There are few things worse than dealing with diarrhea in your Border Collie! We asked our 800,000 members from Border Collie community on facebook the following question: “What’s the best food for a Border Collie with a sensitive stomach?”
We’ve summarized the best responses below. Always remember to check with your veterinarian before making changes that affect your Border Collie’s health. iHeartDogs is reader supported, so some of the links below may be paid affiliate links at no additional cost to you.
20 Best Foods for a Border Collie with a Sensitive Tummy
Hills sensitive skin and stomach is a good starting point, but there are 2 levels of hills prescription diets above that for really bad cases. The are Hills i/d and Hills z/d.At the moment I am feeding my girl who has had lifelong digestion problems (aged now 13) hills z/d with cooked turkey breast and cooked sweet potato, on the advice of my vet as a last resort to constant antibiotics (metronitizole ), and it’s working ok so far, but it’s been a hair tearing exercise and process of elimination.
Author: Paul B.
👍 Likes: 7
Mine has had digestive issues his entire life We have tried numerous brands over the years from vet recommended dry foods you get at the grocery store, to freeze dried fresh foods, to raw diet… he seems to do good for a while before digestive upset starts again. Recently the vet started us on hills science diet gastrointestinal support wet food and so far he loves it and is doing great on it. It is expensive but I am used to spending a lot on his food. He seems to have more energy and no issues so far.
Author: Amy D.
👍 Likes: 0
Not a food recommendation, but would HIGHLY recommend this probiotic chew from Amazon. My dog thinks they are a treat and it solidified her poop in about 3 days.
👍 Likes: 8
Hills Science for sensitive stomachs and skin
Author: Michelle F.
👍 Likes: 21
Our vet put our border collies on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach (Salmon and Rice) and it’s been a game changer!
Author: Jennifer McCarthy Z.
👍 Likes: 22
Purina Pro Plan for sensitive stomach. Use both dry cereal and wet meat. Or use a food with limited ingredients, Nutro is a good name for limited ingredients. I used that for my Schipperke years ago. Hills Science Diet is what vet use after surgery but I think it’s a prescription food.
Author: Roxane M.
👍 Likes: 2
I used Holistic Select Lamb and Rice formula for my Border Collie and he did very well on it
Author: Martha R.
👍 Likes: 0
Well there are some kibble ones out there but I feed both my bc’s the same food as I would eat. I make up a huge crockpot every week or so (10 quarts) and freeze it (they get 2 cups each) and I try to keep a substantial amount of it in the freezer so it’s a round robin kind of thing. They get ground turkey and ground beef with Quinoa, rice, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, carrots, celery, yams. When I serve it I add bone meal (not the outside garden variety), 1/2 tsp ground egg shell (calcium) and salmon oil. You have to figure out the quantities so that the dogs get enough protein but it works out well as I’m not having a problem with figuring it out and I’m not a brain surgeon! No stomach issues at all. Lol
Author: Brenda Williams W.
👍 Likes: 2
This is what I feed mine. He has very sensitive stomach. Had terrible parasites when I rescued him. I also give him a tsp of yougart every morning.
Author: Teresa C.
👍 Likes: 0
I feed Victor beef and rice mine dogs are not having loose stools anymore
Author: Carol Shiver S.
👍 Likes: 2
My bc has a sensitive tummy but is fine with his food Go skin & coat which is chicken and grains. It is the extras we add that cause him problems
Author: Marian V.
👍 Likes: 0
Hills Science Diet: Sensitive Skin and Stomach, my bc has IBD and chicken allergy and all her symptoms went in remission once she started on this food! I give her Blue Buffalo Sensitive treats (turkey or salmon flavor).
Author: Brandi G.
👍 Likes: 0
Royal Canin Gastrointestinal low fat – it’s a dry food . My girl suffers from gastritis if she eats much else and this is what I feed her and she likes it. I also give her a small amount of Prime Wild Boar (very lean) roll that I buy from our vet. She loves it
Author: Jenn C.
👍 Likes: 1
Royal Canin – Gastrointestinal– and NO human food! We make the same mistake time and again with just a little tidbit of lamb roast or chicken roast … don’t do it
Author: Lindy S.
👍 Likes: 1
Cook your own dog food: one package of chicken livers, one cup of rice and one cup of frozen peas and carrots, put all ingredients in a pot with 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. When the rice is done the livers should be done stir and break up the livers, let cool. This should last for three or four days depending on how many dogs you have.
Author: Teresa T.
👍 Likes: 0
Been there done that…homemade. Pressure cooker some ground meat with sweet potato, brown rice and some water or chicken broth for about 10 min. Then add your frozen veges (green beans carrots broccoli cauliflower peas) and pressure cook for another 10. I do 3 lbs of meat 1.5 C rice and fill it up with veges after the first 10 min per cook and freeze it.
Author: Leigh Ann W.
👍 Likes: 0
Definitely grain free chicken or lamb…I like Fromm dry and can grain free…BCs have very sensitive systems…being a bc rescue for over 20 years have lots experience with the breed. NO beef or pork they cannot digest…
Author: Pat M.
👍 Likes: 0
My dog loves the Canadae one.
Author: Diane Murray P.
👍 Likes: 0
I use Diamond Natural.
Author: Trish O.
👍 Likes: 0
sensitive tummys are hard to deal with sometimes.
#1, no tidbits, particularly fatty ones. if they deserve a treat, use a good quality treat.
#2, look for a good quality food. The cheap supermarket brands are terrible diet wise. you’re going to pay more for good quality food. look at the ingredients. if the first entries are corn or grain, put it back on the shelf. there are number of decent brands. Blue Buffalo might be a good option; personally, I prefer the Taste of the Wild brands.
#3 Avoid changes to their diet as much as possible. if you have to switch flavors, try to at least stay with the same brand, and if possible, mix it with the old flavor over the course of several days so they can adjust to the new proportions.
#4 avoid overfeeding. many pups will eat everything you put in front of them, when they shouldn’t. try splitting their meal times to two or even three times a day.
#5 consider the conditions of where they’re eating. My own rescue pup thinks eating is a group activity; she won’t eat unless we are also eating. She’s also a bit socially insecure, she doesn’t like being away from us, so having her food dish in another room, she would go hungry. My previous BC was willing to eat, and then come join us, but he was a lot more confident in himself and his place in the house.
Author: Tim H.
👍 Likes: 0
Go! Solutions limited brand for food. Add pumpkin
Author: Angela Varley E.
👍 Likes: 0
Toledo, United States.
