her symptoms week by week, even just a quick note on your phone. It makes it much easier to spot gradual improvement and gives you something concrete to share with your vet at a follow-up. If you're not seeing any change at all by week six, it's worth going back to the vet to rule out environmental allergies, which can look identical but need a different approach. Good luck with her — Pomeranians are usually pretty food-motivated, so the transition shouldn't be too dramatic.