Best Dog Food for Collies : 15 Healthy Recipes Reviewed by Budget, Diet and Life Stage

Your Collie is native to Scotland and Northern England. In this area, the dog was used primarily as a herding dog around farms and grasslands. In 1860, Queen Victoria saved the breed from obscurity by bringing them to the cities of England where they began breeding the dogs due to their looks and pleasing characteristics.

Collies are sweet and a great pet because of their friendliness around kids and other animals. Something else that draws a lot of families to this breed is their willingness to sacrifice themselves for their families. A lot of Collie owners believe their dog would travel through rattlesnake infested forests if it meant saving their family.

Feeding your pup a proper Collie food is essential to their nutrition. These dogs are prone to bloat, so it’s important to feed them smaller meals throughout the day as opposed to one or two large servings.

If you are having trouble deciding on a premium dog food for your pup, we want to help make that decision a little easier.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this article:

Understanding a Collie’s Diet Requirements

It’s no secret that high-quality food is essential to your dog and they need certain things to live a healthy and happy life. A balanced mix of protein, fats, and carbohydrates is essential, but the most important thing to consider is where these components come from.

Many pet scientists have put a ton of research into dog food to help owners decide on the best Collie food, but unfortunately, the standards are relatively low. According to pet food standards, it’s perfectly okay to include corn, soy, and potatoes as the main ingredients which leave your pup feeling full but lack the nutrition, they need to stay healthy.

There are also foods that cater to specific needs for dogs in different stages of life. Think about it this way, you wouldn’t feed a six-month-old baby a ribeye steak, and in the same way, you wouldn’t give the same ingredients you provide a six-month-old puppy for a 10-year-old senior.

Here are some of the positive effects premium dog food has on your Collie.

Special Dietary Considerations For Collies

Collies like every other breed have the potential to run into hereditary health issues as well as one developed based on their environment. A reputable breeder will let you know of any health concerns ahead of time, but it’s good to make yourself aware of a Collies unique nutritional needs.

Let’s take a look at some of the common health issues that can impact the life of your Collie.

Seizures – Collies have an impressive vitality, but they are commonly known to experience spells of canine epilepsy. This disorder is the result of irregular neuroelectric activity in the brain. Every episode is slightly different, and some may be violent and dangerous with others being barely noticeable.

You’ll usually start to notice symptoms like twitching, spasms, and occasional loss of consciousness. These episodes can begin as early as six months old.

Collie Eye Anomaly – This common hereditary condition is the result of a mutated ocular chromosome. Your dog may possess these traits without ever experiencing any symptoms of the disorder. It almost always leads to blindness, but it starts with cloudy eyes or sunken eyeballs. There is currently no cure for the disorder, but regular trips to the vet will help diagnose the condition early.

Hip Dysplasia – This is a common condition across the board for dogs and its the result of a malformed hip joint that results in the bones not sitting correctly with each other. Due to this, your Collie may slip the bone out of place when walking or running; it doesn’t take any form of severe trauma to cause Hip Dysplasia to occur.

The problem only hurts during the actual slipping of the joint so a lot of pet owners may not even notice their Collie has a problem until they take them to the vet for inactivity reasons.

Bloat – Otherwise known as Gastric Torsion, this is a dangerous occurrence and a scary one that always merits a trip to the emergency room. Proper digestion and feeding schedules are important for Collies because they are prone to Bloat. Experts recommend feeding your Collie smaller servings throughout the day to prevent their stomach from ever becoming too full.

Collie Feeding Chart

The amount of Collie food you feed your pup depends on their age and level of activity. There are no exact guidelines to follow, but these figures are a great starting place for you to expand upon as you learn more about your Collies dietary needs.

Active Collies – 900-1000 calories (1.5 – 2 cups, twice per day)

Inactive/Senior Collies – 700 calories (1 – 1.25 cups, twice per day)

Collie Puppies – 250-500 calories* (.5 – 1 cup, twice per day)

* As your Collie ages to their rapid growth stage around six months, this amount could increase. It’s important to work with your Vet to determine the correct amount to feed your pup based on their age.

The Best Dog Food for Collies: Our 2023 Top 15 Picks

You understand the importance of feeding your Collie a high-quality food, now let’s dive into some examples of the best foods on the market. All of these formulas contain the highest quality ingredients, no artificial flavors, and healthy proteins from animal sources.

Here are our top 15 picks:

Rank	Dog Food	Price	Rating
Best Overall	Blue Buffalo Freedom Adult Grain-Free Chicken Recipe	$2.16/lb	A+
Super Premium	Ollie Healthy Turkey Feast	Varies	A+
Most Popular	Wellness CORE Grain-Free Deboned Turkey	$2.49/lb	A+
Most Affordable	American Journey Salmon and Sweet Potato Grain-Free Recipe	$1.66/lb	A+
Best for Allergies	Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Sweet Potato and Fish	$2.30/lb	A+
Sensitive Stomachs	Hill’s Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach and Skin Chicken	$1.76/lb	A
Great Value	Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Health Chicken	$1.74/lb	A
Grain-Free	Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free	$1.75/lb	A
Grain-Free	Blue Buffalo Wilderness Grain-Free Chicken	$2.20/lb	A

Blue Buffalo Freedom Adult Grain-Free Chicken Recipe

Best Overall Food for Collies: Blue Buffalo is well-known and popular for containing some of the best ingredients at an affordable price. The company offers a few different lines of food with one of them being this Freedom blend.

The Freedom line is grain-free and supplements additional protein in its place. This is great for your Collie because it provides him with the nutrients he needs to maintain proper body weight and energy level.

Freedom also contains omega fatty acids to help with your dog’s beautiful coat. This food includes some ingredients like chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, and flaxseed. All of Blues foods contain their LifeSource bits which provide a blend of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Most pet owners are highly satisfied with this food brand, and it has excellent ratings online. A common concern is that the LifeSource bits are hard to stomach for most pups.

Pros: Useful for dogs’ sensitive stomachs, the grain-free formula helps with maintaining weight, helps regulate bowel movements, limited ingredient formula helps prevent allergies

Cons: Kibble could be too small for a large breed Collie, many pups refuse to eat the LifeSource Bits

Ollie Healthy Turkey Feast

Best Super Premium Food: Ollie uses all human-grade ingredients in their foods, and everything meets the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages. This food contains ingredients like ground turkey, pumpkin, turkey thigh, and turkey liver. Everything in this formula could get consumed by humans and dogs alike.

The bonus of feeding your pup a raw food diet is that they receive the most nutrients from the food because they aren’t zapped out during the manufacturing process. A lot of the time during the manufacturing of kibble, food gets heated at such a rapid rate that the nutrition gets decreased.

Pros: Human-grade ingredients, grain-free helps with allergies, contains a high amount of protein-rich meats and organs, uses coconut oil and cod liver oil which are useful for skin and coat health

Cons: Requires refrigeration, can only purchase from the Ollie website

Wellness CORE Grain-Free Deboned Turkey

Most Affordable Food: This grain-free option works well for pups that have gluten sensitivities or food allergies. The formula uses deboned turkey, turkey meal, and chicken meal as its first ingredients, so you know your Collie is getting a lot of protein from this food.

Alongside the protein there is a mix of antioxidants and omega fatty acids which are useful for skin health as well as immune system health. Wellness has a motto that they vow to follow, their slogan states that they never include any by-products, wheat, corn, soy, or artificial anything in their foods.

The Wellness kibble is also coated with probiotics to help your Collie digest their food better and regulate bowel movements.

Pros: Helps with digestion, prevents itching and biting in dogs with allergies, pet owners love the high-quality ingredients

Cons: Does not have a self-closing bag, so it’s more challenging to keep fresh

American Journey Salmon and Sweet Potato Grain-Free Recipe

Most Popular Food: This nutritious food uses salmon as its primary source of protein which is excellent for lean muscles. The best way to choose food when you are unsure is to go with what everyone else recommends. This formula has more than one thousand five-star reviews online which makes it a well-trusted and well-recommended brand.

The recipe contains ingredients like salmon, chicken meal, turkey meal, and sweet potatoes. It also uses probiotics for gut health and contains no corn, grain, soy, or by-products.

Pros: Highly recommended food online, salmon contains a lot of oils to help with dry skin, great for regulating bowel movements

Cons: Bag is not resealable, ingredients cause an overpowering fish smell

Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Sweet Potato and Fish

Best Food for Collies with Allergies: If you are caring for a dog with food sensitivities or allergies the best bet is to always go for a limited ingredient food. When dog foods contain fewer ingredients, it decreases the chances that they will have an allergic reaction to the formula.

Natural Balance does a great job of combining ingredients that are easy on pups’ stomach and great on their skin. Salmon is one of the sources of protein which is easily digestible and contains a lot of oils that are great for skin and coats. The grain-free recipe limits the types of carbs and uses no artificial flavors and colors.

Pros: Limited ingredient diet is ideal for allergies, no artificial dyes or flavors, easily digestible protein sources

Cons: Could have trouble transitioning your pup to this food; the formula contains some filler ingredients like potato protein

Hill’s Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach and Skin Chicken

Best Food for Collies with Sensitive Stomachs: If your dog is prone to vomiting or diarrhea it might be caused by sensitivities to certain ingredients in their diet. The only way to stop this from happening is to identify the problem and remove it from their diet.

Science Diet focuses on only including ingredients in their foods that have a purpose there. This specific sensitive stomach food is a great choice for Collies that have trouble keeping down regular food. Mass manufactured food often contains a lot of filler and ingredients that make our dogs sick.

This formula keeps things simple with chicken and rice as the primary ingredients. The food also has a mild protein percentage of 21 with 12% fat. This is lower than desired for most dogs, but it’s easier on their stomach.

Pros: Veterinarian-recommended formula, pure ingredients, low protein and fat which is easier on pups’ stomach

Cons: May not contain all the nutrients your dog needs, contains filler like peas and soybean oil

3 More Top Rated (5 Star) Collie Adult Foods

Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Health Chicken

This pet food company boasts the philosophy of “food for a lifetime.” The company’s goal is to have pet parents try out the food and never switch to anything else. The formula is backed by science and nutrition from pet experts and nutritionists.

Natural Balance offers a few different varieties of food with one being their Natural Balance Ultra formula. This food uses chicken meal, duck meal to provide a balanced amount of protein for your Collie who requires an ample amount of energy throughout the day.

Compared to some of the other formulas, this one is not grain-free, and it contains potatoes, brown rice, and oat groats. These carbs are desirable in dog foods because they also help give your pup energy. Natural Balance food contains a high amount of protein with a minimum analysis of 23 percent.

Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free

This grain-free recipe contains unique protein sources like buffalo and bison that deliver highly digestible energy your Collie needs. The best Collie food caters to their desire for real meat sourced protein and Taste of the Wild always uses only high-quality meats as their main ingredients.

The food contains buffalo, lamb meal, chicken meal, and sweet potatoes as it’s first few ingredients as well as a variety of pre and probiotics to help the digestion process. The formula has a minimum protein analysis of 32%, so this is a high protein diet which is a good choice for active Collies.

All of Taste of the Wild’s formulas contain no grain, corn, wheat, filler, or artificial anything, so your pup gets the most nutrition from every bite.

Overall, this brand has an excellent reputation, and many consumers state that this food helps their pup maintain a healthy weight and it also helps with gas.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Grain-Free Chicken

Blue Wilderness believes that a dog’s diet should closely mimic what they ate in the wild. That means protein should take center stage while limiting carbohydrates as much as possible. Over time our dogs have become used to a more carb-based diet, and a lot of vets still recommend this, Blue Buffalo is not afraid to diverge from what the pack is doing.

The food contains real chicken, sweet potatoes, and peas to provide essential protein and energy requirements for a healthy lifestyle. The food also contains an array of vitamins and minerals through their LifeSource Bits that they include in all their foods.

3 More Top Rated (5 Star) Collie Puppy Foods

Rank	Dog Food	Price	Rating
Overall Best	Holistic Select Large Breed Lamb Meal Puppy Food	$2.20/lb	A+
Most Affordable	Blue Buffalo Wilderness Turkey and Chicken Grill	$0.16/oz	A+
Most Popular	Nulo Freestyle Limited+ Salmon Puppy Food	$3.27/lb	A+

Holistic Select Large Breed Lamb Meal Puppy Food

This formula is specially formulated to help dogs who are prone to digestive problems. Collies have sensitive stomachs that are prone to bloat if they do not have the correct food. This blend contains active probiotics, fibers, and digestive enzymes that help break down your puppy’s food and allow them to absorb all the vital nutrients they need to grow strong.

The food contains antioxidant-rich foods like blueberries and pomegranate for cellular health. Holistic Select is not grain-free, but it contains a well-rounded balance of oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa to give your Collie the energy they need to play and frolic all day.

With proper levels of protein and fat, this food helps support your pup as they grow throughout their beginning years.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Turkey and Chicken Grill

The Blue Buffalo Wilderness brand gets inspired by a dog’s desire to have as much real meat in their diet as possible. In place of grains, this food adds in more meats to promote healthy muscle growth and energy in dogs who need a lot of it. Your Collie is an energetic pup who is born to roam and herd for hours and hours, so a diet rich in protein is essential.

This food uses deboned turkey as its primary protein alongside DHA which is found in mother’s milk. This ingredient is critical to cognitive learning and retinal function in puppies.

For digestion, the formula includes vitamin B12 which promotes proper gastrointestinal function. Wilderness has a protein ratio of 10.5% minimum and a fat o 9% minimum which is well-rounded; not too much, not too little.

Nulo Freestyle Limited+ Salmon Puppy Food

Nulo follows a simple but powerful concept with their Limited+ formula. One single animal protein source amounts for 30% of the crude protein in each bag. That means that most of the protein your dog receives comes from one source and one source only. This is great for limiting allergies and being easy on the stomach.

The food also contains an assortment of active probiotics and salmon oil to help your pup’s coat stay healthy and beautiful. This limited ingredient formula contains 30% protein and 18% fat with 5.5% fiber.

3 More Picks For Senior Collie Foods

Rank	Dog Food	Price	Rating
Overall Best	American Journey Chicken and Sweet Potato Grain-Free Recipe for Seniors	$1.66/lb	A+
Heart Health	Merrick Real Chicken and Sweet Potato Recipe for Seniors	$2.40/lb	A+
Most Popular	Instinct by Nature’s Variety Raw Boost Senior Grain-Free Recipe	$3.33/lb	A+

American Journey Chicken and Sweet Potato Grain-Free Recipe for Seniors

You can’t feed your senior dog any Collie food; they need a formula that specifically caters to the needs of their growing body and brain. American Journey uses select nutrients and ingredients that support the health of your senior.

The food uses coconut oil for brain health along with antioxidants to help the immune system. Lastly, glucosamine and chondroitin are critical for the joint and mobility health of seniors.

Merrick Real Chicken and Sweet Potato Recipe for Seniors

This formula from Merrick uses deboned chicken, sweet potatoes, peas, and an assortment of fruits to give your senior a well-rounded diet. This Collie food focuses specifically on the needs of seniors by included L-carnitine which is ideal for metabolism and heart health.

Merrick also includes omega fatty acids with glucosamine and chondroitin to promote healthy joint and hip function.

All Merricks foods contain nothing but all-natural meats and vegetables with no artificial preservatives, by-products, or coloring.

Instinct by Nature’s Variety Raw Boost Senior Grain-Free Recipe

If you’re looking for a food that combines real nutrition from raw, freeze-dried meat than you might want to give this formula a try. The food uses real chicken as the first ingredient. It provides lean muscle mass for dogs that might not be as active as they get older. Chicken eggs contain natural DHA which are an essential part of maintaining cognitive development and vision.

L-Carnitine is also in this food which helps kickstart your senior’s metabolism so they can maintain a healthy weight and stay heart healthy as they age.

Our FAQ and Collie Feeding Guide

Choosing high-quality food is an important step that every pet owner needs to take, but there are other considerations you want to keep in mind as well. You want to make sure you store your Collie’s food in a dry and temperature-controlled environment so you can ensure the food stays fresh as long as possible.

The best way to store your Collie food is to put it in an airtight container, so it locks in the most nutrients for the longest period. Many pet owners prefer buying their food in bulk which is good for the budget, but it can result in a loss of nutrition if the food sits around too long.

Pet parents have a lot of questions about their dog’s health and feeding so here are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive about Collies.

What are some of the best ingredients to find in their food?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of harmful ingredients that go into dog foods because they have a low standard to meet to pass, so it’s easy for manufacturers to add many fillers and low-quality components. Let’s take a look at some of the best ingredients to look out for in your pups food.

• Real Animal Protein – You have an active herding dog that loves to get outside and keep moving, you need to feed him a food that is rich in real meat. Meat based protein should always be the first ingredient in the best Collie food because that is where most of their nutrition comes from.
• Animal Protein Meal – We’re sticking with the protein here and trying to break a significant misconception that protein meal is a bad ingredient. “Meal” is essentially the meat product after a lot of the water got removed from the protein source. Most meats contain about 70% water so when they are cooked off during manufacturing a lot of the protein gets removed from the product.
• High-Quality Oil – Oils are essential for your Collies skin and coat, but the vital thing to think about is the quality of the oil. You want to try and stay away from cheap industrial style oils like canola and vegetable and swap those out for coconut, olive, and sunflower oil. These add a ton of nutritional value, and they contain the nutrients your pup needs to develop a healthy and smooth coat.
• Whole Vegetables and Fruit – Unprocessed ingredients maintain their high levels of vitamins and antioxidants so when you find things like tomato pomace or wheat bran these ingredients have undergone their production, and your dog gets the leftovers. Whenever possible, you want to see the real name of the ingredient on the list because that means that the fruit or vegetable is left in its purest form.

How much should I feed my Collie?

Strict feeding practices are crucial to the health of your Collie because this breed has a habit of overeating. If you leave their food bowl out all day and continue filling it, they will keep eating it.

Active Collies need around 900-1000 calories a day, and less active Collies need around 700 calories per day. This translates to about 1.5 to 2 cups of high-quality kibble twice per day – the emphasis on premium. When you feed your pup a higher quality kibble, it results in them feeling full faster and longer.

When feeding a Collie puppy, you want to keep in mind the fact that they have small stomachs. During their early stages, they only require approximately half a cup a day which increases as they reach their rapid growing stages around six months of age.

What are some bad ingredients to stay away from?

With every good ingredient comes a bad one that you want to avoid at all costs. The most popular manufacturers control a significant share of the pet food market and as a result – so many of the pet foods out there are full of low-quality ingredients.

• Corn Syrup – One of the worst ingredients you can find in a dog’s food is corn syrup because it is entirely unnecessary, and it causes spikes in blood sugar. Another big problem with added sugar is that dogs become addicted to these in the same way that humans do. As a result, they will crave that sugary taste and turn away food that does not have it.
• Gluten – This ingredient is controversial, but we wanted to include it in here to at least touch on the negative effects of gluten. It’s not the ingredient itself that becomes the problem, it’s the use and sheer volume of it. Gluten causes digestion issues in Collies and foods containing a lot of grains sit in your dog’s stomach longer than you would want.
• Soy – Like gluten, soy acts as a filler, and it provides next to no nutritional value in your pup’s diet.
• Rendered Fat – Fat is good in dog food but the problem comes when its unidentified fat. A lot of the time on dog food packaging you will see “chicken fat” or “pork fat.” These are examples of good fats because you know they come from chicken or pig. If you see “animal fat” in your dog’s food, it means it could come from anything.

Collie Dog Food – A Final Word

By this point, you should know everything about feeding your Collie and how you can identify the best foods for their nutritional health. You always want to choose foods that contain high-quality protein sources from real meats alongside fats, healthy oils, and plenty of vegetables.

Also, keep in mind the unique dietary needs of your Collie. This breed is known for having a sensitive stomach so if your pup is having a hard time with the food you’re feeding them, consider switching to a grain-free or limited ingredient formula.

All the foods recommended above meet the highest guidelines in terms of nutrition so we would suggest choosing one of those if you are looking for a change!