Pre/Post Hunt Dog Supplements

[Munster927]

Writing this based on a bad event with my lab from several years ago. I was of the opinion (based on reports of others) that I would not feed my lab in the morning prior to duck hunting because of the possibility of her stomach turning due to the food. Problem with not feeding in the morning is they have no calories to burn the harder they work. She picked up 17 ducks in ice cold water, and on the 18th and final bird dropped in the water she refused to go which is not normal. She went severely downhill during decoy pick up and the walk to the truck. Shaking uncontrollably. Luckily it was a Saturday in the small town in North Dakota so the veterinarian was open. Carried her inside, they put her on a warming blanket, hooked her up with IV's and she had a seizure. 2 hours later she ran out of the vet's office just fine. Found out she was hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) because she was not fed prior to working. Wake up early and feed the dog so they have energy to burn. I now carry corn syrup with me while hunting in the event this ever happens again.

Obviously every dog is different, however dogs for the most part do not need to eat the morning of a hunt because of how their biology is. Dogs get about 90-95% of their energy from fat. Unlike us that gets most of our energy from calories. Most articles you find out there all agree that it takes about 12 hours for the food you feed your dog to be digested and turned into energy that's used. And feeding the morning of, that food isn't being used as energy until very late in the day.

Obviously your dog had something occur that day, so I'm definitely not taking that away from you. More so just saying how a dogs biologic make up is and that situation with your dog was definitely an exception and not the rule.

 

[A5 Sweet 16]

Good info here. As described previously, I generally feed my dog nothing or relatively little in the morning before hunting. But if we end up putting in a long day (which doesn't really happen too often), he'll get a little snack now & then. Usually a snack that contains sugar. Nutter Butters & Oreos are a couple favorites, as are "Orange Slices" candy.

 

[UplandBird]

Writing this based on a bad event with my lab from several years ago. I was of the opinion (based on reports of others) that I would not feed my lab in the morning prior to duck hunting because of the possibility of her stomach turning due to the food. Problem with not feeding in the morning is they have no calories to burn the harder they work. She picked up 17 ducks in ice cold water, and on the 18th and final bird dropped in the water she refused to go which is not normal. She went severely downhill during decoy pick up and the walk to the truck. Shaking uncontrollably. Luckily it was a Saturday in the small town in North Dakota so the veterinarian was open. Carried her inside, they put her on a warming blanket, hooked her up with IV's and she had a seizure. 2 hours later she ran out of the vet's office just fine. Found out she was hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) because she was not fed prior to working. Wake up early and feed the dog so they have energy to burn. I now carry corn syrup with me while hunting in the event this ever happens again.

Yep, I’ve seen it in the field with pointing dogs. That’s why I carry the nutrical. Comes in a toothpaste tube and you can squeeze it kn your finger and wipe it in your mouth to keep there blood sugar level. You can order it on Amazon if anyone here is looking for it.

 

[tomt]

I feed my dog in the evenings and then a small handful of food in the morning plus lots of water as he is older and take a daily pill for inflammation. Lately, I have been getting peanut butter Cliff Bars, and we share it, with the dog getting half a couple of hours after we start. This has kept him from “bonking” and going all day.