top of page

Carb Snacks for Canine Athletes

Updated: Jul 1

Originally Published March 10, 2024

Updated March 13, 2024 (Paragraphs marked with a plus (+) symbol have been edited.)


+Those of you who tuned in to the first Food for Fen webinar, hosted by Dore River Border Collies, learned about glycogen sparing and replenishment as a way to promote stamina in our canine athletes. We talked about how muscle glycogen replenishment can be maximized during that short window of increased resynthesis that occurs post-exercise.


For dogs that appear to tire - either mentally, physically or both during the course of a competition, work-day or hunt; feeding a carbohydrate rich-snack can take advantage of this heightened rate of glycogen resynthesis and prepare the muscles for another work-session.


+According to Small Animal Clinical Nutrition (1): "Glucose solutions (from 1.5 to 3 g glucose/kg

body weight) given before, during or after exercise have been shown to minimize the exercise-associated decline in blood glucose, promote more rapid repletion of muscle glycogen postexercise and improve thermoregulation." This recommendation is made assuming pure glucose sources are used and may not reflect how we provide the end product glucose to our dogs in the "real world" .


+Glucose, a simple sugar, is found in foods and it is also the end-product of carbohydrate digestion. Every carbohydrate source in a dog's diet provides glucose to be used by the dog's body to fuel body systems, cognitive processes and muscle work. Fast-digesting carbohydrates tend to induce a swift glycemic response; triggering the release of the hormone insulin, which quickly gets to work removing that extra glucose from the bloodstream and get it back into "storage" to be ready for mobilization by working muscles. Take care, working during an insulin "surge" may lead to early glucose (and glycogen) depletion. Allow time for digestion; the exact "time" needed is difficult to estimate, as every dog will be different. Gastric emptying will be shorter for liquids and slurries than for large pieces of food. Rapidly digestible carbohydrate sources will be digested faster than complex starches that are low on the glycemic index. Fat also increases gastric emptying time, as do some forms of fiber. Large meals take longer to empty from the stomach than do smaller ones.


Taking all this into account, here are some easy ways to take advantage of the post-exercise increase in glycogen resynthesis.


+Method 1: Low fat kibble

For dogs already on a kibble diet, holding back a portion of the dog's meal(s) and feeding this after each work- session is easy. These amounts should be small, especially if time between events is not so long. Crushing the kibble, and hydrating to a paste can help speed transit.

Pros: Easy if you are already feeding your dog kibble, lower fat kibble is probably better than high fat kibble for promoting a quick insulin response.

Cons: May not allow for gastric emptying if exercise sessions or runs are spaced very close together.


Method 2: Honey

Adding honey to your dog's drinking water is another easy way. Try starting with 1 or two teaspoons dissolved in about 1 cup of fresh water, some experimentation may be required to determine tolerance. You can also simply offer a teaspoon or so of honey your dog can lick off a spoon, gradually increasing to about 1 tablespoon (if tolerated).

Pros: Easy to store and bring with you to competitions.

Cons: Beware that most dogs do have a sweet tooth; you may need to offer the honey-water in small doses throughout the glycogen uptake period so they don't tank up and then throw up! Too much honey may cause diarrhea.



Method 3: Foods high in natural sugars

Other foods containing fast-digestible carbohydrate (aka simple sugars) that are suitable for dogs in small amounts are watermelon, dried pitted dates (2-3 dates - about 8 grams each - as tolerated) and small pieces of fresh fruit and berries (such as small amounts of raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, mango, banana)

Pros: Easily obtainable, everyday foods

Cons: Some dogs won't eat fruit. Also beware that fruits also contain varying amounts of fiber, watch for loose stools, especially in larger amounts!


Method 4: K9 Sports Bars

There also exist many "sports bar" supplements for dogs on the market as well.

Pros: Easy to administer

Cons: These often contain a lot of added ingredients which may be undesirable (fat, electrolytes/minerals). Plus they tend to be expensive.


+Method 5: Low fat biscuits

Limited ingredient, low fat dog biscuits may also be used.

Pros: Easy to find, relatively inexpensive

Cons: Many contain undesirable ingredients and preservatives. Choose low fat biscuits with natural ingredients. A cereal grain or other carbohydrate should be listed as the first ingredient for our purposes.


+Method 6: Easy homemade K9 sports snack (Edited)


Not Instagram-worthy! Carb snacks with rice cooked in turkey broth (for an amino acid boost) with honey and banana.

This is a simple make ahead recipe for glycogen-replenishing snacks for canine athletes. You can double the recipe and make carb snacks to get your whole pack through through several days of competition, as needed. Feed an entire portion, or a fraction, depending on your dog's DER (Daily Energy Requirement), the timing between events or work-sessions and your dog's size. Feed away from your dog's main meals so as not to interfere with nutrient delivery from your dog's regular diet.


Ingredients:

  1. 1/2 cup (~100 grams) of dry white rice*

  2. ~1 cup of bone broth, fat skimmed (removed).

  3. 100-150 grams of honey

  4. 100 grams of fresh dog-appropriate fruit, mashed

Steps:

Soak the rice in plenty of water for several hours, changing water 2-3 times. Rinse well. Cook according to the package, except substitute the water for bone broth. Rice to liquid ratio should be ~1:2. Err on using more than less liquid if you prefer rice to be more gooey

For tips on making bone broth - refer back to a previous blog post HERE.

Add the honey to the warm rice and mix well. Let cool.

Once cooled, stir in mashed fruit, as desired.

Chill in the fridge to solidify for shaping the rice into balls.

On a cookie tray lined with parchment, spoon-drop approximately 25-30 grams of the rice rice mixture, spacing well apart (like cookie dough).

Freeze the entire tray of rice "cookies"

Once frozen hard, store them in a container.

You can also simply divide the warm mixture into containers. Scoop portions as needed.


Macronutrients per 60 gram portion (~2 rice-balls):

Energy: 100 kcals

Carbohydrate: 22 grams

Protein: 4 grams


Rehydrate portions to a slurry at time of feeding if desired.


Important: Snacks, including all those listed above, should not replace more than 10-15% of your dog's daily calorie intake. Every single option above (except holding back a portion of the dog's regular kibble) will add calories. If your dog doesn't have room (already eating the minimum amount for his weight on the food's feeding chart), then adding more calories to your dog's diet may cause weight gain. Reducing the dog's regular diet to make room for more snacks will increase the risk for nutrient deficiencies over time.


Remember that glycogen storage is limited in dogs and K9 athletes already eating a high carbohydrate kibble diet may not benefit from additional carb snacks as much as perhaps a dog eating a raw diet consisting of mostly fat and protein. Experiment! Track your dog's performance. Diabetic dogs and dogs with any health condition should check with their veterinarian before making any dietary changes.


Carb snacks featuring buckwheat, sweet potato, blueberries and raspberries.

*Short grain rice (such as sushi rice) may provide a higher glycemic response than long grain rice or other carb sources.


If your dog is intolerant of rice, go ahead and experiment with other carbohydrate sources: potatoes, sweet potato, barley, buckwheat, quinoa and even pasta!




















Reference:


(1) Toll, P.W., Gillette, R.L., Hand, M.S. (2010). Feeding Working and Sporting Dogs. In M.S. Hand, C.D. Thatcher, R.L. Remillard, P. Roudebush and B.J. Novotny (Eds.), Small Animal Clinical Nutrition: An Iterative Process. (5th ed.). Mark Morris Institute. (pp 340)

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page