Canine Sports Medicine Part 4: Nutrition for the Canine Athlete
- Tiffany Downing, RVT & Lauryn Harker, CCAT, CCRP, RVT, CAPM
- Apr 21
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 11
*** The tips and recommendations within this article may not be right for your dog. As all dogs are unique individuals, we recommend that you consult with your Veterinarian and/or schedule a Fitness Consultation with the Physical Rehabilitation Specialists here at Canine Rehabilitation of Orange County to discuss what is right for your dog.***
To help reduce your Canine Athlete's risk of injury, check out our first three Canine Sports Medicine articles!
We understand that pet diets can be a highly contentious subject. The information included here is based on clinical studies & without influence by commercial or alternative dog food/supplement companies.
Proper nutrition is vital for the performance, recovery, and healing of the Canine Athlete's body. The type, quality, and amount of calories required will vary between dogs based on their activities, lifestyle, and any medical conditions. Sprinting dogs need more carbohydrates while endurance dogs need fat as the major fuel for exercise. Most athletes are kept lean to reduce strain of excess weight, so if more weight is desired, that weight should be gained in muscle rather than fat.
Home-Cooked Diets
High protein, non-commercial dog foods, typically including fresh, high quality meats and vegetables prepared at home, have become increasingly popular. Unfortunately, the majority of these diets are wildly unbalanced and lacking essential vitamins and amino acids that must be ingested as they cannot be made by the body. These nutritional deficiencies can lead to long term consequences.
Calcium is often a problematic ingredient. Too little and a dog may become inappetent, weak, and potentially even have seizures. Too much and a dog may experience increased thirst and urination, inappetence, & bladder or kidney stones.
To ensure that your Canine Athlete is getting all the nutrients they need, it is advised that home-cooked diets are supplemented with an AAFCO-approved commercial dog food for a minimum of 25% of a dog's meals. You can also use websites like www.balanceit.com or consult with a board-certified Veterinary Nutritionist to make sure your dog’s diet is balanced and complete.
All Meat Diets
Like home-cooked diets, feeding primarily or only meat is not recommended due to nutritional deficiencies. While not likely to be detrimental over short periods of time, extensive studies have shown that Canine Athletes perform better with a diet composed of 30% protein, 50% fat, and 20% carbohydrates. Carb-loading is a human sport principle that has been applied to Canine Athletes in multi-day events. Protein & carbs are given post-exercise as protein helps curb muscle loss & carbs replenish glycogen within the muscles to prevent the body from breaking down lean muscle. A plethora of studies have proven that this combination is best achieved with a commercial dog kibble.
Grain Free Diets
These diets were heavily marketed by boutique food manufacturers that lacked food laboratory feeding trials & research.
It has become abundantly clear from overwhelming evidence that diets touted as high in legumes/pea proteins & grain free result in Cardiomyopathy, a serious & sometimes fatal heart condition.
Grain free diets are, thankfully, becoming less popular as pet owners are in favor of safer, healthier alternatives. Look for wheat, corn, barley, oats, millet, or rice in the ingredients when selecting your Canine Athlete’s diet to ensure the formula is grain inclusive.
Sporty Poops
Even seasoned Canine Athletes can experience diarrhea related to competition stress or exercise. In humans, it’s referred to as “Runner’s Diarrhea”. Exercise can increase gut motility, making for loose and more frequent stool and stress or excitement can release hormones that loosen stool as well.
The binding properties in supplements or commercial dog foods containing Chicory Root, Beet Pulp, or Psyllium Husk Fiber will help improve fecal quality.
Canned pumpkin is also known to firm up softer stools & loosen hard stools. To balance bowel movements, use 1-2 tablespoons per meal for several days. Your Canine Athlete should have access to fresh water at all times, but hydration will be especially important if they are experiencing diarrhea on a big working/sporting day.
When to Feed the Canine Athlete
Food is fuel but when & how it's offered can affect performance. When feeding your Canine Athlete, do so with timing & frequency in mind to reduce fecal bulk while aiming to maximize metabolites. Field studies have proven that sprinting dogs running for less than 10 minutes in a single event benefited most from a 20% reduction in feed during the 24 hours prior to the event.
It was previously common practice to "Carb Load" prior to burst exercise but that has been proven to be unhelpful for these Athletes.
If Canine Athletes that participate in multiple bouts of exercise throughout the day are expected to perform again after 2-3 hours of rest, they benefit most from small amounts of carbohydrates immediately after exercise. However, if they are expected to perform within 2 hours of their initial event, food should be avoided to prevent regurgitation. During multi-day events or work assignments, carbohydrates should be provided within 30 minutes of the last exercise of the day in order to replenish glycogen in the muscle & reduce muscle break down.
Gastric Dilatation & Volvulus (GDV)
Due to high risks of GDV, it is not advised to feed large meals within 2 hours before or immediately after exercise, especially for large breeds with deep chests. Colloquially referred to as Bloat, a twisted stomach, or stomach torsion,
GDV is life threatening if not identified and treated right away.
It is most commonly associated with eating quickly or exercising on a full stomach of food/water. It initially begins with the stomach expanding to accommodate the food/water and dogs will display signs of discomfort like drooling, retching without producing anything, stretching, and restlessness.
As things worsen, the stomach can become so enlarged that it flips over on itself, which then cuts off vital blood supply to the stomach and spleen and interferes with circulation throughout the body. As the stomach continues to expand, this puts pressure on the diaphragm, making breathing difficult, further reducing oxygenation to the entire body. Abnormal heart beats are common as the lack of oxygen worsens and the stomach can sometimes rupture. Some dogs can be particularly stoic and not show any obvious signs of GDV until they have collapsed.
Emergency medical care is required for this condition and at a certain point, surgery will be required.
GDV patients often go into shock and will need extensive care to stabilize them as they go into emergency surgery and will require hospitalization afterwards.
While any breed or mix can experience GDV, Great Danes, Standard Poodles, German Shepherds, Irish Setters, Irish Wolfhounds, St. Bernards, Akitas, Weimaraners, & Boxers are most commonly affected.
Middle aged and senior males are at the highest risk and there is an increased risk for dogs with deep chests, are fed once daily, or are related to a dog that has experienced GDV.
Feeding from elevated food bowls, history of splenectomy, eating a diet with oils among the first four label ingredients, and stress are suggested as additional risk factors. There is a high rate of recurrence, so consistent and careful management will be required for any dog that has experienced GDV. Gastropexy, sometimes referred to as “tacking the stomach”, is a procedure in which the stomach is sutured to the abdominal wall to prevent the Volvulus (twisting) part of GDV, but it cannot prevent Dilatation (bloat).
Supplements
Canine Athletes are more likely to develop chronic joint pain due to early or chronic osteoarthritis associated with their lifestyle. Long-chain Omega 3 Fatty Acids and other nutraceuticals can help reduce inflammation and improve mobility in joints affected by osteoarthritis. The most common source for these are commercial diets with Palmitic, Oleic, Linoleic, Alpha-linoleic, & Arachidonic acids as these are all Omega 3 or 6 Fatty Acids associated with mitigating inflammation & joint disease.
Protein powders for dogs also exist! Supplements like Myos Muscle Formula (Fortetropin) have been proven to help enhance muscle growth & in addition to supporting the Canine Athlete’s peak fitness, it can also be used to restore muscle lost to injury or disease. Myos Muscle Formula can sometimes be quite rich for sensitive stomachs, so we recommend introducing this supplement slowly and over several days to weeks.
Hydrating Your Hound
When we humans sweat, we lose water & electrolytes that require replenishment. Since dogs sweat very little & only from their feet, they lose the most water when panting. Replenishing lost electrolytes is good for us, so should Canine Athletes be given electrolytes on working days? No!
If you add electrolytes to your dog’s water, the charge of the electrons will pull water from the tissues in the body into the intestines.
This means taking hydration away from the muscles & other organs needed for their current activities & only contributes to their overall dehydration. Instead, fresh water without any additives should be available to your Canine Athlete at all times.
