Page 350 - Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 5th Edition

Feeding Working and Sporting Dogs 357

they should be spaced throughout the day and each snack should compose no more than 10% of the normal daily food amount.
Feeding at the end of a break will cause less blood glucose disturbance.
VetBooks.ir Progress Notes

The food was changed to a commercial specialty brand dry food that was higher in fat, energy density and digestibility (Science
a
Diet Canine Active ) than the previous food.The owner reported that the dog performed well through the rest of the hunting sea-
son with no further collapsing episodes. In addition to the change in feeding plan, the dog now runs four to five miles several times
weekly with the owner’s daughter.

Endnote
a. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc., Topeka, KS, USA. This product is currently available as Hill’s Science Diet Canine Adult Active
Formula.

CASE 18-4

Diarrhea in a Team of Sled Dogs
Arleigh J. Reynolds, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVN
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York, USA
Patient Assessment
A team of Alaskan husky-type dogs was examined for recurrent bouts of hemorrhagic diarrhea during exercise. The owner was a
neophyte musher from upstate New York and noted that the dogs were eating well and eager to work. However, they would defe-
cate loose feces during and immediately after each training run. Sometimes the feces were flecked with bright red blood. At other
times during the day, the feces were of normal consistency without blood. At the time they were examined, the dogs were running
four 10-mile training sessions each week.
Physical examination revealed a group of bright, alert, well-hydrated dogs with an average body weight of 20 kg. Muscle tone
and mass were slightly greater than is usual for sedentary dogs. Their body condition score (BCS) was 2/5. Their overall condition
was judged to be normal for this breed at this stage of training.The only abnormality noted on physical examination was mild brown
staining of the hair on the ventral aspects of the tail and caudal aspects of both hind limbs.
The results from fecal smears and flotation tests for parasite ova, blood and abnormal bacteria were negative. Manual rectal pal-
pation results, hematocrit and total solids measurement were normal.

Assess the Food and Feeding Method
The owner was feeding a dry commercial dog food with the following guaranteed analysis: Crude protein, not less than 26%; Crude
fat, not less than 12%; Crude fiber, not more than 9%; Moisture, not more than 10%; Ash, not more than 8%. The dogs did quite
well on this food during the summer and early fall training. By November, with the cold, wet climate and increased training mileage,
the owner was feeding twice the volume of food he fed during the summer. Each 20-kg dog was receiving 800 g of food per day to
maintain body weight. The dogs were fed half that amount in the morning (8:00 a.m.) and half in the evening (8:00 p.m.). The
training runs usually occurred around noon.

Questions
1. What is the most likely cause of the diarrhea observed in these dogs?
2. What characteristics of the food and feeding method might have contributed to the diarrhea?
3. What recommendations should be made to the owner to prevent this problem from continuing?

Answers and Discussion
1. The observation that the dogs had normal feces except during and immediately after running suggests that stress or physiologic
diarrhea is the most likely diagnosis. This problem is usually observed when exercise takes place while feces remain in the lower
gastrointestinal tract.
2. The food is relatively low in fat and energy density for a performance ration; therefore, a large volume of food must be fed to
meet the increased energy requirements associated with intense training and cold environmental temperatures. Feeding a large
volume of food and feeding close to the time of exercise increases the fecal volume present during exercise. One theory is that
the constant concussion between feces and colonic mucosa, termed “cecal slap,” may irritate the colonic mucosa and alter colonic