>>>))) ARTICLES ON CONDITIONING (((<<<

[Officially Retired]

Let us use this Sticky Thread to post useful, relevant articles on conditioning. You don't have to post a hundred articles all at once, LOL, but just maybe an article a day (or a week) to give us all time to think about it / question it / or go with it. To start things off, I am going to post an article on the metabolism of Alaskan sled dogs, and how some scientists are trying to relay it to human marathon runners:


Running On Empty (http://scienceline.org/2008/11/bio-teyan-sled-dog-metabolism-iditarod)



These dogs are given a 60-70% fat diet, and travel incredible distances (100 miles/day), without ever seeming to get tired. The initial belief was that what we learn about dogs can apply to human conditioning, however what was found that the dog is unique and (where we cannot process fat-into-energy very well) the dog has a 400% greater capacity to pull turn fat into useable energy, and has a metabolism that prefers to draw from fat, even when carbs are available, which is in stark contrast to the human metabolism. In fact, here is a key quote:

"Stranger still, by the later stages of a race like the Iditarod, glycogen stores actually increase, indicating that the dogs are relying almost exclusively on fats for fuel. It is as though a cellular switch is flipped following the first hard day of racing, after which the dogs’ muscles seem to prefer burning fats over carbohydrates."
How do you think we as dogmen can apply this to our bulldogs?

Jack


.

[wrknapbt]

Funny thing is after your post on the other board I started looking for this article today but, I got side tracked with work.

[Officially Retired]

:)

[AL Clown]

I have always wonder how they control internal fat build since the weather is so extreme. Also I wonder how much is condition as we view it vs having the dogs continuously running in some shape or form to keep the dog condition to its job.

For instance, a bike rider can do 20+ miles easy on a bike because he has conditioned his body to it, but I'm sure they would not be able to go out and run a marathon or even a triathon without some training and conditioning for the other task.

I personally feel the best condition method is the one the individual hound enjoys, it could be running a mill, chasing a 4wheeler (or chevy 1500 lol), flirting, weight pulling and on and on.

[Officially Retired]

I have always wonder how they control internal fat build since the weather is so extreme. Also I wonder how much is condition as we view it vs having the dogs continuously running in some shape or form to keep the dog condition to its job.

Interesting. Just thinking out loud, I would imagine just by running the animals are generating heat and keeping warm that way, thereby omitting the need to create a barrier of fat for insulation. They burn like 12,000 calories a day!




For instance, a bike rider can do 20+ miles easy on a bike because he has conditioned his body to it, but I'm sure they would not be able to go out and run a marathon or even a triathon without some training and conditioning for the other task.

Exactly. A marathon runner's muscles are conditioned to run a marathon ... but he is NOT going to be able to compete with a sprinter at sprinting: totally different muscular condition and aptitude! In precisely the opposite fashion, a sprinter is not going to be able to keep up with a marathon runner at running a 20-mile race.

This is one of the reasons so many older keeps have been debunked, because what they're "training" the dog to do (and the kind of "muscle memory" they're creating) has nothing to do with what the dog is going to actually be doing in there.





I personally feel the best condition method is the one the individual hound enjoys, it could be running a mill, chasing a 4wheeler (or chevy 1500 lol), flirting, weight pulling and on and on.

I would agree with this, with a provisio: the kind of work a dog likes to do that is in alignment with his style is the best work for the dog :)

Jack


.

[ScratchAndGO]

This is a article I figured I would post for consideration. It sounds like accurate information but I can't remember where I found it. I found it very informative.




Working dogs are truly premier canine athletes. As such, one should pay close attention to meeting their energy needs. There are 3 sources of energy… fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Understanding how the working dog utilizes energy and how best to balance these energy stores can result in a more responsive partner that is less prone to physical injury.

Fats are the most energy dense of all the sources providing 70-90% of the energy needed for muscle contraction (primarily fueling slow twitch fibers). In the working dog, 50-65% of total energy in a diet should come from fats. (This translates to 25-32.5% fat on a dry matter basis.) When fed a high fat diet, the working dog will develop pathways that promote aerobic oxidation of free fatty acids (fat adaptation). In addition, adding an anti-oxidant such as Vitamin E and the amino acid l-carnitine can improve the muscle’s use of fat. Aerobic oxidation of free fatty acids leads to less lactic acid build up in the muscle and better endurance.

Carbohydrates are stored in muscle as glycogen. Muscle uses glycogen during the initial moments of activity and for bursts of speed and power (primarily fueling fast twitch fibers). Glycogen stores are relatively small and can be rapidly depleted leading to muscle weakness and fatigue. However, diets high in carbohydrates can lead to deconditioning (poor endurance, obesity, muscle injury). For a working dog, carbohydrates should be limited to 10-15% of the total energy in the diet. To improve the working dog’s use of carbohydrates, one should focus on replenishing glycogen stores and slowing glycogen depletion.

Replenishing glycogen stores is accomplished by providing a “good carbohydrate” at an appropriate time. Muscle cells have GLUT4 pathways that are active during exercise and for up to 30 minutes after exercise. These pathways allow for the uptake of carbohydrate into the muscle without the release of insulin. Simple sugars (glucose, dextrose, fructose, corn syrup) cause an insulin release that leads to subsequent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Complex starches (bread, rice, grains) take too long to be digested and absorbed. Both cause fluid imbalances that can contribute to diarrhea and dehydration. Maltodextrin is a small complex carbohydrate and is the ideal carbohydrate for this purpose. Maltodextrin is rapidly absorbed without an insulin release or fluid imbalance and is readily utilized by the GLUT4 pathway. When a maltodextrin supplement is given within 30 minutes of exercise, up to 85% of pre-exercise glycogen levels are restored. Without this targeted approach, only 40% of pre-exercise levels are restored.

Slowing depletion of glycogen stores is accomplished in two ways. First, when enough fat is fed, slow twitch fibers will use free fatty acids as their energy source (fat adaptation) sparing glycogen for use by fast twitch fibers. Second, supplementing prior to activity with a “good carbohydrate” such as maltodextrin will give the working dog a little carbohydrate “to burn” before starting on the glycogen stores. It is very important to avoid simple sugars and starches to avoid insulin spikes and fluid imbalances.

Proteins are the building blocks of muscle and should not be a major source of energy. Animal source proteins (chicken, beef, lamb, egg, etc.) are preferred and often offer increased digestibility with a good amino acid balance. Diets low in protein have been associated with increased injuries. A working dog diet should have a minimum 26% protein. For hard working dogs, diets containing 30-40% protein are even better. The goal is to spare the use of protein as an energy source so it can be used to build muscle mass and repair muscle damage.

In summary, working dogs should be fed a diet high in fat to optimize energy availability and high in protein to protect against injury. Carbohydrates should be supplemented at appropriate times to improve their storage. Remember, feed for energy and you will have energetic dogs.





Cross post from another board, lets see what everyone says this one versus the one posted. Please share your ideas.

You have 30min post workout to give your charge the power
shake he-she needs. Whey Isolate(not blend), Creatine, L
Glutamine and 1000mg of Ester C.
Post-workout your dog's body is a literal sponge. In a highly
catabolic state it will soak up anything you give it!
Simple Carbohydrates:

During the post-workout phase of training your dog's body is
in a hypoglycemic stage. Blood-sugar and insulin levels have
drastically dropped. Immediately following exercise natural GH
concentrations struggle to increase as insulin levels try to
rebound from its current highly catabolic state.

A simple carbohydrate supplement combined with the
post-workout window of opportunity will give immediate rise to
blood glucose levels and cause a state of hyperglycemia. This
will force a increase in the production of insulin!

The newly increased quantity of insulin in the blood will drive
much needed glucose (and amino acids) through the receptor
sites in the muscle cell at an insane rate.

These elevated stages of blood glucose will begin causing
further secretions of Growth Hormone, the key hormone
responsible for producing Insulin Growth factor.

Why simple carbohydrates? Increased absorption rates, and
an abruptly induced insulin burst. The faster you can get
glucose into your dog's bloodstream and muscles, the less
protein destroyed and the more glycogen stored.

This is when you want to stay clear of complex carbs.
Complex and fibrous carbs simply take way too long to digest
and will not give optimal insulin release to offset muscle
catabolism.

You also want to stay far away from any fat and fructose
sources post-workout. Fructose will not replenish muscle
glycogen but rather will replenish liver glycogen. Fat severely
delays digestion because it metabolically requires so many
more processes to break down.

Another vital key to post-workout nutrition is insulin sensitivity.
Creating stronger insulin sensitivity is the primary way to get
the most out of your dog's post-workout simple carbohydrate

Only certain types of simple carbohydrates will replenish
muscle glycogen. These are carbohydrates in the form of
glucose/dextrose.

The basis of our simple carbohydrates (post-workout) should
come from sources that register high on the glycemic index.
Dextrose or Maltodextrin are the two sources of simple carbs
to give your charge post-exercise.

Protein:

Protein intake in combination with simple carbohydrates,
post-workout, are the key ingredients to achieving a state of
anabolism and offsetting their bodies’ process converting
muscle tissue for energy expenditure.

Fast absorption via digestion, is of paramount importance at
this stage. So a liquid or powdered form of protein derived
from hydrolyzed whey is the best logical supplement. Whey in
powder or liquid form takes an average of 20 minutes to
absorb, making this form of protein number one in the race for
assimilation.

Eating a slower burning form of protein like chicken or beef
post-workout is missing the mark completely. It is impossible
to take advantage of the post-workout window with a protein
food source that will take 2 hours to hit your charge's
bloodstream.

Water

Re-hydration post-workout is crucial. Thermoregulatory
processes need to be put in check as well. Water is
responsible for storing carbohydrates and will also help to
further speed up the digestion process of the carbohydrates
and protein.

Creatine, Glutamine, and Vitamin C.

Creatine:

Creatine works by increasing the muscles' ability to generate
peak torque during training. It does this through increasing
anaerobic ATP production. Simply put, creatine will enable
your canine to train harder and longer.

Stimulating insulin release will greatly enhance the transport
and uptake of creatine into the muscle tissue where it is used
to support the reproduction of ATP (energy) and enhance cell
volume.

L-Glutamine:

L-glutamine is an absolutely essential amino acid that
possesses anti-catabolic qualities. It is also the primary fuel
source of immune cells and intestinal cells.

Under periods of stress like really intense workouts, glutamine
becomes critical because your dog's body may not be able to
make enough of it. If enough glutamine is not supplied by the
diet, then the loss of muscle tissue will provide the supply.

Intense exercise also places a high demand for glutamine in a
athlete's healthy body, canine or human, making post-workout
an ideal opportunity for consumption.

L-Glutamine plays an important role in:

1. Protein metabolism

2. Cell Volumizing

3. Increased Strength and Endurance

4. Tissue Repair

5. Higher Growth Hormone output

6. Anti-catabolism/Decreased chance of overtraining

7. Immune system enhancer


Back to Basics.
This is why the cool down and long massage kneading the canine's muscles towards the heart are SO VERY important PWO (Post Work Out).
Also remember you only have a 30min window to give the Post Workout nutrients.
VERY IMPORTANT, remember that only dextrose-Malto will replenish muscle glycogen. Fructose will only replenish liver glycogen.
If the product you are using for your canine's PWO nutrients is transported by fructose, you are short changing your canine athlete.
There are many products out there that claim to be lactic acid buffers. Some even believe in Creatine.
Glucoronolactone....found in Red Bull and the new di-creatine products. also, the soreness human and canine athletes get the next day after a workout is not lactic acid, its ammonia. Lactic acid is water soluble and only exists in You or your Canine's muscles while the human or canine athlete is actually working out. ammonia is alot harder to get rid of but lots of water usually helps. HYDRATION!
lactic acid build up occurs when glycolosis produces pyruvic acid quicker than it can be used by the mitochandria, the pyruvic acid then converts to lactic acid. One theory is that the lactic acid causes ph shifts that alter enzymes functions in the muscle causing fatigue. It may be true that lactic acid may be part of causing muscle to fatigue.. Not to go into detail, you will never solve the lactic acid burning feeling or fatigue from any product or ph buffer that has been tried by many marathon runners with no help, and thats because in science they are not totally sure on what the fatigue and pain is exactly caused from yet...

Dont Miss the 30min Window

[FACE203]

Looks like a good read... I'm gonna have to do just that when time permits..
Thanks for posting

[Officially Retired]

That is an interesting read, and I would very much like to learn its true source ...

It is in alignment with much of what I have read, and a diet only 10% in carbohydrates is one where there is very little at all (compared to the 65% carbohydrates of most common kibble). Yet it differs from what I've read in some ways.

While "the 30 minute window" post-workout is a key time to provide lost nutrients to the dog, the flipside to that is NOT doing so is also a key time when the dog converts its own fat into usable energy (if quick energy is not available) ... which phenomenon is critical to take advantage of if you're trying to make the dog lose weight and achieve a "lowest bodyweight" ...

Jack


.

[ZeroCool]

Those have been debunked.. That is mostly broscience that have been proven to be false in the bodybuilding world. You get enough glutamine in your diet alone, no need to supplement it. And the "post workout window is " within 1-2 days, not 30 minutes after the workout. feeding 10 minutes after a workout, and feeding 6 hours after a workout will yield the same results. just make sure you everything before the end of the day and you will be good. and fats dont slow down digestion.


and simple carbs and complex carbs are the same thing for body composition. They let out a different energy, the complex will release slow/long lasting energy, BUT as far as body composition, your body will use both types of carbs the same way when improving body composition.


years ago yes they believed it..-- this is old school information, but new studies have proven all this to be nonsense.


just thought i would add my 2 cents to this thread.






Cross post from another board, lets see what everyone says this one versus the one posted. Please share your ideas.

You have 30min post workout to give your charge the power
shake he-she needs. Whey Isolate(not blend), Creatine, L
Glutamine and 1000mg of Ester C.
Post-workout your dog's body is a literal sponge. In a highly
catabolic state it will soak up anything you give it!
Simple Carbohydrates:

During the post-workout phase of training your dog's body is
in a hypoglycemic stage. Blood-sugar and insulin levels have
drastically dropped. Immediately following exercise natural GH
concentrations struggle to increase as insulin levels try to
rebound from its current highly catabolic state.

A simple carbohydrate supplement combined with the
post-workout window of opportunity will give immediate rise to
blood glucose levels and cause a state of hyperglycemia. This
will force a increase in the production of insulin!

The newly increased quantity of insulin in the blood will drive
much needed glucose (and amino acids) through the receptor
sites in the muscle cell at an insane rate.

These elevated stages of blood glucose will begin causing
further secretions of Growth Hormone, the key hormone
responsible for producing Insulin Growth factor.

Why simple carbohydrates? Increased absorption rates, and
an abruptly induced insulin burst. The faster you can get
glucose into your dog's bloodstream and muscles, the less
protein destroyed and the more glycogen stored.

This is when you want to stay clear of complex carbs.
Complex and fibrous carbs simply take way too long to digest
and will not give optimal insulin release to offset muscle
catabolism.

You also want to stay far away from any fat and fructose
sources post-workout. Fructose will not replenish muscle
glycogen but rather will replenish liver glycogen. Fat severely
delays digestion because it metabolically requires so many
more processes to break down.

Another vital key to post-workout nutrition is insulin sensitivity.
Creating stronger insulin sensitivity is the primary way to get
the most out of your dog's post-workout simple carbohydrate

Only certain types of simple carbohydrates will replenish
muscle glycogen. These are carbohydrates in the form of
glucose/dextrose.

The basis of our simple carbohydrates (post-workout) should
come from sources that register high on the glycemic index.
Dextrose or Maltodextrin are the two sources of simple carbs
to give your charge post-exercise.

Protein:

Protein intake in combination with simple carbohydrates,
post-workout, are the key ingredients to achieving a state of
anabolism and offsetting their bodies’ process converting
muscle tissue for energy expenditure.

Fast absorption via digestion, is of paramount importance at
this stage. So a liquid or powdered form of protein derived
from hydrolyzed whey is the best logical supplement. Whey in
powder or liquid form takes an average of 20 minutes to
absorb, making this form of protein number one in the race for
assimilation.

Eating a slower burning form of protein like chicken or beef
post-workout is missing the mark completely. It is impossible
to take advantage of the post-workout window with a protein
food source that will take 2 hours to hit your charge's
bloodstream.

Water

Re-hydration post-workout is crucial. Thermoregulatory
processes need to be put in check as well. Water is
responsible for storing carbohydrates and will also help to
further speed up the digestion process of the carbohydrates
and protein.

Creatine, Glutamine, and Vitamin C.

Creatine:

Creatine works by increasing the muscles' ability to generate
peak torque during training. It does this through increasing
anaerobic ATP production. Simply put, creatine will enable
your canine to train harder and longer.

Stimulating insulin release will greatly enhance the transport
and uptake of creatine into the muscle tissue where it is used
to support the reproduction of ATP (energy) and enhance cell
volume.

L-Glutamine:

L-glutamine is an absolutely essential amino acid that
possesses anti-catabolic qualities. It is also the primary fuel
source of immune cells and intestinal cells.

Under periods of stress like really intense workouts, glutamine
becomes critical because your dog's body may not be able to
make enough of it. If enough glutamine is not supplied by the
diet, then the loss of muscle tissue will provide the supply.

Intense exercise also places a high demand for glutamine in a
athlete's healthy body, canine or human, making post-workout
an ideal opportunity for consumption.

L-Glutamine plays an important role in:

1. Protein metabolism

2. Cell Volumizing

3. Increased Strength and Endurance

4. Tissue Repair

5. Higher Growth Hormone output

6. Anti-catabolism/Decreased chance of overtraining

7. Immune system enhancer


Back to Basics.
This is why the cool down and long massage kneading the canine's muscles towards the heart are SO VERY important PWO (Post Work Out).
Also remember you only have a 30min window to give the Post Workout nutrients.
VERY IMPORTANT, remember that only dextrose-Malto will replenish muscle glycogen. Fructose will only replenish liver glycogen.
If the product you are using for your canine's PWO nutrients is transported by fructose, you are short changing your canine athlete.
There are many products out there that claim to be lactic acid buffers. Some even believe in Creatine.
Glucoronolactone....found in Red Bull and the new di-creatine products. also, the soreness human and canine athletes get the next day after a workout is not lactic acid, its ammonia. Lactic acid is water soluble and only exists in You or your Canine's muscles while the human or canine athlete is actually working out. ammonia is alot harder to get rid of but lots of water usually helps. HYDRATION!
lactic acid build up occurs when glycolosis produces pyruvic acid quicker than it can be used by the mitochandria, the pyruvic acid then converts to lactic acid. One theory is that the lactic acid causes ph shifts that alter enzymes functions in the muscle causing fatigue. It may be true that lactic acid may be part of causing muscle to fatigue.. Not to go into detail, you will never solve the lactic acid burning feeling or fatigue from any product or ph buffer that has been tried by many marathon runners with no help, and thats because in science they are not totally sure on what the fatigue and pain is exactly caused from yet...

Dont Miss the 30min Window

Alan Aragon has some good articles on his website if you want to look more into it.
http://alanaragon.com/

[Bojacc357]

Those have been debunked.. That is mostly broscience that have been proven to be false in the bodybuilding world. You get enough glutamine in your diet alone, no need to supplement it. And the "post workout window is " within 1-2 days, not 30 minutes after the workout. feeding 10 minutes after a workout, and feeding 6 hours after a workout will yield the same results. just make sure you everything before the end of the day and you will be good. and fats dont slow down digestion.


and simple carbs and complex carbs are the same thing for body composition. They let out a different energy, the complex will release slow/long lasting energy, BUT as far as body composition, your body will use both types of carbs the same way when improving body composition.


years ago yes they believed it..-- this is old school information, but new studies have proven all this to be nonsense.


just thought i would add my 2 cents to this thread.

Alan Aragon has some good articles on his website if you want to look more into it.
http://alanaragon.com/


Zerocool, you put up a human study verse a dog study to dispute a dogs body and break down in nutrition. I don't think that is going to apply here. That's part of the problem with ppl approach to dogs. They try to apply human grade thinking.

[ZeroCool]

Those have been debunked.. That is mostly broscience that have been proven to be false in the bodybuilding world. You get enough glutamine in your diet alone, no need to supplement it. And the "post workout window is " within 1-2 days, not 30 minutes after the workout. feeding 10 minutes after a workout, and feeding 6 hours after a workout will yield the same results. just make sure you everything before the end of the day and you will be good. and fats dont slow down digestion.


and simple carbs and complex carbs are the same thing for body composition. They let out a different energy, the complex will release slow/long lasting energy, BUT as far as body composition, your body will use both types of carbs the same way when improving body composition.


years ago yes they believed it..-- this is old school information, but new studies have proven all this to be nonsense.


just thought i would add my 2 cents to this thread.

Alan Aragon has some good articles on his website if you want to look more into it.
http://alanaragon.com/


Zerocool, you put up a human study verse a dog study to dispute a dogs body and break down in nutrition. I don't think that is going to apply here. That's part of the problem with ppl approach to dogs. They try to apply human grade thinking.I put up a human study because the crosspost part of what he posted was a human study info. What he posted was an old human study, so i posted new human study. that crosspost was basically a copy and paste of half of this article.

http://www.premierfitnesssupplements.co ... &Itemid=40 (http://www.premierfitnesssupplements.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21&Itemid=40)

but i agree with ya, humans and dogs are different species, they require diff nutrition and have different recovery times etc. But some stuff is very similar. you can do what you want, but the 30 min recovery time even with dogs is all bs if you ask me.

[Bojacc357]

Oh ok I got you bro. This is a real interesting topic.

[kmcg]

http://www.ajcn.org/content/61/5/1058.full.pdf+html
didnt get to read this yet

[HOMEWORK215]

Those have been debunked.. That is mostly broscience that have been proven to be false in the bodybuilding world. You get enough glutamine in your diet alone, no need to supplement it. And the "post workout window is " within 1-2 days, not 30 minutes after the workout. feeding 10 minutes after a workout, and feeding 6 hours after a workout will yield the same results. just make sure you everything before the end of the day and you will be good. and fats dont slow down digestion.


and simple carbs and complex carbs are the same thing for body composition. They let out a different energy, the complex will release slow/long lasting energy, BUT as far as body composition, your body will use both types of carbs the same way when improving body composition.


years ago yes they believed it..-- this is old school information, but new studies have proven all this to be nonsense.


just thought i would add my 2 cents to this thread.

Alan Aragon has some good articles on his website if you want to look more into it.
http://alanaragon.com/


Zerocool, you put up a human study verse a dog study to dispute a dogs body and break down in nutrition. I don't think that is going to apply here. That's part of the problem with ppl approach to dogs. They try to apply human grade thinking.I put up a human study because the crosspost part of what he posted was a human study info. What he posted was an old human study, so i posted new human study. that crosspost was basically a copy and paste of half of this article.

http://www.premierfitnesssupplements.co ... &Itemid=40 (http://www.premierfitnesssupplements.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21&Itemid=40)

but i agree with ya, humans and dogs are different species, they require diff nutrition and have different recovery times etc. But some stuff is very similar. you can do what you want, but the 30 min recovery time even with dogs is all bs if you ask me. a friend of mine gave me THE BEST OF YOUR FRIEND AND MINE there was a artical on protein and amino acid composition and in it it showed the similarities between the two and to my supprise they were almost identical . As soon as i go thru my books i'll share it

[southend]

great reading

[Buck E. Owens]

So is RF-1 and K-9 PERFORMANCE ...(for example)

are they nutritionaly fit to todays nutritional requirments for a working dog. And whats a good fat/protien ration for working and not working animals. If these write-ups are debunked.

Buck.

[ZeroCool]

So is RF-1 and K-9 PERFORMANCE ...(for example)

are they nutritionaly fit to todays nutritional requirments for a working dog. And whats a good fat/protien ration for working and not working animals. If these write-ups are debunked.

Buck.
k9 performance brand has garbage supplements and a waste of money. Just take a look at the ingredients in it, especially the price. :lol:

Hell, take a look at k9 vertex supplement ingredients.

http://k9boost.com/Vertex.htm

"Ingredients: Maltodextrin, Whole Dried Egg, Whey Protein Concentrate, Poultry Liver Hydrolysate, Canola Oil, Olive Oil, Flax Oil, Flax Seed Meal, Spirulina, Chlorella, Alfalfa Powder, Kelp Powder, Pumpkin Powder, MSM, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Sodium Ascorbate, (Vit C) Calcium Citrate, Calcium Carbonate, L-leucine, L-isoleucine, L-valine, Salmon Oil, L-glutamine, Mixed Tocopherols, (Vit E) Potassium Chloride, Trace Minerals, Lutein, Micro Algae (Asaxanthin), Ginseng Root Powder, L-carnitine, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Lactis, Bifido Bacterium Bifidus, Biotin. "


The most active ingredient is matldexrin! Do you know what that is? thats sugar.. its the cheapest carb/sugar there is. in fact, alot of sodas and candy have it in it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltodextrin

So basically you are paying all that money for a product that is mostly sugar.

its a very cheap sugar source.


The second most active ingredient is a whole dried egg. save yourself money and buy eggs from the store. And whey protein concentrate, if you really want to feed whey protein, you can buy the protein itself. And the rest of the ingredients are the least amount of ingredients in it. which the dog would get if it has a good multi vitamin/other ingredients will be part of the food you feed if its a good feed.




Rf-1 is not bad but still is a waste of money, take a look at RF-1's ingredients. there is nothing special in it.(its not posted on the site, but i remember when i bought it a few years ago, it has it in the back of it) you can get the same thing from a proper diet and a multivitamin. A big waste of money, as you can get everything from rf-1 from real food and a multi. Tom garner is taking advantage of his fame and hustling people clueless on nutrition.


Tell me what RF-1 has that you cant get from food and a good multivitamin. You would be better off paying for better quality food than wasting your money on RF-1. If you are seeing good results from RF-1 its because the hounds diet is lacking and is not complete. So if you see good results with rf-1 then you can stick with that it, but if you are smart and want to save money, you can get all of rf-1 from a real diet.

And as far as protein/fat ratio's go, you wont be getting any info on me on that. I try not to let my competition get those answers as i like to have the advantage over my opponents. Same thing with the diets i feed. you wont be getting any info out of me on that. But I will just post things that have little effect on the game per say.

[Officially Retired]

So is RF-1 and K-9 PERFORMANCE ...(for example)
are they nutritionaly fit to todays nutritional requirments for a working dog. And whats a good fat/protien ration for working and not working animals. If these write-ups are debunked.
Buck.


I agree with Zero Cool that these products are a waste of money. The primary ingredient is invariably maltodextrin, a highly-processed starch, used in the production of candy. To that these companies then add powdered (devalued) egg, powdered (devalued) liver, and then a bunch of vitamins ... so why not just save yourself the wasted money and buy whole (full-value) liver, whole (full-value) egg, and not even bother with the maltodextrin?

In the end, there has been no "debunking" of the fact FATS and OILS are the primary source of energy in a working dog. Your dog should get no more than 15% carbs, if even that. At least 50% of your dog's diet should be high-quality fats/oils derived from raw meats. The rest should be proteins and whatever trace elements are found in the veggie mix you provide him. I also recommend a Pedialyte supplement to replace lost electrolytes and minerals in heavy training.

Jack

.

[Buck E. Owens]

I personally feed a lil rf-1 everyday to 7 dogs on top of raw feed. I have fed multivitamines and still ha and still had nutritional issues. With rf-1 had good looking hounds. Without feeding 100grs everyday each. Just to ensure they got everything. I dehyrate tripe and liver/hearts and sraps of shucked meat. That i dont turn in to ground patties. Venison,turkey/rabit/chicken. And saws all the carcasses down to feed bagable pieces and freeze them.

Dogs look and work great.

But alot of talk floats around feed making them run hot in hunts. And want to make a safe/nutritonal, peformance feed. Not just yard feed.
Is it liver the main cause of hot feed(iron rich) is it the iron and carbs that do this?

And redcell thats a thing of the past aswell? Go natural with liver/meats

zerocool i understand the tight lip responce.

Jack thanks for your ratio's / %'s. I like to have up to date info.

[RFK]

This is a good ass thread thanks to all the posters

[Blackfoot]

What most people forget about nutrition and feeding for performance is not only the ingredients and what you feed....it is the "timing" of the feed and supplements and the form they are in. Whole foods take longer to digest than liquid foods. Certain supplementation is better given at certain times. (eg. morning-night, before workout-after workout)

Like in Jacks keep..his morning meal is in liquid form...consists of water, vits/mins, electrolytes and oils. easy to digest and assimilate, keeps the dog content for the day, provides added energy for the evening workout (compared to once a day feeding), and because its liquid it digests faster and by the afternoon the dog will piss out!

[R2L]

http://www.freewebs.com/originalbloodli ... m%20Jr.htm (http://www.freewebs.com/originalbloodlinekennels/Millmaker%27s%20Maximum%20Stress%20by%20Robert%20L emm%20Jr.htm)

[No Quarter Kennel]

http://acdckennels.narod.ru/dbinterview.htm

[FrostyPaws]

By Arleigh Reynolds PhD, DVM

In a way it’s like re-inventing the wheel; it may seem like a futile practice, but each time we do this we refine our understanding of the machinery and how best to use it. The research featured in Donna Marlor’s article was the latest installment in this process. Like all good research it revealed some exciting new information and raised several new questions. With that in mind I thought it might be a good time to review what we know about the role of dietary fat in sled dog performance and how this information can be applied to optimize performance and minimize health risks.

Feeding high fat diets is not a new idea, in fact it was used successfully in sled dogs long before anyone thought of racing them. Since people in the North Country have been using dogs to transport themselves and their belongings they have fueled them with seal meat, salmon, and scraps from moose and caribou all of which is high in protein and high in fat. It wasn’t until dogs were removed from this traditional diet and placed on “cereal” based commercial food that the benefits of the traditional diet became apparent. While these early dry products were convenient and balanced for vitamins and minerals they were associated with stress diarrhea when dogs were worked long and or hard.

In the 1970’s David Kronfeld and Harris Dunlap published a series of papers which redefined the accepted nutritional dogma of the time and showed that high fat, high protein diets were superior to high carbohydrate diets for promoting endurance in sled dogs. This flew in the face of the new and widely accept concept of “carbohydrate loading” that had proven very effective in human marathon running. Kronfeld and Dunlap went so far as to show that dogs could maintain normal blood values during strenuous exercise on diets completely free of carbohydrates. These dogs even maintained normal concentrations of glucose, the main sugar or carbohydrate circulating in the blood. The authors did recognize; however, that the dogs fed the carbohydrate-free diet experienced occasional diarrhea while running. They concluded that a small amount of carbohydrate, about 5% of the calories, may be necessary to promote optimal gut function during hard work. Unlike the other energy nutrients (fat and protein) carbohydrates can be used with or without oxygen which is sometimes of limited availability in the gut during hard work. The lining of the gut gets its nutrients from what is in the gut and not from the blood stream so Kronfeld and Dunlap suggested that having a little carbohydrate available during hard work might keep the gut better fueled and decrease stress diarrhea. These studies were the basis for the addition of meat which is high in protein and high in fat to dry dog foods. The concept has been further developed today with the formulation of performance diets which are so high in protein and fat that they may work without the addition of meat. By the 1970’s we were back to the traditional concept of feeding a high fat high protein diet but we still didn’t know why these diets worked better and why this strategy was more successful than carbohydrate loading.
I’ve always thought it helps to understand how something works if you want to optimize its use so in the late 1980’s we started re-examining the role of diet in performance. Our first study evaluated the effect of feeding a high fat or a high carbohydrate diet on how energy was stored and utilized in sled dogs. We discovered that even in the untrained state, dogs fed a high fat diet were better able to mobilize and utilize fat as a fuel the first day they ran in harness. This was significant because at the time many mushers fed any diet that would prevent death in the off season and waited to switch to a good diet at the onset of training. It takes between 8 and 12 weeks for a dog to completely adapt to a high fat diet thus dogs fed this way were beginning their season in a real deficit.

In this study we also found that dogs fed a high fat diet were able to sustain intense exercise longer than those fed a high carbohydrate diet. At that time, and to some extent still today, the most popular endurance enhancing strategy used by human athletes was to load their muscles with as much carbohydrate (or glycogen) as possible before beginning an event. While fat can supply most of the energy necessary for low to moderate intensity exercise (up to 60% VO2 max) carbohydrate must be added in as exercise intensity increases and becomes very important for exercise intensities above 80% of VO2 max. The depletion of the relatively small carbohydrate stores forces an athlete to slow down to an exercise intensity that can be sustained predominantly by burning fat. This is what happens when an athlete “hits the wall” or “bonks” as they say in cycling. Athletes who carbohydrate load “overfill” the carbohydrate tanks in their muscle and so can run longer than those that start the race with a less full tank. This assumes that both athletes use their carbohydrates at the same rate, and that is where the dogs fed a high fat diet have a distinct advantage. Although the dogs fed a high carbohydrate diet stored significantly more carbohydrate in their muscle they also used it at twice the rate of the high fat fed dogs. We found that dogs fed a high fat diet could sustain very intense hill climbing 30-50% longer than those fed the high carbohydrate diet. Carbohydrate sparing rather than carbohydrate loading appears to be the most successful strategy for endurance in sled dogs.

From these studies we found that dogs trained on high fat diets were able to generate more power from fat than dogs fed a high carbohydrate diet. We still did not know the mechanism responsible for this amazing adaptation. To shed light upon this question we ran dogs on the treadmill while wearing a mask and measured how much oxygen they used and how much carbon dioxide they generated while exercising at gradually increasing intensities. This information told us what fuel they were using at different intensities and also defined their VO2 max. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your dog can burn per minute per unit body weight. It sets the physiological limit for performance and is often used in determining an athelete’s performance potential (bigger is better). Lance Armstrong has a VO2 max of about 82 ml/kg/min. We measured dogs on our team that had a VO2 max of 240 ml/kg/min or about 3 times that of Lance Armstrong. I always tell people that is why we ride on the sled and the dogs pull it! In these studies we found that if you took the same dogs, trained them identically and fed them a high fat diet for 12 weeks and then a high carbohydrate diet for 12 weeks they achieved a 30% higher VO2 max on the high fat diet. This is greater than the increase you usually see as you progress from the untrained to the trained state. They also achieved a significantly higher power out put from fat alone when fed the high fat diet (60% VO2 max on high fat vs 40% VO2 max on high carbohydrate). This translates into higher sustained speed over time. These results were so unexpected that we repeated the study 3 times to make sure they were real. We then examined muscle biopsies and found that dogs fed the high fat diet had re-tooled the machinery of their muscles to enable the changes we had measured. High fat fed dogs had 30% more mitochondria per fiber than high carbohydrate fed dogs. These little particles are the site in the cell where fats and carbohydrates are “burned” with oxygen and converted into the energy form used by the muscle to do work. When dogs were switched from a high fat to a high carbohydrate diet the numbers of these mitochondria decreased, VO2 max fell and max power out put from fat as a fuel decreased. Feeding a high fat diet not only provides the most important fuel for work, it changes the structure and function of the muscles so that they can use that fuel better. The bottom line from these studies performed on sprint sled dogs is that you could run further at a faster speed when you fed a high fat diet than you can when you fed a high carbohydrate diet.

Although providing adequate amounts of fat is a key to success in fueling a sled dog, carbohydrates still play an important role, and this role may differ depending upon the arena in which the dog is expected to perform. On the sprint side, exercise intensity often exceeds 85% of VO2 max. Even though fats supply most of the energy up to 60% of VO2 max, the remaining 25% or so must come from carbohydrates and if that fuel source is depleted, speed and performance will decline. The most successful strategy for maintaining carbohydrate stores over several successive days of racing is to give the dog a dose (1.5 g/kg BW) of rapidly digestible carbohydrates, like maltodextrin, immediately after exercise. The timing of the dosage will have an important bearing on the outcome. It is important that the dogs be dosed as soon after exercise as possible. There is a short window of time when the body will funnel the carbohydrates given towards replacing muscle stores. That window shuts about 30 minutes after exercise ends. Also, carbohydrate administration can adversely affect fat metabolism and it takes a while for the body to store the carbohydrates so they should only be given when there is at least 4 hours of rest following their administration. This strategy has been used successfully for over 15 years in sprint racing, but does it work in mid distance and long distance racing?

Anytime when carbohydrate utilization limits performance this strategy will be important for success. In mid distance racing, where speeds may average 10-12 mph, or in races with repetitive hill climbing, there will be enough exercise above 60% of VO2 max to warrant carbohydrate replenishment. In long distance racing exercise intensity rarely exceeds 60% of VO2 max. This intensity is not sustainable over the time period that these athletes perform and so there is still some question as to the necessity of carbohydrate replenishment in this side of the sport. A step towards the answer comes from some recent and interesting work out of Oklahoma State University. This group showed that dogs exercising for about 100 miles per day for 4-5 days showed an initial drop in carbohydrate stores to as low as 20%of the pre-exercise value and increased over time to settle back at about 55% of the initial value. These levels are probably enough to support sustained efforts at the 6-8 mph pace most teams maintain at the end of long distance races. The question is, if two mushers found themselves in White Mountain within a few minutes of each other, would having increased carbohydrate stores at this stage of the race, which is attainable in an 8 hour rest period, yield a speed advantage in the 70 mile trip to Nome? Could they go 10-12 mph over that distance if they had the carbohydrate reserves to do it? The amount of carbohydrates necessary to replenish these stores would not significantly alter total calorie or fat intake but if applied at a strategic point in the race might have an influence on the outcome. Some one should do a study.

If high fat diets optimize performance in sled dogs, the next questions should be how much fat and what type should be fed. Here we get into the practical side of nutrition, the side which is a blend of art and science. The definition of a high fat diet will vary depending on who you talk to and the animal involved. Sled dogs have an innate tolerance for dietary fat levels that would literally kill other breeds of dogs. For many of the sporting breeds a high fat diet would be considered 30% of the total caloric intake. For sled dog purposes high fat diets generally range from 50-80% of the calories. From experience I can say that 50-60% of the calories in fat is safe to feed long term during training as long as the rest of the diet is balanced for protein, vitamins and minerals. Once you exceed 60% of the calories you must be careful because at this point fat starts to displace other nutrients, most notably protein, and you can run into serious problems if you feed these ultra high fat diets long term. The best example of this I can remember was a call I got from a prominent musher in Skwenta when he scratched because his team was too flat to continue. For those of you who know your Iditarod geography Skwenta is much closer to Anchorage than to Nome, so I was surprised that one of the mushers picked to be a front runner was already done. When he had a vet examine his dogs he found they were all profoundly anemic. An evaluation of his diet, which he had been using for several months, showed that he was feeding almost 85% fat. I had him drop the fat to 55% of the calories, increase the protein to 35% of the calories and in 2 weeks their blood counts had all returned to normal. The next year with same team on this new diet he finished 6th in the Iditarod. I have seen this same scenario many times and feel certain that for long term feeding you are playing with fire if you exceed 60% of the calories as fat. You can go as high as 80% of the calories for up to 2 weeks without a problem if the dogs are working hard, previously adapted to a high fat diet, and they start the period in good physical condition. You may suspect a problem is starting to arise if the dogs’ performance flattens out, they go off food, or they become anemic.

There are many great sources of fat but no one source can provide all of the possible benefits fats have to offer so I usually blend 2 or more fats when I feed my dogs. Some fat sources are extremely expensive, some impractical and some unsafe, so you want to know what and why you are mixing specific ingredients before you start. Moderation is the key. Too much beef tallow and you may end up with hot spots in their skin. Too much vegetable fat and you may not get enough benefit from your fish oil. Don’t even bother with fad fats like coconut oil and flax oil. Coconut oil is too stiff at cold temperatures to be practical and I have yet to find a dog that will voluntarily eat it. Flax oil is often touted as a good omega-3 source but the omega-3’s in flax oil are not in a form that dogs can incorporate in their body and so they become a very expensive substitute for vegetable oil. I like to mix one part animal fat, one part vegetable fat, and one part fish oil. For my animal fats I prefer beef tallow or poultry fat. They are palatable and stable and not too expensive. For vegetable fats, if money were no object, I would love to use wheat germ oil but since it is, I use corn, canola, or safflower oil depending upon availability. Vegetable oil provides essential fatty acids (EFA’s)which are necessary for healthy skin and coat and provide a waterproof barrier in the skin. These EFA’s are very important in maintaining healthy skin on the foot. I live in Alaska so salmon oil is fish oil of choice but herring oil and menhaden oil will also work well. Make sure your fish oil is cold pressed, and well preserved with some real preservative like ethoxyquin, BHA, or BHT. Rosemary and Vitamin E are popular natural preservatives but they don’t have the staying power of the artificial preservatives. Store it away from light, heat, and air. Fish oil that has gone rancid can stop your team’s progress faster than a charging moose. I have seen several mushers season’s ended by this problem. The common complaint is that the dogs start out fine but fade after just a few miles usually exhibiting a stiff gait and inability to stretch out. The problem can be resolved by removing the offending fish oil and supplementing with large doses of antioxidants during a period of enforced rest. Fish oil can be great for decreasing inflammation, improving coat quality and even enhancing oxygen transport but make certain you have a safe source and feed it with moderation (never more than 1/3 of the fat calories) and with antioxidants (400IU Vitamin E or 2-4 mg astaxanthin).

And so we have re-invented and refined the high fat diet “wheel” one more time. As someone who has spent their entire professional career studying the relationship between diet and performance in sled dogs, it seems humorously ironic to me that if we put together all we have learned from these many studies we would formulate a diet very much like that which was fed a thousand years ago.

[Officially Retired]

This is a fantastic article. I put it here to keep everything cohesive, but it is a helluvan article.

It seems like a bulldog would need maybe 5-10% carbs, and that it needs to be given within 30 min of the exercise.

He also debunked flax oil for dogs (which surprises me), but he said the optimal vegetable oil for dogs is wheat germ, which is what I use.

Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing!

Jack

PS: It would be well worth people's time to actually read this, and not just say "great post" without actually reading it :lol:

[R2L]

thanks for sharing, good article

[FrostyPaws]

Dr. Reynolds mentioned this at the end of his article that was posted. These are some studies I found when researching this particular antioxidant.

Biol Pharm Bull. 2006 Oct;29(10):2106-10.
Effects of astaxanthin supplementation on exercise-induced fatigue in mice.
Ikeuchi M, Koyama T, Takahashi J, Yazawa K.
Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods Science, Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan.

The present study was designed to determine the effect of astaxanthin on
endurance capacity in male mice aged 4 weeks. Mice were given orally either
vehicle or astaxanthin (1.2, 6, or 30 mg/kg body weight) by stomach intubation
for 5 weeks. The astaxanthin group showed a significant increase in swimming
time to exhaustion as compared to the control group. Blood lactate concentration
in the astaxanthin groups was significantly lower than in the control group. In the
control group, plasma non-esterfied fatty acid (NEFA) and plasma glucose were
decreased by swimming exercise, but in the astaxanthin group, NEFA and plasma
glucose were significantly higher than in the control group. Astaxanthin treatment
also significantly decreased fat accumulation. These results suggest that
improvement in swimming endurance by the administration of astaxanthin is
caused by an increase in utilization of fatty acids as an energy source.

PMID: 17015959 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008 Feb 22;366(4):892-7. Epub 2007 Dec 17.
Astaxanthin improves muscle lipid metabolism in exercise via inhibitory effect of oxidative CPT I modification.
Aoi W, Naito Y, Takanami Y, Ishii T, Kawai Y, Akagiri S, Kato Y, Osawa T, Yoshikawa T.
Department of Inflammation and Immunology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan.

Intracellular redox balance may affect nutrient metabolism in skeletal muscle.
Astaxanthin, a carotenoid contained in various natural foods, exerts high
antioxidative capacity in the skeletal muscles. The present study investigated the
effect of astaxanthin on muscle lipid metabolism in exercise. ICR mice (8 weeks
old) were divided into four different groups: sedentary, sedentary treated with
astaxanthin, running exercise, and exercise treated with astaxanthin. After 4
weeks of treatment, exercise groups performed treadmill running. Astaxanthin
increased fat utilization during exercise compared with mice on a normal diet with
prolongation of the running time to exhaustion. Colocalization of fatty acid
translocase with carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) in skeletal muscle was
increased by astaxanthin. We also found that hexanoyl-lysine modification of
CPT I was increased by exercise, while astaxanthin prevented this increase. In
additional experiment, we found that astaxanthin treatment accelerated the
decrease of body fat accumulation with exercise training. Our results suggested
that astaxanthin promoted lipid metabolism rather than glucose utilization during
exercise via CPT I activation, which led to improvement of endurance and
efficient reduction of adipose tissue with training.

Publication Types:
 Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 18082622 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[Officially Retired]

More very excellent information, thanks for taking the time to share it.

Jack

[Officially Retired]

More very excellent information, thanks for taking the time to share it.

Jack

[Abe]

This site Kick ass ! I'm going to have to read that a few times but thanks for posting it !

[R2L]

so after reading this article, what do you guys think
would carbohydrates help when "racing" a bulldog.

[FrostyPaws]

If you're going to give carbs, you should give it within the 30 minute window of opportunity. Yes, they will help to some degree, but it's not an absolute requirement. I give it for reasons mentioned.

[FrostyPaws]

Hydration Strategies for Exercising Dogs
Arleigh J. Reynolds, DVM, PhD, DACVN
Assistant Professor of Clinical Nutrition, College of Veterinary Medicine
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
Kim Sneddon, BS; Gregory A. Reinhan, PhD;
Kenneth W. Hinchcliff, BVS, MS, PhD, DACVIM; Richard A. Swenson
College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA;
Research and Development, The lams Company, Lewisburg, Ohio, USA;
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine,
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA;
Lightning Bolt Express Kennels, Two Rivers, Alaska, USA

Introduction

The late Dr. Rolland Lombard is often credited with being the first
competitive musher to realize the importance of watering his dogs during the racing season. During his day, most mushers believed that their dogs got all the water they needed by just eating snow. The dependence of performance upon good hydration is just one of the legacies left behind by the innovative and dominant force that was Rolland Lombard. Over the past 25 years, racing and research have demonstrated the benefits of providing working dogs with sufficient amounts of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Still, a working dog may tolerate a dietary deficiency in one of these nutrients for several days or even weeks before any adverse effects on its performance or health are observed. In contrast, dehydration
may lead to diminished performance and, in severe cases, even to death within hours of onset.

To understand why dehydration leads to such rapid and severe performance problems, one must first understand the many vital roles this important nutrient plays in the maintenance of nearly all body functions. A typical healthy dog has a total body water content of about 70% of its body weight. This water is divided into four compartments as shown in Table 1. Most (65%) of the total body water (TBW) resides within the individual cells of the dog’s body.1 This water is the solvent in which all reactions of the cell take place. It thus facilitates the generation of energy, the synthesis of new cell materials, the storage
of products, and the detoxification of wastes. Intracellular water is also the medium of transport for all materials within the cells.


The extracellular water is divided up between three spaces.1 The interstitial space
(20% TBW) is the second largest compartment; it represents the water which lies immediately outside of the cells and bathes them. The main role of the interstitial water is as a transport medium for nutrients and other materials into, and wastes and other products out of, the cells.

The plasma space (10% TBW) is the water found in the liquid or non-cellular part of blood. This water transports materials between all locations of the body. The transcellular compartment (5% TBW) is a conglomerate of all other extracellular spaces and is made up of the water found in the aqueous humor, the synovial fluid, the cerebral-spinal fluid (CSF), and the secretions of the gastrointestinal tract. This water acts as a medium for the passage of light and as a source of lubrication and shock absorption in the joints and CSF. In the GI tract it is a solvent for digestion and a transport medium to facilitate absorption of digested nutrients.

Under normal circumstances, water is free to shift between these compartments. The direction of that shift will depend on the conditions to which the body is exposed. During exercise for example, the metabolic changes occurring within the muscle cell increases the concentration of solutes or dissolvable particles within these cells. This increase in solute concentration causes water to move into the cell from the interstitial fluid.2 This loss of interstitial fluid volume is then replaced by the movement of water from the plasma compartment into the interstitial space.2 The result of exercise is thus an expansion of the intracellular compartment and a contraction of the plasma compartment. This fluid shift is in part responsible for the increased size of a weight lifter’s muscles after a work out.2

The small loss of plasma volume that normally occurs during short bouts of exercise does not usually adversely affect performance. If exercise is prolonged, or if a dog is losing significant amounts of water through other means, the loss of water from the plasma may lead to a potentially dangerous contraction of plasma volume. As plasma volume diminishes, the heart has to work harder to circulate the blood because there is less fluid travelling through the vessels, and that fluid is more viscous.3 The result of these changes is a decreased delivery of oxygen and nutrients to, and a slower rate of waste removal from,
muscle cells. In this situation working muscle cells have less fuel available and accumulate wastes more rapidly, a combination which restricts the sustainable intensity and duration of exercise. In severe cases plasma volume contraction can lead to major organ failure and even death.3

Dehydration is almost always easier to prevent than it is to treat. Still, early recognition of the problem gives the dog the greatest chance for a rapid and complete recovery. As dehydration progresses from the mild to the moderate and severe states, the animal’s ability to correct the problem on its own diminishes. Dogs suffering from advanced dehydration usually refuse to eat or drink. Such animals need veterinary attention immediately since loss of only 15% of TBW may result in death.4 Correction of moderate and severe dehydration usually requires intravenous administration of fluids. Mildly dehydrated animals may be able to restore their water deficit by drinking but will often recover more rapidly if at least some of the fluid is replaced parenterally.

To prevent dehydration, one must try to balance the dog’s daily water loss with its daily water intake and production. To achieve this goal one must first understand how water is added to and lost from a dog’s body, and how each of these components of water balance change with changes in the dog’s workload, environment, and health status. A dog may add to its total body water through its diet, by-drinking water, and by burning fuels for energy in its muscles. When a dog is fed a meat diet or a dry dog food soaked in water, 70—80% of what that animal eats is actually water. Water that is taken in as part of food is called
“preformed water.” Many sled dogs get half or more of their daily water intake from preformed water. Most of the rest of their daily water intake comes from drinking water and eating snow. A small amount of water is also generated when fats, carbohydrates, and proteins are converted to energy in the muscle. For each 100 kcal of energy burned about 13 ml of water is generated and for each gram of muscle glycogen used, 3-4 ml of water are produced.5 Water produced in the body by these processes is referred to as “metabolic water.” Metabolic water may contribute as much as 10% of the total water gained by a
dog each day.

Usually, the amount of water gained each day by a dog is exactly balanced by the amount lost. Each day a dog loses water through its urine, feces, saliva, breath, and sweat. Unlike humans and horses, dogs do not lose much water due to sweating. In fact, the only place a dog sweats is through its foot pads. The dog’s inability to sweat from the rest of its skin probably stems from its large surface area to volume ratio. Water loss from such a large surface area would put the animal at constant risk of dehydration if it perspired from its entire skin surface. In larger animals like humans and horses, a relatively small surface area and large volume inhibits heat dissipation. Dehydration due to sweating is less of a risk than heat accumulation in these larger animals.

Most of the water a dog loses each day leaves its body through urine, feces, respiratory vapor, and saliva. The contributions of each of these factors depend greatly upon the dog’s health, environment, workload, and diet. For example, consider the same 20 kg (44 lb) sled dog as a sedentary house dog, a sprint racing dog, and a distance racing dog. Each day the house dog, living in a climate controlled environment, loses about 1000 ml of water through urine, about 100 ml of water through its feces, and about 300 ml of water through evaporation of respiratory water and saliva. If that dog is moved outside and he becomes
an open class sprint racing dog, he will lose about 1500 ml of water through his urine and 150 ml of water through his feces. Assuming an ambient temperature of at least 0° F, this dog will also lose about 300 ml of water from evaporation during a one hour run and about 800 ml of water from evaporation during the remaining 23 hours of the day. If this dog now becomes a distance racing dog his water loss to urine and feces will increase to about 2250 ml/day and 250 ml/day, respectively. Assuming he works 12 hours at about a 40% of VO2 maximum workload and rests 12 hours in an ambient temperature of-20° C or below, he will lose between 2000 and 2500 ml of water during exercise and about 400ml of water during rest to evaporation from his mouth and respiratory tract. A summary of the water balance
for these three dogs is shown in Figure 1.

The combination of exercise and living in a cold environment dramatically increases the dog’s daily water requirement. The increase in this requirement is about 2-fold for the sprint dog and about 4-fold for the distance dog as compared to the house dog. The greater losses of urine and fecal water seen in working dogs are mostly due to their increased food intake. A greater food intake leads to an increased production of feces which are usually 80-90% water. More food also means the generation of more metabolic wastes which must be filtered by and excreted from the kidneys. The excretion of these additional wastes results in an increased urine volume and consequently a greater urinary water loss.

The most remarkable increase in water loss observed in working dogs is due to the increase in evaporation from the mouth and respiratory tract. Depending on the dog’s exercise intensity, and the environmental temperature and humidity, evaporative water losses may increase 10- to 20-fold during exercise.6 At cold temperatures, the air a dog breathes in has very little moisture in it. When this cold air reaches the lungs it is saturated with water so that about 6% of every exhaled breath is water. In warm climates the inhaled air is more nearly saturated with water and so the dog loses less water from its lungs with each breath. However, since dogs pant to cool themselves off, water loss through the
evaporation of saliva often leads to evaporative losses in warm conditions equal to or in excess of those seen in cold environments.7

The numbers given above are estimates for specific cases, but they give an idea of the influence that exercise and environment have on a dog’s daily water requirement. Health problems may also greatly influence daily water loss. Urinary water losses increase dramatically in renal disease, systemic infections, diabetes, and other hormonal abnormalities. Most of these dogs are sick enough that they would not be able to perform as sled dogs and would require veterinary attention. Increased water loss from the gastrointestinal tract is more common and often less serious. Nearly all kennels experience stress diarrhea and the “flu” during the course of a season. Often, dogs will continue to perform well with these conditions as long as their hydration can be maintained. However, the rate of dehydration resulting from severe diarrhea, as in the case of parvovirus infection, can be a life threatening situation. The severity of the situation can usually be assessed by the frequency and volume of fluid eliminated. In any case the fluid lost through the feces must be replaced or the dog’s health will deteriorate rapidly.

The factors which contribute to water loss in the dog are complex and constantly changing. If one had to exactly calculate a dog’s daily water requirement in order to hydrate it properly, it would be nearly an impossible task. Fortunately nature has designed a complex system to regulate water intake and output, thus allowing the dog to maintain hydration across a wide range of environmental conditions. As a dog’s plasma begins to lose water, the increase in concentration of salts is detected centrally, triggering thirst.8 Since it takes some time for water to be absorbed into the plasma, the quenching of thirst does not immediately rely on the return of salt concentrations to normal. Instead, stretching in the stomach and a drop in throat temperature are the signals that lead to thirst satiation.3 This system is so well tuned that a healthy dog will adapt to changes in water loss just as quickly as these changes occur. Theoretically, the dog will drink as much as it needs as long as water is available when it is thirsty.

Therein lies the problem of keeping sled dogs well hydrated. They are not always thirsty when water is available, and water is not always available when they are thirsty. For this reason strategies were explored that would promote hydration in these specialized athletes. For years mushers have tried to encourage relatively large amounts of water consumption during the relatively short periods of time that water could be made available by flavoring the water with palatable additives. This technique, known as “baiting the water”, has proven to be successful under all but the most severe environmental and racing conditions.

Here is the link to the rest of it. It's talking about glycerol supplementation in helping keep dogs hydrated better. http://www.hydrolyte.us/Arleigh%20Reynolds-Hydration%20Strategies.pdf

[Officially Retired]

Great read and fascinating information, thanks for sharing.

[Albino Rhino]

This is/has been a great "think tank" Thread ... something like this wouldn't last 3 Replies on "Pedicures -On-Line" !... keep it up guys .

[Officially Retired]

LOL, true.

Glad to hear you took the time to read it, as there is a lot of good info here :D

Jack

[EWO]

An interesting article on fat and protein...similar to the others but a good read nonetheless...EWO



http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/health/canine-performance-stress

[Limey Kennels]

Jack about your post im very aware of al these wrightings and teories.
Ok now where getting into a debate, and post get longer .
Let me please remind some of you and educate others who dindt know , That a greyhound caries Pitbull / buldog blood in its vains!!, AND visa versa!! including Wippet blood.. Hens the Greyhounds carry the same coloration as our dogs and hensh they race with muzles on as the fight like crazy!!. Many a greyhound is being culled as they as young dogs and pups start fighting umongst them (hens they know that High protien levels causing protien posion makes them agressif and start them fighting) . And its known ONES THEY START FIGHTING THEY NEVER RACE AGAIN, THEY KEEP FIGHTING .... If you take there heads of make them 20/30 lbs smaller and put a head of a pitbull on there you see the same dog.. our breed has been build up out of varies crosses not just bulldog x terrier everyting that was crosses with a bulldog that in some way could bring the bacon home wherther it was fighting /vermin killing ore HUNTING was used to breed of
and for those who dont agree and think of it as BS chek this copied from ""Stonehenge on the dog 1849""

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3180/dscf2373gc.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/13/dscf2373gc.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>NOW thuse this look like a Brindle APBT ore wat!!<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
let me also tell you that i have the fallow up drawings from that book where it shows it took 3 more breedings back into the greyhound to get the best confermation back for SPEED . yet in those days they where used as COURSING HUNTING animals. The pitbull/buldog blood was used to get a fisical stronger animal to take douwn bigger game!!!. in those days 4 on every 10 childeren Died befor reaching there 6th year as kids!. meat was very scares. do you think dogs like the pitbull terrier(known as the BULL and Terrier not to be confused with the bullterrier) was on a regular meat fat DIET!??? hell no. they got scraps with lots of carbs in there . and there meat sours where rodens like rats and mice IF THEY COULD GET THEM ...and many a dog died due to the diseases that came along with these rodens.
the pitbull terrier was also known as the ""poor mans racing horse"" living in the slumbs the gettos of there days. and fought in pubs..PROTIEN and FAT ore MEAT was NOT there stabel DIET!!!...
Anyway the Pitbull terrier and greyhound /Wippet are much much closer related then people realize. we all know to wel that many a pitbull terrier looks like a greyhound or wippet for that matter
here you have one of these dogs GRCH Mammy now aint that a WIPPET!!!...

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/9202/1yankeeboysgrchmammycop.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/841/1yankeeboysgrchmammycop.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

ALSO THE GREYHOUND IS BEEING BRED IN A BEST TO BEST WAY, THEY DO NOT PRACTIS LINE AND ORE INBREEDING . BECUASE IF THEY DO THEY ""GET FIGHTING DOGS""""
SO THEY BREED A FAST ANIMAL TO A FAST ANIMAL REGUARDLESS OF PEDEGREE.


Let me contigneuw and show the varius oldtimers of the past slowly tru history al the way up to the modern days what they use as there diets for there/our dogs..
afther that one, a piece about FEEDING the greyhound. and in the Falllow up post (a BIG ONE that sais it al). ...

the Greyhound FAMILIER related link within the 2 BREEDS greyhound x pitbull terrier. is the sole rezen why APBT dwell so wel on greyhound feeds/ Diets/ Food and there SPECIFIC sientific divelopt and studied suplemends made for that 500.000.000 USD world wide scene ......... SO THE SLEDGE DOG STUDIES ARE COMPLEATLY IRELEVAND WHEN IT COMES TO OUR BREED!.
AS I ALREDY TRIED TO ACSPLAIN. I do realize my dislectic handycap and being word blind at the same tome can cause confusion in understanding what i trie to say..





this one i copied from another forum where whe where at it and posted these posts...... this topic was about grainless food, but it ended in the same manner where this debate is going. and that is fat ore carbs!. we all know that fat is major importend but the CARBS are beeing shuft under the table and disreguarded as non imported sours of energy. PS for those who belive that cold dens air has nothing to do with it. PLEASE READ the last 2 lines at the BOTOM. You wil see that at higher altitutes CARBSare way importend.... and it sais , (what i have been telling that FAT needs much more oxygen to burn and diliver energy)





Re: Grainless dod food



Ok people post long posts this one is mine and in 2 parts for wat its worth
Just some wel known legends of the past who fed CARBS in there diets some of them didnt use FAT at al,

yet we all know today the importense of FAT in a working dogs DIET,And AS MOST of the profesional conditioners KNOW

SO ARE carbohydrats



Thirty years with the fighting dogs by George C. Armitage



used Lean beef of the neck/bran/whole weat bread/water does not build flesh or fat/







The American Pit Bull Terrier by Joseph L. Colby



used Rump steak/sliced or dried toast/boiled lean beef/dried toast bread/







The Dog Pit by Richard K. Fox



used Rump beef steak/sliced bread/toast/







Dogs of Velvet and Steel by Bob Stevens



“In a well balanced diet the energy needs are primarily supplied by quality carbohydrates. This is not a well known fact, becayse so many people who condition dogs put so much emphasis on protein (believing it provides energy). When a Pit Bull is in his keep (training period sic to eight weeks prior to a fight), most conditioners put him on a total protein diet (generally lean meat and/or liver), with vitamin supplements, etc. – the most don’t provide any carbohydrates. This is fairly necessary in this instance because the dog must be trimmed of all fat so that he goes in as lean as possible and at his lowest weight. But many pit fighting people feed their dogs a similiar diet all the time (but give them more quantity and perhaps cut back on the extra vitamins) believing that the hight-protein diet is the best for their dogs. Actually this type of feeding is harmful to the dog. (You can’t see the harm done; that’s the problem with nutrition) Many dog owners who don’t fight their dogs feed them high-protein diets in the belief that the dog will grow bigger and stronger and have more energy. The popularity of the “high-protein”dog foods attest to this fact. As we will see, protein does contribute growth, but it does very little for energy. In addition, providing more preotein in terms of quantity (rather than quality) will not make the dog grow bigger and stronger. We will take a closer look at the misunderstood protein in awhile, but first let’s see how carbohydrates work. Starch from the carbohydrates is converted into glucose in the intestinal tract and then absorbed into the blood stream. The blood conveys this to all tissues of the body where it is oxidized (combined with oxygen) to form carbon dioxide and water. It is the oxidation process that provides energy. Glucose is often thought of as a fuel, and in a way it is. But it acts as a fuel only when it is oxidized by a comples process that requires the active participation of fatty acids (primarlity linoleic and linolenic), protein, minerals and vitamins (mostly the B-comples vitamins), in order for the cells to extract energy from the glucose. Unused carbohydrates are stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen which the body can draw upon for energy when needed. Unused protein is also converted into glucose, but the process is slower than with carbohydrates. Moreover, protein cannot be digested and assimilated unless there is a proper balance of carbohydrates and fat. The point I’m trying to make is that vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates etc. are synergetic (They work together.), so that a food must be balanced. Excess protein doesn’'t build extra muscle; it’s passed through the system. In fact excess protein can be harmful if consumed over a long period of time. Excess carbohydrates are turned into fat.”



Seen through the Eyes of the Millmaker “Robert Lamm”



used Carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Sugar, starch, and callulose are a few types of carbohydrates. All ordinary plants are primarily carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are fuel for the body. Any excess amounts of carbohydrates can be stored in the body and uysed when quick energy is needed. Otherwise, they are converted into body fat. Hard work stops the conversion to body fat and weight gain. Respiratory Recovery Method will protect the small amount of carbohydrates that can be stored in the body and used only during stressful situations like fight night. Five to fifteen minutes bonus energy can be retained depending on the condition of your dog’s health. If your dog is in a superior state of health, you can condition your dog harder and he can withstand a greater amount of stress, instead of your dog devoting energy to fighting nutritional dificiencies.







The Complete Game Dog by Ed and Chris Faron



Carbohydrates comes from starches and sugars. Grains and their byprodycts are usually source in dog foods. Carbohydrates provide energy. Exact dietary requirements for carbohydrates have not been established for dogs. Most dog foods contain a high percentage of carbohydrates.



DON MAYFIELD

The next thing I found out when working a dog is that they can be put in shape most anyway a person sees fit.
Since I was working on a job most of the time, the next thing I started working on was an easy way to work a dog. I had seen everyone else's way of working a dog by now, but I had something else in mind. I wanted to work a dog like a wild dog would work if he had to hunt and kill his food, more so like the big cats do, or like an eagle. They make their kill when they are very thin with no fat whatsoever on them. This is the time when most wild animals kill for food. Their blood count is on a natural high and there is no fat to make them breathe hot. This is when they are their sharpest and make their kill. Their condition at the time of the kill will not return until they are ready for their next kill. In between times the wild will tend to get fat and slow and lazy and they will have miss after miss until they lose all their fat and get sharp, hunting and working their bodies into shape.




used The feed should start with a good hi-protein dry feed about 2 cups at first with ¼ cup of wheat germ, ¼ a can mustard greens, a cup of corn bread, with vitamins of desiccated liver-tablets (7 ½ grains, start at 5 a day and work up to 15 a day) give one vitamin E (400iu) give one vitamin C (1000 milligrams) 4 papaya digestive aid, 1 iron with molasses. Try and have all your vitamins natural vitamins, you should add to your dry dog feed as much as need be. To hold you're dog at about 2 pounds over his pit-weight. Come off this vitamin E five days in front of the match. Add about 1/8 to ¼ a cup of water to his feed just enough to wet it, just before you feed. Four weeks in front of the match start with his meat, good heavy beef like bull-neck, cut the meat into small chunks about ½ in square. Start with ½ lb and add up to 1/2 lb. To ¾ lb 5 days in front of the match. Always cut all the fat out of the meat. Use only red, lean meat. Sear the meat in as little as possible and pour this juice over the meat and mix. (Just so it will be wet going down, but dry when it gets to the stomach.




For the last 5 days the feed should start to change. Feed more red meat and less Purina high-protein and more wheat germ and cereal. Also, start cutting the mustard greens. The next to the last feeding should be not more than a half a cup of Purina high-protein, a half a cup of wheat germ cereal and a half a pound of red, lean meat. Cooked in no water. Should be seared on all sides, very rare, cut in one-inch cubes, with all vitamins. The last feeding should be fed twenty-six hours before his match. Red, lean beef, cut in one-inch cubes with ¾ cup of wheat germ cereal with his vitamins. The meat should be seared in no water, very rare but, seared on all four sides with two tablespoons full of honey.







FEEDING THE RACING GREYHOUND


Your aim in feeding greyhounds is to provide a balanced diet that maintains them in good condition, and allows them to perform to their maximum potential on the racetrack. To achieve this aim you need to know what nutrients are contained in the different ingredients that make up a greyhound’s ration. A nutrient is something a greyhound needs to help it to grow, stay alive and work, as nutrients provides greyhounds with energy.

There are six nutrient groups that are needed in a greyhound’s daily ration:
1.Water
2.Protein (amino acids
3.Carbohydrates/Fiber
4.Fat
5.Vitamin
6.Minerals
These nutrients are all essential to maintain a greyhound in good health, but the specific requirements of each will vary depending on the greyhound’s size, metabolic rate, work load, and existing physical condition.

Besides the actual methods you will use in training your greyhounds, this is probably the most contentious issue you will have to decide. There are as many variations in feeding methods as there are trainers, and when one looks at the feeding methods used in the various country’s that have greyhound racing, the difference is even greater

Food has to supply all of the greyhound’s energy requirements, as well as providing the building blocks for tissue repair, including the blood and all of the internal organs. To be able to make an informed decision as to how your feeding methods are affecting the performance of your greyhounds, some of the functions of the various food components should be understood.

PROTEIN


Protein provides the ingredients required for building, strengthening and repairing the body. However, it is not protein that is absorbed and utilized by the body, but the amino acids contained within the protein. There are 10 amino acids that are essential for good health, the greyhound’s body manufactures some amino acids but most are derived from the food. It should also be understood that different proteins contain a different range of amino acids. Meat is the main ingredient in the greyhounds diet that provides much of the required protein for good health, and may include, beef, chicken, lamb or mutton. The addition of large quantities of a single amino acid to the diet should be avoided, unless it is used as a treatment for a specific problem or illness.

CARBOHYDRATE


Carbohydrates not only supply the energy required for running but also assist with many body functions such as temperature regulation and food digestion. The carbohydrates can be divided into two main groups; they are complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates require processing by the body and provide for a sustained release of energy. Good sources of complex carbohydrates are grains, such as wheat, brown rice, and oats. Grains also include protein, starch, vitamins, minerals and some fatty acids, however for canines to utilize grain foods they need to be well cooked, well soaked and fed soft.

Simple carbohydrates include sugar and starch and are easily utilized by the body and in particular sugars such as glucose and fructose provide for a short-term hit of energy. Unfortunately it is a really short hit, Due to what is called the rebound effect, if you supply the body with a substance in excess, it automatically reduces the amount available.

This is particularly true of blood sugar; within 4 hours of ingesting glucose the blood sugar actually falls below normal. However if you could supply a hit of glucose about 1 hour prior to the Greyhound racing it would be great, simply because it increases the amount of ATP available and therefore increasing early pace.

FAT


Fats are an essential part of the food requirement, like carbohydrates they provide energy and are involved in temperature regulation, but more importantly they contain and are required for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and the production of some essential hormones.

Fats can be divided into two groups depending on their chemical composition, they are saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, the fatty acids best utilized by the canine are those of the saturated group. Good sources of essential fatty acids are; fresh raw beef, chicken, and fish oils such as cod liver oil. Unsaturated vegetable oils also contain some useable fatty acids but should be kept to a minimum, as excessive use in the diet may interfere with the absorption of some of the essential fatty acids from the saturated group.

Fatty acids are basically long chains of carbon and hydrogen and are one of the major sources of energy for the body. Unfortunately for the energy in fat molecules to be released, it requires considerable amounts of oxygen, therefore when oxygen levels are low the body basically uses blood sugar for energy.

[Limey Kennels]

Default Re: Grainless dod food



AND HERE IN THE LINK OF LINKS CONSIRNING THE VALUE OF CARBS

Feeding the Racing Greyhound

Feeding for Performance

John Kohnke BVSc, RDA

Sydney, Australia

The sport of greyhound racing has become more popular and competitive over recent years, with the breeding and

purchase of finer, sprint bred greyhounds, improved race track geometry and surfaces, which have all helped to lift

the standard of performance. Training methods have changed based on exercise physiology research and with it, the

‘science’ of feeding has provided new guidelines for feeding to optimise performance. It is now even more important

that nutrition is not a limiting factor to performance. A nutritionally adequate and well balanced diet is paramount to

health, performance and adaptation of the greyhound to the physical and metabolic stresses of racing. The racing diet

for successful competitive racing has been refined since lure racing became the industry standard for grading

wagering odds relative to body weight and performance.

Although diets were traditionally based on fresh red meat and cereal meals, with zoonotic disease risks such as BSE

and the rising cost of inspected meat in many countries, there has been a change in the staple diet for racing

greyhounds to scientifically formulated high energy dense compounded dry foods to partly or fully replace meat. As

every trainer is looking for an ‘edge’ in performance to win and an improvement in nutrition can help ensure optimum

speed and competitive racing. Traditionally, both the training and feeding of the racing greyhound has been largely

considered an ‘art’ passed on by older trainers to younger trainers, based on ‘trial and success’ rather than a ‘science’.

Although scientific calculations can provide an estimate of the relative nutritional intake, based on the established

nutritional value of each constituent in the diet, the exact scientific requirements of racing greyhounds have not been

established. Not all trainers are able to purchase the best quality feed as there is a limit to the feeding budget in a

racing kennel. When the price of a certain meat increases, trainers switch to alternatives or feed a larger proportion of

dry feed. Feeding remains one of the areas of animal nutrition still influenced by tradition and folklore, with many

time honoured feeding practices.





The ‘Science’ of Feeding

Over recent years, there have been a number of extensive reviews on the traditional methods of diet composition and

feeding practices of racing greyhounds. A number of reviews of greyhound nutrition and feeding have been published

over the last three decades, summarizing the scientific and practical aspects of dietary needs, ration formulation, and

feeding methods.1-8. Some of the data has been extrapolated from the established nutritional needs of working dogs,

with adaptations to meet the often higher needs of racing greyhounds. The ‘art’ is knowing how much feed, when to

feed, and the likes and dislikes of an individual animal.2. The ‘science’ is understanding the nutritional needs of the

greyhound, the relative value of different feeds and the benefits or disadvantages of individual ingredients or

combinations.2. A racing greyhound needs an adequate intake of energy for maintenance and exercise, which besides

water, is the most important nutrient in a diet and often the one that is limiting to performance.

Nutritional Aims

In addition to maintaining health and vitality, the diet should meet the following criteria:

1. Provide an economical, palatable, low bulk, highly digestible ration to maintain body weight within set limits and

ensure optimal performance. 2, 7, 8.

2. Provide optimal proportions of carbohydrate, protein, fat and fibre to maximize energy density while minimising

gut weight and volume compatible with efficient digestive function. 3, 7.

3. Maintain optimal hydration, electrolyte, anaerobic buffering capacity and fluid balance over a variety of climatic

conditions and racing distances. 3, 6, 7.

4. Ensure energy and nutrient balance to counteract imbalances and inadequate levels in the diet and meet the

specific metabolic demand for performance.2.

5. Provide a diet formulated to counteract physical stress on the musculoskeletal system, ensure adaptation to and

optimal recovery from racing and injury, and maintain the immune response and resistance against disease

under high-stress situations of housing and repeated physical exercise.5.

Feeding the Racing Greyhound for Performance Page 2

Nutritional Aims (cont.)

These aims can be achieved by careful selection of feed ingredients, regular monitoring of body weight, and use of

specific supplements to correct low or inadequate feed levels relative to performance requirements and level of

stress.1-8.

[Limey Kennels]

Default Re: Grainless dod food



Highly Digestible, Minimum Bulk Diet with Adequate Nutrient Content

In addition to maintaining health and vitality common to all canine species, greyhounds are a specific athlete with

important performance related nutritional needs.

The diet must provide optimal and balanced proportions of carbohydrates, protein, fat and fibre to maximise energy

density, while minimising gut weight and feed volume compatible with efficient digestive function and power-toweight

ratio. Greyhounds have the highest power-to-weight ratio of any athlete. Gut fill and body weight has a large

influence on the speed and ultimate performance of a greyhound running over a range of distances between 300-700

metres. The traditional meat based diets with a total intake of 1000g daily (as fed) containing an average of 50-70%

fresh red meat by weight or 500-700g for an average 30 kg (66 lb) greyhound, combined with 30-50% of a low protein,

low fat dry food or kibble (300 g daily) are still popular. However, these feed combinations may be excessively bulky

for greyhounds to consume, especially as it is often fed as a single meal daily. The actual dry matter content of raw

meat in the fresh state is only 20% with water contributing the major portion of the weight and bulk. The advent of

low bulk, highly digestible extruded dry foods manufactured on a cereal and oil seed meal base, with high fat (20-30%)

and high crude protein (20-30%) as the major energy and protein sources, theoretically distends the gastrointestinal

tract to a lesser extent and are digested leaving a minimal bulk of stool.

Low bulk, complete feeds have not been well accepted in greyhound kennels because of a preference for traditional

meat-based feeding practices, as well as the perceived higher cost of these dry foods on a per kilogram basis (Table 1).

Dry foods processed by steam extrusion are designed to gelatinise starch to facilitate its digestion, enabling a reduced

feeding rate of 350-400g daily for a 30kg racing greyhound.

The negative aspect of a high protein, high fat, minimum bulk diet is that many trainers consider that the small bulk of

food leaves the greyhound appearing hungry, rather than full and content, when fed once daily compared to a more

bulky meat-based diet. The positive benefit of a low bulk, highly digestible diet is the lower stool bulk, which reduces

kennel and turn-out clean up time and less faecal odour in kennels when fresh meat is eliminated from the diet.

In countries with a warm climate, the amount of water consumed to maintain hydration can negate any weight

benefit obtained from feeding low bulk, high protein and high fat dry foods.

Various studies have found that high protein dry foods may be detrimental to speed and performance. On average, a

racing greyhound is able to run 0.1 metre/sec faster (about 2 lengths of the winning margin) over 500 metres when

fed a moderate protein diet (20-25% crude protein) as compared to a high protein diet containing in excess of 30%

crude protein.1.

These studies concluded that a dry food based diet, which contained 42% of the energy from carbohydrates, 33% from

fat and 24% from protein, provided the best dietary balance to optimise speed and performance over a standard 500

metre race distance. However, greyhounds on this diet were slightly heavier in body weight compared to greyhounds

fed a diet containing higher protein and fat, with a lower content of carbohydrate. This difference in body weight was

attributed to a greater muscle bulk in greyhounds fed on the medium protein diet.9.

How to Achieve the Optimum Carbohydrate, Fat and Protein Balance for Performance

A proportion of 50% of meat by weight in the total diet has been shown to be of benefit in helping to improve overall

speed in a racing greyhound. The ration ideally should contain a blend of meat and dry food to provide energy from

an optimum ratio of carbohydrate, fat and protein. This important balance must be provided in bulk that can be

consumed easily without adding excess gut weight.

Traditionally, Australian trainers feed a carbohydrate-based meal for breakfast in the form of cooked cereal biscuits.

The traditional evening meal is based on lean meat and dry food, with additional vegetables if required.

Feeding the Racing Greyhound for Performance Page 3

How to Achieve the Optimum Carbohydrate, Fat and Protein Balance for Performance (cont.)

A simple calculation (in the table below) based on the energy content of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats can be used

to determine the balance needed between these foods to meet the average daily energy requirement for a

greyhound in training under moderate conditions (15-25oc). Under cold conditions below 8oc, it is best to increase

the carbohydrate content of the diet by 10%. During hot weather above 30oc, an increase in the fat content by 5-7%

will help meet the elevated energy expended as a greyhound pants to cool.

A good quality dry food can be combined with a meat base to provide the energy intake in the optimum ratios

between carbohydrate (CHO), protein and fat.

[Limey Kennels]

Default Re: Grainless dod food



fat.
GREYHOUND BALANCED DIET

Energy Content provided by a ratio of:- Carbohydrate 40-42%

Crude Protein 22-24%

Fat 30-33%

Basic Ratio on per kg body weight basis

Breakfast Kibble 12% crude protein 5g/kg bwt

Main Meal Lean Beef 10% fat 20g/kg bwt

Dry Food 20% protein

10-12% fat 15g/kg bwt

Omega 3/Omega 6 oil 0.75-1.0ml/kg bwt

The amount fed must be monitored to avoid excess body weight as the diet is very efficient in providing energy for

exercise and excess will result in weight gain.

Greyhound Body Weight 25 kg 30 kg 32 kg

Breakfast Kibble 12% protein and milk 125g 150g 160g

Main Meal Lean Beef 10% fat 500g 600g 650g

Dry Food 20% crude protein

10-12% fat

375g 450g 500g

Oil Omega 3 – Omega 6 Oils

15ml

Increasing to

20ml

18ml

Increasing to

25ml

20ml

Increasing to

30ml

A slightly higher protein diet is beneficial to greyhounds racing on a regular basis.

Notes:

1. Where a greyhound requires extra energy to maintain body weight in hard work, increase the dry food by 50-

100g per day, whilst still maintaining the optimum carbohydrate balance for energy.

2. Where an excitable greyhound becomes dehydrated in hot weather, add an additional 1 tablespoon (17g) of

fat (lard/suet, meat trimmings, copha) per 300g meat in the diet.

3. Where lean meat, such as very lean or trimmed beef, horse meat, kangaroo or chicken is used in place of lean

10-12% fat beef, add 1 tablespoon (17g) of fat (lard, suet, meat trimmings) to the diet to maintain the

optimum energy balance with the correct CHO:Protein:Fat ratio for speed and performance. Do not use fat

(dripping) from roasted meat.

4. Additional supplements of vitamin E (100iu daily), vitamin C (max 250iu daily13.) and iron (15mg daily) can be

provided, along with electrolytes.

The traditional meat-based diet contains a higher level of carbohydrates provided by cereals, rice or bread.2. Another

study suggested that greyhounds run faster race times when meat was added to a low protein and semi-lean diet,

presumably because the meat provided extra fat as an energy source.9.

Feeding the Racing Greyhound for Performance Page 4

Provide an Economical and Palatable Ration

The high energy density of fat and the lower cost of freshly trimmed and rendered animal fat by-product of the beef,

sheep, pork and chicken meat industries, makes the combination of a fat-boosted minimal meat and commercial dry

food diet more economical as well as more palatable to racing greyhounds. Therefore, there is an increasing tendency

to feed a minimum meat diet, higher in fat and protein, to reduce feeding costs.2.

Table 1: Classes of dry food for racing greyhounds relative to meat content in diet.

Optimum Mineral, Trace Mineral, Vitamin and Electrolyte Supplementation

The provisions of nutritional supplements to correct low, imbalanced or adequate levels in meat and cereal-based dry

food rations is paramount to meet the elevated needs for minerals and electrolytes imposed on the musculo-skeletal

and metabolic system by racing. When trained and fit to race, a sound greyhound can be successfully raced twice

weekly. Adequate intake of minerals for bone development on a meat-based diet is particularly important to maintain

skeletal strength.

It is estimated that the daily calcium intake needed by a sedentary 30kg dog to maintain optimum skeletal strength is

357mg (NRC, 2006), compared to 6000-8000mg daily for a greyhound in full race training (Kohnke, 1998). It is also

recommended to add 20% more vitamin D than NRC (2006) guidelines to dry food formulations; as cereal based dry

foods, even with added calcium, have been associated with an increased incidence of bone fractures (Kohnke 1998).

The estimated requirement for most other minerals and trace minerals is 2-3 times higher in a racing greyhound as

compared to a resting dog.2. Recommendations for B vitamin intake and fortification of feed is at least three times

higher than NRC (2006), which reflects the higher metabolic rate during anaerobic exercise of a racing greyhound

(Kohnke, 1998; Table 2).

Demineralisation of skeletal and joint structures as a result of high-loading athletic exercise and cortisone-induced

muscle catabolism during exercise and respiratory lead to losses of fluid and complementary electrolytes, particularly

potassium.

The diet must be fortified with a large range of macro and micro nutrients to meet athletic demand and maintain body

reserves, optimum metabolic function and racing soundness.

Maintain Immune Competency

It is recommended that the ration provided for racing greyhounds contain additional nutrients such as vitamin A,

vitamin E, vitamin C and selenium to counteract immune suppression resulting from higher circulating cortisol levels in

greyhounds subjected to the stress of training and racing. This will help to maintain optimum resistance against

disease and assist recovery from racing and injury.2.

Use Energy

(Kcal ME)/100g

Crude Protein

(%) g/100g

Fat

(%) g/100g

Approx. Daily Amounts for

a 30 kg Dog

Group 1

Kibbles dry

food

Meat-based diets 270 13 2-3 200-250g daily mixed with

700g medium 12-15% fat

meat.

Group 2 Minimum meat

diets

290-300 17-20 8-19 250-300g daily mixed with

500-600g medium 12-15%

fat meat.

Group 3 Complete feeds 330-340 20-24 8-10 550-600g daily or 250-300g

mixed with 200-250g

medium 12-15% fat meat.

Group 4 High-energy

complete feeds

400 25-30 20-25 400-450g daily.

Feeding the Racing Greyhound for Performance Page 5

Energy Requirement

Please Note: These notes were taken from Kohnke 1998 (Adapted) as the text is no longer in print.

Energy, with the exception of water, is the most important constituent of the greyhound diet.2. Diets can be

manipulated to improve oxidative yields and utilise short and medium chain carbohydrates and fatty acids over a wide

range of race distances and climatic conditions.2. Short-term, high-intensity exercise in the greyhound is fuelled mainly

from muscle glycogen and blood sugar to meet the predominantly anaerobic exercise demand.3.

The energy supply and exercise duration, intensity, and frequency are all interrelated and can be influenced by the

individual greyhound’s temperament, kennel and environmental temperature, and efficiency of metabolism.2. The

total energy requirement for a racing greyhound is a summation of maintenance, thermoregulation, exercise, and

racing expenditure, including behavioural influences and pre-race anticipation expenditure.2, 4. Regular monitoring of

body weight at least once weekly will assist in equating energy intake relative to expenditure.2. All estimates are as

metabolisable energy (ME) in kilocalories (Kcal). To convert kcal to kilojoules (kj), multiply by 4.184.

Useful Energy Equivalents for Feed Adjustment2.

Each 100gm (3 1/3 oz) of:

• Lean raw beef (10 to 12% fat) provides approximately 200 kcal ME.

• Dry food 24 to 28% crude protein, 8 to 10% crude fat provides approximately 300 to 310 kcal ME.

• Dry food 30 to 32% crude protein, 15% crude fat provides approximately 400 kcal ME.

• Each 17 gm (about ½ oz) or 20 ml (1 tablespoonful) of animal fat or vegetable oil provides approximately 150

kcal ME

[Limey Kennels]

Default Re: Grainless dod food



Maintenance. A greyhound requires approximately 132 kcal ME/kg body weight0.75 daily under temperature (15 to

25˚c or 60 to 77˚F) conditions.9. For greyhounds weighing between 25 and 35 kg, this equates to 55 to 60 kcal per kg

body weight. An average 30kg (66 pound) racing greyhound housed under temperature conditions requires

approximately 1700 kcal ME/day.2, 3. An excitable greyhound or one housed in a larger enclosure will have a higher

basal metabolic expenditure because of panting, barking, or hyper-activity in the kennel, and may require up to 2100

kcal ME daily additional fat included in the diet will increase energy input without significantly increasing ration bulk.2.

A weight check once weekly will enable adjustment of the fat intake to maintain body weight.

Thermoregulation. A greyhound housed and raced under cold weather conditions, between 10 and 15˚c, will require

an increase in energy at low range ambient temperatures to maintain body warmth.2, 5-7.

As a guide, for every 1˚c (2˚F) decrease in ambient temperature below 15˚c (60˚F), add 3 kcal ME/kg body weight0.75,

or approximately 40 kcal ME daily for a 30kg (66 pound) greyhound.6.

Under cold conditions increasing the amount of dry food (see energy equivalents above) relative to the decrease in

the ambient temperature will help to maintain body heat and body weight. Most greyhounds can consume up to a

maximum of 100 gm extra dry food (about 3 1/3 oz) daily without exceeding bulk or appetite limits. The greyhound

should be weighed at least once weekly to ensure that it is maintaining body weight. If a greyhound loses weight or

requires more energy under cold conditions, extra fat should be added to boost energy intake so as to avoid a

significant increase in the volume of feed the animal has to consume above the additional 100gm of dry food.2, 6. The

housing should be heated to a more comfortable temperature and a rug and adequate bedding provided under very

cold ambient temperatures.

During hot, and especially humid, weather, the energy expended by panting to eliminate excess heat may increase

daily requirements up to 3000 kcal ME for a 30kg greyhound.2. Exercise under these conditions may deplete glycogen

stores more rapidly.3. In addition, hot climates suppress appetite, and a more energy-dense diet boosted with fat will

help limit the ration volume, provide a useful source of metabolic water and minimise heat production from hindgut

fibre fermentation.6, 7.

High ambient temperatures for longer than 4 hours a day when a greyhound is panting will increase energy

requirements. As a guide, for a 30kg (66 pound) animal, each 1˚c (2˚F) increase between 26 and 30˚c (70 and 86˚F),

will require an extra 130 kcal ME daily and 160 kcal ME daily for a similar rise between 31 and 35˚c (88 and 95˚F).

Feeding the Racing Greyhound for Performance Page 6

Thermoregulation (cont.)

Under hot conditions, up to a maximum of 100 gm dry food will provide energy as well as fibre to maintain hindgut

water reserves against panting losses.6. However, for energy needs in excess of this input under hot conditions, as

appetite and feed intake are often reduced, additional fat will meet the shortfall in energy requirement and provide a

metabolic source of water to counteract dehydration.2, 6. A weight check once a week will enable dietary adjustment,

which should also be matched to weather conditions. 2, 6. Adequate electrolyte and fluid replenishment is also

essential during hot weather to avoid dehydration and weight loss.

Racing Expenditure. Total energy expenditure for a greyhound in training and raced under temperature conditions

ranges from 150 to 190 kcal ME/kg body weight0.75, or approximately 1890 to 2390 kcal ME for a 30kg (66 pound)

greyhound.5. It has been estimated that an additional 75 kcal ME is expended in each 30 second trial or race, or 4 –

5% increase over maintenance requirements. Under temperature conditions the expenditure for racing can be

provided by the standard diet.

Behavioural Influences. Excitable, barking and “hard-walking” or hyperactive greyhounds may expend valuable

energy reserves and dehydrate during training and particularly during traveling or when kennelled in the pre-race

period. Although the amount has not been quantified scientifically, a diet boosted with 30 to 60 gm (1 to 2 oz) of fat

or vegetable oil in the pre-race meal about 6 to 8 hours before racing will provide extra energy expended in pre-race

anticipation. Additional fat is recommended for nervous or hyperactive greyhounds that lose body weight, dehydrate,

or perform below optimal levels.2. Regular body weight and condition assessment with appropriate dietary

adjustment are essential to maintain racing weight limits.

ENERGY SOURCES

Carbohydrates, proteins and fat included in the ration blend provide the major sources of energy to meet

requirements.

Carbohydrates

Energy Yield and Food Content. Carbohydrates (sugars and starches) yield 3.5 kcal ME gm,3, 9. and on average,

contribute 40 - 45% of the energy in traditional racing diets.2 Meat is low in carbohydrates, contributing only to 5% of

the total carbohydrate intake from the traditional 70% meat by weight diets.2. Dry foods contribute varying amounts

of carbohydrates, mainly from cereal grains, ranging from 35 - 40% carbohydrates in dry foods containing 27 - 30%

crude protein and 15% crude fat, to 55% carbohydrates in lower protein (13% crude protein, 2 - 3% crude fat), dry

foods or kibbles.2.

Excess Carbohydrates. Excess intake of carbohydrates in the form of cereal grain starches can have a number of

adverse effects in racing greyhounds. High starch intake may increase potential glycogen over storage in muscles,

with resultant accumulation of higher lactate levels and lower clearance rates, and ultimate earlier onset of metabolic

fatigue and risk of exercise rhabdomyolysis or cramping.1, 2, 5, 8.

High intakes of poorly digested carbohydrates, particularly in the form of cereal-based lower-protein human breakfast

or dry dog foods, may also reduce protein and fat digestibility and uptake of sodium, potassium, and calcium because

of their higher fibre content.5. The higher fibre, while helpful in maintaining faecal bulk, increases iliocecal water flow

and results in wetter faeces,5, 6. with less retained as an intestinal reservoir against dehydration during hot weather.6.

Feeding pre-race snacks provide soluble short-chain sugars, such as sucrose (sugar) and glucose (dextrose) and can

lead to increased insulin sensitivity.2, 7, 10. When excess amounts are ingested in the immediate pre-race period,

rebound hyperinsulinemia may be triggered, leading to lowering of blood sugar levels. The combined hypoglycaemia

and the effect of insulin decrease on mobilisation of fatty acids and glycerol from lipid stores may also delay liver and

muscle glycogen replenishment during the pre-race kennel period.2, 7, 10. Both these effects, in theory, can cause a risk

of earlier metabolic fatigues and reduced race performance. In practice, it is widely recommended to avoid feeding

large amounts of soluble sugars in a pre-race “snack” feed, limiting to 15 gm (½ oz) glucose or 60 ml (2 oz) honey

within 4 to 6 hours before racing.2, 6, 7, 10.

Feeding the Racing Greyhound for Performance Page 7

Proteins

Energy Yield and Food Content. Proteins yield 3.5 kcal ME per gram.3, 9. Proteins provide a source of energy, as well

as essential amino acids, for protein synthesis. As a source of available amino acids, greyhound diets should contain

30 - 35% high quality crude protein on a dry matter basis.2, 4. Protein sources contribute, on average, between 35 -

40% of the total energy needs for a racing greyhound.2, 4. Lean meat ranges from 17 - 21% crude protein on an as-fed

basis, or approximately 60% crude protein on a dry-matter basis.2, 9. Dry foods contain a wide range of crude protein,

depending on the content of meat by-products and oilseed protein sources, and commercial products range from 17 -

35% on a dry-matter basis.2. Most greyhound diets based on meat and/or dry foods to satisfy energy demands

contain adequate protein to meet daily requirements.

Excess Protein. High intakes of protein increase the cost of the ration blend, and the elimination of excess poorquality

protein, such as contained in cereal-based dry foods, is an energy-consuming process. It is much more

economical, and metabolically more efficient, to feed a diet containing adequate protein, with additional energy

provided by fat to greyhounds, during hot weather or those competing in longer-distance races.2.

Fats or Lipids

Energy Yield and Food Content. Fat or lipids yield 8.5 kcal ME/gram, or approximately 2.25 times that of

carbohydrates or protein.3, 9. Fats are a useful energy-dense feed that provide an energy boost without adding

excessive volume or weight to the ration.2. The lipids in fats and oils are a palatable, highly digestible source of

energy; greyhound diets should contain at least 12 – 15% fat on an as-fed basis, and greyhounds can tolerate up to 25

– 30% fat on a dry-matter basis.2. Higher fat intake is recommended for excitable, hyperactive greyhounds and during

hot or very cold weather conditions.2.

Both animal and plant oils and fats are highly digestible. Lipids with a high percentage of short-chain (unsaturated)

fatty acids remain liquid (oils) at room temperature.2. As the percentage of long-chain fatty acids increases, the lipid

becomes solid at room temperature as a fat and digestibility is reduced in fats with high long-chain saturated

content.2, 6. Short to medium chain saturated triglycerides, as contained in coconut, canola, palm, and copha are

considered better utilised, as these lipids are digested by pancreatic enzymes without need for bile emulsification.4.

Although it is suggested that up to 25% of the total fat be provided by these sources of short to medium chain

triglycerides,4. greyhounds may not readily accept these items in their diet. Stepwise introduction over 7 to 10 days

may be necessary to obtain acceptance.6.

Excess Fat. High intakes of long-chain saturated fats, such as beef and mutton fat (trimmings or suet) or butter fat,

can reduce overall lipid digestibility, although greyhounds find these animal fats naturally more acceptable. 2, 4.

Animal fat sources are generally cheap to purchase as trimmed fat or omental fat from carcasses. However, if more

than 60 gm (2 oz) of animal-derived fat is required to boost energy content in the ration during hot weather, or in

dehydrated greyhounds, it is preferable to provide additional fat in the form of vegetable oil.2.

Essential Fatty Acids. Greyhounds require essential fatty acids. The diet should contain at least 1% of linoleic acid, an

omega-6 fatty acid, on a dry matter basis, or 2% of ME intake, to prevent the characteristic dry, flaking dermatitis

associated with a deficiency in dogs.11. Linoleic acid is the precursor of other linoleic acid family members, linolenic

and arachidonic acid, if adequate linoleic acid is available in the diet.11.

CONCLUSION

Greyhounds are elite athletic animals which are subjected to extreme physical exertion during racing and the

cumulative effects of environmental, metabolic and physical stress when trained and raced on a regular basis. They

must be provide with a palatable, low bulk, high energy-dense ration, with a medium crude protein and fat content to

maintain competitive speed and stamina within set limits of body weight. An adequate intake of minerals, trace

minerals, electrolytes and vitamins to correct low, imbalanced or inadequate levels in meat-based diets, in particular,

is essential to maintain musculo-skeletal soundness, optimum metabolic activity, strong immune status and overall

health in greyhounds racing between a relatively young age of 15 months to a mature age of between 3 and 4 years.15.

Feeding the Racing Greyhound for Performance Page 8

Table 2: Recommended daily intake (RDI) for a 30 kg resting and racing greyhound on a combined meat and dry

food diet. Updated from Kohnke 2002.15.

Nutrient

Recommended daily intake

(RDI) Practical guidelines for feeding racing greyhounds.

Resting Racing

Calcium 3570 mg 600-800 mg Supplement meat-based diets to 75% of RDI, dry food

diets to 30% RDI: essential in all young greyhounds in

training for musculo-skeletal development.

Phosphorus 2670 mg 5000 mg

Magnesium 246 mg 800-900 mg Add 50% RDI to the diets of nervous or cramping

greyhounds or hot weather.

Iron 20 mg 60 mg

maximum

Add 50% RDI, especially to chicken or fish-based diets

that are inherently low in iron.

Copper 1.8 mg 5 mg Add 50% RDI, especially to chicken or fish-based diets

that are inherently low in copper.

Zinc 21.6 mg 65 mg

maximum

Add 50% RDI to dry foods if calcium is supplemented.

Manganese 3.0 mg 6.0 mg Add 50% RDI to meat-based diets.

Selenium 100 ug/kg diet 200 ug/kg diet Add 100% RDI to high meat diets, 50% to dry food diets

(fish has high Se concentrations).

Iodine 0.36 mg 1.0 mg Add 50% RDI to high carbohydrate diets to optimize

metabolism.

Sodium 330 mg 3000-5000 mg

maximum

Do not add extra if more than 300g dry food with 1%

salt is fed; add 50% RDI to diet in hot weather.

Potassium 2670 mg 4500 mg

maximum

Add 50% RDI in hot weather, cramping, nervous

greyhounds.

Vitamin A

(retinal)

2250 IU

(0.675 mg)

3375 IU

(1.0 mg)

Add 50% RDI to lean-meat diets.

Vitamin D

(cholecalciferol)

240 IU

(0.06 ug)

260 IU

(0.09 ug)

Add 50% RDI to lean meat diets, or 360 IU (1.2 ug) when

calcium is included in cereal-based dry food.

Vitamin E

(tocopherol)

15 IU

(15 mg)

30-100 IU

(30-100 mg)

Freezing meat destroys vitamin E: add 50% RDI to meat

diets and up to 100% RDI in fat-boosted diets or high fat

dry diets. Do not exceed 400 IU daily as it may affect

performance (Marshall 20002 – optimum 100 IU daily,

pre-race 150-200 IU).

Thiamin

(Vitamin B1)

600 ug 1.8 mg Add at least 50% RDI to meat-based diets.

Riboflavin

(Vitamin B2)

1.5 mg 4.5 mg Add 100% RDI to fat-boosted diets.

Niacin 6.75 mg 20 mg Add 50% RDI daily when racing regularly on high energy

diets.

Pantothenate 6.0 mg 18 mg Add 50% RDI to diets containing cooked foods (stews)

Pyridoxine

(Vitamin B6)

0.6 mg 2.0 mg Add 50% RDI to high protein dry foods.

Cyanocobalamin

(Vitamin B12)

15 ug 45 ug Add 100% RDI to chicken or fish-based diets, which are

inherently low in vitamin B12.

Folic acid (folacin) 120 ug 360 ug Add 50% RDI to all racing diets.

Vitamin C Internally

synthesised

250-300 mg

can be

supplemented

[Limey Kennels]

Default Re: Grainless dod food



Add 100% RDI when racing regularly, but not exceeding

300 mg daily. Limit 250mg daily. Pre-race 500mg.

Supplementing with 1,000mg daily appeared to slow

racing greyhounds (Marshall et 2002)

(Adapted from Kohnke, 2002)

Feeding the Racing Greyhound for Performance Page 9

Table 3 – Foods for Greyhounds

Average Value as Fed Per 100g – (Adopted and Updated from Kohnke 1989,2. Hoskins & Kohnke 1994.14.

Metabolisable

Energy

(Kcals ME)

Crude

Protein (%)

(g)

Fat (%)

(g)

Calcium mg Iron mg

BEEF

Lean (Skirt/Beef flap) 123 22.4 4.6 7.0 2.1

Semi Lean 185 19.5 12.5 6.5 2.0

Lean-Medium 2/0 18.9 12.5 6.0 1.9

Medium 268 17.9 21.2 6.5 1.6

Medium-Fatty 280 16.3 25 4.5 1.3

Fatty 330 15.0 30 4 1.2

CHICKEN

Lean (meat only no skin) 107 20.3 5 6 0.6

Cull hen (meat only no skin) 165 190 10 5.5 0.45

Skin (boiled) 223 16.1 17.1 10 0.7

Cull hen (minced whole no

feathers, gut out)

250 21.2 19.4 200 (with bone) 1.0

Necks (minced with bone) 233 13.2 18.6 800 (high

proportion of

bone)

1.2

Feet (washed, boiled, minced,

whole)

96 15 5 2100 3.0

HORSE (meat only)

130 (average)

(110-150)

18.0-20.6

(average)

4-9% 170-200 4.2-4.8

SHEEP Lamb (leg meat) 240 17.9 18.7 6.0 1.7

MUTTON (leg meat) 265 15.5 22 5.5 1.5

Whole carcase no bones

minced

333 14.6 30.5 4.5 1.4

VEAL (meat lean average) 103 19.0 2.6 8.3 1.7

RABBIT (raw meat) 130 21.9 4.0 20.0 1.9

BEEF OFFAL

Beef Heart (raw) 100 18.2 3.0 5.0 5.0

Beef Kidney 91 17.1 2.5 15 5.4

Beef Liver 157 20.0 8.6 6.0 5.8

Tongue 200 17.2 14.6 6.0 3.2

Beef Tripe (cooked) 83 14.4 2.8 19 0.3

SHEEP OFFAL

Heart (raw) 122 17.8 5.6 5 3.9

Kidney 191 17.1 2.5 11 9.8

Liver 162 21.4 7.5 6 7.5

Tongue 200 15.3 15.5 7 1.9

FISH

Average (not cod) 100 18.0 1.0 27 1.1

MILK

Cows whole 65 3.3 3.5 120 0.05

Cows skimmed 59 3.6 0.1 120 -

Powdered Dry (non-fat) 363 35.9 0.8 1310 1.0

EGGS

Whole eggs with shell 147 12.3 10.9 9546 2

Whites 36 3.6g/yolk Trace 5.0 0.1

Yolk 58 (per yolk) 2.7g/yolk 12.2 45 0.4

Feeding the Racing Greyhound for Performance Page 10

Metabolisable

Energy

(Kcals ME)

Crude

Protein (%)

(g)

Fat (%)

(g)

Calcium mg Iron mg

BREAD (Wholemeal/White)

216 (60/slice

28g)

8.8 2.7 23 2.5

White

233 (58.8/slice

25g)

7.8 1.7 100 1.7

FAT (fat trimmed from beef)

736 (147/18g

tbsp)

5.2 78.8 Trace 0.2

Lard, Suet

902 (153/18g

tbsp.)

- 100 - -

Polyunsaturated Vegetable Oils

884 (150/17g

tbsp)

- - - -

Table 4: Energy Equation Calculations

Carbohydrate Protein Fat

3.5 Kcals ME/g 3.5 Kcals ME/g 8.7 Kcals ME/g

Calculating Carbohydrate Content of Dry Food

Protein % + Fat % + Ash (9%) + Moisture (10%) + CHO = 100%

25% + 15% + 9% + 10% + CHO = 41%

25g

87.5 Kcal ME

15g

130.5 Kcal ME

- - 41g

143 Kcal ME

TOTAL

361 Kcals

ME/100g

Feeding the Racing Greyhound for Performance Page 11

[canismajor]

excellent info, here is a article on muscle fibers, dogs and humans have slow and fast twitch.
Fast Twitch (Type II)
Because fast twitch fibers use anaerobic metabolism to create fuel, they are much better at generating short bursts of strength or speed than slow muscles. However, they fatigue more quickly. Fast twitch fibers generally produce the same amount of force per contraction as slow muscles, but they get their name because they are able to fire more rapidly. Having more fast twitch fibers can be an asset to a sprinter since she needs to quickly generate a lot of force.

Type IIa Fibers
These fast twitch muscle fibers are also known as intermediate fast-twitch fibers. They can use both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism almost equally to create energy. In this way, they are a combination of Type I and Type II muscle fibers.

Type IIb Fibers
These fast twitch fibers use anaerobic metabolism to create energy and are the "classic" fast twitch muscle fibers that excel at producing quick, powerful bursts of speed. This muscle fiber has the highest rate of contraction (rapid firing) of all the muscle fiber types, but it also has a much faster rate of fatigue and can't last as long before it needs rest.

Fiber Type and Performance
Our muscle fiber type may influence what sports we are naturally good at or whether we are fast or strong. Olympic athletes tend to fall into sports that match their genetic makeup. Olympic sprinters have been shown to possess about 80 percent fast twitch fibers, while those who excel in marathons tend to have 80 percent slow twitch fibers.
rest of link
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/a/MuscleFiberType.htm

[bigjim]

I agree with Zero Cool that these products are a waste of money. The primary ingredient is invariably maltodextrin, a highly-processed starch, used in the production of candy. To that these companies then add powdered (devalued) egg, powdered (devalued) liver, and then a bunch of vitamins ... so why not just save yourself the wasted money and buy whole (full-value) liver, whole (full-value) egg, and not even bother with the maltodextrin?

In the end, there has been no "debunking" of the fact FATS and OILS are the primary source of energy in a working dog. Your dog should get no more than 15% carbs, if even that. At least 50% of your dog's diet should be high-quality fats/oils derived from raw meats. The rest should be proteins and whatever trace elements are found in the veggie mix you provide him. I also recommend a Pedialyte supplement to replace lost electrolytes and minerals in heavy training.

Jack I notice you have vertex and power chow in your keep did you take them out or is it still in your program

[Officially Retired]

so jack did you take vertex out of your keepI agree with Zero Cool that these products are a waste of money. The primary ingredient is invariably maltodextrin, a highly-processed starch, used in the production of candy. To that these companies then add powdered (devalued) egg, powdered (devalued) liver, and then a bunch of vitamins ... so why not just save yourself the wasted money and buy whole (full-value) liver, whole (full-value) egg, and not even bother with the maltodextrin?

Long time ago.




In the end, there has been no "debunking" of the fact FATS and OILS are the primary source of energy in a working dog. Your dog should get no more than 15% carbs, if even that. At least 50% of your dog's diet should be high-quality fats/oils derived from raw meats. The rest should be proteins and whatever trace elements are found in the veggie mix you provide him. I also recommend a Pedialyte supplement to replace lost electrolytes and minerals in heavy training.

All of this is in my book/keep and has been since 2008. You must have a pretty old edition if Vertex is in there.

Jack

[EWO]

http://www.mushing.com/articles/content.php?vw=,,,633

This is another article from Mushing magazine concerning the high fat content diet and its performance benefits. There are several more from the Mushing magazine, one on how the performance bag foods are made. Pretty interesting. I think (opinion) the high fat content for the sled dogs is a little higher than what it should be for bulldogs and their endeavors because of the difference in temperatures. I came off the fat a little and upped the protein slightly and then gave a small boost in carbs. Over a couple of years I felt like the dogs were better equipped nutrition wise to recover from today and be ready for tomorrow.

Not being a scientist or a canine nutritionist I agree with the need for the carbs. I understand their value in nutrition for the canine is minimal but keeping the gut active is key to maintaining weight, especially for dogs in keep that live outside during the keep. There are so many variables involved and doing a dog in the south is different than doing one in the north. Then factor in the individual differences in the dogs. Every topic comes down to the 'eye' for what the dog needs. Great series of posts. Since there are no scientific studies going on covering the bulldog aspects of conditioning and dieting we have to take what we can use from others and make it work from there. The Mushing magazine is a good place to see real life information. S

[EWO]

http://www.sportsvet.com/CD.htm

Another good place to browse and read. EWO

[FrostyPaws]

Vertex and the like powders aren't a waste of money IMO. They are a supplement like creatine or any other type of supplement you, or anyone else, chooses to use. While I don't use them any longer, I have, and I have with success with nothing BUT those powders.

You can't just jack up the fat content in a keep to at least 50% just because that's what you think you should do. It doesn't work that way. Fat content should, and will be, based around the dog's intensity of work. A ho hum working dog won't do well on 50% fat simply because the dog will BE fat. Those are facts. You can't jack up caloric intake without burning it off.

As for electrolytes, there is a lot of information surrounding why dogs need or don't need it as they don't sweat the same as we do.

[EWO]

Well said. When talking sled dogs and fat it is somewhat understood these dogs will be burning the fat. Knocking out a hundred sometimes a hundred plus miles a day will burn a calorie or two, whether it be derived from fat or protein or whatever. I feed a lot of fat when the dogs are working, as much as 40%-45% of their meal. That amount is still 40% of the meal if the meal is 2lbs. or 4lbs. (just for numbers sake). If the dog is over then the total volume is reduced to bring him back down to where I think he needs to be.


What I have found, and this is not from a double blind, scientifically backed nutritional study, but the key to feeding higher percentages of fat during a keep is to start feeding higher percentages 8-10 weeks out. Just last week I started upping the fat content in my dogs' diets because in 8-10 weeks the weather will drop here and the dogs will get more active. When I first started feeding higher fat contents and immediately upping the work load I didn't see any difference and then in time, the latter part of the keeps the dogs seemed to 'come around'. With more research and some more practical/first hand experience it is better to get them on the diet way earlier than I once thought.

Agreed. High fat diets to a dog that is doing nothing is a recipe for a fat dog. That same dog would get fat if he was on a high carb diet or a high protein diet, maybe he fattens at different rates, but he fattens just the same. I am still on a 40% or so clip of fat in the diet, and if the weight is off the total volume of the meal is reduced, not just one part of it. EWO

[FrostyPaws]

That's the same way I do things here, EWO. All of the dogs I have are on a raw diet, and I've already started increasing the fat content to be ready for the colder weather. The highest % of fat I've fed a dog, in a keep, was between 50-55%. I can't remember the exact amount at this time, but it was a lot. He was a hard working dog, to say the least, and I was pleased to see he was able to handle that amount. The other dogs were fed close to the 40-45% because anything more than that, and they just would put on weight due to not burning the calories.

There is always something interesting when it comes to feeding dogs.

[R2L]

I did the same but you can easily give raw with a higher fat percentage other times of the year also, by just giving less grams and increasing the percentage of vitamins/minerals, ect. 55 would be to high tho.
Same thing they do in good working kibbles like royal canin 4800. I leave some dogs on it whole year round now, keep or rest.
Some people think im crazy giving them expensive kibbles. But my bag last 1,5 time longer :cheers:

[FrostyPaws]

R2L, I'd never give 55% to a dog just hanging out on the chain. The dog that received that much was in a keep. When all was said and done, he was like a 47lb dog on a 44lb frame. He was the biggest 44 I'd ever seen, and he was a dream to work as he gave me his everything every time we worked.

[EWO]

What I found was that the dogs that I upped the fat content on and immediately started work ran hotter than I expected during the earlier stages of the keep. Sorta like I thought he was in a little better shape when we started. Then things got better and at the end the dog 'just came around'. I did not have enough experience with the higher fat contents to realize the fats were just there and the dog was burning what he had been accustomed to burning all summer/fall. A number of years ago I read some of the sled dog articles and the light bulb went off ( I can be a little slow) the reason they are coming around at the end is that they are adjusting t burn what they are being fed. Almost like an 8-10 week mini-evolution process.

I just started to up my fat content last week and this week, not a ton but enough to get the switch. ONe it will be getting colder in the coming months and two, the dogs will see more activity. It is not like the winters are brutal in the Southeast, but cold is cold, and I can't see the need for my dog being 47 tonight and then 45 or so in the morning based on shivering alone.

Like Frosty said, the feed topic is really interesting because people have successes in so many different ways. Good posts. EWO

[drz]

That's the same way I do things here, EWO. All of the dogs I have are on a raw diet, and I've already started increasing the fat content to be ready for the colder weather. The highest % of fat I've fed a dog, in a keep, was between 50-55%. I can't remember the exact amount at this time, but it was a lot. He was a hard working dog, to say the least, and I was pleased to see he was able to handle that amount. The other dogs were fed close to the 40-45% because anything more than that, and they just would put on weight due to not burning the calories.

There is always something interesting when it comes to feeding dogs.

When you upped the fat what do you use for the increase? Actual fat scraps, oils or lard??
Also did you have any issues with loose stools on a high fat diet?

[FrostyPaws]

DRZ, I used all of what you described. I didn't have any issues with loose stools on the diet mainly because the dog was utilizing it. If he didn't work as he did, there's no way he could've been fed that much fat without being a fat slob of a dog. He's the only dog I've ever worked that received that much fat in his diet for a keep as most of the others simply didn't work hard enough to even use that much.

[EWO]

Ditto. Ditto. I used fat scraps, chicken fat, oils and lard as well. Like FP says, the dog has to be doing the work to offset those calories. The dog burns fat at a better rate than we do but the principle is still the same. If a dog eats XXXX amount of calories and only burns XX there is weight gain. The key is matching the amount of work to the amount of food and then adjusting as things move along. EWO




DRZ, I used all of what you described. I didn't have any issues with loose stools on the diet mainly because the dog was utilizing it. If he didn't work as he did, there's no way he could've been fed that much fat without being a fat slob of a dog. He's the only dog I've ever worked that received that much f



at in his diet for a keep as most of the others simply didn't work hard enough to even use that much.

[SteelyDan]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/9361887/?i=4&from=/18672977/related
Effect of postexercise carbohydrate supplementation on muscle glycogen repletion in trained sled dogs.

AuthorsReynolds AJ, et al. Show all Journal
Am J Vet Res. 1997 Nov;58(11):1252-6.

Affiliation
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of immediate postexercise carbohydrate supplementation on muscle glycogen (MG) repletion during the first 4 hours of recovery in sled dogs.

ANIMALS: 24 Alaskan Huskies.

PROCEDURE: Dogs were assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups, and a muscle biopsy specimen was obtained 1 hour before and immediately (group A) or 4 hours (groups B and C) after a 30-km run. Immediately after exercise, dogs in group A and group C were given water; dogs in group B were given a glucose polymer solution (1.5 g/kg of body weight) in water.

RESULTS: At 4 hours after exercise, MG concentration was significantly greater in group-B than in group-C dogs; the value in group-C dogs was not different from the value in group-A dogs immediately after exercise. Assuming similar rates of glycogen depletion between treatment groups, during the first 4 hours of recovery, group-B dogs replaced 49% of the glycogen used during exercise. Plasma glucose concentration was significantly greater in group-B than in group-A and group-C dogs at 100 minutes after exercise.

CONCLUSIONS: Immediate postexercise carbohydrate supplementation in sled dogs leads to increased glucose concentration, which in turn promotes more rapid rate of MG repletion in the first 4 hours of recovery than is observed in dogs not given supplements.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: For dogs running in multiple heats on a single day or over several consecutive days, immediate postexercise carbohydrate supplementation may promote more rapid and complete recovery between bouts of exercise.

[SteelyDan]

I realize not about dogs... Good info that can be applied though
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21849912/


hysiological and performance changes from the addition of a sprint interval program to wrestling training.

AuthorsFarzad B, et al. Show all Journal
J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Sep;25(9):2392-9. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181fb4a33.

Affiliation
Abstract
Increasing the level of physical fitness for competition is the primary goal of any conditioning program for wrestlers. Wrestlers often need to peak for competitions several times over an annual training cycle. Additionally, the scheduling of these competitions does not always match an ideal periodization plan and may require a modified training program to achieve a high level of competitive fitness in a short-time frame. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 4 weeks of sprint-interval training (SIT) program, on selected aerobic and anaerobic performance indices, and hormonal and hematological adaptations, when added to the traditional Iranian training of wrestlers in their preseason phase. Fifteen trained wrestlers were assigned to either an experimental (EXP) or a control (CON) group. Both groups followed a traditional preparation phase consisting of learning and drilling technique, live wrestling and weight training for 4 weeks. In addition, the EXP group performed a running-based SIT protocol. The SIT consisted of 6 35-m sprints at maximum effort with a 10-second recovery between each sprint. The SIT protocol was performed in 2 sessions per week, for the 4 weeks of the study. Before and after the 4-week training program, pre and posttesting was performed on each subject on the following: a graded exercise test (GXT) to determine VO(2)max, the velocity associated with V(2)max (νVO(2)max), maximal ventilation, and peak oxygen pulse; a time to exhaustion test (T(max)) at their νVO(2)max; and 4 successive Wingate tests with a 4-minute recovery between each trial for the determination of peak and mean power output (PPO, MPO). Resting blood samples were also collected at the beginning of each pre and posttesting period, before and after the 4-week training program. The EXP group showed significant improvements in VO(2)max (+5.4%), peak oxygen pulse (+7.7%) and T(max) (+32.2%) compared with pretesting. The EXP group produced significant increases in PPO and MPO during the Wingate testing compared with pretesting (p < 0.05). After the 4-week training program, total testosterone and the total testosterone/cortisol ratio increased significantly in the EXP group, whereas cortisol tended to decrease (p = 0.06). The current findings indicate that the addition of an SIT program with short recovery can improve both aerobic and anaerobic performances in trained wrestlers during the preseason phase. The hormonal changes seen suggest training-induced anabolic adaptations.

[CYJ]

How would Now Food's MCT oil work in a post feed recovery or say mixed with 8 to 12 oz. of half homemade beef both and half Pedialyte/one tablespoon of desiccated liver added. Say 12 hours before main workout. Might get the drizzling you know whats. Then maybe not.

I know MCT oil is a faster burning fat than animal fat and also a strong anti fungal. Just a thought in passing. V.J. liked to use the Chicken necks and Chicken backs to get the extra chicken fat and natural bones. Cheers

[FrostyPaws]

CYJ, I don't really see that as an issue 12 hours before. A lot of dogs I've worked get fed in the a.m. also, usually 8-12 hours before their work, so what you're suggesting is actually a good idea.

[CYJ]

Ditto Frosty Paws. Back then my Veterinarian had told me a dog could clear the fluids it drank etc. up to six hours before a event. So went with a 12 hour fluid drink on work days.

Last rest day, dog got last 30 hour feeding which could be 1 1/2times to twice the feed, based on what the dog ate last hard fourth work day counting 30 hours backwards from weigh in time. Before the three, thirty hour feed and rest days started. Counting four 30 hour feed cycles back from weigh in time. That fourth last hard work day, 30 hour feeding was slightly adjusted.

24 hours water taken away. Fluid drink given at 12 hours and 6 hours before weigh in after rub down, walked and weighed. Letting dog drink till lifting it's head. In the J. Crenshaw keep he mentioned giving fluids at three hours before weigh in. If dog is weighing light at three hours out. Might not hurt to give more fluids etc. at the three hour mark.

Just my thoughts on this. Sure there are better ways today. Cheers

[evolutionkennels]

Ditto Frosty Paws. Back then my Veterinarian had told me a dog could clear the fluids it drank etc. up to six hours before a event. So went with a 12 hour fluid drink on work days.

Last rest day, dog got last 30 hour feeding which could be 1 1/2times to twice the feed, based on what the dog ate last hard fourth work day counting 30 hours backwards from weigh in time. Before the three, thirty hour feed and rest days started. Counting four 30 hour feed cycles back from weigh in time. That fourth last hard work day, 30 hour feeding was slightly adjusted.

24 hours water taken away. Fluid drink given at 12 hours and 6 hours before weigh in after rub down, walked and weighed. Letting dog drink till lifting it's head. In the J. Crenshaw keep he mentioned giving fluids at three hours before weigh in. If dog is weighing light at three hours out. Might not hurt to give more fluids etc. at the three hour mark.

Just my thoughts on this. Sure there are better ways today. Cheers


agreed

[Nut]

If the dog is down weight i let them drink too, but the body itself absorbs very little in this time imo. most get pissed out before the show. might look a little heavier on time but it will piss out more later.

[CYJ]

Ditto Nut, that is correct. Not much one can do that late in the game. Why I preferred the dog weighing light or heavy on that second rest day. Rather deal with that problem 60 hours out than last 24 hours before show time. Can at least better adjust the last feeding and water and know the dog will be completely cleaned out.

I feel this is one of the main culprits that make most dogs run hot. Instead of B-12 shots or some steroids in a limited and small dosage etc. Saw dogs clean out bowels during the show while in holds. Would be hot and breathing hard. None that I saw that did that, ever cooled out or won the dog pull.

Seen this guy many years back, get so upset over a heavy weighing dog, right before weigh in. He takes three large sulfur matches and shoves them into the dog's anal cavity. Says Oh Man, I forgot to wet them first. Pulls the matches back out and sticks them into his mouth. Too get them good and wet. Then sticks them back into the dog's arse. I looked at him, said do you know what you just did? He says what? I said you just double dipped your chip in the Salsa sauce. If you get my meaning. LOL

[Nut]

LMAO

[EWO]

That is way funny. But that is focus at its best. When you can 'double dip' and not know you double dipped, a person must really be locked in on the subject at hand. With that said, every buddy would look over at his buddy and say, "dumbass" and laugh his hind parts off. EWO

[EWO]

A great series of articles. Pretty much worth a re-read and add if you can.

This is the time of year I start upping the fat content a little, a little more than that if it is a dog that will start working hard soon. About a week or so ago I started pulling dogs off the chain and getting them 'all hot and bothered' on the mill, especially the younger dogs. The fat is going up, the work will increase gradually, and the temperatures will soon drop.

EWO