by Keith Schopp
Purina’s sporting dog team attends hundreds of events each year – from field trials and hunt tests to consumer trade shows and major conventions and conferences. Every event provides numerous opportunities to field questions from dedicated sporting dog owners who want the best for their four-legged companions. While questions vary widely and can be breed or dog-specific – think bird dogs that specialize in grouse and woodcock hunting – many questions focus on nutrition and feeding hard-working canine athletes.
We asked Dr. RuthAnn Lobos, senior veterinarian, Nestlé Purina PetCare, proud owner of Finn, a veteran Labrador, and, most recently, a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon puppy named Journey, to share her answers to five of the most common nutrition-related questions.
Q1: I feed Purina Pro Plan Performance 30/20 to my bird dogs during the hunting season. Should I switch to a lower calorie diet during the off-season?
Dr. Lobos: The short answer is no, and here’s why: it takes about 12 weeks to optimize the number of mitochondria in the myocytes (or muscle cells) of dogs. That’s why we don’t recommend switching formulas. Mitochondria are the “powerhouses” of the cells and provide energy and oxygen for the cells to use. Increasing the number of these cells increases the VO2 max (or maximal oxygen consumption) of the dog, which is a reflection of endurance. If we keep them on a performance formula, we don’t have to retrain their metabolism at the start of each hunting season. If you’re concerned about feeding a high-fat, high-protein diet during the off season, simply feed less of that diet to your sporting dog to keep them in ideal body condition.
Q2: In terms of timing, when should I feed my hunting dog?
Dr. Lobos: We generally recommend feeding once a day after the hunt and when the dog is cooled down to allow time for food to be digested. The objective is to allow as many hours as possible between feeding and exercise the next day. I like to equate this to filling your dog’s gas tank the night before a road trip, so you can hit the highway running the next morning. Feeding the night before maximizes nutrient absorption from the kibble and minimizes the reallocation of energy to the GI tract in the morning when we need that blood flow and oxygen in their lungs and muscles as they find birds for us. They need water in their GI tract in order to digest and absorb the food we feed them. Floating their food (adding water to the bowl of kibble) helps to minimize the amount of water they have to take from their cells to help in the digestion and absorption of water.
On multi-day hunts, we’re trying to minimize the loss of body condition. I will sometimes add a “second dinner” to help balance calorie and volume intake. For example, one small meal just after we finish the hunt and Finn has cooled down, and one meal a little bit before bedtime.
Q3: How much water do sporting dogs require?
Dr. Lobos: Lots! On average, it’s 1 liter of water per 1,000kCals consumed when dogs are at normal “hanging out” behavior in moderate temperatures. With an increase in activity and/or an increase in temperature, a sporting dog’s hydration needs can increase significantly. Again, floating the food the night before and baiting the water with chicken broth or even a few pieces of kibble in the morning before the hunt can entice them to drink more water. Staying in front of their hydration is so much easier than trying to play catch up. There’s good data out there showing that dehydration can hamper scenting ability and certainly decreases their endurance. Water is involved in almost every cellular process and critical in thermal regulation, so hydration for our sporting dogs is a crucial component to a successful hunt. I’d also emphasize carrying lots of water while hunting and teaching your puppy to drink from a squirt bottle. At a minimum, carry a collapsable bowl and take frequent breaks to water your dogs.
Q4: If I feed Purina Pro Plan, do I need to use supplements?
Dr. Lobos: Purina Pro Plan is designed to provide all the macro- and micro-nutrients that the athletic dog needs. That said, our sporting dogs are exposed to a variety of physical demands, environments and pathogens, so adding supplements to support those stressors on their bodies can be helpful. Because 70 percent of their immune system lies in their GI tract, adding a probiotic, like FortiFlora, can help support their immune system and also minimize the GI upset that can often occur during travel, the fun stressor of finding birds and the occasional dietary indiscretion (think eating things they shouldn’t). FortiFlora in particular is made with palatability enhancers and, in turn, can increase tastiness for finicky eaters when added to the ration of food.
While we’re talking supplements, there are a lot of joint supplements on the market to help support our hard-working sporting dogs. PPVD Joint Care is one I trust and recommend as it has functional ingredients like glucosamine, collagen, hyaluronic acid and omega-3s in it. Along with quality and safety, Purina has it tested and verified for accuracy by the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC).
Q5: What’s the best thing I can do to help keep my sporting dog performing at a high level for as long as possible?
Dr. Lobos: Keep your dog in ideal body condition. With all the advancement of science and better understanding of canine physiology, keeping your bird dog lean is proven to help extend life-span AND health-span. Keeping your dog lean means being able to feel their ribs, see a waist from above and have an “abdominal tuck” where the ribcage is lower than their belly. Purina published research showed that lean-fed dogs lived on average 1.8 years longer than their paired littermate. In that study, the difference in calories was only about 400kCals per day (which is less than one cup of Purina Pro Plan Performance 30/20)! The study also showed a delay in the onset of need for treatment of osteoarthritis by three years! Joint health is so critically important in the longevity of our birddogs. Keeping your dog lean and in good condition by exercising regularly can help your dog live a longer, healthier and happier life.
