Dog Food on the Trail

[FooFooCuddlyPoops]

Hey guys.

This is for those people who have backpacked with their dog...

Do you guys change to a lighter food when you backpack with your dog?

My dog food is heavy. She does not eat much, but still..it's heavy in regards to added pack weight. I did research and have heard of freeze dried raw foods you just add water too.

I am planning for a rather long section hike next may and am bringing the pup (if she learns her manners better. She's less than a year, going to be a year by march, raised hiking basically.)

[onecamper]

No, same dry food she is used to eating just a little more of it each day. She carries it, so it won't weigh me down. I've heard people say two years is about the right time to outfit them with a pack, you don't want to train them with weight until fully grown.

[Feral Bill]

I would think that any dry food without fillers would work. Check the nutrition labels for calories/weight. You might also check with a vet who works with a lot of sporting and working dogs. And, when she's old enough, have her carry her own stuff.

[Water Rat]

Keep her on the same foods as she is used to. Any changes in diet have the potential to upset her stomach.

My pooches are lab/golden mixes and I started them wearing packs when they were 6mo. old. Keep in mind these packs had no weight in them at first! That got them used to wearing the packs. I gradually added their travel bowls, poop bags, favorite toy....snacks. As they grew, so did the weight they carry. I am not sure what kind of dog you have, but she should be able to carry at least some of her stuff (even my shelties could carry their travel bowls and snacks!). My dogs each carry some water and at least one meal in their packs.

Dog food is heavy. This is where mail drops can be your best friend.

Be mindful of where your dog drinks - Dogs can get giardia and other lovely bugs just like people.

Be very careful not weigh your dog down with too much weight! And always check to make sure the pack (even after she has been wearing it for years!) does not create any wear spots. In warmer weather, your dog will get pretty warm while wearing a pack, so be mindful of that.

[onecamper]

Feet too. If your dog is carrying weight, the feet take more abuse, especially on granite. Some kind of foot protection will be needed.

[Swimmer]

My dog carries her food in a doggie pack. I think the rule of thumb is not to have your dog carry over 20% of their body weight. If you have a young pup, you will probably want to go with half that and work your way up as she matures. I started my girl with just packs, nothing in them, as a puppy and now at 5 she carries about 15 pounds.
I use regular dry dog food, but get the "high performance" stuff for the trail. Ol' Roy makes one, or if you go to a feed store, Blue Diamond. It's formulated for active or working dogs.

[saltysack]

. Mine carries his own...under 20% of body weight...I've used dehydrated food...he loves it with warm water!! I believe Acana is the brand but it's very good quality but $$$$$.


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[Gambit McCrae]

I use the same food as at home. I give him high protein endurance dog food, vacuum seal it in one day portions and that way his food cannot get wet. He swims and dives and walks in the rain and so I have to guarantee his food will be dry for him.

[kjbrown]

I second Vacuum packing the same food you feed them at home, or at least switch a month before the hike starts to make sure there are no alergies or other problems with the food. I use a grain free high proteen food cald in the wild and it works well for my huskey on the trail and in the snow. One thing i did find that after a long 3 week hike she did become very food protective when we got back and needs to be fed seperatly from the other dogs in the house, partly a huskey trait but pushed up with the extra exertion on the trail.

[squeezebox]

What about doggie wt. loss on the trail. And anything about wt. gain upon return.

[FarmerChef]

Our Alaskan Husky just finished the AT with us this past August. In the beginning we just brought her dog food along and she carried a reasonable amount in her pack. No problem. But then we changed her to a raw meat diet about a year into the hike and were faced with a problem. How do we substitute for raw meat on the trail? In the beginning we just brought her dog food that we supplemented the raw diet with back home. This worked ok but it was heavy and it did upset her stomach initially while she got used to it (we typically hike for 9 days at a time). But then I began to dehydrate various ground proteins and mix it in with a bit of rice and some vegetables. It was much lighter, packed with protein and all I had to do was stick it in a cozy and add some fat and she was good to go. This worked well for us for the past two years of hiking (around 1,000 miles). Of course, this works for our dog - you'll have to figure out what works best for yours. Happy hiking.

[LAZ]

Check this out for an experience related to that freeze-dried food on the trail.
http://www.atraillife.com/rooneys-gear.html
I have red better recommendations about using performance dog food which has a higher calorie to weight ratio.

[Boots and Backpacks]

We changed our dogs food completely for the AT. Our 10lb dog ate high protein dog food, TurboPup bars, and we added olive oil to her food. Larger dogs will drop weight pretty quick on the trail, and chances are the food they're eating now isn't good enough.

[Dogwood]

Our Alaskan Husky just finished the AT with us this past August. In the beginning we just brought her dog food along and she carried a reasonable amount in her pack. No problem. But then we changed her to a raw meat diet about a year into the hike and were faced with a problem. How do we substitute for raw meat on the trail? In the beginning we just brought her dog food that we supplemented the raw diet with back home. This worked ok but it was heavy and it did upset her stomach initially while she got used to it (we typically hike for 9 days at a time). But then I began to dehydrate various ground proteins and mix it in with a bit of rice and some vegetables. It was much lighter, packed with protein and all I had to do was stick it in a cozy and add some fat and she was good to go. This worked well for us for the past two years of hiking (around 1,000 miles). Of course, this works for our dog - you'll have to figure out what works best for yours. Happy hiking.

I've hiked with a Husky, Irish Setter, two Border Collies, and a Jack Russel(like Saltysack has) that were not my own but with others I was hiking on LD hikes but other dogs on shorter weekend to week long hikes/hunting trips. We always supplemented with cooked meats in town, more rarely on trail, and frequently on trail with dried meats.

[LAZ]

What is the purpose of the vacuum packing? Is this wet food you are able to preserve better this way?I haven't figured out yet what I'm going to feed my Shepherd - her vet is having us do some more refined allergy testing to broaden the options for what she can eat. Keeping weight on her is going to be tough - she's quite slim to begin with. So, I'm looking at options right now - it definitely won't be what she eats now. Thanks to the person who has reminded me that I can also supplement in town with things like cooked food and things that are heavier/perishable.

[Tipi Walter]

I spent 15 years backpacking with my chow mix and used an Adventure 16 dog pack which I filled with his moist-paks dog food which he liked, augmented with whatever trail food I was eating. He ate two moist paks per day and could carry 17 days worth of food in his pack as our trips routinely lasted 15 to 20 w/o resupply. A malamute probably could've carried 40 days of his own food.


The mighty Shunka climbing Sugar Mt in cold temps on the Benton MacKaye trail---his pack is fully loaded for a multi-week trip.


In deep snow a large filled dog pack slows old Shunka down so I had to unclip the thing and wear it around my neck until we got off the ridge.


Here I am carrying Shunka's pack until we get to our campsite.

Beloved Shunka went on the spirit trail in Nov 2010 but if I had to do it over again I would carry a better food brand like Blue Buffalo and augment it with blue buffalo treats and maybe even try to home dehydrate some canned food.

[Water Rat]

Work with your vet to make the decision regarding food. As with people, there is no "one size fits all" answer. Breed, size, current activity level, current brand/type of dog food, food allergies...those factors (and more) will all help dictate what is best for your dog and if any changes need to be made.

Many dogs are used to a more sedentary lifestyle and are not used to having the opportunity to be outdoors all day. For those dogs, I would suggest conditioning (as I would for their humans) prior to any longer trail hikes. This will help build muscle and reduce the odds of injury. It also will help you to discover if your dog has any current issues (sore joints, stiffness, etc) that might need to be addressed. Use this time to get the pooch used to the weight of their pack and to see if the pack rides well on your dog and does not cause any rub spots. This will also give you an idea of Fido's food needs on the trail. It is easier to address all these things prior to the hike, and allows both of you to have a much better time when you do hit the trail for a longer hike.

During this time, you might also find that your dog loves hiking, but might not be so into backpacking for days on end. I have two black lab/golden retriever mix dogs (sisters). The one who looks like a lab absolutely loves hiking and backpacking and is overjoyed when we get out on the trail. Her sister absolutely loves hiking and short backpacking trips, but absolutely hates longer backpacking trips. She would rather have the comforts of being indoors at night. Both love the trail, but in their own way.

If your dog already leads an active lifestyle, you might not need to change anything about their trail food. It all depends on their current lifestyle, breed, what they currently eat, and how they do with longer hikes. Using my dogs as an example, there are not that many changes I would need to make to take them (well, one of them...the other one would like us to send postcards) on a thru-hike. They are both in top condition because they already hike almost daily (year-round), and swim/hike/paddle board/kayak/run every day through out the summer. At most the only adjustments I would need to make would be in the amount of food given per meal.

Talk with your vet about what would be best for your dog, take your dog on some longer training hikes to see what works/doesn't work, and have fun spending time with your pooch.

[Kookork]

My dog( sheltie) has no problem with digesting various dog foods hiking or not. I change the food every now and then even when not hiking. But I have seen some breeds that are sensitive to new food . If possible when you buy a new food on trail do your best to buy the brand that has the main ingredient of your dog's original food . If your dog eats a food that is mainly "Lamb and Rice" then do not buy a food that is mainly "chicken and corn". This way the chance of upset stomach is minimal.
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Here is my 7 years old Sheltie, Delta.

[LAZ]

Has anyone worked out a creative way to give your dog water without wasting a lot of it? A common routine I have is to pour out water in a container deep enough for her to drink comfortably and to have her not drink any or just take a quick slurp. Then I'm stuck trying to pour the water back into the bottle, losing half of it. Sometimes I just drink it myself, even if I'm not thirsty. Yeah, dog slobber included. At home, I just carry a lot of waterif I'm going to spend a day away from convenient sources. When weight matters, at two pounds per liter, I could easily dump a need an extra pound or two of water a day to make up for what I'm tossing each time she doesn't feel like drinking, and it would be lighter to carry a funnel or very wide mouth container butt neither are super convenient. I've tried those bottles that are sort of built into a drinking container, and they are a mess. This is not a big deal but a sort of constant nuisance I've never solved. Anyone have a better solution?

[Sarcasm the elf]

Has anyone worked out a creative way to give your dog water without wasting a lot of it? A common routine I have is to pour out water in a container deep enough for her to drink comfortably and to have her not drink any or just take a quick slurp. Then I'm stuck trying to pour the water back into the bottle, losing half of it. Sometimes I just drink it myself, even if I'm not thirsty. Yeah, dog slobber included. At home, I just carry a lot of waterif I'm going to spend a day away from convenient sources. When weight matters, at two pounds per liter, I could easily dump a need an extra pound or two of water a day to make up for what I'm tossing each time she doesn't feel like drinking, and it would be lighter to carry a funnel or very wide mouth container butt neither are super convenient. I've tried those bottles that are sort of built into a drinking container, and they are a mess. This is not a big deal but a sort of constant nuisance I've never solved. Anyone have a better solution?

When we hike, we carry a 16 or 20 wide mouthed plastic bottle for unused dog water and use a round plastic chinese food "togo" container as a bowl. The round container is flexible enough that we can bend it into a spout to pour unused water back into the wide mouth container. We only ever fill the bowl about a third of the way up, which makes it much easier to handle while pouring the excess water. With a little practice we can get all the water back in the bottle most of the time.