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My dog has environmental allergies. Should I switch from Z/D to Derm Defense?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Goldendoodle | Male | neutered | 2 years old | 45 lbs

Hello! My 3 yr old goldendoodle has been on Hill's Z/D since April for a possible food allergy. We've seen little improvement and now believe his allergies are enviromental (licking. sneezing, clear runny nose, head shaking, licked the inside of his paw raw this morning). I see that Hill's now has a prescription food Derm Defense. So my question is, could my dog benefit from the Derm Defense? Or is it close enough to the Z/D that the change wouldn't make a difference? Thank you!

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 6th, 2017

And thank you for your question! Hills Z/D is a great allergy diet. The way it works is that it is a hydrolyzed protein diet meaning that the proteins that normally cause allergies are too small to trigger the allergy with the hydrolyzed formula. Hill's Derm defense is a great food as well. The way that Derm defense works is that it strengthens the Skin Barrier and it has multiple antioxidants and phytonutrients period before switching to Derm defense I would suggest speaking with your veterinarian who previously placed Louie on Z/D to see if this would be a good switch. Some other things that help with allergies would include omega-3 fish oil supplements and essential 6 Spot On by dermoscent. Help this guide you in the right direction. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have

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    Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Z/D is mainly for dogs that are allergic to certain proteins and other product in the food. If this food hasn't helped much and he is still having a lot of symptoms then changing to derm defense may help as it is geared more for environmental allergies and not for food allergies. You should also talk to your vet about a daily allergy medicine like apoquel. I have seen great results with this in my patients who have environmental allergies! I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    In my experience Derm Defense is quite close to Z7D and won't make a lot of difference. Other medications (like steroids or Apoquel or immunotherapy for example) can be used to control allergies more effectively in Louie's case. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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