The post on coat got me to thinking. Nancy said she feeds Proplan Preformance. I haven't been showing in a while but I noticed my girl was sort of "down" when we got home. Is this show stress? She just wasn't herself and kept away from everyone. She threw up some bile twice. Now, 3 days after getting home and after a full day of water retrieving play she is her happy self.
Was it stress from the show?
Re: "preformance food" when showing--do you use it?
Yes, I use performance food when showing or hunting. I start 2-4 days before the show and do an additional 2-4 after. If they are showing every weekend for a series of shows over an extended period then I do not take them off. And I do not feed more, same amount just the performance kind.
Re: "preformance food" when showing--do you use it?
Dear Any ~ My guys come off a show circuit and sleep! So I would have to hazard a guess and say yes, it is adjusting to extreme changes in routine. Now, that being said I have some "show-aholics" who do not stress the same way as my "hunt-aholics." Like people I would presume that stress is individual, as are stress manifestations.
Re: "preformance food" when showing--do you use it?
Well, I suppose I should jump in on this topic! As "Any" said, I feed ProPlan PERformance. If one of my dogs came home from a show and vomited bile, I would figure that he or she either ate something that upset the stomach, or contracted some sort of virus or other bug. My dogs generally come home and pop right back into the routine without missing a beat. I don't think it has anything to do with the food - good socialization and predictability has more to do with the dog's attitude before, during and after travel. When I have dogs come in to me for socialization or to get ready to show, they stay on the same food they eat at home. I might see some depressed behavior until I get the training process under way and they start to learn that traveling and shows are fun.
Again I don't think it's the food. I feed Performance because of the level of protein, not because it's called Performance. For all of my dogs at all life stages and activity levels it is working well for me.
Re: "preformance food" when showing--do you use it?
I've got a dog who was known up n' down the eastern seaboard to be stress-y while showing.
When he got home, he would be exhausted. Part of it, I think, was pure tiredness from being so excited and 'on' all the time. When we left the Garden, he was sound asleep before the train left the station!
I'd suggest that your girl was experiencing post-show letdown.
