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Correct feeding is a key factor in keeping your dog fit. Chudleys' nutritional expert, Dr John Lowe, guves some practical advice.
The concept of feeding to condition was probably in-built in all of us at one time or another and probably still is particularly those who have owned dogs for a long time or are good stock men or women. However, a bit like the art of cooking in the home, we seem to have forgotten its importance and application. This is probably due to the pressure of life, the advent of convenience foods and the reliance on instructions on-pack.
It never ceases to amaze me that for many the feeding of the dog is either a routine exercise based on either the slavish following of on-pack instructions or simply the putting down at each meal of exactly the same amount day after day, irrespective of what the dog looks like, how it feels or what it is doing. Granted, on-pack instructions are probably the most important and useful bit of information for the dog owner and even essential in the world of fast food for us.
When it comes to designing a complete dog food, feeding instructions are clearly an important piece of information although for the nutritionist they are one of the hardest things to get right. Firstly any feeding guide is just that, a guide; it can be no more because it has to cover the wide range of possible circumstances in which the food might be fed, depending upon such factors as weather, housing, age of the dog, workload, initial body fat reserves (body condition, and we’ll come on to that in a minute), frequency of feeding and so forth. In addition, there is another problem in their calculation; if you take a group of, say 100, identical dogs and try and determine the amount of feed that is needed to maintain a given body weight and fat cover, many of the dogs will need the same amount, most of the rest will be around that common value. There will, however, be a proportion (about 16 of them) of them that require around 20 per cent or more feed to achieve this goal and a similar amount (16) requiring in the region of 20 per cent less! So no matter how good the feeding guide is, it could be out by as much as 20 per cent either way. Even in my own kennels of Labradors and Italian Spinones you can see this effect.
So what should you do? The simple answer is if the dog is thin feed more and if fat feed less. But how do you know, I hear you ask. In an ideal world it would be great to be able to weigh the dog every few days or weeks, however this is not always practical. So what is the alternative?
Well, this is where the body condition scoring (BCS) comes in. A dog in a fit, not fat, condition should have a body fat cover so that you can easily feel the ribs but not see them, have a smooth contour to the base of the tail with a thin covering of fat that just allows you to feel the bones and an abdominal tuck (between ribs and hips) revealing a true waist when walking or standing. This is termed condition score 3 and is considered ideal. Both sides of this are BCS1 and BCS2 which are classed as very thin and underweight respectively, and BCS4 and BCS5 that are overweight and obese.
Obese is described as dogs which have ribs that are impossible or very difficult to feel, a thickened tail base and no discernible bones and a pendulous bulge where the waist should be and when viewed from above the sides swell outwards.
At the other end of the spectrum the over thin is best described as easily seen and felt ribs with no fat cover here or at the base of the tail. The abdomen shows as a severe tuck with an accentuated hour-glass shape.
OK so now you are off the hook as far as weighing the dog is concerned, but you still need to take a few minutes every week to objectively assess your dog’s condition score and remember to adjust the feed offered at each meal accordingly. If you feed by “scoop-fulls” this is easy to do although just be careful you don’t slip back to what you were feeding and remember it only works if you stick to the same food. A change in food type may change the amount each scoop, so check the actual amount of food you are giving.
First thing to remember is that what ever adjustment in BCS is required should be done over an extended, 4-12 week period. Sudden changes in diet and BCS do not result in lasting benefits.
Secondly take time out to observe your dog, assess how he or she looks, is behaving and feeding.
Thirdly, getting your dog in the right condition beforehand is far more important than what you feed him on the morning of the shoot; preparation is everything.
You then need to decide what you are going to try and achieve with your dog. Are you building up the dog for an intense working season, trying to reduce weight or just maintain condition whatever the work load.
Using the condition scoring system you need to be looking to feed to achieve and maintain a BCS3.
For most moderately worked dogs there’s no harm in starting the season just over BCS3 and then finishing the season at BCS3. The best way of achieving this is to pick a diet to suit the work load, for example if you are on a complete diet for moderate work like Chudleys Classic or for heavier work loads like Working Crunch then simply assess your dog each week by looking and all importantly feeling the body and then increase or decrease the food intake to maintain condition. The amount you will need to adjust is likely to only be about plus or minus10 per cent each time.
If you are just looking to feed your dog better, then take time to look at the body condition and adjust whatever your favourite diet is to initially achieve and then maintain BCS3.
For a dog that is facing a season of intense work, out most days of the week, then a more planned approach is needed. There is good evidence both from research trials and practical experience that tells us if you start by feeding a diet that is relatively high in fat (14 per cent plus) to build condition along with an exercise program some 6-12 weeks before you start the intense period of work, then not only will condition be maintained through the work period but the dog’s stamina will be greater as well.
Dogs prepared in this way work harder, retain their scenting ability better (which can also be influenced by diet, see Chudleys working crunch and performance information sheets) and recover quicker after work, providing you feed during the season to maintain the BCS.
The benefits will be huge in terms of health, condition and performance. Maintaining BCS3 maintains body energy reserves, means your dog will work harder for longer and recover quicker. The dog is also more likely to be working as well at the end of the season as at the start. Maintaining condition also has advantages in terms of reducing joint wear and tear compared with an overweight dog and reducing loads on other body systems such as the heart and liver.
So, use the feeding guide as a start point if you are changing to a new food, or ring the company’s help line for specific advice. After that do not be afraid to adjust the daily allowance to maintain condition; you and your dog will both benefit over the season and into next year.
For friendly feeding advice for your dog contact Chudleys Nutritional Helpline 0870 442 3322 (normal national rates apply). |
