Jakeismydog2
Member
How early before the season starts do you start increasing your dogs ration? Or do you at all?
Increasing calories before the season
- Thread starter Jakeismydog2
- Start date
quail hound
Moderator
2 of my hounds will be retrieving for 6 guns tomorrow morning so they got a little steak added to their rations tonight.
LoneRooster
New member
I am intrigued by the increase in food? I actually cut down a little bit in my feeding during hunting season.
For me, it relates to the increase in excersize leading up to bird season. If I doubled my dogs work load and did not increase her caloric intake, she would drop weight and be a lot more tired. I have tried it before with a handful of dogs, and noticed this happen before. DURING hunting, I usually feed light in the morning, and heavier the night before and do not feed until she has had proper time to rest after the hunt. On a non hunting day, it goes back to regular feeding with the increase.
FYI, my lab at its current weight is 52 lbs, so I am not the typical "my lab is simply really big at 132lbs" lab owner. My dogs weight before I increase the calories and after with the greater workload stays the same. My dogs stay lean all year, not just when it comes time for hunting, so no need to decrease calories.
This same formula has worked for all of my setters as well.
Curious to hear your point on on decreasing the caloric intake with a greater workload?
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BritChaser
Well-known member
I don't. In fact, I may cut the daily ration down if the dog is above its season-start target weight. On days when actually hunting, the dog gets all it wants to eat.
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BritChaser
Well-known member
2 of my hounds will be retrieving for 6 guns tomorrow morning so they got a little steak added to their rations tonight.
Great looking dogs! Thanks for posting.
No way would I be able to do that, lol. My dog would lay down by dish and eat till she threw up, lol.
Jakeismydog2
Member
I guess another good question related to this topic is: How much weight does your dog typically lose over the course of the season?
I think Ox dropped about 4# over the course of the season last year. He has not put that weight back on this year. I think people might start mistaking him for some kind of strange sighthound if he lost another 4#.
I think Ox dropped about 4# over the course of the season last year. He has not put that weight back on this year. I think people might start mistaking him for some kind of strange sighthound if he lost another 4#.
Dog Gun Time
Member
I cut my dogs calories back in the summer when it's really hot and I don't start to increase the calories until after we start conditioning work. I never feed in the morning but will increase the calories in the evening after a hunting day or an especially strenuous conditioning day.
birdshooter
Well-known member
Forgive me if someone has already mentioned this.
I think adjusting caloric intake as activity level increases in general makes sense. Obviously, the more calories burned the more calories needed to sustain a given weight. But sometimes things don't always go the way they should. ALWAYS feed according to body shape, and don't get hung up on anything the back of the food bag recommends. Proper body shape should include a slight hour glass shape from the main body through the hind quarters, if viewing the dog from the top. Along with that, being able to feel the ribs thru the skin as you run your hands down his/her side is a good general rule of thumb.
If you feel that you are having to feed more than 4 cups daily to maintain this ideal body shape then you might want to look into a feed with more Kcals/cup (calories) and or Protein/fat percentage. If you do switch to a performance feed, it may take up to 4-6 weeks before the dog will reap the benefits.
I think adjusting caloric intake as activity level increases in general makes sense. Obviously, the more calories burned the more calories needed to sustain a given weight. But sometimes things don't always go the way they should. ALWAYS feed according to body shape, and don't get hung up on anything the back of the food bag recommends. Proper body shape should include a slight hour glass shape from the main body through the hind quarters, if viewing the dog from the top. Along with that, being able to feel the ribs thru the skin as you run your hands down his/her side is a good general rule of thumb.
If you feel that you are having to feed more than 4 cups daily to maintain this ideal body shape then you might want to look into a feed with more Kcals/cup (calories) and or Protein/fat percentage. If you do switch to a performance feed, it may take up to 4-6 weeks before the dog will reap the benefits.
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HolyMoses
New member
I would like to up the calories without necessarily upping the amount of dry kibble. i just got a handle on his loose stool problem and even the slightest increase in food seems to bring it back. He is currently eating 4 cups per day of 30/20 food and is ever so slightly gaining weight, so I think i am pretty much spot on.
so.....
does anyone add a can of wet food to their dogs diet during hunting season?
Looking at the fromm canned food it looks like a 12oz can has well over 300 calories. I am thinking about ordering a few cases and the night before a hunt adding it to his regular 4 cup per day portion.
thoughts?
so.....
does anyone add a can of wet food to their dogs diet during hunting season?
Looking at the fromm canned food it looks like a 12oz can has well over 300 calories. I am thinking about ordering a few cases and the night before a hunt adding it to his regular 4 cup per day portion.
thoughts?
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Dakotazeb
Well-known member
It would seem to me that if you have a loose stool problem that feeding him canned food in addition his regular kibble might make the problem worse. If you are having a problem with loose stools feeding dry food I would be looking for a different food.
For my dogs, I just increase the amount of dry food to get the calorie increase during hunting season. Mine are on a 26/16 adult formula year round. But all dogs are different and you have adjust to what works best for your hunting buddy.
HolyMoses
New member
And that is what I was wondering, if soft food has a tendency of loosing stools or not. Looking around the net, it appears that opinions are mixed on it. Some people claim that it does, and some claim it does the opposite?
quail hound
Moderator
How much does your dog weigh Moses? How much exercise does he get? Seems like a lot of food, his metabolism must be off the charts! I have 2 springers that are about 53lbs each, highly active and maintain their weight on 2 1/2 cups a day. If they're going to be hunting every day for a week or so they get as much as they'd like, especially if its cold but otherwise just their normal ration.
HolyMoses
New member
he is just under 50 pounds. if i dip him under 4 cups a day I can visibly see him losing weight around the tailbone/rib area. his stool right now is nice and firm, although there is quite a bit of it.
now at 4 cups per day he is ever so slightly gaining weight. i can gauge it not only by the scale, which says 1.6 pounds in 2.5 weeks, but also by looking at those tailbone horns.
the dog is pretty active. if i don't have him outside running around, he is playing fetch with himself in the house. not until around this time does he slow down for the day. the last week or so we have'nt gotten as much exercise as normal cause the weather and whatnot, so maybe that is the reason for the slight weight gain??
i just worry that if he is just scraping by now, when hunting comes and he is really "working", that I am going to not be giving him enough calories. that is why i thought maybe adding the soft food that has a lot of calories but not much fat or protein would be a good idea??
i am currently feeding him this:
http://frommfamily.com/products/four-star/dog/dry/grain-free-surf-turf
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quail hound
Moderator
Yeah its a fine dance with performance dogs like ours and takes a while to find what works best for them. Have you tried a table spoon of plain yogurt on the food to help his stomach?
HolyMoses
New member
yup, a fine dance is right. i have spent sooooo much time trying to get a handle on him. we were doing fine until the vet put him on antibiotics a while back for a puffy eye and then all was lost.
he was getting yogurt quite regularly when he was on his old food. he had horrible gas and that seemed to help. since going to the grain free formula the gas has pretty much stopped, but the wife will still give him some just for a preventative measure LOL!
i feel that I am pretty close to perfect now. I feed him a cup in the morning around 5:30am and then the other 3 at around 5:30 pm. during hunting I will probably feed all 4 at the end of the day so he doesn't get an upset stomach in the field.
the vet says that he is still "filling in" so that once he gets to his size that I can probably dial the food back a little???