doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT - What do you feed your hunting dog?.....

Table scraps and when he will eat it Purina one. jas

Chuck,

I have had similar expierences with the dogs getting the runs while hunting. I do tend to feed a bit lighter in the morning before a hunt as you might do for yourself but I do not skip feeding. They will need the fuel. I carry some buscuits for a snack during the day and give them out a few hours apart as you might do for yourself during physical exertion. Keep them hydrated with clean water. Most dogs will drink from any mud puddle or stream they come across while hunting. It is probabally not the best thing in the world for them but you are hard pressed to stop them. So between that and chocking down bird feathers It is no wonder they get the runs. Remember your dog while it may be 50 pounds it is still a puppy. He will get stronger and better able to deal with the strain of hunting as he gets older. Remember we are the intellegent ones and must know when to stop them. My dogs will run untll they die if I were to ask them to. We can't let that happen.

Bill G.

Bill,
So you do feed the morning of the hunt? I figure as you, she needs the fuel for the day, but not so much it's a burden in her digestive tract while hunting. I cut the feed back about 30% the morning of the hunt and feed her up double that night. During the hunt day rests, I feed her some snacks (Milkbone or other bisquits). Water is in her bowl from the time I get out of the truck until we pack it up. I offer her water often, usually twice as often as I drink. I figure she's working harder than I. She'll drink from a bottle poured slowly and she ignores my offer when she's done drinking or not interested. Funny how fast she learned to drink that way in the dry fields I hunt.

Any recommendations on mid hunting day treats?

I don't feed the morning of a hunt. I don't want to kill my dog.

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bloat.html

VV,
In reading the page you provided the link to, I found this:



I did discuss this condition (twisted gut) with my vet. She actually brought it up and recommended small, more frequent feedings, thus the split normal feedings of morning and night. She noted that she's treated several cases where the dog was fed once a day a large meal.

I am very familiar with this life threatening condition (twisted gut) in horses, having dealt with several cases and having witnessed a loss of a horse to it.

So, per her recommendation and in line with what your link recommended, I have been feeding light the morning of the hunt, ensuring a few hours of inactivity (drive to the hunting grounds) after feeding before hunting. Is this different than other information you have?

One last thing the vet recommended, add water to the dry feed to ensure it breaks down in the intestine quickly and thus preventing large accumulation of food which can lead to a twisted gut.

This is a very real problem in any deep-chested breed, which includes most of our hunting breeds. It is an awful condition to treat, and in fact I lost a Weimaraner patient to this condition yesterday after a long and frustrating 2 hr. surgery. Nationwide mortality rates average around 50% with this condition. The biggest problem is "reperfusion injury", which occurs AFTER the condition is corrected. While the stomach is twisted and bloated the blood circulation is blocked and cellular death begins to occur rapidly, with accumulation of many toxins in the tissue as a result. When the volvulus (twist) is corrected and blood flow is re-established, the toxic substances in the tissues are whisked into the bloodstream where they have severe systemic effects and there is little you can do to prevent it, regardless of the fact that many researchers have tried and suggested various methods to reduce the effects. This is what killed the patient yesterday, about 3 hrs post-op. It was already comatose when it came in the clinic and the owners were given a grave prognosis, but they wanted us to try anyway.

Chuck, I see no problem with your practice - a very light meal (say no more than 1/4 of daily ration) at least 2 hrs. prior to activity will allow the stomach time to complete its function and move the contents into the small intestine where they will not contribute to the probability of GDV.

Also, it is important to note that while activity after a large meal certainly increases the risk, it is not necessary for GDV to occur. I have seen dogs develop the condition that had no activity whatsoever after being fed (i.e. kenneled dogs). I believe, based on the stomach contents, that they were fed large meals on a once-daily basis, and probably bolted the food which for some reason is a big risk factor.

hunt with a vet who claims a small can of cat food fish or what ever as a snack or treat while hunting is great for a dog because of the high fat content. And the small amount, I'm talking the small cans.It seems to work.