13 yr old border collie

[SUZIFACE 10]

Hi My crazy collie is 13 yr old in January and she has got very finicky with her food, gone off her dry food altogether and only eats chicken and rice, but I don't think that is enough for her. I have to watch her diet for her weight as with her being old she does not want to walk as far as she used to as she has an arthritic leg,. so food wise any ideas and how much chicken and rice should I feed her anyway, I have been giving her the same amount as I did I dry biscuits.

[Elizabeth13 10]

I don't think you can really feed her just chicken and rice. That's not really a complete diet. You should really take her to the Vets and make sure there's not a reason behind this.

[SUZIFACE 10]

I don't think you can really feed her just chicken and rice. That's not really a complete diet. You should really take her to the Vets and make sure there's not a reason behind this.

 

Hi she has been to the vets last Saturday and the vet says she is fine, just gave me some pain killers for her arthritis, she is already on the metacam, and the vet just said at least I am getting her to eat something. I will just have to persevere and try other tricks to get her back on to her own food.

Cheers

Sue

[*Wallace* 333]

At her age I wouldn't worry too much just feed her what she will eat within reason,cook her up a pork chop in a bit of gravy if need be.

[Chez2 10]

Our cat has had dried food for years but now he needs some tinned food with more smell mixed in to encourage him to eat it. Have you tried mixing something she likes in with dry food?

[Starlc 11]

All my mothers jack russel eats is chicken and rice and he is built like mike tyson

[GerryBooth 10]

I fed my dog on Chicken and rice on the advice of the vet. He had the same problem with age and arthritis.

 

It did help with his weight.

[ccit 10]

Chicken and rice is OK in the short term but as others have said, it is not a balanced diet. Dogs are tempted to eat by smell as well as hunger. Wet food is more palatable and usually has an aroma that is pleasing to the dog. You might therefore want to consider changing to a good quality wet food. Because the dog has a poor appetite you need to make sure that the food she has is good quality and high in protein and fat. In this way she will not have to have much in order to give her the nourishment she needs.

 

Here are some wet products which meet this criteria, many of them being grain free:

Billy and Margot

Burns Penlan Farm

Canagan

Evolution

Naturediet

Natures Menu (several varieties including tins and pouches),

Millie's Wolfheart

Wainwright's Grain Free.

 

There are more and if you would like to do some research yourself, check out the Dog Food Directory of All About Dog Food and under Filters on the left hand side of the page, select type of food - wet complete. It might be worth looking more closely at those scoring four to five stars as they are the better ones in terms of protein and fat content. Best to avoid any sort of wet food that is sold in supermarkets - they tend to be poorer quality and you need better products for your old dog.

Edited December 19, 2015 by ccit

[SUZIFACE 10]

Our cat has had dried food for years but now he needs some tinned food with more smell mixed in to encourage him to eat it. Have you tried mixing something she likes in with dry food?

 

Yes, just this morning I got her to eat some tinned pedigree chum dog food and I mixed some of her dog biscuits in it, and she ate that, some biscuits left, not many and also yesterday, I ought some of those Bonio biscuits and she has eaten what she has been given. She is just getting more stroppy inn her old we think, as long as she eats, which she is, I guess that's all that matters.

 

Thanks for the response.

 

---------- Post added 19-12-2015 at 14:47 ----------

 

Thank you to every one who responded to me, as hopefully you have seen below, she is eating she never actually didn't, and I have got her back on proper doggy food, she has had pedigree tin dog food with some of her biscuits mixed in, she has also eaten a couple of the Bonio bone biscuits yesterday, so she is just being a stroppy old collie but we love her and just glad that she is eating. At her age as some one said, does it really matter? She has had all her life of being fed with care, maybe we can relax just a little bit.

 

Thanks one and all and merry Christmas to you and all your pets

xx

[Chez2 10]

Such good news, in really pleased, you must be happier now. Our vet told us lack of smell can put I'll or elderly animals off their food.

[Elizabeth13 10]

Avoid pedigree chum like the plague. Full of rubbish!

 

And yes, she might be old but if you want to keep her ticking over for longer still then I'd keep off the doggy junk food as much as possible still. If she was palliative then that's a different matter.

[mickw 10]

My nearly 14 yo Choccy is on metacam (really dodgy back end) and he eats beta senior. And at bedtime he has a handful of gravy bones. Still as daft as ever and acts like a pup