Increase calorie intake during hunting season for your dog?

[skmag357]

Hey guys,
I was curious, do you guys increase your dogs calorie intake during hunting season? I feed my lab two cups of dry food per day, 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening. I didn't get her out hunting much last year but I plan on hunting her a lot more this year. She is almost 4 years old and 68lbs. Do you feed your dog anything extra (protein, fat..etc) during the season to ensure that they don't lose too much weight? Let me know as we are approaching bird season soon!

[Jerseybuck]

Always switch from Maintenance to Performance this time of year. Because my dog stays out. and I always give her an extra half cup the night before and the night of the hunt.

[Dr Harv]

At 68 pounds, your lab sounds like she is at a good weight. Needing to change her food depends on how hard she hunts and how many days you hunt her. If she hunts one day a week, you won't need to change her diet. Keep a check on her weight and body condition. If she looks like she is losing weight then switch her to a higher protein/fat diet. We have a lot more problems with dogs being too heavy then too thin!

[skmag357]

Capt Harv,
I do keep her trimmed down all the time. I only plan on hunting her on the weekends every now and then. 2 years ago, she probably lost about 8-10lbs during hunting season. I will watch her and see how see responses. I am taking her out tomorrow at powderbourne for the afternoon hunt. Can't wait!

[Dr Harv]

skmag.........I am wondering if the weight she loses during hunting season gets her down to a good hunting weight or is she getting too thin. Most dogs are a little heavy going into hunting season and thin down do a good weight with the extra exercise. If you can see her ribs, she is too thin. If so, increasing her caloric intake about 15 % should do the trick. Have a good hunting season!

[Darrin Greene]

I end up doing the exact opposite because my guys trains 5 days a week including alot of swimming all summer long, then this time of year he only gets out once a week. I change from 25% crude protien to 17% in the winter to maintain his weight.

[baccala]

There is a book out there called Performance Dog. Basically what it says is to feed your dog the high performance food year round. During times of inactivity, the amount of food being fed should be cut down. Studies show that it takes 2 months on the high performance food for the dog to be able to utilize it and therefore, to get any benefit from it. It is not recommended to feed your dog low test and then switch to high test for the season. Won't make much of a difference. I feed my dog 32% protein and 20% fat all year long. I vary the amount fed. If you hunt your dog hard, like I hunt my grouse dog, that's what you need to do.