Feeding Regimens for Working Dogs

November/December 2015

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Feeding Regimens for Working Dogs BETTER UNDERSTAND WHEN & WHAT TO FEED YOUR DOG

By Jill Cline, MS, PhD Nutritional Insights Manager at Royal Canin USA

E

ver walk down the pet food aisle and think to yourself, “How many choices of dog food are there? Isn’t it all just the same?” Walking up and down the aisle of a pet store can be intimidating, overwhelming and just when you think you are figuring it out; you are accosted by an in-store demo representative or store associate. While they have a genuine intention to help you, neither one is aware of what your dog does for a living, but they are certain they can help you anyway. You are not alone; this happens to me too and I work in this industry! In this article, we will discuss what types of feeding regimens that are right for working dogs, when to feed your dog and if supplements are necessary.

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What to feed?

There are three generally accepted feeding regimens for working dogs: commercial dry dog food, commercial wet dog food, and BARF diets (BARF is an acronym for bones and raw foods). Commercial dry and wet foods are usually most convenient for dog handlers and by far the most popular.

Let’s look at the PROs and CONs of these three feeding options.

Commercial dry dog food PROs • The food can be fed anywhere and anytime • The dry food comes in a variety of nutrient profiles and calorie contents • The food is easy to store and requires minimal special handling. Standard storage practice is not to expose the food to heat, humidity or leave the bag open and exposed to air.

• The food is complete and balanced • The food can contain special nutrient combinations to address working dog issues like stress diarrhea or skin issues

Commercial dry dog food CONs • Low water content, no hydration value • May not support dental health if the kibble size does not encourage chewing You should pick a dry dog food that has the right nutritional profile for your dog, has the correct calorie content and that is highly digestible. If a food is highly digestible, it means that when you break the dog you shouldn’t need a scoop shovel for clean up. Certain formulas are designed especially for highly active dogs and have an appropriate feeding recommendation based on your dog’s weight and activity level. Overfilling the gut with food or water may increase the risk for bloat, so if you have to feed your dog an excessive amount of food per day, consider looking for another pet food or contacting the pet food company for a nutritional recommendation to ensure you are using the product appropriately. Reputable pet food companies are happy to answer questions about their diets. They will be able to answer any questions you may have around the specificities of their products. If a company does not want to share that information with you, consider a different brand that is open about the quality and nutrient profile of their foods.

Commercial wet food PROs • Canned foods contain a higher moisture content than dry food so they can help dogs maintain hydration status which can be a chronic problem in some dogs especially those in hot climates • Canned foods are very palatable • These foods are generally complete and balanced for all life stages

Commercial wet food CONs • Most canned foods are 3 oz., 5.5 oz. or 13 oz. cans. In order to feed a 50 pound dog, it takes A LOT of cans • Because of the high moisture content, the calorie density is often low, therefore it takes a large volume of food to meet the calories needs of your dog - leading to gut overfill Recent studies by Penn Vet Working Dog Center indicate that many working dogs are chronically dehydrated which may affect work performance. Canned food can help to increase hydration status, and can also act as water bait - just add a tablespoon of canned food to your water and the dogs will generally increase the amount of water they consume because of the improved flavor of the water.

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BARF feeding BARF is an acronym for bones and raw foods.

Technically these diets are made up of raw bones, whole or ground, raw meat, whole or ground and vegetable scraps. Of late, however, BARF diets have expanded to include frozen raw foods which are high pressure pasteurized and/or dehydrated raw foods.

Since there is no single BARF diet, it is difficult to accurately access the PROs and CONs of feeding this type of diet. The following are examples of owner observations when feeding a BARF diet.

BARF diets PROs • Shiny coat and strong teeth (if it is one of the diets that contains whole bones) • The dog has higher energy levels • Smaller stools

BARF diets CONs • Threat to human and dog health from bacteria in raw meat and on raw bones • Imbalanced diet which may damage health of dogs if given for an extended period of time • Potential for whole bones to fracture teeth or cause internal punctures In my experience, the two biggest issues with feeding raw diets are preparation and recipe drift. In order to feed a raw diet properly, food must be either taken from the fridge and mixed together or taken from the freezer in advance so that it can thaw before meal time. In addition, the bowls and prep utensils must be cleaned with an intensive cleaning procedure to prevent bacterial spread every day.

The second issue is a concept called “recipe drift.”

There are several online programs and consulting veterinary nutritionists or PhD canine nutritionists who can design a well-balanced raw food diet for you to use. However, many times people will substitute an ingredient to “change it up” for the dog which then changes the nutrient profile. For example, switching from chicken legs and thighs to chicken breast meat changes the balance of minerals from a BARF diet. The recipe “drifts” away from the original recipe and can cause nutrient deficiencies long term.

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You are busy enough as a canine handler with extra training and paperwork, so my recommendation is to pick a well-balanced commercial dry dog food that provides the right amount of calories and the nutrient profile your dog’s needs that is highly digestible.

When to feed?

Every time I work with police or military working dog handlers I am asked this question “when should I feed my dog?” It’s not an easy question to answer because it depends on so many variables.

• You and your dog’s work schedule. In a perfect world, you should feed 1/3 of the daily ration of food three to four hours before exercise or work and 2/3 of the food within two hours of cessation of work or exercise. But, the reality is, if you work first shift, you are probably not going to get up at 4 AM to feed the dog before your shift starts at 8 AM. In these cases, best scenario is to feed at the end of the shift. Another thing to consider is if your shift starts out slow - going to the station, briefing, sorting out the day and then getting in the vehicle, you can certainly feed closer to the start of your shift. The flip side of that scenario is if your dog anticipates work time and starts to pace or get excited. If that is the case, feed at the end of the shift when he is calmer.

• The length of your shift. If you have multiple long shifts or a double shift, feed a few small meals (a handful of kibble) spaced throughout the day as long as your dog is not panting when you feed him.

• The type of job your dog does. If your dog is doing a long track, then a few kibbles several times during tracking can be fine. If you have a dog who has worked hard at interdiction or patrol, then it is best to feed this dog at the end of the work day. Dogs who are panting should not be fed because it may increase the risk for bloat. My rule of thumb is if your dog is panting but stops for three to five seconds when you say his name, then it’s ok to feed him but if he is still panting heavily, wait until he cools off.

• The age of your dog. Working dogs over 50 pounds at adulthood are not full grown until they are at least 15 months of age. Young dogs need to be fed at least 2 meals per day. In addition, it is very important to feed these dogs large breed puppy food NOT adult food until they are 15 months of age. Adult food may not always contain the proper ratio of vitamins and minerals for a growing dog.

Table 1: Ingredients & nutrients shown to be beneficial Joint Supplements

Skin and Coat Supplements

Digestive Health Supplements

Glucosamine

EPA

Hyperimmunized egg

Chondroitin sulfate

DHA

Probiotics (live bacteria)

Natural egg membrane (NEM)

Fish oil

Prebiotics

Green lipped mussels

Krill oil

MOS (mannanoligosaccharides)

Flax seed

FOS (fructoligosaccharides)

Methyl sulphonyl methane (MSM)

Evening primrose oil

Beta-glucans

Hyaluronic acid

Lutein, astazanthin, lycopene

EPA

Curcumin

Zinc

DHA

EPA (ecosipentanoic acid)

Vitamin E

DHA (docosahexanoic acid)

Biotin

In general, feed your dog when he can be calm and quiet for a few hours after eating or choose to feed him a few kibbles at a time all through the day if you are working an extended shift.

Also, remember to offer water multiple times per day because working dogs often forget to drink enough water.

To supplement or not, that is the question Most commercial pet foods are formulated so that you should not have to supplement them with extra nutrients - especially if you are buying a food from a reputable manufacturer. That being said, working dogs are often under stress from their jobs, which make them candidates for supplement use. There are three main categories of supplements used in police and military working dogs: joint and bone; digestive health; and skin and coat. Refer to Table 1 for a list of ingredients or nutrients which have shown to provide some benefits in dogs.

Many of these nutrients may also be incorporated into a well-balanced diet.

Check the label of your dog’s pet food before you begin to look into adding supplements. Response to supplements is individualized but can also have adverse effects. Consult your veterinarian before introducing supplements.

In summary, the key takeaways are: • There are three feeding regimens for working dogs: commercial dry dog food, commercial wet food and BARF diets • Feed your dog when you know he can be quiet for a few hours after eating a big meal or, if working a really long shift, feed multiple small snack size meals throughout the day • Feed young dogs age-appropriate food.

• In general, if you feed a well-balanced dog food, supplements are not necessary. Consult your veterinarian for additional information.

• Working dog supplements fall into three main categories: digestive health; skin and coat; and joint health.

Every handler will find the right diet for his dog - the key is to be open to the idea of improvement because just like diet regimens for humans, dog dietary needs are individualized and based on work load, temperament, genetics and performance goals.

Dr. Jill Cline has published papers and spoken around the world on topics ranging from kennel management to cognitive function in dogs. Her passion for working dogs stems from an interest in the interaction between humans and dogs and its influence on plane of nutrition and conditioning. Dr. Cline’s current role as Nutritional Insights Manager at Royal Canin US allows her to interact with key influentials in the working dog, veterinary and consumer sectors.

Contact Dr. Cline at: jill.cline@royalcanin.com

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