Food recommendations please

[Signet2012]

Hi

Border collie Springer cross (see pics if you like)
8 year old
Had colitis and a whole host of other issues that 3x vets now say nothing of concern but my gut tells me different.
Well behaved as a rule unless he sees an old man with glasses/crutches/or someone with keys jangling.
Barks a fair bit sometimes almost like he is frantic but without any cause I can see (but then his hearing is excellent)

Anyway Ive fed him on various mainstream foods since he was a pup, some make his tummy worse so Ive changed until I find one that doesnt make him gurgle, acidy, running poo and vomit. currently on bakers complete. Read on a post here this is a terrible food to give a dog :(

Can anyone recommend any better ones I can swop with given his description?

Price etc not an issue.

Tried him with raw diet - he wont eat meat raw at all he ignores it.

Fish4Dogs.

Slightly cook the raw meat and he will eat it then, over time cook it less.

Definitely get him off Bakers. It is like feeding a child fast food all time and then giving them wholemeal bread - they will turn their noses up at it BUT the health benefits outway the slightly difficult transition period.

His health will definitely improve as will his behaviour.

Please don't take this the wrong way, he is a really handsome boy, but he is a little bit overweight in the photos and raw feeding would help with this to.

Try him on a bit of minced beef - he will eat it especially if you give him a bit less kibble to eat.

minimuu thanks he is less porky now than in those pics (good runs on the beach and a tendency to vomit frquently!) On the same subject how do I know when he is the right size as people still comment he is fat yet when i try to grab any part of him you literally cant grab an inch. He is shaped like a cylinder with a very small head and log legs on it. I can feel ribs but cant see them and he doesnt "nip" in at the back like Im led to believe he should.

Ill definately try what you advise. Im a bit :( that Ive been feeding him terribly when I thought I was doing best by him. Live and learn though !

We feed ours Orijen (dry kibble) and he's doing well on it, at least he hasn't been sick or had the gurgly tummy (which used to be a fairly frequent occurrence) since we started. His poos have been better as well. I suspect it was the grain content in other foods that he was having trouble digesting - Orijen is grain-free.

It's not the cheapest food by any means, but it's been worth it for us. You might also find you don't have to feed so much of it, as there's more meat and less filler!

You need to be able to see his last rib and he should have a clear waist after his ribs (so go in a bit). As he is shortcoated it is easier to see.

Poor chap having such a dodgy tum. Do go very very slowly on changing his food. When you change a dog over to raw go slowly so it gives his stomach acids time to get used to the change. So stick with the same type of meat for a while. Maybe cooked chicken mince to start with (although I bet he prefers minced beef!).

Absolutely live and learn I have only just got my kids off Greggs sausage rolls and fruit shots for breakfast apparently that is not healthly

brilliant thanks. I found some information on raw diet the other week on the internet so Ill reread it and go from there.

thanks for your help

Burns everytime. My 2 ate absolute crap at their previous home - they had runny poo, terrible coats and were too thin. Burns sorted them really quickly - they are a perfect weight, have gorgeous coats and small, firm poo that's easy to pick up. I had to experiment with the flavours and found that lamb and rice or pork and potato the best for my dogs. Duck and chicken were too rich and upset their tummies.

If it helps, an easy way to check what's right is that when you feel his ribs, he should feel as though there's a blanket covering them. If it feels like a sheet, he's too skinny and like a duvet he's too podgy.

And as Minimu says he needs to have a waist when viewed from above and his tummy should tuck upwards after his ribs. And I do agree with her that your gorgeous boy does look a little more stout in the pics than he should do. Sorry.

I don't feed mine raw/BARF because I just can't face it - we are on the road too much for me to cart round raw meat. Burns or Fish4Dogs is my dog food of choice. If you do want to shift a bit of weight from him, try Burns High Oats for a while which has been brilliant for one of mine in the past. Dogs don't tend to get hungry on it, but do lose weight nicely.

Thanks everyone Im looking into it. Will need to take it very slow as any changes to his diet set his stomach off again but Im on the right track now thanks!

just to add on the raw introduction issue - we had one dog that was reluctant to switch to raw so I just 'seared' the outside of the meaty bones (eg chicken wings) very very quickly to give them a scent of flavour but not even heat the bones. With mince just cook a bit and add to the raw - but be aware that some of the dog minces smell awful when cooked:-)

I've never had a dog get stomach problems when switched to raw .... will he eat hard boiled eggs? they can really settle a very upset stomach.

good luck!