Keeping your dog healthy during the season

Obie will drink out of a clean poop bag. Saves on weight so I can hopefully carry the two roosters he flushes for me if my shooting is straight lol.
 
I normally carry 2, 32 ounce water bottles in my vest along with a collapsible bowl. As dry as it is in these parts, I'll probably carry a third at times this season. I also keep a 5 gallon jug in the pickup. Last season was the first time I really hunted hard with dogs. A couple weeks in, I noticed my female would get up a little stiff. I talked to my vet and he recommended giving her one Dasuquin a day. I have also added third Springer to the pack. I'll hunt my older two together, and the youngster by himself. More time in the field for me, less stress on the dogs.
 
Lefty76 said:
I normally carry 2, 32 ounce water bottles in my vest along with a collapsible bowl. As dry as it is in these parts, I'll probably carry a third at times this season. I also keep a 5 gallon jug in the pickup. Last season was the first time I really hunted hard with dogs. A couple weeks in, I noticed my female would get up a little stiff. I talked to my vet and he recommended giving her one Dasuquin a day. I have also added third Springer to the pack. I'll hunt my older two together, and the youngster by himself. More time in the field for me, less stress on the dogs.
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I carry the same and also keep a jug of water in my truck. I bring filtered water from home to reduce stomach issues on the road and a water filter to filter the local water when I run out. I feed PPP Sport salmon 30/20 but add a home made food topper or a high fat canned food to their kibble to encourage eating when their tired. I always float their food. I also give them Glycocharge on multi day hunts. I do my best to make sure their kennels are warm and comfortable and will be rotating my 2 dogs in and out, as needed. We will be doing a 3 week road trip this year and this is my 9 month old Vizsla's first year so I plan on keeping a close eye on him and rest him when he needs it.
 
Mosby said:
I carry the same and also keep a jug of water in my truck. I bring filtered water from home to reduce stomach issues on the road and a water filter to filter the local water when I run out. I feed PPP Sport salmon 30/20 but add a home made food topper or a high fat canned food to their kibble to encourage eating when their tired. I always float their food. I also give them Glycocharge on multi day hunts. I do my best to make sure their kennels are warm and comfortable and will be rotating my 2 dogs in and out, as needed. We will be doing a 3 week road trip this year and this is my 9 month old Vizsla's first year so I plan on keeping a close eye on him and rest him when he needs it.
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Good luck on your trip!

I struggle to get my youngest dog to drink while we are in the field. I can call him back and fill the water bowl, and he just stares at me, whining and waiting to be released. Back at the truck he will drink like a fish. I just picked up some broth based water additive, I'm hoping that will encourage him to drink. I also plan to float their food this year. I have a vet appointment scheduled for next week. I will have to ask him about the Glycocharge.
 
Lefty76 said:
Good luck on your trip!

I struggle to get my youngest dog to drink while we are in the field. I can call him back and fill the water bowl, and he just stares at me, whining and waiting to be released. Back at the truck he will drink like a fish. I just picked up some broth based water additive, I'm hoping that will encourage him to drink. I also plan to float their food this year. I have a vet appointment scheduled for next week. I will have to ask him about the Glycocharge.
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Thanks. My dogs don't love the Glycocharge but will drink it. Not as much as I would like though. I bought some new shaker bottles this year to make sure its mixed well and I am thinking about spiking it with some soft food or unsalted chicken broth to get them to increase the amount they take in. I have read that it is better to use plastic bowls for GC rather than metal fwiw. Not sure why but I keep a plastic bowl in my truck, just for the glycocharge.
 
Sounds like most of us supplement good food like PPP during season..
Always hatted the hassle of cans..opening disposal ect..
Found..moist packet of food mad for ankle bitting designer dogs..
By Pedegree called “Tender Bites” dogs love it..open pouch..feed dog..throughout pouch.no mess..no cans..
 
Chestle said:
One of the things I carry for dog hydration is the. Vivaglory 25oz Stainless Steel Dog Bottle

Its cap is its cup and the cup is the perfect shape for a dog to lick the water out of without wasting any. This will fit into the water bottle pocket on most vests. Well made. Very easy to a dog to figure out. Mine come running when I pull it out; they know what its for. Much easier than trying to water them from a plastic water bottle. I do carry a couple plastic bottles for refills when running multiple dogs or hot day/big field situations.

Mine is red. Figured if I dropped it in the field it would be easier to find. They also have orange. About $15 on Amazon.

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I'm trying it but I'm concerned about it leaking. Some reviews mention that and a lot of reviews mention that for the similar Kong version. Seems cool and I will order as gifts for friends if it works well. Thanks.
 
UplandHntr said:
pretty tough to do when you have a 5 day license and come from 600 miles away
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I've hunted mine close to 20 days straight before. Not all day hunts or anything, but the first week of the season, we hit it pretty hard each day. They are tired, but as long as they hop up and ready to go the next day, they always come along. I was worried about this for a while as well, but have not had any issues, and they adjust to it pretty quick as well.

I can't say for sure on other breeds that may "hunt til they drop", but my golden retrievers have plenty of drive, but will slow down and let me know when they are tired or warm. It also helps if you are hunting solo or in smaller groups, as the dogs tend to wear out quicker if they are covering more ground and doing all the retrieving for a big group. Solo you can take it much more slowly as well.

IMO the biggest thing you can do all takes place before the season. Keep them in shape and well conditioned prior to the season. We are running several days a week on public lands or out at the farm so they are ready to go and not so prone to injury or over exhaustion.

The only time I shy away from hunting them a ton is when it is hot - that is the only thing that scares me. Those days I make sure I am carrying lots of water and consistently around areas with creeks/ponds etc. to stop and let the dogs cool down for half an hour or so.

Lots of high protein food, I try to feed several eggs as well as meat during the season along with wet food mixed with their kibble to make sure they are eating plenty. These dogs are bred to work. Outside of the heat, I think these dogs (well conditioned) can tolerate more than most hunters.
 
MinnHunter said:
I'm trying it but I'm concerned about it leaking. Some reviews mention that and a lot of reviews mention that for the similar Kong version. Seems cool and I will order as gifts for friends if it works well. Thanks.
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No leaks so far; it gets used a lot.
 
Lefty76 said:
I normally carry 2, 32 ounce water bottles in my vest along with a collapsible bowl. As dry as it is in these parts, I'll probably carry a third at times this season. I also keep a 5 gallon jug in the pickup. Last season was the first time I really hunted hard with dogs. A couple weeks in, I noticed my female would get up a little stiff. I talked to my vet and he recommended giving her one Dasuquin a day. I have also added third Springer to the pack. I'll hunt my older two together, and the youngster by himself. More time in the field for me, less stress on the dogs.
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Yeah right now I’m carrying 6 16 ounce disposables and they’ll drink 4 of them the first break. I’m really not even carrying enough for myself. The dogs end up drinking most of it.
 
One SS bottle eh? I typically carry 4-6 24oz bottles w squirters on top. One of those doesnt come close to my needs.
Add a silicone collapsible bow and youre all set. You can buy a 1 or 2 cup bowl online for sub $10
 
Cabellas branded has a good sized one I think is sub 5 dollars. One of my dogs won’t stick her nose in a small one. Packs fine just pulled it up for the picture.35AEE1DB-16BB-4326-9E33-BE9D45A42FAA.jpeg
 
I bought one of those collapsible bowls before my Montana trip this year to try out. Worked out great. It has a clip that I attached to the d ring on my vest, weighs next to nothing and I felt like I definitely wasted less water, which was at a premium as hot as it was. I may not use it much when it cools off and water isn’t scarce but it definitely has its place.
 
I hunt my lab every weekday from sunrise to noon.
Since I am retired, I avoid weekend hunts.
A cool-down before putting the dog up for the day in the truck kennel
helps prevent lactic acid from pooling in the muscles so typically I heel the
dog for the long walk back to the truck.
Likewise we warm up by a fast walk heeling walking in first thing the morning.
Proper warm-up and cool-down is preached among some field trialers with good scientific evidence.

The other thing that helps is high fat content in the diet.
I feed the highest fat kibble on the market (25% fat, 38% protein).
2 cups per day for a 65 pound lab during hot weather.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s2-e1-dr-arleigh-reynolds/id1501454805?i=1000545132445

The third thing I do is take water from home and not let the dog drink from
stagnant water sources.

We both ease into upland hunting after our Alaska waterfowl season ends and
migrate down to MT.
Starting with huns. First three mornings 2 hours, next three mornings 2.5 hours, gradually increasing time/distance.
 
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