Dog food for working Border Collie sensitive stomach

A working Border Collie who's fed alongside the rest of the pack but whose gut just can't keep up — that's a really common situation on farms, and it's worth sorting properly rather than just managing. Sensitive stomach issues usually fall into a few categories: food intolerance to a specific protein, a reaction to an ingredient like grains or additives, or simply a gut that needs a cleaner, simpler diet than the standard working-dog mix provides. Figuring out which one applies is the key to finding the right food. Can you tell me a bit more — what symptoms is your dog showing (loose stools, gas, vomiting, intermittent or constant?), and what are you currently feeding the working dogs as a group?

That pattern — soft stools daily plus occasional vomiting on a food that suits everyone else — points pretty clearly to an ingredient sensitivity rather than portion size or overfeeding. Skinner's Field and Trial uses wheat and maize as its main carbohydrate sources, and those are two of the most common culprits for gut sensitivity in dogs who are otherwise healthy and active. The fact that reducing quantity didn't help confirms it's not about volume, it's about what's in the food. Has he ever been on a grain-free or single-protein diet, even briefly? And is the vomiting shortly after eating, or more random?

Good — no skin issues rules out a lot of the more complex intolerance patterns, and vomiting hours after eating rather than immediately suggests the food is sitting uncomfortably rather than being rejected outright. That's a classic sign of a grain or carbohydrate sensitivity. I'd recommend switching him to Simpsons Premium Sensitive Salmon and Potato. It's a grain-free complete dry food with a single named protein source, no wheat, no maize, no soy, and a modest ingredient list that's genuinely designed for dogs with reactive guts. It's also calorie-dense enough to fuel a working dog without needing huge volumes, which matters when you're feeding a hard-working two-year-old. Transition slowly over ten days — mix it in gradually — because his gut is already unsettled and a fast switch will make things worse before they get better. Most dogs with this profile see a clear improvement in stool consistency within two to three weeks.

Completely fine long term, and honestly not as much hassle as it sounds once it's routine. Plenty of working dog owners feed one or two dogs separately — you just need a consistent spot away from the pack during mealtimes. The alternative, trying to find a food that works for everyone including a sensitive gut, usually ends in compromise and his symptoms persisting. His needs are genuinely different from the others, and treating them that way will keep him working well. Simpsons comes in 2kg and 12kg bags, so you can manage stock without it becoming complicated.

Good luck with it — give it a full three weeks before judging, and if the stools firm up but the occasional vomiting persists beyond that point, it's worth a vet check to rule out anything structural like a slow-emptying stomach. But based on what you've described, the food change should do most of the work.