Layla the Border Collie - ideas on food
Discussion
Hi,
We have an 11 year old Border Collie and she's getting fussier and fussier on her food over the last couple of weeks.
To make matters worse, when her tummy is empty, she is very likely to be sick (all bile). She's quite often sick around 5am. We've been giving her smaller but more regular meals - 3-4 times per day with the last one about 10pm. This worked for a bit but she's got a bit fussier in the last few days.
We've taken her to the vets and her bloods are perfect and no obvious issues with pain so there's nothing really wrong with her. She's always been fairly picky but she's gone to a new level now. The vet gave us Omeprazole so hoping that after a few days on that the sickness will get better.
She's on Librela for her joints and Propalin to help with her weeing herself when asleep.
We've always used Arden Grange kibble and have bought a few different variants but she's not to keen on that. She will eat biscuits in small quantities. The biscuits crumble better than the kibble so not sure if she's struggling with the hardness or not. I don't think it's that beacuse...
...We started giving her the Applause toppers and after a few days she's not too bothered so we've moved onto ready cooked chicken with a few buscuits thrown in. We've been putting water on her food for a while.
Has anyone been in the same position or have ideas for food that she might actually want to eat?
Apologies for the long ramble - thanks in advance!
We have an 11 year old Border Collie and she's getting fussier and fussier on her food over the last couple of weeks.
To make matters worse, when her tummy is empty, she is very likely to be sick (all bile). She's quite often sick around 5am. We've been giving her smaller but more regular meals - 3-4 times per day with the last one about 10pm. This worked for a bit but she's got a bit fussier in the last few days.
We've taken her to the vets and her bloods are perfect and no obvious issues with pain so there's nothing really wrong with her. She's always been fairly picky but she's gone to a new level now. The vet gave us Omeprazole so hoping that after a few days on that the sickness will get better.
She's on Librela for her joints and Propalin to help with her weeing herself when asleep.
We've always used Arden Grange kibble and have bought a few different variants but she's not to keen on that. She will eat biscuits in small quantities. The biscuits crumble better than the kibble so not sure if she's struggling with the hardness or not. I don't think it's that beacuse...
...We started giving her the Applause toppers and after a few days she's not too bothered so we've moved onto ready cooked chicken with a few buscuits thrown in. We've been putting water on her food for a while.
Has anyone been in the same position or have ideas for food that she might actually want to eat?
Apologies for the long ramble - thanks in advance!
Edited by Paulsd on Thursday 27th March 18:37
If it was me, the first thing I would be doing would be getting a vet check and blood tests if necessary. Just in case there is something else going on.
ETA - sorry - just seen you have had her checked.
I only say this because I've had two dogs show a reluctance to eat, which turned out to be related to kidney issues. I've had others with dental problems.
Apologies if you've already done this.
With the most recent of our dogs who had this issue, we got to the stage where we just tried every food we thought might suit her and alternated between any that did. One vet we saw recommended Chappie because the fishy smell often appeals to dogs who are reluctant to eat. In the same vein, sardines, tuna and pilchards as an accompaniment to kibble are often popular (or were with Rosie).
Good luck, you have my sympathy, I know how worrying and frustrating it can be.
ETA - sorry - just seen you have had her checked.
I only say this because I've had two dogs show a reluctance to eat, which turned out to be related to kidney issues. I've had others with dental problems.
Apologies if you've already done this.
With the most recent of our dogs who had this issue, we got to the stage where we just tried every food we thought might suit her and alternated between any that did. One vet we saw recommended Chappie because the fishy smell often appeals to dogs who are reluctant to eat. In the same vein, sardines, tuna and pilchards as an accompaniment to kibble are often popular (or were with Rosie).
Good luck, you have my sympathy, I know how worrying and frustrating it can be.
Juan B said:
what about just tinned wet dogfood?
Our retriever got a bit fussy when he was older didn't care for dry food anymore so was just on tinned stuff like beef chunks in gravy and he usually ate it, or even just half a tin wet food and a scoop of softer kibble maybe
Thanks - forgot to say that we got some tinned food. First day ok, second day she picked the wet food out, spat it on the floor and ate the biscuits!Our retriever got a bit fussy when he was older didn't care for dry food anymore so was just on tinned stuff like beef chunks in gravy and he usually ate it, or even just half a tin wet food and a scoop of softer kibble maybe
Will try switching it up everyday.
moorx said:
If it was me, the first thing I would be doing would be getting a vet check and blood tests if necessary. Just in case there is something else going on.
ETA - sorry - just seen you have had her checked.
I only say this because I've had two dogs show a reluctance to eat, which turned out to be related to kidney issues. I've had others with dental problems.
Apologies if you've already done this.
With the most recent of our dogs who had this issue, we got to the stage where we just tried every food we thought might suit her and alternated between any that did. One vet we saw recommended Chappie because the fishy smell often appeals to dogs who are reluctant to eat. In the same vein, sardines, tuna and pilchards as an accompaniment to kibble are often popular (or were with Rosie).
Good luck, you have my sympathy, I know how worrying and frustrating it can be.
Yeah, bloods came back all very good. All measures were within the “Good” range which sounds great for an older dog and the vet was very pleased. He suggested we give the omeprazole a go for the sickness and then she may need a scan.ETA - sorry - just seen you have had her checked.
I only say this because I've had two dogs show a reluctance to eat, which turned out to be related to kidney issues. I've had others with dental problems.
Apologies if you've already done this.
With the most recent of our dogs who had this issue, we got to the stage where we just tried every food we thought might suit her and alternated between any that did. One vet we saw recommended Chappie because the fishy smell often appeals to dogs who are reluctant to eat. In the same vein, sardines, tuna and pilchards as an accompaniment to kibble are often popular (or were with Rosie).
Good luck, you have my sympathy, I know how worrying and frustrating it can be.
I think we’ll need to work our way through lots of different things. Chappie sounds like a good one to try.
We thought we had cracked it with the toppers so I went and bought £80 worth from the wholesalers and that day she decided it wasn’t for her
. It won’t go to waste cos we have a black lab as well who will happily work her way through any type of food. She’s also loving the additional meal times too (but obviously in lower quantities for her).Edited by Paulsd on Thursday 27th March 19:28
Edited by Paulsd on Thursday 27th March 19:29
The sickness when hungry sounds a bit like like pancreatitis to me.
Ours has chronic pancreatitis and flareups are seemingly random. He has a special low fat diet and we feed him often. 6:30am, midday, 4pm, 7:30pm, 9pm and when I go to bed at anything between 11pm and 1am.
He only has an attack in the morning (his longest stint without food is overnight) and it manifestsitself as severe stomach pain and a lot of gurgling. Suddenkply, around lunchtime, he springs back into life, but as soon as he eats, he can either go back to stomach pain, or he's sick. We try to ensure the first thing he eats is something like a piece of chicken soaked in Calpol. He was prescribed Traleive, but it's an opioid, and fortunately he absolutely will not touch it.
By mid-afternoon, he's right as rain. His next attack could be tomorrow, or it could be several months away.
He's had three attacks this year, all within a single week. Nothing since January.
ETA: We feed Hill's Prescription Low Fat kibble and tinned stew. Occasionally cooked chicken or steamed fish.
Ours has chronic pancreatitis and flareups are seemingly random. He has a special low fat diet and we feed him often. 6:30am, midday, 4pm, 7:30pm, 9pm and when I go to bed at anything between 11pm and 1am.
He only has an attack in the morning (his longest stint without food is overnight) and it manifestsitself as severe stomach pain and a lot of gurgling. Suddenkply, around lunchtime, he springs back into life, but as soon as he eats, he can either go back to stomach pain, or he's sick. We try to ensure the first thing he eats is something like a piece of chicken soaked in Calpol. He was prescribed Traleive, but it's an opioid, and fortunately he absolutely will not touch it.
By mid-afternoon, he's right as rain. His next attack could be tomorrow, or it could be several months away.
He's had three attacks this year, all within a single week. Nothing since January.
ETA: We feed Hill's Prescription Low Fat kibble and tinned stew. Occasionally cooked chicken or steamed fish.
Paulsd said:
We thought we had cracked it with the toppers so I went and bought £80 worth from the wholesalers and that day she decided it wasn’t for her . It won’t go to waste cos we have a black lab as well who will happily work her way through any type of food. She’s also loving the additional meal times too (but obviously in lower quantities for her).
Oh, tell me about it!. It won’t go to waste cos we have a black lab as well who will happily work her way through any type of food. She’s also loving the additional meal times too (but obviously in lower quantities for her).One vet we saw thought it was a digestive issue, and suggested we try Hills Z/D food. Bought a few tins from them to start with but (to be fair) they told us we could get it cheaper online. Bought dry and wet food (££££).
Then the next vet decided it might be a hypersensitivity to something, so suggested we try an anallergenic food. Bought different dry and wet food (££££ more).
Then we found out it was kidney disease, so at that point, it was a question of whatever she wanted for however long we had her (not long, sadly
) God, I miss that little dog 
Doofus said:
The sickness when hungry sounds a bit like like pancreatitis to me.
Ours has chronic pancreatitis and flareups are seemingly random. He has a special low fat diet and we feed him often. 6:30am, midday, 4pm, 7:30pm, 9pm and when I go to bed at anything between 11pm and 1am.
He only has an attack in the morning (his longest stint without food is overnight) and it manifestsitself as severe stomach pain and a lot of gurgling. Suddenkply, around lunchtime, he springs back into life, but as soon as he eats, he can either go back to stomach pain, or he's sick. We try to ensure the first thing he eats is something like a piece of chicken soaked in Calpol. He was prescribed Traleive, but it's an opioid, and fortunately he absolutely will not touch it.
By mid-afternoon, he's right as rain. His next attack could be tomorrow, or it could be several months away.
He's had three attacks this year, all within a single week. Nothing since January.
ETA: We feed Hill's Prescription Low Fat kibble and tinned stew. Occasionally cooked chicken or steamed fish.
Thank you - I wonder if pancreatitis would have shown up on the blood tests? If so then hopefully that’s ruled out. I suspect we may end up back at the vet so will ask.Ours has chronic pancreatitis and flareups are seemingly random. He has a special low fat diet and we feed him often. 6:30am, midday, 4pm, 7:30pm, 9pm and when I go to bed at anything between 11pm and 1am.
He only has an attack in the morning (his longest stint without food is overnight) and it manifestsitself as severe stomach pain and a lot of gurgling. Suddenkply, around lunchtime, he springs back into life, but as soon as he eats, he can either go back to stomach pain, or he's sick. We try to ensure the first thing he eats is something like a piece of chicken soaked in Calpol. He was prescribed Traleive, but it's an opioid, and fortunately he absolutely will not touch it.
By mid-afternoon, he's right as rain. His next attack could be tomorrow, or it could be several months away.
He's had three attacks this year, all within a single week. Nothing since January.
ETA: We feed Hill's Prescription Low Fat kibble and tinned stew. Occasionally cooked chicken or steamed fish.
moorx said:
Oh, tell me about it!
One vet we saw thought it was a digestive issue, and suggested we try Hills Z/D food. Bought a few tins from them to start with but (to be fair) they told us we could get it cheaper online. Bought dry and wet food (££££).
Then the next vet decided it might be a hypersensitivity to something, so suggested we try an anallergenic food. Bought different dry and wet food (££££ more).
Then we found out it was kidney disease, so at that point, it was a question of whatever she wanted for however long we had her (not long, sadly) God, I miss that little dog
Layla has always amused us with her intelligence so I wouldn’t put it past her to just have decided that in her old age she’s going to take things to a new level of Border Collie One vet we saw thought it was a digestive issue, and suggested we try Hills Z/D food. Bought a few tins from them to start with but (to be fair) they told us we could get it cheaper online. Bought dry and wet food (££££).
Then the next vet decided it might be a hypersensitivity to something, so suggested we try an anallergenic food. Bought different dry and wet food (££££ more).
Then we found out it was kidney disease, so at that point, it was a question of whatever she wanted for however long we had her (not long, sadly
) God, I miss that little dog .Within reason, I’m not bothered what food we end up having “in stock” as Lucy the lab will eat anything - it doesn’t even need to be actual food
moorx said:
Just remembered a couple of wet foods Rosie did like:
Butchers Recovery and Revive
Royal Canin Digestive Care
They are only small trays/pouches, though, which were okay
for Rosie as she was a (small) cocker spaniel.
Thanks for the suggestions!Butchers Recovery and Revive
Royal Canin Digestive Care
They are only small trays/pouches, though, which were okay
for Rosie as she was a (small) cocker spaniel.
Sounds like Chappie has a couple more votes.
Paulsd said:
Thank you - I wonder if pancreatitis would have shown up on the blood tests? If so then hopefully that’s ruled out. I suspect we may end up back at the vet so will ask.
It didn't conclusively show up for us. It'll only show up during an attack, apparently. We were told to bring him in the mext time he has an attack, but when that happens, he's in so much pain, we can't (won't) move him.Our vet decided the symptoms sounded like pancreatitis, so we adjusted his diet for those symptoms, and it's largely got things under control
Doofus said:
It didn't conclusively show up for us. It'll only show up during an attack, apparently. We were told to bring him in the mext time he has an attack, but when that happens, he's in so much pain, we can't (won't) move him.
Our vet decided the symptoms sounded like pancreatitis, so we adjusted his diet for those symptoms, and it's largely got things under control
Ahh, OK, thanks. Will defo mention it to the vet.Our vet decided the symptoms sounded like pancreatitis, so we adjusted his diet for those symptoms, and it's largely got things under control
She’s currently happily munching her way through some plain cooked chicken so we’ll see
Just a small update...
Got some Chappie - had a quarter of a can in one meal - not interested in it any more
Tried some other very fishy wet food (Tiny Tim's or something) - same as Chappie - she ate quite a bit of this in one meal and now turns her nose up
There are some biscuit treats that she'll have
Not interested in cooked chicken any more
She's been sick every morning recently - all bile still. But have managed to get her to eat at least something every day until this morning when she wouldn't eat anything at all, until I tried her with some wafer thin ham just now, which she ate quite a bit along with some goats cheese.
She also loves the omeprazole capsules which is wierd cos they're really hard.
Defo going back to vets on Monday but at least she's eating something!
Still can't work out if this is some kind of illness or old Border Collie being stubborn. Maybe both.
Got some Chappie - had a quarter of a can in one meal - not interested in it any more
Tried some other very fishy wet food (Tiny Tim's or something) - same as Chappie - she ate quite a bit of this in one meal and now turns her nose up
There are some biscuit treats that she'll have
Not interested in cooked chicken any more
She's been sick every morning recently - all bile still. But have managed to get her to eat at least something every day until this morning when she wouldn't eat anything at all, until I tried her with some wafer thin ham just now, which she ate quite a bit along with some goats cheese.
She also loves the omeprazole capsules which is wierd cos they're really hard.
Defo going back to vets on Monday but at least she's eating something!
Still can't work out if this is some kind of illness or old Border Collie being stubborn. Maybe both.
FourWheelDrift said:
My border is usually on a raw with smartbarf mixed in, kibble and salmon oil plus whatever else I add (grated carrot etc..) but when he's having a day off he has :
Scrambled eggs.
or Brown rice with tinned tuna (spring water type drained).
Could they be of use?
Excellent, thanks! Will give those a go.Scrambled eggs.
or Brown rice with tinned tuna (spring water type drained).
Could they be of use?
Yes, eggs are generally a good bet, and gentle on their stomach (often recommended after a GA). My OH cooks them in the microwave in a plastic dish with a lid (vented).
Another option which we used a lot with Rosie is white fish. We bought it frozen and cooked a couple of fillets at a time in the oven.
Sorry things aren't working out. Sounds like another vet check would be wise. Hope you get on okay and get some answers, keep us updated.
Another option which we used a lot with Rosie is white fish. We bought it frozen and cooked a couple of fillets at a time in the oven.
Sorry things aren't working out. Sounds like another vet check would be wise. Hope you get on okay and get some answers, keep us updated.
Our 9 yo collie is on a mixture of Butternut Box wet food with some Autarky kibble.
https://www.autarkyfoods.com/collections/grain_fre...
https://butternutbox.com/?utm_source=google&ut...
Whilst not too fussy with his food, he is no Labrador. He has never been a big eater but does snack on this throughout the day. Well he did, until my daughter pitched up with a Jack Russell food hoover.
https://www.autarkyfoods.com/collections/grain_fre...
https://butternutbox.com/?utm_source=google&ut...
Whilst not too fussy with his food, he is no Labrador. He has never been a big eater but does snack on this throughout the day. Well he did, until my daughter pitched up with a Jack Russell food hoover.
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