What kind of food do you feed?

[Lenie]

Okay, I know I've asked a lot of questions here but I've gotten some great advice! I'm thinking about switching Lottie's food (Earthborn Holistic Puppy Vantage) because she really does not care for it and it's difficult to get her to eat enough. She's very food motivated, but when I put her kibble down she might eat a couple bites and then wanders off. She eats more if I put it in a puzzle toy so she will work for it! Just not fond of eating it out of the dish. She's doing okay with her weight but I'd like to see her fill out a little more because she just seems too skinny. I've been supplementing with healthy treats (like chicken for training) and Kongs stuffed with peanut butter but I don't think she is getting enough calories for her energy level. She's also six months old so still growing. Some days she might only eat a cup of kibble all day (feeding recommendation is 2 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups daily) or less.

What have you/are you feeding your puppies? I've been researching it and it's a little overwhelming. Lottie doesn't seem to have any trouble with allergies or an easily upset stomach. I want to feed her a good quality food. Cost is a concern but her current food isn't cheap either. 

Thanks!

 

[GentleLake]

Prey model raw.

Whatever you decide to feed her, please don't try to force or even really encourage her to eat more than she wants to. If she's self limiting her intake, then she's eating all she needs to.

My first border collie was as you describe Lottie. Always skinny but the only way I could have gotten him to eat more would have been to force feed him. He was fine.

[RainDrops]

I have been feeding Fern N&D brand grain free. I think she was allergic to the pumpkin, blueberry & lamb (she kept sneezing), so I switched her to pumpkin, pomegranate, and chicken and she has been pretty good. They also have limited grain varieties that I would prefer to feed if they carried them near me. I got her at 7 months, but I never fed her puppy food because I've always seen it recommended to stick to adult food for border collies. Her stools can be a little loose sometimes, but generally that's when she's been running around a lot. I like this brand because the quality seems excellent, and it is a high percentage meat. I was also looking for something that didn't have legumes. It smells much better than most dog foods. Fern is also the sort to not be terribly interested in kibble, but I just put food in her bowl and ignore it, and she eats it pretty soon.

For the kongs, I would recommend taking some of her normal kibble and soaking it in water till it puffs up. Then fill the kong with this and freeze it solid. I also will often rub peanut butter on the insides of the kong and put a little on the opening. I leave Fern with one of these any time she is crated while I'm gone, and it has greatly improved her willingness to be crated.

I also add raw food to her diet to vary things. She's been getting chicken hearts and feet. It takes them a bit of coaxing before they'll eat at first, but after that they are hooked.

[urge to herd]

As GL says, please don't coax her to eat more. If she's behaving normally, eyes bright and good energy, then she's getting plenty of food. I've not had a puppy, but all my b collies were very, very lean as youngsters. They know how much they need to eat.

ETA ~ Buzz in particular had ribs you could feel until he was about 3. People always remarked on his 'skinniness'. We got him at around a year old, and by 3 and a half he put on some padding. Not a lot, but you couldn't feel his ribs so easily.

Ruth & Gibbs

Edited November 11, 2018 by urge to herd
Adding info

[jami74]

Our boy isn't that keen on kibble either. He gets a mixture of food depending on his activity and how he's looking. A couple of handfuls of kibble for breakfast, if he's had an early morning walk or looks particularly tucked up I'll add a handful of frozen mince in it or a little bit of milk. Early afternoon he gets a Kong from the freezer which is filled half kibble and half tinned dog food, and if he's had an active day it will be topped with peanut butter. Then evening will either be another Kong or some kibble with a very small amount of tinned dog food or some cooked chicken (if we've had a roast that week) and a bit of gravy. He also has a big biscuit at bedtime and some tiny bits of sausage throughout the day as rewards if we do training. There's usually kibble in his bowl left from breakfast, I know if he's hungry because his bowl will be licked clean. If there's kibble in his bowl then I don't worry about him being hungry.

[Icaraa]

Our 7 month old has Wainwrights puppy kibble. We are in the UK, so this Pets at Home’s own brand. I looked at the ingredients and it’s the same as James Welbeloved. 

 

We we don’t measure in cups here, due to errr, preciseness  but I suppose it would be 2 or so cups in the morning and same for dinner. It depends on the cup, and that’s the bit I don’t understand about this way of measuring that you do, but that’s off topic! Roughly 500g daily anyway.

He’s slim but not skinny, has tonnes of energy and his coat is in great condition so we must be doing something right! 

[jami74]

16 minutes ago, Icaraa said:

 It depends on the cup, and that’s the bit I don’t understand about this way of measuring that you do, but that’s off topic! 

They must have special cups for measuring, like we have jugs with markings on to measure say 250mls, 500mls etc.

Or maybe all their tea/coffee cups are made to an exact specification and hold the same amount.

[Lenie]

4 minutes ago, jami74 said:

They must have special cups for measuring, like we have jugs with markings on to measure say 250mls, 500mls etc.

Or maybe all their tea/coffee cups are made to an exact specification and hold the same amount.

Cups are a common measurement where I live. Cups themselves are not a standardized size necessarily but it is understood that when using measurements a cup is equal to 8 fluid ounces. 8 fluid ounces is approximately 236.5 mls I believe. If a recipe calls for a cup, I know to use a certain size cup to measure. My tea cups are far bigger however because I like a lot of tea!  

Thanks everyone! I will continue to do research (Prey model raw looks interesting). I feel better about her self-regulating and not eating much too. My other border collie, Shepherd, has always been like that as well but he never looked so underweight as Lottie. 

As always, I appreciate all the advice! 

[Mandy1961]

My puppy is Almost 6 months old and gets a mixture of dry kibble and tinned food, whilst the tinned food is, I dont think, the best, he really seems to love it and eats every single morsel. I do feed him cooked chicken and liver, which he loves. I have given him a small amount of raw food at mealtimes and may increase this as he gets older. It is so difficult to gauge the quantities he can eat according to packaging, for his weight and age he can have 2 and a half cans of dog food, about 800 grams but only 325 of dry food.  He is skinny and always on the scrounge for our food, but when I give him any extra food he tends to be sick.

[jami74]

2 hours ago, Mandy1961 said:

He is skinny and always on the scrounge for our food, but when I give him any extra food he tends to be sick.

Have you de-wormed him recently? Our boy gets 'starving' and starts scrounging when he needs doing.

[dumbbird7]

Jack is 5 months old, weighs 15k. He gets raw beef or tripe chunks, some 'human grade' mixed beef and/beef & tripe (with lots of lovely blood), and a chicken thigh (thanks for info on this GL). 

Sometimes tin of sardines in olive oil for a snack if he's peckish, or small tub of plain bio yoghurt.  Tonight for evening meal, frozen cheapo white fish and mackerel from supermarket, boiled in a little water.  Mixed with Bonio or Shape biscuits, slack handful of puppy mixer (that he would leave if he could push it aside!).

Once in awhile if I've run out of raw, he'll have a tin of Butchers (we're in UK,) but I find with canned meat, for every tin that goes in, about 6 seem to come out. All sloppy and a nightmare to scoop into a doggy bag, especially if we have to 'comb' it through long grass.  Ugh!  I think it's high in water content, and sweepings from the factory floor. But he loves it.  If he's bored in the evening, he'll be given a lamb bone to keep him busy and to ease the teething gums. These I stand on in bare feet on dark mornings when I open the garden door to let him out.

So to cut it short, Jack and The Old Dog have a little bit of everything. I never weigh it, perhaps I should.  I know how much a small tummy will hold.  He could probably eat for England but dish is usually cleared except for a biscuit or two.

He is tall for a collie, all legs, could run a good race at Aintree.  Slim with good waist, glossy coat, plenty of spare skin to fill yet,  but ribs are just showing on the surface.  Another month or so, I shall reduce his midday meal gradually until it's just a memory.