Performance Flashcards
Traditional canine athletes
greyhounds (short distance racing) and sled dogs (prolonged endurance racing)
Other canine athletes
- field competitors
- agility
- military working dogs
- detector dogs
- search and rescue
- assistance dogs
A successful athlete must have the following?
- stamina
- teachability
- desire
- olfactory acuity
What makes up a dogs stamina?
- healthy
- well-conditioned
- withstands stress
What makes up olfactory acuity?
- sensitive
- discriminatory
What is the goal of exercise nutrition?
TO minimize injury (caused by food borne infection, dehydration, hyperthermia, myoglobinuria or orthopaedic), as well as maximize performance (speed, strength, stamina)
Canine muscle fiber
contains mainly oxidative fiber types (type I)
- metabolize FAs at 2x the rate of humans
sled dog diets are also applicable to?
intermediate hunting dogs
Studies on sled dogs used an inapplicable environment
- on a treadmill
- individually
- warmer temperatures
- more acute
muscle vs. BW in greyhounds
muscle compromises more of BW compared to other dogs
80-100% of their muscle fiber is?
type IIa vs. 20-100% type I (in other dogs)
Type I muscle fiber
- slow contraction time
- high resistance to fatigue
- used for aerobic activity
- maximum duration of use = hours
- low power produced
- very high mitochondrial density
- high capillary density
- high oxidative capacity
- major storage fuel = triglycerides
- consumes lactic acid
Type IIa muscle fiber
- moderately fast contraction time
- fairly high resistance to fatigue
- used for longterm anaerobic activity
- maximum duration of use = less than 30 minutes
- medium power produced
- high mitochondrial density
- intermediate capillary density
- high oxidative capacity
- major storage fuel = creatine phosphate, glycogen
- produces lactic acid and creatine phosphate
Type I vs. type 2 fibers
type 1 = high oxidative capacity
type 2a = lower oxidative capacity
Greyhound diets similar to?
agility dogs
Why is nutrition so important?
- water, fat, minerals, protein, carbs, vitamins
- sensory support
- immune support
- recovery
- cognition
- energy
- motor skill
Large amounts of water lost in sled dogs, what ways can be incorporated to drive water intake?
kibble topped with raw meat, fat, gravy
- water loss more apparent in older dogs (9-11 years)
What affects energy requirements?
ambient temperature
- LCT
What’s so special about the thermoneutral zone?
animal doesn’t have to actively produce heat to stay warm
Energy requirements for a sled dog during a 3 day race are increased by how much?
~7x
sprint dogs energy requirements are similar to that of?
kennelled dogs
techniques used in sled dogs to limit heat disappearance?
boots and coat to maintain heat
Techniques used to cool sprinters?
cold hose or water cooling jackets to reduce internal body temperature
dehydration increases the risk of?
hyperthermia
- dehydration decreases uncoupling of protein process –> heat dissipation
What are some outcomes associated with hyperthermia?
- collapse
- shock
- haemorrhage
- death
Endurance racing’s effect on liquid emptying?
reduces
Managing dehydration and hyperthermia
- water immediately after exercise bouts
- cold water baths
- if needed IV fluids
When do dogs have the highest drive for thirst?
immediately after exercise
Where are electrolytes lost in dogs?
through saliva and minimal loss through lungs and pads
muscle glycogen is important for?
anaerobic oxidation
The use of muscle glycogen
- glucose storage form used for muscle function
- depleted during exercise and leads to muscle fatigue
- critical during anaerobic fat during endurance exercise
- spared by dietary fat during endurance exercise
Post exercise carbohydrate supplementation
GOAL = increase muscle glycogen storage and/or delay muscle glycogen depletion during exercise
- supplementation within 0 to 30 minutes of exercise replaces muscle glycogen stores
Why is fiber an important component?
SCFA produced during fermentation of fiber promotes water and electrolyte absorption
What is a benefit of soluble fiber and prebiotic fiber inclusion?
help to reduce the incidence of exercise induced diarrhea and limit pathogenic bacterial growth
Protein, injury and sled dogs
Increasing protein reduced injuries
- 16% protein = all had injuries
- 24% protein = 2 dogs
- 32 and 40% protein = no injuries
When is sport anemia more prevalent?
In dogs fed a vegetable based protein diet vs. animal based
What % of sled dog’s calories are from protein?
40%
What does protein promote?
- larger plasma volume
- larger red blood cells (perform/recover better)
- higher albumin (carries fatty acids to tissue for energy)
greyhounds and protein?
Ran slower when given more protein (36 vs 24%)
- better when fed a maintenance diet
What is the preferred fuel for endurance performance, but not sprinting?
dietary fat
When does fat oxidation predominate?
low rates of energy expenditure
- 60% at 40% of maximal oxygen uptake
- capable of oxidizing higher levels of fat
- easier time transporting FA into tissue
Effect of exercise on glucose and fat oxidation?
Increased exercise
- increased glucose oxidation
- fat oxidation remains constant
–> glucose oxidation = principle source of energy at high rates of energy expenditure (80% of 85% VO2 max)
In dogs, energy expenditure at rest vs. less aerobic species
2x greater
Feeding a high fat diet stimulates?
- mitochondrial growth
- maximal rates of fat oxidation
- aerobic capacity and EE
- spares muscle glycogen
- less rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis
tying up
Why do performance dogs require more dietary fat?
to resist fatigue
Why does fat improve racing performance?
fat spares glycogen so it can be used for anaerobic exercise
What does vitamin E (antioxidant) aid in?
carrying oxygen to cells
- improves stamina, but not performance
what induces oxidative stress and damage?
exercise
Antioxidants may serve to decrease?
DNA oxidation and in vitro lipoprotein oxidation
What makes up a baseline exam?
- physical exam
- blood and urine samples
- skin and coat evaluations
- diet introduction
–> repeat pre/post season
Animal protein based diet
animals maintained weight, condition and more consistent stools (vs. lower protein/fat diets)
More animal protein and hunting performance
more finds
- lower body temperature = animals perform better at lower body temperatures
Animals fed animal and plant based protein
Maintained:
- body weight
- body condition
- ideal stools
–> nutrient targets = same
Protein and fat inclusion drives?
BW and muscle condition
Omega 3 content (in animal based protein) drives
mental and olfactory capacity (big portion of hunting is sensory and cognition ability)
What is the dietary fiber requirement for performance dogs?
3-7% TDF to maintain digestibility
- moderately fermentable
- beneficial to intestinal health (may help to reduce “stress diarrhea”
A small meal should be provided how many hours before performance?
~4 hours
Name 2 antioxidants that can be beneficial to canine athletes?
Vit E - dogs with high pre race plasma vit E levels have enhance endurance
Antioxidants may decrease DNA oxidation and in vitro lipoprotein oxidation
True or false - sled dogs have a higher LCT than other dogs?
False
- lower LCT
What biological difference from other dogs allows greyhounds to quickly race short distances?
Type IIa fibres that have lower oxidative capacity to allow them to do more anaerobic activity
What are 4 characteristics of a successful canine athlete?
- stamina - healthy, well-conditioned, withstand stress
- teachable
- desire to please owner
- olfactory acuity (sensitive and discriminatory)
What is the goal of exercise nutrition?
To minimize injuries while maximizing performance
How do dogs dissipate heat and with this knowledge how can we prevent heat loss in sled dogs?
Dogs lose heat by panting and through conduction in their pads
- to prevent heat loss, we can use booties and jackets
When humans are exercising they often consume electrolyte drinks like gatorade, however it is not appropriate to give these to performance dogs, why?
During exercise humans lose a lot of electrolytes as they sweat to cool themselves down. Dogs pant to release heat and there is minimal loss of electrolytes from the evaporation, so providing them with gatorade tailored to human electrolyte loss would not be specific to their needs
Who who would want to provide high protein diets to - sled dogs/greyhounds?
Sled dogs –> high protein
- decrease number of injuries
Grey hounds –> maintenance protein
- run slower on high protein diets
What does feeding a high fat diet to sled dogs stimulate?
- growth of mitochondria
- maximal rate of fat oxidation
- aerobic capacity and EE
- spares muscle glycogen
What is the goal of supplementing carbs post exercise
Increase muscle glycogen stores and/or delay muscle glycogen depletion during exercise
