# Feeding Question



## taddy1340 (Dec 10, 2004)

Hey guys. Got a quick question for you. I currently feed my 2 labs twice a day. With hunting season approaching, I'm evaluating about feeding them in the morning. In the past, I fed them before we left for hunting. However, looking back I realize that can adversely affect the dog while hunting.

Should I feed just once at night (double serving) on the day before hunting? Or wait to feed them after the day of hunting? Some days are really long though. I know a lot of guys only feed 1x day...at night.

Any help is appreciated. Have a great weekend...

Mike


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## gonehuntin' (Jul 27, 2006)

Just feed them once a day ever. If you feed them in the morning of the hunt you run the risk of a flipped stomach. Purina just published a bid study on this. Once a day year round. That's how you'll get maximum performance from your dogs.


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## BIRDSHOOTER (Jul 18, 2005)

I agree, during days when heavy exercise or when hunting, it is wise to feed at the end of the day. However a light snack during a mid-day break is not harmful.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

No such thing as never & always when it comes to gundogs. Some do better with something in the tank in the morning, some do better fed once a day in the evening. Some let them free choice, which I don't believe is a good idea for a working gundog. The only person who can evaluate this is the owner/handler who spends time with them.

My oldest lab (whose portrait graces my avitar) is one of those who needs a little in her stomach in the morning to be at her best during the day. When I fed her once a day/evening, by 10:00AM the next day she would be hacking up bile from an empty/nearly so stomach ( it takes a dog about 14 hours to fully digest a meal). When I started feeding her a bit in the morning, she did and performed better during the day.

Two a day feedings takes a bit of trial & error to find the right amount so your dog is comfortable but not too belly-heavy during the day. For my dog, this turned out to be 1/3 of her daily food, or in her case, 1 cup. This 1/3 morning 2/3 evening ratio is a good place to start. My guess is you'll find the proper amount to be 1/4 to 1/3 of the dog's daily ration.

Before the One- A- Day folks jump me, I'll advise that this particular dog trains twice daily during the off season, and between upland, waterfowl, and preserves, easily hunts 90-100 days a year. When the seasons overlap in Sept, it's not unusual for her to hunt geese in the morning and sharps in the afternoon. This is her third season, and in her first two she's made just shy of 500 retrieves. The point is you will have to look pretty hard to find a gundog that works harder, yet she does this with absolutely no ill effects from twice a day feedings...


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## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

I agree. I usually give mine just a tiny amount in the morning and a regular feed at night.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

I agree with the last posts I think its really the amount that affects the risk of a twisted gut. ( my dogs mostly are fed purina one lamb and rice dry food year round one a day at night)

What I do is feed the dog a can of food immediately after they are hunted.

There is a lot of evidence that the 1st half hour after exercise is the time that they are best able to replenish glycogen stores in their muscles so that is why I give it immediately.

Realize I have 8 pointers so the dog I give the can of food to is not going to be hunted again that day.

I would be real careful about feeding more than a cup especially to a lab before hunting it, I would probably only give it a handful to avoid that bile issue mentioned above. I've seen that problem with one of my dogs also


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## taddy1340 (Dec 10, 2004)

Thanks guys....they currently get 2 cups in the am and 2 in the pm. I have done the above suggested as well...feed only 1/2 the am portion before hunting and then again after the hunt.

Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions!

Mike


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