I take Ada the Dog with me on most of my runs.
Obviously, Ada is a sleek muscular beast who is built to run marathons.
So, I’m not worried about her endurance.
However, as my training runs get longer, I’ve started worrying about her fueling.
Since we live in the Pacific Northwest, usually there are plenty of puddles for her to drink out of while we run. But, I want to make sure she stays hydrated, so I bought her a doggie backpack so that she can carry her own water and doggie bowl.
Here Ada is, carrying her water on our 11 miler this past weekend.
But, I’m also worried about her fueling. As a human, I need to fuel on long runs because apparently my glycogen stores get depleted after 1 hour of cardiovascular activity. If I don’t refuel during a long run, I’ll get tired and run down, and may “bonk.” But, is the rule the same for doggies? I can’t figure it out!
This past weekend, I brought some dog food along on our run, and I stopped a few times to give Ada the Dog a handful.
The risk here is bloat. Bloat kills dogs. One rule for preventing bloat is to not allow dogs to eat when they’ve recently been exercising.
Sooo…I’m confused on this. I do not want Ada to die of bloat. I do not want Ada the Dog to bonk. So what’s the right thing to do?
I’ve given it some thought, and if Ada the Dog was a wild dog, she would probably have to run for more than an hour without food. So I think she’s probably unlikely to bonk. Next time, I don’t plan to bring food along for her on our run. However, I’m completely confused on this subject. My Googling has yielded no clear advice.
Do you know anything about fueling dogs on a long runs? Are dogs likely to bonk?
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4 comments
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Tasha @ Healthy Diva
March 6, 2013 at 7:03 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Have you thought about asking your vet or maybe even someone at REI? I would imagine that Ada would need some type of snack.
Lauren
March 6, 2013 at 9:20 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hmm, good question but I think Ada is fine for all your training runs without food. If you think about it, since she is on 4 legs she is probably expending a lot less energy than you on the runs so she probably isn’t depleting any glycogen stores as fast as you. I’m sure you keep a good eye on her and if she starts going significantly slower than you that might be a sign she is actually tired and depleted. That is my very un-professional opinion
. Of course I still think it is good to have water for Ada with you!
Alicia
March 6, 2013 at 12:07 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hmm, this is a really good question. First, I’m impressed Ada is such a solid running partner! I love that.
I used to give my dog, Moose, some energy bites for dogs before taking her to daycare if she didn’t eat breakfast in the morning. I don’t know if it actually helped fuel her playtime, but it made me feel better knowing she’d have a little something in her system.
I think asking a vet is a good idea.
Ashley@CupcakesnCrunches
March 6, 2013 at 7:52 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I have a vizsla, who is also capable of training for a marathon. I’m too nervous to run her longer than 10 or 11 miles though. My vet said she’s fine to run farther, but I just worry about her hips. She never acts tired or fatigued, I’m just paranoid. I always make sure she has access to water if the run is longer than 7 miles (about an hour) but I don’t bring food for her on runs. I’m worried it would upset her stomach. I keep lots of food for her in her bowl at home though when she’s logging a lot of miles.
Ada is beautiful and I LOVE her running back pack! Awesome!