How To Recover Your Dog After Hunting

Has your hunting dog been chasing deer all day? Or intense fights with wild hogs? Recover your hunting dog after a challenging hunt with our tips.

It is the most amazing moment when your hunting dog dives into the water and brings out the coveted prize at your command. The way dogs chase the quarry is incredible, but sometimes their focused attention on the prize may cause injuries. It’s horrible to train a hunting dog and get injuries that stop it from hunting an entire season just because of some injury that could have been avoided.

At this time, your pet needs extra attention, love, and care (like you always do) so you can develop a valuable bonding with him. Find the injuries or work on relaxing those post-hunt sore feet to let your darling canine recover faster. Remember the philosophy that an ounce of preventive measure is worth a pound of therapy.

How to recharge a dog that has been hunting all-day

Your four-pawed friend also gets tired after hunting all day. Try these tips to recharge your hard-hunting dog so he can relax and refresh to perform better in the next hunt. Remember that all muscle tissue is broken down when exercising and its when the rest happens that the muscles are rebuilt stronger.

Head to toe inspection to find the potential issues

Make sure your valued friend doesn’t get any internal injury or broken teeth. His fur can mask injuries and may create issues if they get unnoticed. So inspect your hunting partner from head to toe. Start from the mouth and look for bleeding gums. Check if ticks or grass awns stuck between the gums and teeth.

Next, gently check the eyelids for any redness and give him a saline eyewash to flush away the dirt. Find if there is any swelling or abrasions at the dog’s head, neck, or snout. Gently run your hands over his furry body to inspect any cuts or pains. Check his legs if there is any swelling in joints and his adorable paws.

Run a flea comb over his coat to pick up any ticks

Flea combs can help pick up any insects and ticks in his fur. Run the comb for about five to ten passes over your canine’s coat.
Once you feel satisfied with all the inspection procedure, give him a good boy pat on the head.

Give him his favorite blanket

Is there any favorite blanket of your hunting dog? If so, bring it with you on your hunt and make sure you have it with you when you get home. It will give him a non-verbal signal that it’s time to relax and sleep. Very important to think about this from the beginning when you start training that you have a blanket that symbolizes rest and relaxation.

Hydrate your pet

After hitting the hills for about 5 to 6 hours, your dog needs water. Hydration also aids in speedy recovery. A dog’s body is comprised of 70% water, and while hitting the mountains and chasing foxes and birds, he loses a lot of that water level.

Give him water to drink while making sure he doesn’t gulp large amounts as it may create stomach distress. Hydrating can help regulate his body temperature, deliver nutrients to fatigued muscles, and flush out the toxins.

Heal him up with krill oil and turmeric

Turmeric and krill oil are essential ingredients for your hardworking and sporting furry friend. After a hard hunting day, your dog may have pounding muscles and joints, and it is necessary to heal him with proper nutrition.

Krill oil is a fantastic ingredient that is found in Alpha Dog Nutrition’s Vitality Supplement. It contains Omega-3 fatty acids like fish oil which is beneficial for your dog’s mental health and joint issues.

You can also add turmeric in his diet as it combats inflammation which is a road-block to recovery after hunting.

Let him sleep

Let him go to his shelter where he usually sleeps and feels safe. Make sure his shelter has enough space to stretch sore muscles. Is your bed his favorite sleeping place? Let him sleep there then, just present a good option where he is used to relaxing and with the blanket we discussed earlier.

Give him nutrition bars for recovery (if he is extremely tired)

Couple ibuprofen, a little extra glucosamine, and a protein energy bar give him all to recover and regain the energy faster. Retrieve Tri-Nutrition Bars can help with muscle growth and recovery. A few pieces of white bread can also help in the recovery. Here you can read more on the best supplements to give your dog.

Maltodextrin is ideal for replacing glycogen stores in your canine’s muscles. It is a simple sugar which you can at a homebrew shop by the pound. If you are hunting for multiple days with your hunting partner, Maltodextrin would be ideal for him.

Give him protein-rich food

Protein-rich food can boost the energy levels and make your hunting dog less vulnerable to injury in the fields. Give him high protein food after hunting says double than the normal. If you usually give him 25% protein in regular days, boost the level during hunting season. High protein food doesn’t burn out your dog’s energy quickly and helps him stay active for longer hours in the fields.

Play with your four-pawed pal

Just like you get mental fatigue after a hectic day at work or extended hunting sessions, your dog also feels the same. After been rushing or hitting the hills and fields all day, he may lose his focus and will not perform better the next day. Mental fatigue may also result in the bad behavior of your canine.

Play with him to stimulate his brain and reduce his stress. His favorite chew toy or a bone can help reduce stress and also works well for his appetite.
Curl up with him to create a stronger bond. Curling up with your pet lessens the stress, and it also makes your dog feel loved.

Conclusion

Just like us, dogs also need help with settling down from an intense hunting day. Their metabolism works faster than ours, so they recover from fatigue and post-hunting sore muscles quickly. Let your hunting partner recover and give him a day or two to rest before going for the next hunt. A long walk in the night can help him stretch and relieve himself. The better you care for your hunting dog, the better your hunting success will be. It is absolutely horrible to get injuries on your hunting dogs, not just expensive but it can ruin entire hunting seasons. Best of luck!

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How to Train your Hunting Dog