Gun Dog Forum

Normally feed at 6:45 am.Taking my dog to run an AKC Fast Cat lure coursing run at 9:30-10:00 am. This course will be a 100 yard sprint. That's all, one run at 100 yards.

Feed her the regular amount, half of her regular amount, or feed her an hour after the run?

Feed a little extra the night before and then after the run.

It's not much of a run but your dog will still agitated and pumped-up. Most of the literature on gastric torsion avoidance suggests a two hour wait after exercise before feeding a normal meal. If she only eats once a day, I sure wouldn''t feed her at all in the morning.

It won't kill her to skip a meal, but it might kill her to eat and run. Watching a dog die of gastric torsion ain't fun

My vet tells me that dogs, unlike humans hold food in their stomachs for up to 24 hours. They do not get a rush of nutriments after eating. Therefore, feeding to prepare them for an 'event' needs to be done 12-24 hours prior. When running hunt tests with my Retrievers, I feed them nothing for 12 hrs. or more. It is known that full stomachs can kill a dog being run, as already mentioned. If there stomach twists, rarely do they live, as the symptoms usually show up when it is already to late!

nanney1 wrote:Normally feed at 6:45 am.Taking my dog to run an AKC Fast Cat lure coursing run at 9:30-10:00 am. This course will be a 100 yard sprint. That's all, one run at 100 yards.

Feed her the regular amount, half of her regular amount, or feed her an hour after the run?

Having experience of Long Dogs and back in the days of the "Waterloo Cup" , perhaps alien to some across the pond .
I always made sure the Engine was prepared rather than the larder for that day .

I fed her half of her regular amount. She didn't run until 3 1/2 hours later.

nanney1 wrote:I fed her half of her regular amount. She didn't run until 3 1/2 hours later.

Should be ready for a Dump by then

The most common thinking is to feed once a day in the evening. Not in the morning. It gives the dog ample time to digest their food. Dogs run and work better on an empty stomach. Yeah, a 100 yd. run is virtually nothing. That wouldn't even get the dog warmed up. Running 20 to 30 minutes would be much better.

It was fun to watch her run. Fast CAT trials provide the speed in mph and a point system based on the height of the dog. She is a small dog but still clocked in at 21.35 mph. But really, it's more of a $$$ thing for AKC than a true performance event. If you run your dog several times, while paying for every run, you'll eventually get a title.

More Whippet than Greyhound .

What does this have to do with a GunDog forum?

In answer to the question, skip the morning feed. In answer to the format of the event it appears to have nothing to do with hunting but another opportunity for people to have an additional day to compete and have fun with your dog.

Ezzy

Running hard on empty stomach bigger risk for seizures. Been thru it several times. Won’t make that mistake again

Dakotazeb wrote:What does this have to do with a GunDog forum?

Point taken. And to answer your question - little to nothing. I don't have gundogs but I find very little useful information on other boards. When talking nutrition and health, I would prefer to ask people who actually hunt their dogs and have real world experience.

Saw two "gundogs" running this weekend, a Vizsla and a Labrador.

I'm so glad this question was posted and that I read all the answers.... I knew nothing about this subject, and have commonly fed my dog immediately before and after big hard runs. I'll immediately change this behavior.

We also feed three times a day (one cup high quality food per feeding), and I feel like my dogs a little thin (has a lot of rib showing...he get's a lot more exercise than most dogs) so we have recently moved that to 4 times a day or adding an extra half cup to one of the feedings. With this schedule, it's hard to get too many hours away from feeding for an exercise run....but if I'd make sure he's two hours off in either direction would that be safe? Or do I need to change my feeding schedule? This dog is ravenous all the time. He does not have worms or anything like that...he's up on all shots and medical care.... he's a highly exercised 1 year old pup so I think he burns lots of calories.

Steve:
How you feed your dog is certainly your choice. There are No health benefits to multiple small feedings. It takes 12 or more hours for the food to pass through the dogs digestive system. Your dog might do better on free feeding and taking the food away the night before a hunt. I do think you are over thinking this. ...j

Dakotazeb wrote:What does this have to do with a GunDog forum?

To be fair, I don't ask this crowd if I have concerns about a dog with crate rage or severe separation anxiety. I go to a suburban obedience trainer friend of mine. Just because she deals with that type of stuff a lot. People here run their dogs hard, and I don't know of a sled dog or greyhound racers forum out there.

Dakotazeb wrote:What does this have to do with a GunDog forum?

PLenty! "Watching a dog die of gastric torsion ain't fun " quote

Again, many still seem to resist the idea that dogs do not need to be fed before being worked (hunting, pulling dog sleds, etc.). Most of us who understand this is dangerous avoid this as it can kill the animal. I will not feed my Golden's after the morning before a hunt day! I want their stomachs to be low or empty, they carry plenty of energy, without having a full stomach.

It is common for pet owners to take issue with differences in physiology between dogs and people. In fact it is a human trait to do this....see below! They even have a name for it!

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology.

Timewise65 wrote:Again, many still seem to resist the idea that dogs do not need to be fed before being worked (hunting, pulling dog sleds, etc.). Most of us who understand this is dangerous avoid this as it can kill the animal. I will not feed my Golden's after the morning before a hunt day! I want their stomachs to be low or empty, they carry plenty of energy, without having a full stomach.

It is common for pet owners to take issue with differences in physiology between dogs and people. In fact it is a human trait to do this....see below! They even have a name for it!

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology.

Great points. I've never seen a human that can swallow a whole dead animal, enjoy it, and not get sick from it! I've never seen a human that enjoys rolling in feces. I've never seen a human that can swim for long in 40 degree water without getting hypothermia.

Funny comment about Anthropomorphism...Neighbor asked me about mites in her chickens...I said, "Diometious Earth in their bedding and where they like to dust bathe." SHe said, "Dust is bad for their lungs, would you like breathing dust?" Chickens bathe in dust...most fowl do...its what they do...So strange some people.

blanked wrote:Running hard on empty stomach bigger risk for seizures. Been thru it several times. Won’t make that mistake again

Interesting I have been feeding my dog a good breakfast in an effort to control his seizures that happen 3 or 4 times a year and almost always on an empty stomach.

He has not had a problem in the field but I could see how it could happen with low blood sugars

Grant