Digestibility of Performance Dog Foods

Today's dog food world can be compared to the American wild west of a begone era. There are very few laws and even fewer law enforcing regulators. Fact is, even federal agencies charged with providing product assurance do not require pet food manufacturer's to list how high or low the quality of their ingredients are on their labels. This makes it difficult to compare products of differing brands. However, many high quality food manufacturers are more than welcome to run independent "digestibility studies" to verify the quality of their ingredients and food formula's. Make note: if a company does not run these type of studies or is apprehensive about making these quantitative digestibility numbers public information...please rise now and raise the red flag of concern.

Here is where the proverbial rubber meets the road. There is an inverse relationship between a food's digestibility and the resulting fecal volume.

• Factoid: The HIGHER the digestibility of a dog food, the LOWER the fecal volume.

A dog(and any other living organism) can digest and utilize more nutrients in a higher digestible food therefore less stool is eliminated. I think this is simple science everybody can easily understand. To research the digestibility of your own dog's food normally requires a call to the manufacturer to get their foods combined protein digestibility percentage(although not required to be put on bags some high quality, reputable manufacturers display this information readily on their website)

There is a basic mathematical formula to determine the overall digestibility of the protein source. Take the crude protein percentage(found on bag) multiplied by the digestibility percentage(found by calling manufacturer) equals the true digestibility of the protein source. For example if the crude protein is 30% and protein digestibility is 84.6% multiply: 30 x 0.8460 = 25.38%. There you have it! A very quick and efficient method to discover how truly digestible the protein portion of your dog's food really is.


If you're feeding multiple gun dogs it is a good idea to know how digestible the food really is. It will save you a ton of money in the long run! The more they absorb during digestion, the less you need to feed!


Individual protein sources contain different levels of amino acids and each protein is different in its ability to be broken down into these amino acids. Hence, not all proteins are created equal as some are better than others. The ability of a protein to be used by the dog and its amount of usable amino acids is summarized as protein quality  or Biological Value, BV for short. Egg has the highest BV and sets the benchmark standard for which other proteins are judged at a 100 score. Fish meal are close behind with a value of 92. Beef is around 78 and soybean meal is 67. Meat and bone meal and wheat are around 50 and corn is 45.  These are just a few examples of the individual digestibility of common ingredients.

The bottom line is certain proteins are hard for dogs to digest therefore they pass them without absorbing the needed nutrients in a timely manner. The result can hit your wallet or pocket book as well. The lower the digestibility of the food the MORE your have to feed to fulfill your dogs needs. The higher of course, the less! Hopefully by using the basic formula posted above and doing your own research and due diligence the conscience gun dog owner can get to the "meat" of the food he or she is shelling out hard earned cash for every month. Sorry, Pun completely intended.

Best of Luck Out There. -Mark

Dr. Tim Hunt On Dr. Tim's Dog Food

Sled dog racing sparks the notion of a well trained canine team pulling it's human musher across the frozen tundra to ultimate victory. It is also considered to be the ultimate test of canine endurance, strength, and performance. But where does the sled dog world collide with our gun dog planet? They are both superior canine athletes asked to work hard under extreme conditions. But again, were does the physical needs of a marathon running Alaskan Husky intertwine with those of a rocket propelled English Pointer?

Their collective bond is found at the very root of canine performance and that common denominator is high quality nutrition.  As conscientious owners, it is our responsibility to supply our working dog(s) the proper fuel to run hard, long, while remaining happy, healthy, and ready to do it all over again tomorrow.

It is not everyday I have the privilege of interviewing a man of Dr. Tim's caliber. His practical knowledge, combined with his education and experience, has led to improving the performance of canine athletes through his dry food formulas. Please note, his dog food formulas are ones he has personally concocted. Dr. Tim is, in my own opinion(and that of many others), pushing the envelope of canine nutritional science and the results have been outstanding. Thank you Dr. Tim for taking the time to answer the following questions...

What is your background and history of Dr. Tim's Pet Food? "I've been a Vet for 22 years(graduate of Michigan State University's School of Veterinary Medicine) and racing sled dogs for about 18 years. Have fed a heavy raw based diet with a kibble for many years with my mix of witches brew. Made it in my garage in a cement mixer and realized more dogs could benefit from a much better kibble(dry dog food) than what was currently on the market. I developed Momentum and began selling it about 6 years ago. Pursuit and Kinesis followed there after. I have raced in the States, Canada, Europe and Alaska and have worked the Iditarod as a vet many times and have run it as well with my own dogs."



What do you feel separates Dr. Tim's dry dog food from the rest of the "pack"?
"That the ingredients are all bioavailable, needed by the dog for fuel their metabolism like it is meant to be fueled, made in such a way as to have a very high digestibility, pre and probiotics included, protein make up to allow for building and maintaining the dogs muscle, allow for increased endurance, very high Omega 3 cold water fatty oil-highest of any food on the market that I know of.  I have what a working dog needs. The metabolism of a husky and a gun dog is not that different, actually very close. Some difference with glycogen replenishment but overall very similar. Basically, the food(Dr Tim's) is devised by a vet that actually gives a shit."(authors note: I agree with Dr. Tim so the profanity was not removed because I also gives a shit about quality canine nutrition! Thanks for your understanding. -Mark) 

Dr. Tim's "Momentum" formula is a 35% protein / 25% fat mix. What "type" of gun dog is this a good fit for this? (by type I mean activity level, drive, daily conditioning and work etc) "This would be one step above Pursuit, the 30/20, and would work very well for a hard working gun dog. Personally, I think this is the best choice for a working dog, period. It just costs a bit more," said Dr. Tim. (Following quotes from Dr. Tim's website) "Momentum has been formulated to help facilitate the stamina, endurance and performance of canines; the food contains highly digestible low ash proteins, fats and carbohydrates to allow your athletic dog to reach their full potential. In addition, supplements are included to decrease the stresses that dogs’ bodies undergo in highly competitive situations that may produce stress diarrhea. These supplements include prebiotics, externally applied probiotics and multiple fiber sources such as rice, psyllium, beet pulp, oatmeal and chicory root. Momentum also contains chelated minerals, kelp, selenium, natural antioxidants and L-carnitine. To minimize allergic reactions, corn and soy products are not used in Momentum

"In your Momentum formula one ingredient stands out as unique(or we just have not seen it in other competing performance formulas) It called, Porcine Plasma. Can you elaborate on this ingredient? "This is a very high quality source of some specific amino acids that greatly benefit the dog in muscle building and maintenance. Barry Bonds kind of stuff!"

Your "Pursuit" formula is 30% protein 20% fat mix. Again, what type of gun dog do you see this formula being fed to?  Any dog that does some level of exercise benefits from it. Even a house dog does very well on it but is just fed less. The key is how much you feed in relation to the overall weight and exercise the dog is undergoing. Less food is needed with a good 30/20 type diet or above. Ours is 95% digestible and thus you feed much less than what you are used to. Most companies are happy with an 80 percent digestible rate, thus you pay for extra calories in the dogs stool, in essence. You get what you pay for in the long run. Also, the idea a high protein causes kidney disease is incorrect," responded Dr. Tim. (According to Dr. Tim's website) "Pursuit Active Formula Dog Food has been created for dogs with a moderate to vigorous activity level. This high protein, low ash formula allows your lively dog to tap into just the right amount of energy needed throughout the day. Externally applied probiotics and prebiotics support the beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, while natural antioxidants and Optimal Vitamin Nutrition DSM® help to keep your dog’s immune system as strong as possible. Whether your dog is playing catch, jogging or herding sheep, our premium ingredients deliver tasty nutrition based on what your dog really needs to thrive. Make every day a healthy, strong day – and worry free for you – with Pursuit."


I noticed your food is one of the few on the market today that includes both PRE and PRObiotics in it's formula. What exact does this mean for the health and well-being of working gun dogs? Is it an aid against stress related diarrhea? Could you also elaborate on what causes stress diarrhea etc? "Prebiotics are starches that escape digestion in the small intestine and are used by the beneficial bacteria of the large intestine. We want to promote that. Probiotics are benficial bacteria added to the diet to stimulate the immune system of the GI tract and beyond plus they act against harmful bacteria by forcing them out, more or less. Probiotics are added to our kibble after the extrusion process to maximize their viability as the heat of extrusion can kill them. Stress diarrhea is caused by a few different factors, most notably how well conditioned the dog is, the fiber composition of the diet and the digestibility of the included starches. When a dog is working hard, the amount of stool in the colon can have a "slap" effect on the sides of the colon, thus causing irritation. This stool can also pull a lot of water along with it as it travels the colon and this leads to soft stools. Multi factored causes but diet plays a huge part in it."


On your site you also offer a topical muscle massage ointment called Algyvet. Could you envision this product being beneficial for gun dogs? "Absolutely," said Dr. Tim.  "This stuff, an athletic balm for dogs, has been widely used in the sled dog arena and I have found it to be very useful for muscle injuries."


Dr. Tim, do you have any other issues or concerns you would like to add about your dog food? Dr. Tim rounded up our interview by concluding, "Nutrition is constantly evolving and much has been learned in the past 10 years or so. There is a lot of fluff type ingredients that can be included for miracle results and I have resisted that temptation. What should be in the food, in my opinion at this date, is in there. And it is made at a plant that I trust. It took me 6 plants to find the right plant to make my recipe and what a difference that makes. That has been part of my learning about nutrition for dogs, nearly as important as some of the ingredients. Dogs are meant to be fueled by fat, and high levels of them. When we slowly bring a high fat diet into play with a dog they become more efficient in their metabolism and actually will need less food. And become stronger, have more endurance and stay much healthier."

Dr. Tim Hunt is not your average veterinarian and his dog food is not your average bear. In my own opinion, he signifies the forefront of a truly revolutionary movement in quality canine nutrition. Witnessing small companies like Dr. Tim's coming to market with realistic research, practical knowledge, quality ingredients, and scientifically backed formulas proves we might finally break the Fortune 500's falsified, kung fu like grip on the performance dog food world. The big brands should take notice that there are honest to goodness cowboys out there like Dr. Hunt who are not scared to make super premium jet fuel for canine athletes while using the the absolute, very best ingredients possible... AND while maintaining reasonable price points to do so! Not to mention, it is extremely reassuring to performance dog owners that the very food they are feeding is the result of someone who truly understands what working or sporting dogs need to become world class athletes in their own right. I personally thank Dr. Tim Hunt  for taking the time out of his busy schedule to reply to my questions. Without any doubt, it shows his commitment, passion, and professionalism. Here at northUpland that is proof positive that Dr. Tim is a high quality dogman! Thanks again Doc, we appreciate your contribution and continued help spreading the word about proper gun dog nutrition. To visit Dr. Tim's website please visit http://www.drtims.com/ Thank you


As always...if you have questions or comments feel free to drop me a line at northupland@yahoo.com Thanks for reading.


Best of Luck Out There. -Mark

Gun Dogs Report to Training Camp

Like Pavlov's bell, the last week in July triggers football fans to salivate at the mouth. Hometown teams are yet again arriving at their respective training camps to gear up for another hard fought season. Rabid fans speculate that this is "the year" their team brings home the Super Bowl. Turn on the radio dial or flip the t.v. remote and sports talk show hosts are full of outlandish predictions believing wholeheartedly in their own swami like mysticism. Just like football players getting in game shape, all serious gun dogs and their owners must now check in for preseason conditioning drills. The summertime vacation is officially over. It won't be long before opening day and our four legged hunting partners must be ready to run the playbook from front to back! For most serious bird hunters it is about 10-12 weeks before before kickoff of the 2010 waterfowl and/or upland season. It is up to us as canine masters to stick to a routine schedule of physical fitness. Here a few things to keep in mind during the 2010 Gun Dog Training Camp...

• Make a tight schedule and stick to it! Not only will the increased physical activity help your dog become fit, it just might help you shed a couple unwanted pounds in the process. Remember, for every mile you walk a field this season, your dog will likely cover three times that if not more!


• Start transitioning your dog to a higher Protein/Fat percentage food. Remember 30/20% is about the average mix for a steadily working gun dog.


• In addition to scheduled daily workouts, mix it up a bit for your dog's personal enjoyment. Visit different training fields, run stadium stairs, strap on the roller blades, take a bike ride together, etc...whatever you come up with to variate the routine while still maximizing your dog's fitness regiment.


• Take it easy on the treats. Scale back the grain based "Scooby Snacks" and move to high protein sourced rewards such as dehydrated duck or chicken strips.


• Workout at daybreak or sunset. Your dog will most likely be hunting as the sun rises or sets. The time is now to get both your time clocks set and dialed in for maximum activity. These are the bewitching hours where animals are most active, including birds and your trusty bird dog. To further mention, dawn and dusk are the coolest part of the day in both temperature and experience!


• Take your dog for a preseason vet visit for a complete physical. Get him or her checked out thoroughly and ready rock n' roll come opening day! Blood tests, stool samples, and wellness check should be included during this visit. Just like pro athletes, it is always a good idea to get a clean bill of health before the season starts.


• Train and condition in fields with heavy cover. Get your dogs paw pads and under carriage toughened up now. Early season bird cover is not much different than summer field conditions. Briar's, thorns, nettles, etc are all present so get out there and mix it up in the rough stuff!


• If you have not already, train your dog to drink from a sport squirt bottle or hydration pack hose nozzle. It will help them rehydrate quickly and much easier to administer in the field.


• Get your dog on LIVE birds before the season opens. Even if it at a local preserve or just a few hobbled pigeons shot out on the back forty, this is critical piece of training camp. Live bird drills should always be a live fire! Leave the popper shells for field trailers! Pack the heat and drop those birds that your dog proudly found on his own.

Off-seasoning conditioning leads to in-season productivity! Feed them right and prepare them accordingly.

And finally...more for the sanity of the master than gun dog! Get all the honey do's out of the way NOW! Fix the deck, paint the bathroom, repair the fence or whatever it is. Bird hunting season is short and it is ALWAYS a good idea to have as much sweat equity built up as possible!

I hope all of you have a great 2010 Gun Dog Training Camp and more importantly looking forward to a productive season. God knows I am!

Best of luck out there. -Mark

Performance Dog Foods

Gun dogs were bred for generations to hunt a variety of wild game in the harshest of environments. They are canine athletes specialized by genetics to produce results in the field. Yours might be a Blue Tick Coonhound that patrols the night time woods treeing masked bandits. Or maybe you own a versatile Drahthaar that retrieves mallards from a marsh in the morning and then scouts the uplands for pheasants that afternoon. The bottom line is, all sporting breeds need quality food to fuel their inner hunting engine. These days there are many quality foods available from a wide selection of reputable manufacturers to help your dog perform to their optimum level. The gun dog owner needs to know what to look for in the ingredients to best fit his or her dogs needs.

The Guaranteed Analysis: The "GA" is information listed on every bag of food made by every company. The GA shows the minimum levels of crude protein and fat and the maximum levels of fiber and water. The term "crude" might ring the false alarm to some. Rest assured, it does NOT refer to the quality of the nutrient but to the specific method of testing. Below is an example of a GA.

Upon further inspection of this GA we can derive that this dry dog food has 90% dry matter. We find this by taking the amount of moisture(10% in this case) and subtracting from 100%. We can then take the 26% protein and divide that by the 90%. Now we find the protein level to be almost 29% of dry matter. Ok? Here's where it helps to bring a calculator into the feed store...The more moisture the dry food contains the LESS nutritious dry matter there is in the food. This will hit you in your wallet as you will need to buy more, feed more, as well as your dog eat more to derive more nutrients. BEWARE of high moisture % content dry kibble food. This is a case when "more" is not always better!

Protein and Fat are your guns dog's core fuel ingredients. Protein for their supply of amino acids to build and maintain strong muscles, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. Unused protein is also stored as fat for later use. Fat content for their daily energy supply as well as delivering building blocks for healthy skin and hair. Ok so far? Here is where is gets a little more tricky to properly supply your hunting partner with a quality food. The "digestibility" of protein and fat can vary widely depending on what sources these nutrients come from. Shown below is an Ingredients List.

All dog foods list their ingredients in order of weight. It is by far the best way for you, the knowledgeable consumer, to determine the overall quality of the food you are choosing for your gun dog. Read the entire list carefully. Some manufacturers have a trick of breaking up similar or like ingredients with different jargon or slightly different "but same" throughout the list as weights decrease. If you find yourself repeating the same word found in different ingredients you have now just deciphered the loop hole in listing ingredients by weight! Even though the first ingredient is listed as say chicken, keep on reading down the list. Group all the like ingredients together to figure out what REALLY is the primary ingredient. Now comes the even harder part. How do you determine what ingredients are the most digestible? Why is digestibility important? The easier your dog's internal systems can extract nutrients the better. They eat and absorb as much as possible in a very short window of opportunity. The better the ingredients, the more your dog absorbs before he or she removes it(aka take a poop!). Keep in mind a dog's digestive tract is not like a humans. 4-8 hours and they are processing everything. Humans on the other hand process complete from 8 hours to upwards of 4 days! There is not much time in a dog life for nutrient absorption so what they eat best be great! Until the pet food industry begins to list digestibility of ingredients, the only way is to "guesstimate" in the order in which they they appear and then make a very unscientific calculation. If the first ingredient is chicken, lamb, venison, duck, or any other whole or "meal" (meal is dehydrated protein meat source and an excellent source of highly concentrated and highly digestable protein), these are the heaviest by ingredient weight as well as the best sources of highly digestibility, quality protein. By-product or other meat based by-products are average. Remember to add up like sources on the ingredients list both positively and negatively. Also keep in mind carbohydrate sources and the quality/digestibility of them as well. For example a higher amount of brewer's rice(small fragments of rice kernels that have been separated from large kernels of milled rice) are a better source of carbo's than ground corn. Carbo's are also a secondary source of energy so finding a food with quality starches, sugars, and fiber sources not only help your energy level for your dog but also aid in digestion and intestinal fortitude.

The manufacturer has also included Feeding Instructions on every bag. I highly suggest you only use these as rough guidelines. Every dog is different and possess a different metabolism, activity level, and working environmental(such as temperature). Also take into account the dog's breed, age, and special needs. Use your common sense when it comes to following these feeding guidelines. Adjust as needed or you may end up with a very obese or very undernourished dog. Although activity level is the primary measure for concern, temperature can play a major role in the amount of energy your dog consumes during an average hunt. The rule of thumb is for every 10 degree drop in temperature(below normal average temp) figure an average 6% increase in caloric intake your dog needs to keep the fire in his engine hot and running hard. You must stoke the fire hotter during those cold December hunts when the afternoon wind chill drops off and snow flurries fill the air.

These days buzz words and marketing hoopla abound in the dog food industry. Any manufacturer that claims their product is "complete", "balanced", "100% nutritious", must resort to proving this statement on their bags. Look for the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) stamp to constitute this. Also, many dog food manufacturers claim and label bags as "premium" or "super premium". I just saw two competing brands advertising with one saying "super premium" and the other for "ultra premium". The truth be know, products labeled as premium, gourmet, super this, or ultra that, are not required to contain any different or higher quality ingredients , nor are they held to any higher standards than any other dog food brand. Strange? Yes and I agree. Beware of marketing ploys as they run rampant in the dog food business! Look at the stuff inside. That's what really counts when you and your dog need that extra mojo to push up that canyon wall for chukars or trudge that last sorghum break for ringnecks. Don't get caught up in the flashy packaging and multimillion dollar ad campaigns! It won't help your dog out in the backcountry. As the master of a canine athlete you owe it to your dog(s) to supply them with premium food. Most performance dog foods on the market today range from 28% protein/18% fat mix to a 30%/20% mix. Some foods however separate themselves from the pack by using the highest quality ingredients possible. Check them out and study them carefully!

A couple key ingredients that might help your gun dog recover quicker as well as help in the fight against aching joints and soreness is Chondriotin and Glucosumine. Many of the finer food brands add these nutrients into their foods but they are also available as supplements in either tablet or liquid form. Next time you are into see your Vet ask about how much of these your dog should receive as part of his daily allowance. They are a huge help for older dogs and those who run hard day in and day out for quicker recovery during the season.

The next time you are at the feed store take the time to investigate further the many great foods that are available to better help your faithful hunting companion fit and ready for the next hunt.

Best of luck out there, -Mark