My recommendations for tairis collie Puppies Food, etc.

**Six of Bridgit’s puppies sired by Endeavor finishing breakfast. Two future champions here including my girl Poppy at the top, center.**

When I start to wean my collie puppies and switch them to solid food I use BilJac Puppy Select dry puppy food mixed with some thawed frozen BilJac, and some ProPlan canned puppy food- usually chicken flavor. BilJac is not my ideal food or the one I routinely feed my adult collies, but it is a great starter food for puppies. I have been using it in my puppy weaning process for about 30 years. The reasons it works for me is that it is a reasonably good food, and it does not need to be soaked to be soft enough for puppies to chew it. It is a crumbly food puppies can eat from the age of 3 and a half to 4 weeks of age. It is apparently also a very palatable food. All my dogs like it a lot. I moisten it with reconstituted Dogzymes Puppy-Bac Milk Replacer. I used to use Goat A Lac, but can’t find it anymore. I make the mixture of BilJac, and the milk replacer liquid very soupy at first. I also add some Dr. Goodpet Optimum Growth powder to the mixture. Gradually I decrease the liquid milk replacer in the mixture, but I continue to give the puppies some milk replacer until they are 7-8 weeks old. By 7 weeks they are getting two wet meals and one or two meals of dry BilJac puppy food. By 8 weeks of age they seem to do well on three meals a day- usually 2 wet meals and one dry meal. They like the dry BilJac and can be switched to 2 dry meals and one wet meal at 8 to 9 weeks of age. By 5 and a half to 6 months of age they can go to 2 meals a day. Increase or decrease the amount of food for the pup based on his or her condition. We don’t want a fat puppy or a skinny one.

Although I have had good results with BilJac- I don’t like that it contains corn. Most corn is GMO and many dogs become sensitive to corn, so I gradually change the puppies that I keep here to a different food.

Different dogs thrive on different foods, and calorie needs vary with their metabolism and activity levels.

Right now I am trying First Mate High Performance food for active dogs and puppies for my thinner, hard keeper dogs. So far it looks like a good formula with no wheat, corn, soy or other legumes. I have to get it at my local feed store.

I also use Country Vet dry puppy food. It is an economical food that I can order from Chewys. It is pretty high calorie and the puppy food formula also has no wheat, corn, soy or other legumes. My dogs seem to like it and do okay on it.

For my chubbier adult collies I am using Diamond Natural Beef and Rice dry food. My girls that need fewer calories and would eat a bowl of rocks get some of this food. It looks like a good food with fewer calories than some. It also has no wheat, corn, soy or other legumes. I can get this food at my local feed store or Chewys among other places.

It still surprises me that so many premium dog foods are putting peas or beans in their dog foods. Substituting peas for grains to make a grain free food was never a good idea. Now it appears that it is mainly dog foods that removed grains in favor of peas that have been implicated in many cases of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) according to research reported by the FDA.

From the AKC report on DCM and grain free foods:

“More often, the affected dogs have been eating commercial grain-free diets that contain pulses (the category of plants that includes peas, lentils, chickpeas, and dry beans).”

Public demand for pea free foods will naturally increase the availability of dog foods without peas and other legumes. Meanwhile, check the ingredient list of the dog foods you buy and find the ones that are legume free.

I enhance my collies’ diets with various supplements depending on what they need at the time. One thing I give my dogs daily is a probiotic. I think this is very important to their health. The probiotic Daily Balance from Dogzymes is a good one I have used for years. I also found a new supplement that I am impressed with from Rogue Science. I am giving all my collies Rogue Science Origins 5 in 1 Multiplex Support. It has probiotics, a joint supplement, coat supplement, etc. I think it is an excellent natural source supplement. It comes in Fish, Pork, or Turkey flavors. It is also suitable for cats!

For a good daily chewable vitamin I use NuVet Plus wafers. It is an excellent addition to fortify my dogs’ health, and they go crazy for these as a treat. I have to be careful where I put the NuVet bottle because I have had dogs steal these vitamins more than once. You can order them at 1 800-474-7044 Code # 94420.

I usually also add some extras to my dog’s dry food because some of my dogs are picky eaters and they all love the extras.

I like to moisten their dry food with a little low or no sodium chicken or beef broth. I also add cooked boneless chicken or cooked hamburger to their kibble most days. Occasionally I give them fish- especially canned salmon or sardines. Sometimes I mix a little canned dog food into their dry food. I use a good quality food like Pro Plan or Evangers. I make sure it doesn’t contain peas or beans. Some ProPlan products contain peas.

For training treats I often use small chunks of cheddar cheese, or mozzarella cheese sticks. I also use pork skins sometimes, Pork skins are probably not that healthy, but they are around when I am trying to go KETO.

It is safer to avoid buying dog treats from China. I don’t trust the quality of dog treats from China. I give my puppies and adults hard beef bones or antler pieces. I do not give them pork bones. They splinter too easily.

It is best to avoid rawhide as dogs can choke on it.

You have to puppy proof your house for a new puppy like you do a toddler. Toddlers and puppies put everything in their mouths.

Be careful of small objects accessible to puppies. Sometimes I think puppies have a death wish based on the stuff they can find that would harm them.