I have a blue merle border collie he is beautiful and smart and full of life. With the exception of he will not gain weight, I am banging my head against a wall. I have tried puppy food, wet food, natural balance, chicken, beef, mixing food with dog food. I have been to 2 vets with no answer or than neutering. Which its not like I am not going to but I know that that will not be the complete answer. I am looking for some help, I have had one other person metion calf milk, like a protein drink?? To top it off he has tummy troubles diarrhea and vomiting for unmknown reasons... I am asking for any help?!

Love border collies, high energy dogs and get bored easily if they are not doing what they are supposed to do (but we can't let them herd). Your lovely animal should weight no more than 40 lbs in adulthood. I have known border collies that will herd just about anything if allowed to.

Could be boredom with a domestic atmosphere, needs more activity. Ball throwing, stick throwing and walks in the woods. He will never leave you; this breed bonds entirely.

Not diet. They are not a high maitenance dog that way, but completely happy and on a regular schedule of eating, play, exercise will thrive in a home environment.

Have you had him since puppyhood or did you adopt him in adulthood ?

Tick

How old is he? Between 12-18 months of age most if not all males will go through a fussy period and drop weight.
When mine go through that stage I usually just up the calories. Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to their meal or some sardines in oil... it's good for their coat and puts on weight.

Did you know that dogs are lactose intolerant? Giving cows milk (or any dairy product) can result in vomiting, diarrhea and gas. I don't know where the idea of calf milk came from but it is dead wrong.

Did either of the vets do a full blood workup and urinalysis on him? If not, I would highly recommend that would be the first step. You want to rule out any liver/kidney issues, etc. Some dogs will do better on a kidney diet anyhow. Speak to the vet about that. I presume he has been checked for parasites, including tapeworm? If not, do that, too. Many vets don't check for tapeworm unless you see physical symptoms (dried worm segments in the anus area).

You say you are opposed to neutering him, but if he is over 2 years old, you aren't planning on breeding him AND you can't find an alternate solution that may just be the best option for your dog. I had a German Short-haired Pointer who was the same. The only way I could get her to gain was to eventually spay her. Also, I know it sounds silly, but does the dog get enough sleep and/or is he stressed at all? If so, a short-term, natural mild tranquilizer might help.

Best of luck to you!

Hugs, Didi

He is 17 months old he loves to be outside I have another border collie, a female (she is spayed) they love to play in the water and play together in general. We have not had blood/urine done, both vets said they just figured his metabolism must be high, but he looks OK till you rub on him. You can fill his ribs his hips, I hate it it makes me feel horrible, and he never acts sick!

I am NOT opposed to getting him fixed I just don't feel that is the problem! I forgot to mention I even tried the RAW diet for him... HE LOVES LOVES fruits but thumbs down to everything else, we call him our vegan dog... but I appreacaite all the advice I guess we will go back to the vet Monday for blood/urine...

Well, he is still young and active and you don't want him overweight, that's for sure. In my opinion (which may or may not be that of others) I think that the raw diet promotes a slightly lower than average weight in dogs. I have seen dogs that thrive on it, and others that just don't do well. I don't think it's suitable for your boy at this point in time, but that's a opinion.

Sorry I misunderstood about the neutering. It may not be the cause of his low weight, but it could be a solution. It's worth discussing with your vet and reading up on. I think if two vets don't seem overly concerned with it that it may not be an issue, but if I was as concerned about it as you seem to be then for my own personal piece of mind I would request a blood workup, fecal and urinalysis. If you are planning to neuter him at any point soon, then you can have it done as part of that process. Of course you can just drop in a stool and urine sample yourself anytime. You might want to start with that.

From the sounds of it this might just be normal for your boy. If he otherwise seems healthy and eats a good quality dog food I wouldn't worry too much. As I said, I would at the very least have a urinalysis and fecal sample done to help allay your concerns.

Hugs, Didi