What's the Best Dog Food for Collies?
Collies are one of the most beautiful and recognizable dog breeds, but how do you keep them healthy with the best nutrition possible? We’ll share details of their breed traits, health issues to look out for, and what foods will help them thrive.
AKC Classification: Herding
Exercise Required: 2 hours/day
Ideal Weight
Healthy Male Weight: 60-75 lbs
Healthy Female Weight: 50-65 lbs
Breed Summary
Collies have long been a famous and easily recognizable dog breed, thanks to pop culture references like Lassie. Collies come in two varieties, the familiar long rough coat and a smooth, sleeker coat. Colors for both varieties can include sable and white, tricolor, blue merle, or all white. They have distinctive wedge-shaped heads, highly mobile ears, and beautiful almond-shaped eyes that allow them to show many different facial expressions.
Collies are athletic herding dogs with tons of energy, so they need regular exercise. They are excellent with children and highly trainable, loyal, and intelligent. Collies can weigh up to 75 pounds and they need space to run, so a house with a yard or a country setting is usually best for this breed. Collies also excel in pursuits like agility training and, of course, actual herding of stock animals.
Physical Traits
Beautiful flowing coats, wedge-shaped head, athletic build
Personality Traits
Loyal, intelligent, easy to train
Health Considerations for Collies
Many of the health problems that collies face are genetic in nature, such as seizures, eye disorders, Grey Collie Syndrome, and hip dysplasia. Collies can suffer from Central Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) which essentially erodes the layers of the retina, causing a dog to lose its sight over time, or from Collie Eye Anomaly, where the eye blood vessels do not develop properly after a collie is born, leaving it with diminished sight as as adult. Neither of these conditions are curable since they are genetic, although there are steps you can take to help alleviate stress and symptoms.
While there’s not much to do about genetic conditions in dogs except choose a reputable breeder, there are some health issues that you can treat:
Osteochondritis Dissecans
Collies can also face Osteochondritis Dissecans, which is when the dog’s bones grow so fast that its cartilage can’t keep up. This requires surgery to correct, but this can generally be prevented by allowing collie puppies to grow at a natural rate by not overfeeding or supplementing them.
Hip Dysplasia
Hip Dysplasia can also be an issue for collies, and although it is genetic in nature, it can be managed with proper diet and care. We look for foods that contain:
Bloat
Collies can unfortunately suffer from Bloat, where their stomachs fill with air, cutting off circulation between their front and back halves. This can result in shock and can be fatal. To minimize risk, try the following recommendations for your collie:
Complete a nutritional assessment to view individualized diet recommendations specifically for your pet.
Foods We Recommend: Collie Puppies
When do collies grow out of the puppy stage?
2 years old
Collies need high calorie food as puppies since they expend a lot of energy growing, playing, and running. Here are some foods we really like for young collie pups:
Beneful Healthy Puppy with Farm-Raised Chicken Dry Dog Food
Rocky Mountain Recipe with Red Meat Puppy Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Size Health Nutrition Medium Puppy Food
Fresh, Personalized Ingredient Meal Plan
+ Custom, human-grade diet
+ More expensive than kibble
Foods We Recommend: Collie Adults
When do collies become adults?
2 years old
As collies mature into adults, they may need a lower calorie food since they are no longer growing, although working collies do need a significant amount of calories to keep up their muscle mass. We recommend foods like:
Medium Digestive Care Adult Dry Dog Food
Wholesome Essentials Small Bites Adult Farm-Raised Chicken, Brown Rice & Sweet Potato Recipe
Purina ONE SmartBlend Chicken & Rice Adult Formula Dry Dog Food
Wild Spirit Deboned Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food
Foods We Recommend: Collie Seniors
When do collies become seniors?
9 years old
Collies may slow down a bit in their old age, which means they need fewer calories to keep them at a healthy weight. Some foods we recommend for senior collies include:
Freestyle Senior Grain-Free Trout & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food
Senior High Protein Fresh & Raw Animal Ingredients Dry Dog Food
Mature Chicken, Turkey & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food
Senior Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food