anbc Posted April 29, 2003 Report Share Posted April 29, 2003 Is there a specific dog food/brand that BCs do well on? or love? Our rescue has a sensitive stomach in that he's never solid. The vet put him on WD Hill's Science Diet (to which a few trainers I talked to freaked out and told me what bad quality it was). He hated it but ate it and then had to go about four times a day since it was mainly pure fiber. What food do BCs do great on? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted April 29, 2003 Report Share Posted April 29, 2003 I assume that since your vet put him on a special diet, the vet has ruled out intestinal parasites or intestinal infections? As for food, you may just have to try a few until you find something your dog tolerates well. You will get as many opinions as there are members on this board as to what constitutes good food. If you are up for it, you could check out raw feeding. Many dogs who don't tolerate over-the-counter type foods seem to do well on it (anecdotal evidence). If raw feeding isn't for you, then go to a store that carries premium brands and check labels. Ideally you would want to avoid foods that contain by-products (which means parts no one would want to eat, like beaks and legs). Meal is a bit better, but the foods that contain real meat as the first ingredient are the best (and probably the most expensive). Avoid foods that hae corn as a main ingredient. Avoid ethoxyquin as a preservative. For what it's worth, I have seen dogs that do well on "junk" dog food, dogs that do well on any one of the premium brands, and others that do great on a raw diet. There really is no one perfect food for a border collie. You have to factor in the time you want to spend preparing food and feeding, what ingredients you and your dog can live with, etc. For as long as the dog has loose stools, I would be inclined to keep him on a mild homemade diet of chicken and rice. I'm sorry I didn't have a cut-and-dried answer for you, but that's usually the way life goes... Oh, you could also search the archives of this board (click on the search button at the upper right). Look for topics like "dog food," "what to feed," etc. This topic has been discussed many, many times here. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anbc Posted April 29, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2003 Thanks, I'm sure it has. I guess I'm looking for a consensus, or anything specific related to Border Collies. I've tried a few premium brands but am leery of changing food too often because that's not good. And yes, the vet has checked and he's been dewormed and all of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyhall Posted April 29, 2003 Report Share Posted April 29, 2003 Had exactly the same problem with Jordi at first. The breeder always raw fed - mainly chicken, which he still loves but he tended to want to take each portion into a corner rather than eat out of a bowl so now he just has raw chicken as a treat. I tried all types of brands to start with without much success, particularly anything in "gravy" was horrendous. I then tried tinned tripe mixed with biscuits and it worked. Both of my dogs now eat this, never leave a scrap & I cant remeber when we last had an upset tummy. Hope this works. Jenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted April 29, 2003 Report Share Posted April 29, 2003 All my dogs have some sensitive stomachs. They also have food allergies. I now feed canidae which is a better food but I have to order it online and have it delivered. For a dog with such a sensitive tummy I would definitely look at foods such as canidae, solid gold, innova, etc...I would never feed science diet. These foods are more expensive but well worth it. I would never feed anything else. Personally, if your dog's tummy is still upset I would feed the broiled chicken and rice until you find a food that you want to feed and very very slowly ween your dog onto it. Once a tummy gets upset, it is hard to correct without some drastic measures sometimes. This could mean taking weeks to add the new food into the chicken and rice while slowly taking away the chicken and rice. It is a pain but worth it. We had to do this years ago with a family dog. I think it took about 4 weeks to switch her back onto kibble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaos Posted May 3, 2003 Report Share Posted May 3, 2003 Hi Kim I'm looking into upgrading the girls diets and am pricing premium kibbles. How much are you paying in the states for Canidae? here it is $16 for a small (6 kilo)bag, and $54 for the large 20 kilo bag. Just wondering if it might be cheaper to order it from some where or if it is cheaper at our litle pet food store....? where do you order it from? sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted May 4, 2003 Report Share Posted May 4, 2003 I pay $29.00 for a 20lb bag including shipping. I order from PetFoodDirect. There is a store about 30 minutes (inb good traffic) from me that carries the food but the cost is about the same so it is easier to have it delivered. The store does have a deal where with every 12 bags of purchase, you get the 13 free... I would definitely look at ordering online and see what the cost would be. Of course, you would have to see what the cost would be to deliver from the states to Canada. I know there is an extra fee for deliveries. The cost in Canada seems awfully high... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaos Posted May 4, 2003 Report Share Posted May 4, 2003 thanks for the reply Kim I may have the prices wrong or the weights.... oh wait a minute you said 20lb bag and I said 20 kilo.. damn metric system.. I'll go ack and price them again and make sure I have the exact weights and prices this time.... I imagine it would be much more expensive due the difference in our dollar, hmmmmmm how are yours doing on the canidae? I heard there was an increased chance for weight gain onit which wouldn't be very good as our bcX has a tendencey to beef up. I will post again when I am sure about the weights ok? sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea4th Posted May 4, 2003 Report Share Posted May 4, 2003 I've read so much good about Canidae that I found one of the few places in our area that carry it. My dogs were on it for about 2 months, but it seemed like 3 X as much was coming out the end as what was going in. Their coats looked OK, but that way too much dog poop. I hear though that it's popular among the sled dog crowd. Vicki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted May 5, 2003 Report Share Posted May 5, 2003 Actually my dogs are doing great on Canidae. They all lost weight, pooped less, less smelly poop, fur looks great, etc... A few folks on my flyball team have changed over to Canidae and they all really like it. I actually don't give my dogs that much food. My bc/mix gets 3/4 in the morning and 3/4 cup in evening, my acd gets 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 in the evening, and my poodle gets a little more than a 1/4 in the morning and in the evening. My poodle actually eats almost as much as the big dogs. The key to any food is finding a happy medium. Many folks feed their dogs way too much in comparison to the amount of exercise the dog receives. I am lucky that I do not need to reduce the food in the winter so they all get the same amount year round. Good luck on what you decide. I have to be careful on what I feed for the fact that all 3 dogs have some food allergies. Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold etc...are all good foods so if you decide that you don't like canidae you can try one the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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