Page 346 - Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 5th Edition

Feeding Working and Sporting Dogs 353

Assess the Food and Feeding Method
The dogs were fed individually once daily. They received a ration composed of the following:
VetBooks.ir 2 cups dry puppy food
1 lb raw meat (90% lean)
1 tbs bone meal
1 tbs dry vitamin supplement
1 cup milk
A trainer at a neighboring greyhound farm suggested feeding more meat and adding one-fourth cup vinegar to the ration.
Questions
1. What are the key nutritional factors and dietary recommendations for sprint athletes?
2. What additional information is necessary to fully assess the food and feeding method for these dogs?
3. What recommendations should be made about the food recipe for these dogs?
4. What is an appropriate feeding method?

Answers and Discussion
1. The key nutritional factors for sprint athletes include energy density, fat, digestible carbohydrate, protein, water and food
digestibility.The ideal food or ration for sprint athletes should have an energy density between 3.5 to 4.0 kcal (15 to 17 kJ) metab-
olizable energy (ME)/g dry matter (DM) and contain these levels of nutrients: fat 8 to 10% DM, digestible carbohydrate 55 to
65% DM, protein 22 to 28% DM and DM digestibility greater than 80%.Water should be available at all times except just before
a race.
2. Further assessment should include the following: 1) Nutrient levels in the final ration are needed.Table 1 estimates the key nutri-
ent levels for the current ration. 2) Amount of food fed to each dog and the timing of feeding in relationship to exercise (train-
ing). 3) Food safety issues must be addressed for animals that are fed a homemade ration containing raw meat. Greyhounds are
frequently fed raw meat that may contain large numbers of bacteria and toxins. Information is needed about how the meat is
stored, thawed and handled.
3. The current ration is a typical food for racing greyhounds.The recommendation from the other trainer to increase the meat frac-
tion will increase the protein and fat content of the ration. Although most greyhound trainers believe that meat is essential for
optimal performance, the protein and fat content of this recipe is already more than adequate. The appropriate recommendation
is to increase the carbohydrate content of the ration by increasing the amount of a balanced commercial dry dog food.This food
should be a commercial dry food formulated for adult dogs (lower in fat and protein and higher in carbohydrate than the puppy
food). Vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies are unlikely to occur if a balanced commercial dry food makes up at least 50% of
the recipe on an as fed weight basis. Cooking raw meat is recommended for homemade dog foods although many greyhound
trainers believe that raw meat is vital for optimal performance. Therefore, efforts should focus on meat quality, storage, handling
and sanitation (Chapter 11). Food storage and preparation should emphasize sanitation and minimize the opportunity for bac-
terial growth in the food mixture. Meat should be kept frozen until near the time of use and be cooked to kill bacteria and
decrease quantities of heat-labile toxins. Greyhound trainers often use and recommend a wide variety of unusual dietary supple-
ments. However, most of these supplements are unnecessary and no data exist to support their use. Because greyhounds produce
large amounts of metabolic acid when racing, adding an acid such as vinegar to the ration is inappropriate.
4. Meals should be fed more than four hours before training or racing. Water should be available at all times except just before rac-
ing. Food dose should be adjusted to maintain proper body condition (usually 1/5 or 2/5 for racing greyhounds).

Progress Notes
The recipe was changed to the following:
3 cups dry adult food
0.5 lb meat
1 cup milk
1 tbs vitamin supplement
The recommendations decreased the protein and fat levels and increased the digestible carbohydrate levels of the ration while not
markedly changing the overall feeding regimen. Nutritionally speaking, this was not an ideal ration, but rather a compromise
between the need to improve the nutrient profile, while maintaining the owner’s desire to continue feeding raw meat. Table 2 lists
the key nutrient levels. The owner was pleased with these suggestions and they were implemented as part of the training program.