what do you think ?

[its the dog]

Ok I went hunting this morning the dog and I that is. He started out fine acting normal and about half way threw he just didn't have much go in him so I decided to head to the truck and he was in front of me walking and just fell over sideways like a dead horse then he got up and started going again stumbling by that time we were back to the truck. So I called the vetr and he said he was leaving on a call so he told me he needed sugar and he would be fine.really that's it.

[mcbosco]

Exertional Hypoglycemia, either he needs more conditioning, a different diet or both.

[its the dog]

Exactly what is that,and he is in good shape we were only out for an hour and he is an english pointer

[mcbosco]

Blood sugar drops to a level (50?) that cannot support the body. A dog actually falling over is a pretty good case of it. There was another guy posting with something that sounded like it but was much more mild. It is pretty common early in the season. Young dogs especially. I have seen JRT's collapse and going into seizure from it early in the trial season. I am sure others have heard stories of sighthounds going down from it because they are so lean.

It happens.

Its best to speak to your vet about it. He may want to do some checking.

The solution is more conditioning and diet if the dog is not on a good feed. Having sugar around is fine to treat it but that is no long term solution.

What is he eating?

Just Google it there is tons of info on it.

[its the dog]

Thank you for the info.that was going to be my next question I switched dog food about a month ago I was feeding black gold then they jumped the price up 8 dollars and decided to try another brand so I'm feeding him diamond premium adult.

[mcbosco]

It is important that you chat with the vet but I would up the feed grade 30/20 or more or use a supplement like Impact. I think people on here with more experience on this will tell you to work the dog more frequently but diet is important is well.

How old is the dog? Temperament? Type A? Intact?

[Wagonmaster]

It is hypoglycemia, and sometimes Hunting Dog Hypoglycemia. It generally causes seizures. Blood sugar falls to zero, and causes the seizure. You can try a different diet. You can also feed the dog honey or small candy bars during the hunt (not chocolate, or if chocolate only very small amounts). However, my experience with it is that it is very frustrating and not necessarily susceptible to any treatment other than just hunting the dog for short periods and completely resting it, i.e. don't hunt it again that day. It appears to be genetic. As a precaution, you should probably have a T4 thyroid test done, it is sometimes associated with hypothyroidism, but here again, treating the hypothyroidism does not necessarily solve the problem either.

[ezzy333]

It is important that you chat with the vet but I would up the feed grade 30/20 or more or use a supplement like Impact. I think people on here with more experience on this will tell you to work the dog more frequently but diet is important is well.

How old is the dog? Temperament? Type A? Intact?

The Diamond Premium is a good dog food. What might help is just what Wagonmaster suggested. Fat and protein is not the cure but rather it is the way the body handles the sugar in the body. Sweet snacks may help but watch the dog closely and try to get the treat to him before he goes down. And do check the thyroid if it continues.

Ezzy

[jlp8cornell]

Here is a link to an "Ask the Vet" type of forum on the topic of hypoglycemia in dogs. There are some hunting dog specific examples. Might be worth looking at. (Not as a substitute to a vet visit, just for additional info.) One tip is to feed several small meals/day instead of 2 big meals.

http://www.vetinfo.com/dhypogly.html

[its the dog]

He 5 years old now and he is a pretty mellow dog if was genetics wouldn't it of showed up along time ago I'm a breeding manager on a hog farm and understand genetics but it usually shows up early versus later when iowa had birds we would hunt all day long with no signs of this before

[mcbosco]

"Basic biomedical research has demonstrated that liver glycogen storage can be greatly increased by feeding diets that contain only SMALL proportions of carbohydrates, especially small proportions of simple carbohydrates (like simple sugars and starches). In contrast, when diets containing LARGE proportions of simple carbohydrates were fed, it was found that liver glycogen reserves declined precipitously, and the animals came to rely heavily on gastrointestinal absorption of glucose for maintenance of normal blood glucose concentrations. Simple carbohydrates are rapidly digested to glucose in the gastrointestinal tract, and this glucose is rapidly absorbed into the blood stream. When these animals with low liver glycogen reserves (on high carbohydrate diets) were fasted and/or subjected to exercise, they were much more prone to develop hypoglycemia than were animals with high liver glycogen reserves (on low carbohydrate diets).

Thus, at least in theory, the risk of developing HDH in hunting dogs should be lessened by feeding rations that provide the smallest possible fraction of total ration calories in the form of carbohydrates, and the largest possible fraction of total ration calories in the form of proteins and fats. Since a high proportion of total ration nutrients fall into these 3 categories (carbohydrates, proteins and fats), the carbohydrate fraction will usually be lowest in those rations that contain the largest proportion of the other two macronutrient classes combined (protein plus fat)"

I would upgrade feeds or use something like Impact if the Vet finds nothing else wrong.

[its the dog]

Thanks everyone I can't get him to the vet till next weak to find anything out. But I was already thinking of switching his feed back to black gold just in case.

[kensfishing]

Thank you for the info.that was going to be my next question I switched dog food about a month ago I was feeding black gold then they jumped the price up 8 dollars and decided to try another brand so I'm feeding him diamond premium adult.

Dogs need fat, and Diamond Adult doesn't have enought fat content. I feed the 26/20 and have no problem. If I'm trialing dogs hard I feed the Extreme Ath. Much more protein and alot more fat. They get their energy from fat, not protein. But you'll be alot better off getting a vet check and make sure it's not something else.

[ncpointers]

Carry a honeybun in your pack and give it to the dog if the problem reoccurs. He should react to the sugar on the bun fairly quickly. I had a dog years ago that did not have a problem until she was 6 or so years old. It was always worse on hotter than usual days. Just my 2cents.

[larue]

I would certainly have your vet take a good look at your dog.I lost a dog who was doing the same things,often he was fine but every once in a while he would get shaky .
He ended up going into a coma due to low blood sugar levels,caused by a tumor on his pancreas,while in his kennel.
There can be issues other than just plain diet that cause low blood sugar,so talk to your vet about blood workup ect.

[ezzy333]

I would certainly have your vet take a good look at your dog.I lost a dog who was doing the same things,often he was fine but every once in a while he would get shaky .
He ended up going into a coma due to low blood sugar levels,caused by a tumor on his pancreas,while in his kennel.
There can be issues other than just plain diet that cause low blood sugar,so talk to your vet about blood workup ect.

Excellent advice.

Ezzy