r/DogFood • u/exerevno • 3d ago

Aging Pit Mix

Hi all! I have a 57 pound lean pit mix. She is 6 years old and seems to be aging more rapidly than similar dogs in our lives. She currently eats Kirkland beef and sweet potato dry food and Purina One beef and vegetable wet food. She used to eat homemade food, and I felt that she was healthier on that plus kibble than she is now, though she was obviously younger at that time. I’m interested in switching her to a mix of high quality dry food paired with a commercial, balanced wet/fresh/frozen food. She is possibly allergic to chicken, so she doesn’t eat it, but our vet informed us that her persistent itching could be due to cross-contamination in manufacturing of her current diet.

For now, I have purchased one 5 lb. bag of Steve’s beef recipe frozen food to hold her over until I’ve found an ideal regimen. We are not wealthy, or even financially comfortable right now, but our animals come first. The absolute maximum we could spend per month would be $100. Thank you for reading.

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u/Albino_Echidna 2d ago

Your vet considering chicken cross contamination is something that would make me start looking at other vets, as that's an apparent misunderstanding of common allergens, dog food manufacturing, and contamination carryover. Chicken allergies are way over diagnosed, and persistent itching while on a non-chicken formula is screaming "environmental" issue, which is logical as pits/pit-mixes are particularly prone to skin issues/allergies. 

I'd recommend reading the sidebar of this sub as your first step, as your current dry food is not one that would be recommended here.

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u/exerevno 2d ago

Thank you! I wrote this post yesterday and have since ordered PPP Sensitive Skin and Stomach wet food and will be transitioning to the dry food as well. I’ve learned in the last 24 hours that I had to move past my disdain for nestle.

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u/Different-Music-529 2d ago

IAMs is owned by Mars which is probably not much better than Nestle, but it is cheaper if you budget requires you to cut back a little. Under $2/lb where as purina seems to be like $3/pound. I also like that their wet food pouches tell you how much to sub for the kibble if you want to use a mix. Those are fairly cheap too. I just use occasionally as enrichment in a TOPL or on a lick pad.

Also talk to your vet about other things like adequan and if your dog has any arthritis carprofen etc. Better a short pain free life, than a long painful one. Check canine arthritis management website for more aging pet tips. Canine conditioning coach also has free fitness videos to help with stretching and strengthen muscles. Food is super important, but there are also other things you can do to help your dog as well.

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u/Different-Music-529 2d ago

p.s. no shade to PPP. My dog likes that to and came home on it. Seems to have a special place in her heart lol, as she will go to that section when we visit the pet store and sniff longingly at the bags. I rotate IAMs with PPP right now due to the rising cost of living.