Thread: Question for Ethos

I have always followed, blindly, the rule to never give a dog exercise just before or immediately after feeding. Is there real merit for this? I have been told of twisted bowels etc but never actually seen it or met anyone who had experienced it first hand. Also, knowing a domestic dog is well evolved from where it started wouldn't immediately after strenuous exercise be the most common time a wild dog would eat?

I think, in this respect, that just as we humans almost salivate at seeing a nice fat hare or a well conditioned spiker, the wild in the dog is exactly the same...have watched videos of the amazing feats of wild dogs hunting and as you write, Ruff, they will eat their full, albeit in status order...perhaps the chase gave rise to the fact that the paunch is usually the first course...lines the gut then onto the flesh and bones...

Hi Ruff
for some breeds there is definately merit. GDV (gastric dilatation volvulus) being the main reason. Its mostly a large deep chested dog thing, in NZ it is so common in huntaways its almost a genetic disease. Have never seen it in a spaniel but never say never. Its common sense to be cautious in any dog of overactivity with a full stomach, its possible (but not common) for a dog to even split its stomach if overeating and over excercising.
Twice daily feeding (eg less in one hit) is also recommended for huntaways or other deep chested dogs as a GDV preventative. The feeding or drinking from an elevated dish thing is out of vogue.

I would say any wild ones prone to it died long ago mother nature, the strictest breedmaster.

I lost a pointer to it, incidentally his sire died of it too. Both deep chested dogs. However unlike ethos I'm on single daily feed for adult dogs, and I now only feed before I put them away for the evening so they are forced to sit down and rest on a full belly. Im so religious about it it I won't even give them a scrap of food before any form of exercise

Interesting
As a farmer our dogs work all day and get feed at night straight away.
It's not ideal but practical.
Over the years I've come to the conclusion that twisted bowels are more about kennel size than feeding them after work,shoot me down now guys but that's what I've found.



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the weakness in your logic pointer, is that dogs die after gastric torsion well past breeding age,so why if there is a genetic link would it die out? the same can be said for using the test on the hill for HD.,by the time a problem is discovered a lot of dogs have been used for breeding. i once lost a bitch, she was quite old and i got her speyed.after bringing her home i kept her inside.after a while she wanted to go out,so i let her out,then followed myself after about 5 minutes.i called but she did not come back.it was right on evening when i found her under some dense cover down in the creek.she was in shock and bloated and cold to touch.a rush trip to the vets,the outcome was i lost my dog. lesson after anaesthetic the muscles take a while to become operational.my bitch was thirsty,very and had drunk a lot of water,maybe her receptors were still asleep,anyway the stomach rotated,cutting off the blood supply and she quickly went into shock and did not respond to my calls.the fact that she was elderly makes this much easier to happen. it was a severe lesson to learn.never again do i take my eye off a dog if it has had an anaesthetic ,until well past recovery time.it is not just food ,water can be the problem.

Very true, both of the dogs were sexually mature. However two dogs is hardly concrete proof of it being genetic so I never gave it much thought. That particular line of pointer is all through nz and aus and I'm not aware of any other cases. If it was genetic I'd say it ended there

Here the hounds eat after running...hound racing in Cumbria...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSf5_HnuqFU

Now days all sorts of things are looked at as having a genetic basis. For example, there are genetics for being big, having a a deep chest and hence more room for stomach to flip around. But also there are behavioural genetics of "gulps food", or " wont drink small amounts on the hill but guzzles water" or "runs around like a lunatic after eating" aside form different management practices like kennel size etc.

I consider it is up to the canine's owner to bring a moderation to so called "behavioural genetics"...if the dog guzzles water it is often indicative of a lack of constant supply, litter mate dominance...even the dog's place in the litter will bring about an innate competitional aspect in particular to food and drink...the less dominate the more anxious the dog will be about consumption or at least getting its fair share...once my puppies have been introduced to solid food, they are each given an individual bowl to eat from...thus allaying the competitive aspect...just as humans, the litter members will eat at different rates...if the dog is feed on dry foods he is more inclined to drink more water which is pretty well obvious...it can also indicate parasite burdens...

I have found zero noticeable difference in water intake when feeding dry foods.

Lophortyx Like most genetic issues HD is culled by nature on the hill itself. An unsound dog can;t hunt, can;t keep up, nature removes it from the gene pool. It is the reluctance for many breeders to be ruthless in culling that does perpetuate many of these issues. Not always, but I think there is evidence that showing and many genetic disorders have a similar time frame.

BRADS I think there is merit in what you say.

Mine are all fed out of two bins when they are on dry food, there is always food left. When fed meat they all eat together as well, we don't have fights over food BUT it is banned from the dogbox. Water is when they get out of the box, and when on dry stuff water consumption goes way up. They are feed as soon as I can after working, the last few days thats been as we hunt back to camp the food is waiting. The only time there isn't food around is in the morning if we are working early, but if it's a late run in summer they can eat in the morning.