Chapter 4 The Role of Nutrition in Canine Performance and Rehabilitation 87repletion is not recommended. Foxhounds that
course through fields every day and pointing
dogs asked to hunt for multiple hours may
benefit from post‐exercise carbohydrates since
they will rest for significant times (>8 hours)
between exercise bouts. However, the more
recent findings by Miller and colleagues sug-
gests we may be rethinking these strategies in
the future and that intermediate and endurance
feeding may not be all that different (Miller
et al., 2014).
Feeding primarily meat is not routinely
recommended for dogs due to the incomplete
nature of this feed, yet it is commonly practiced
and is likely not detrimental for short periods of
time (1–2 weeks). Typically meat is provided
raw but most veterinary professionals recom-
mend cooking the meat. Cooking does not
appear to decrease digestibility significantly
(Kerr et al., 2012). The major biological differ-
ence between raw and cooked meat is pathogen
contamination in the former; this can cause det-
rimental health effects in both owners and dogs
when feeding raw meat (Chengappa et al., 1993;
Morley et al., 2006 Kukanich, 2011). Studies
examining therapy dogs in Ontario have
revealed that zoonotic pathogen exposure risk is
approximately seven‐fold higher for salmonella
and 14 times higher for enterogenic antibiotic‐
resistant E. coli species (Lefebvre et al., 2008).
This risk has prevented raw‐fed dogs from
becoming therapy dogs in Canada. In addition
to the zoonotic risk, the effects of high salmo-
nella burden have led to the demise of
Greyhound puppies and increased the risk of
diarrhea in adult Greyhounds when using poor
quality raw meats (Chengappa et al., 1993).
There have also been salmonella outbreaks
associated with commercial foods (Schotte et al.,
2007; Behravesh et al., 2010), but the relative risk
and level of contamination is far greater in raw
meats; therefore cooking is advised (Freeman &
Michel, 2001; Weese et al., 2005).
Nutrition and rehabilitation
There are three major areas of concern to the
canine rehabilitation patient including obesity
management, maintaining lean body mass (par-
ticularly geriatric rehabilitation patients with
sarcopenia), and decreasing chronic inflamma-
tion associated with orthopedic disease.
Obesity and rehabilitation
Obesity is the leading disease of dogs in west-
ern society, with nearly 40% of dogs being over-
weight to obese. The exact reasons are
multifaceted, including overfeeding, lack of
exercise, and a misconception of appropriate
body condition by most dog owners (Laflamme,
2006). Obesity as a disease or as a complicating
factor to orthopedic injury requires attention. In
many situations, the orthopedic injury may
lead to a sedentary lifestyle increasing the pre-
disposition toward obesity, but recent evidence
suggests that owner activity patterns are
directly correlated with dog activity, and chang-
ing those exercise patterns in owners can be dif-
ficult (Wakshlag et al., 2012). It has been well
documented that weight loss of as little as 11%
of body‐weight can have a positive impact on
clinical signs associated with osteoarthritis
(Impellizeri et al., 2000). There are many
company‐related resources, publications, and
nutrition texts for weight management plans
(Wakshlag et al., 2012).
The ideal diet for achieving appropriate
weight loss is one that helps to maintain lean
mass at the expense of fat mass and creates
some level of satiety to prevent excessive beg-
ging or food‐seeking behaviors. Two major
strategies are used including increased fiber
intake and high‐protein diets that promote lean
body mass retention. Fiber has been used and
can be an efficacious way to decrease the caloric
density of food, while maintaining gastric fill.
Unfortunately, it induces only short‐term sati-
ety (Butterwick & Markwell, 1997; Weber et al.,
2007). More importantly, the use of high‐fiber
diets (>12% dry matter) allows owners to feed
more volume. This can also be achieved by
switching from dry food to wet food since most
low‐calorie, high‐fiber dry foods have a higher
caloric density per cup than the average low‐
calorie high‐fiber therapeutic wet food. High‐
protein diets (>30% dry matter) may be
beneficial in maintaining lean body mass when
fed during weight reduction. Additionally,
dogs fed higher protein appear to maintain lean
mass while losing weight. Similarly, a struc-
tured rehabilitation exercise protocol shows
maintenance of lean body mass during weight
loss as well. Neither strategy has been shown to
increase weight loss, but dogs that are more
active can eat more calories during the weight
loss protocol, possibly improving compliance