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Feeding the Hardworking Dog /
Carbohydrate Replenishment
Arleigh I’ve had the
pleasure of attending several lectures, where you’ve presented to
top competitors from across most segments of the sporting dog world…
in all cases there was tremendous interest in your comments around
the benefits of “carbohydrate replenishment” as an aid to recovery
between long bouts of exercise, especially in the harder working
dog’s diet.
I would really like to share this concept with
our readers, who represent a good cross-section of Field Trial or
Hunt Test participants and avid hunters, if its appropriate.
I think this concept can be applied to help improve the
performance of any dog that is asked to work hard several days in a
row or more than once in a single day.
Great… then we can
assume all hard working dogs have the same basic needs?
Bob,
Most of the work I have done has focused on sled dogs but we have
done several studies where we have compared these dogs to other
sporting breeds and have found that the physiology of these
different breeds are very similar. Basically if you look beyond the
skin and coat of a dog their circulatory and musculo-skeletal
systems as well as their metabolic processes are same across working
breeds. We have found that the nutritional strategies we have used
to optimize performance in sled dogs work just as well in hunting
dogs and other working breeds.
Before we move to
carbohydrate replenishment, can you lay a little groundwork around
basic feeding requirements for our average hunting dog? Like how
much, what kind of feed, and how often should we feed?
In my
experience working dogs do best when fed a complete and balanced
ration that has been formulated specifically for the performing
animal. Under most conditions this type of diet will meet all of the
hard working dog’s nutritional needs in a safe and convenient
manner. I would caution folks against supplementing with single
unbalanced food items without consulting a nutritionist. I have seen
several cases over the last 15 years of serious problems that were
caused by inappropriate supplementation. The most common example of
this I have seen is the supplementation of straight ground beef to
the diet. Beef by itself has very little calcium and prolonged
supplementation of significant amounts (greater than 10% of the
calories fed in the commercial ration) has led to thinning of bones
and increased incidence of fractures in hard working dogs. The
metacarpal (hand) and metatarsal (foot) bones seem most susceptible
to this problem.
As for how much food a dog should be fed
each day, that question is more difficult to answer. It depends on
the individual dog’s metabolism, his activity level, environment,
and breed. I like to feed my dogs so that they maintain an optimal
body condition. That means they keep the same amount of flesh over
key points on their body; this has a characteristic look and feel.
For example I like to be able to see the last rib or two of the dog
when he is inhaling or eating. If I can see more than that he is
probably to thin and less than that may mean he is carrying extra
weight. When I run my hands over his back I like to feel the little
upright bony process on his spinal column. I don’t want them to be
sticking out visibly but I also don’t want to have to dig through an
inch of fat to find them. They should be just palpable as you run
your hand over the back. I also feel between the upright bones of
the pelvis called the wings of the ileum. I like the flesh there to
be level or have a slight concavity to it. If this area is rounded
upwards the dog is too heavy and if you can easily feel the spinous
processes of the pelvic part of the spine the dog is too thin. I use
these guidelines and try to maintain the dogs at this body
condition. That means feeding each dog as an individual and often
times adjusting the food intake each day to anticipate changes in
workload and environment. Cold weather and hard work can increase
the dog’s caloric requirement by as much as 2-8 times his
maintenance levels.
As for timing I prefer to feed most hard
working dogs only once a day and as close as is practical to 24
hours prior to the time they will perform. At first this may seem
counter productive but there are several reasons why this strategy
will actually improve the performance of most hard working dogs.
Remember that dogs are not like people and are actually designed to
run better in a fasted state. Wolves, for instance, rarely eat large
meals every day.
When we run dogs within a couple hours of
the time they are fed we cause several mechanical and metabolic
problems that will impair performance rather than assist it. First,
feeding close to performance results in increased insulin secretion.
Insulin inhibits fat release from the tissues to the blood stream
and therefore impairs the availability of the most important fuel
for muscular work. Insulin also increases the uptake of glucose
(sugar) from the blood into the muscles. In human athletes feeding
between 2 hours and 15 minutes before prolonged exercise has been
associated with an increased incidence of hypoglycemia (low blood
sugar) which severely impairs performance. Feeding shortly before
exercise also increases blood flow to the gut decreasing the amount
of blood available for the working muscles. The mechanical load
induced by carrying food in the intestines during work may also
cause problems during performance. I have noticed a decrease in the
amount of soft and/or bloody stools we see in our dogs when we feed
closer to 24 hours before exercise. Dogs fed this way also have time
to evacuate their bowels before they work; I believe makes them more
comfortable. Finally, it takes quite a bit of energy to digest and
absorb food. As this energy is expended it causes an increase in
body temperature. This process may impair performance, especially in
hot environments by adding to the heat load and thus heat stress
experienced by the dog.
Having said all this there are times
when health considerations may override these recommendations. If
you have a dog that has experienced or is prone to gastric bloat or
torsion you should feed that dog more than once a day. Puppies less
than 6 months of age and dogs that cannot maintain adequate body
weight may also require more than one meal a day.
Folks, I
have to admit, when I first heard Arleigh’s recommendation of
feeding once a day, I had to go on trust, but was quickly sold. My
dogs seem to run easier, no more straining lose stool during
exercise, they seem to stay focused and maybe even run a little
cooler…
Arleigh, I think we’re ready now to talk about
carbohydrate replenishment..
Well, we know that carbohydrate
loading is not an effective strategy for enhancing performance in
dogs. Although we can increase the amount of glycogen or stored
carbohydrate in the muscle by feeding a high carbohydrate diet, all
we end up doing is making that dog’s muscles more dependant on this
store and actually depleting it sooner. These stores of carbohydrate
are very important for very intense exercise and without an adequate
supply of this fuel an athlete, canine or human cannot perform at
their maximum ability. Inadequate glycogen stores are often
responsible for the phenomenon known as “hitting the wall” in
marathon type events. For dogs, the successful strategy involves
training the muscles to be better at burning fat and saving the more
limited stores of carbohydrate for the periods of really intense
exercise when they are essential for performance. In a thin,
well-conditioned hunting dog there is close to 50 times as much
energy stored in fat as there is in glycogen (carbohydrate). We also
know that athletes tend to deplete their stores of glycogen when
they work hard and particularly when the work hard several days in a
row. A previously published study showed that human athletes running
16 miles a day for 3 days in a row began the third day of exercise
with less glycogen in their muscles than they ended the first day
with. Their time to finish the run on the third day and their
perception of fatigue were much greater on day 3 than on day 1. This
increased difficulty of performance was attributed to inadequate
glycogen stores at the onset of exercise on day 3.
We know
from work done on elite human cyclists, and now on dogs, that
ingestion of a moderate amount of carbohydrate immediately after
exercise greatly enhances glycogen replacement between bouts of
exercise. This practice led to complete repletion of glycogen stores
in the dogs studied; dogs receiving their normal meal at the normal
time only repleted to 65% of their pre-exercise muscle glycogen
concentrations. The timing of carbohydrate administration may be
quite critical. Studies in rats and other species have shown that
exercising animals experience enhanced glucose transport into their
muscles during exercise and for the first 15-30 minutes afterward.
Carbohydrates administered immediately after exercise are taken up
and stored much more rapidly than those administered 2 hours or more
after exercise.
To optimize glycogen repletion it is very
important to administer the right form of carbohydrates. Glucose
polymers appear to be the safest and most effective form available.
This type of carbohydrate is rapidly digested and absorbed but does
not usually cause stomach upset, diarrhea or large increases in
circulating insulin. We have found that giving 1.5 grams of
maltodextrin per kilogram of body weight is very effective in
achieving complete repletion within 24 hours of an exhaustive bout
of exercise.
Arleigh, I’m really pushing my Editor for
space, but if have to ask one more question.
You know we’ve
grown up hearing .. If we feed a high quality premium or supper
premium diet, formulated by a reputable company to meet the needs of
hard working dogs, there is no need to supplement….. . Which by the
way I’ve found to be true…
I agree Bob, but I consider the
carbohydrate administration after exercise more of a complement than
a supplement. It is a specific amount of carbohydrate in a specific
form given at a specific time to cause a specific result- in this
case enhanced glycogen repletion. It is not given every day and it
represents such a small amount of the total calories fed that you do
not need to rebalance the diet to compensate for this addition.
Thanks for your time Buddy…
Folks, I’ve been over
some hills with this fellow and can tell you he knows what he’s
talking about… I hope these ideas help you as much as they have many
of the key players in Major Dog Sports… by the way I think you’ll
find the Purina Power Bar Ad in this issue interesting..
Nestlé Purina Nutrition Scientist Arleigh Reynolds, D.V.M.,
Ph.D., A.C.V.N., brings a rich background as a veterinarian and avid
sled dog competitor. A board-certified veterinary nutritionist,
Reynolds has studied nutrition and performance since he was a
graduate student at Cornell University in 1986. Based in Salcha,
Alaska, he won the International Federation of Sled Dog Sports
(IFSS) World Cup in 1998, and since the series began in 1996, his
team has consistently placed among the top three finishers.
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Founded
in 1988, the stated mission of The Bird Dog Foundation, based in Grand
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Pro Plan Performance Formula delivers extra protein and calories
to fuel the activities of hardworking dogs.
Learn more>>
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Friends We Make Along the Way
Purina’s Bob West, Director of the Sporting Dog Group, is passionate
about sporting dogs and people who love them. In 40 years as a
professional trainer, West has put more than 100 titles on dogs. Here
he shares lessons learned while competing and gives advice about
getting into the game.
Read
the Article>
The Natural
Labrador Retriever trainer Kristie Wheeler of WaterDog Kennels got her
start as a professional trainer by first working as an obedience
trainer. Today, she has trained 20 AKC Master Hunter Labradors, earned
a spot on the Women’s Challenge Trophy, and become an inspiration for
others through her Retriever Retreats for women
Read
the Article>
Dogs of Versatility
Nothing compares to the exultation of earning a Versatile Champion
title from the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. Dogs
and handlers train for years in preparation for three phases of water
and field tests in which they are judged against a demanding standard.
Read
the Article>
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