Fueling hard hunting dogs

[shorthair-on-point]

Peanut oil. It is high protein. I give him some the night before. I also feed him snacks through the day that I am hunting which isn't enough food to cause bloat but will help keep his energy up.

[high country]

nurish-em. its a tube of high energy paste that is like crack for my dog.

[Iron Head]

You guys need to try this stuff.
You will be amazed with your dog's performance.
http://getcni.com/crel-615/index.php?cPath=22

[Chessie_Guy]

You should never, ever feed your dog before a workout either training or hunting. I only feed once in the evening around 10pm or when I go to bed. just like you and I, conditioning is most important to your dog keeping up in the field. If, you are training regularly prior to hunting season, all you need to bring with you is water for your dog and feed your dog a special dinner after a long hunt. Serious field trialers ofter "road" their dogs. (running on the road with ATV or pickup) Some even have their trial dogs pull carts like dog sled teams. either way, being prepared is mainly making sure your dog is in shape. Very few professional kennels(training kennels, not boarding kennels) will ever feed dogs in the morning due to the high likelyhood of losing a dog to bloat during or after a workout/training session.

It may not be relevant to everyone but, something to consider for your good buddy. I like my dog too much, I don't take chances with it..I lost one dog to bloat in 2004....just my two cents, Paul

How Bloat occurs:
Picture the stomach as a pouch between the esophagus and the small intestine. The food arrives in the stomach via the esophagus where digestive juices mix with the food which is then pushed into the small intestines for further digestion. Dog’s stomach lies in a semi-horizontal plane. The wide rib space in big dogs allows the stomach to swing from side to side. Big dogs often gulp their food and water and air swallowing is a common side effect of gulping. In this manner the stomach often becomes loaded very fast. Many dogs also consume water immediately after feeding. Immediate activity after the stomach has been filled with food, air and water may cause the bouncing stomach to flip over, which forms a twist in the terminal esophagus and the small intestine. This condition is called gastric torsion or volvulus which is DEADLY! The food’s normal passage is sealed off by the twist in the small intestines and vomiting is impossible because the esophagus is sealed of by another twist. These twisted organs quickly lose blood circulation and cause excrutiating pain. Within a few hiurs, fermentation of the stomach contents causes toxic gas production which is absorbed into the dog’s bloodstream.

Resource:
Big Dog Breeds by Dan Rice, D.V.M. 

I'm with Happy.  As far as food, I switch my dogs to a performance food (I feed Eukanuba) a couple weeks before the hunting starts.  They have plenty of go, all day, and they don't look like they've been on a hunger strike at the end of the season.

[lewy]

Gatorade diluted a bit with water before the hunt

[RPM]

i feed purina performance for the last 5yrs. tried switching but always went back. once aday in the afternoon, or maybe a cup during the middle of the day during a long hunt or hunttest. i always mix it with warm water.i have pionters and retrievers both