Dog Supplements?

[leadthewayoakley]

I'm just curious if anyone uses any dog supplements for their hunting dogs. Ive got a 2.5 year chocolate lab she has a great drive and i want to keep it that way. I just figured with Duck season around the corner and pheasant hunting not far behind it, I should consider getting her a little extra oomph to keep her going strong. I have been looking into the brand "Zoom Dog" and it appears to be pretty positive. I'm just curious if anyone else uses this or has any other/better suggestions. What do you use? How does it work?

 

[dogbo2013]

I understand the science behind supplements, but I think most of it is good marketing and just results in more money leaving your pocket. I like to keep it simple. A normal healthy diet and hydration are the key. While hunting I feed morning and evening as normal, but I make sure that water is available before, during, and after the hunt. If your dog is thirsty they will drink, if not then maybe next time, but I would always give them the opportunity. As far as drive goes, my dog can be exhausted after a day of hunting, but if I get out to make one last drive, he is ahead of me in the field.

 

[birdshooter]

I'm just curious if anyone uses any dog supplements for their hunting dogs. Ive got a 2.5 year chocolate lab she has a great drive and i want to keep it that way. I just figured with Duck season around the corner and pheasant hunting not far behind it, I should consider getting her a little extra oomph to keep her going strong. I have been looking into the brand "Zoom Dog" and it appears to be pretty positive. I'm just curious if anyone else uses this or has any other/better suggestions. What do you use? How does it work?

Were you referring to energy supplements or supplements in general?

I think Dogbo hit the nail on the head about starting with a quality dog food that is highly digestible. Plenty of fresh water. During the season I see no harm in adding extra fat in the form of oil such as TSP OF Olive oil top dressed over their kibble for those hard days afield. Always feed quantity wise according to body condition (shape). The dog will show you if he's getting enough or not.

Now... for those senior dogs adding a joint supplement such as Glucosamine to their diet may be of some benefit, however after 6 weeks and you see no improvement it probably isn't going to work.

One other thing you may consider that I have used on the dogs with some positive results is a good Probiotic supplement. I use a product called "Probiotic Max" and where it seem to work best if the dog has a bought of loose stools in which case you can safely double the dose. 2 pound jug lasts a long time.

 

[waterdog09]

I have never used any of the supplements but have thought about it in the past but decided it wasn't worth it. Instead I did what others have stated and given the dogs high protein food and upped the amount on days in the field. I will say that you should never feed your dog in the morning before a hunt. It creates excess body heat from the digestion of the food and actually upsets the dogs stomach and makes them tired as they are using their energy to digest the food. Best time to feed them is about 1 hour after hunting, gives their body time to relax and actually absorb the nutrients from the food. Also hydration is key when in the field, it may be difficult some days to get them to drink in the field but it's crucial to a dog going strong all day. Cold days are a different story as no matter how much I try to push water on them when it's 0 degrees they still won't drink instead they would rather eat snow??