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Post by Dave on Jan 3, 2018 3:47:59 GMT 10
Hi, Just wanted to know peoples thoughts on giving beetroot to dogs, is there any adverse effects on using it?
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Post by Tom Meulman on Jan 3, 2018 5:02:59 GMT 10
Hi Dave,
As far as I’m aware there are no adverse effects of feeding a small amount of beetroot (red beets) to a Greyhound, but as with everything it’s best not to overdo it as the digestive system on a lot of greyhounds are very sensitive to diet changes, and greyhounds are canines after all with a digestive system not evolved to handle a lot of vegetables.
At the same time as for humans beetroot, mainly due to their red coloring, contain a good quantity of antioxidants and are high in fibre and folate, and also contain potassium, magnesium and iron.
The other item I should mention in regard to beetroot, is that beetroot juice is very popular with endurance athletes due to the ability of beetroot juice to dilate the blood vessels, thereby increasing the blood supply to the muscle tissue, and in the process reducing the oxygen requirements of that muscle tissue.
While I have used beetroot juice in my competitive bike riding days and did find a slight benefit, I never used beetroot juice with a greyhound prior to racing so I have no idea as to how it would affect them particularly with the possibility of causing diarrhea just prior to racing or while being in a kennel pre race.
Cheers, Tom
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Post by Dave on Jan 4, 2018 4:56:09 GMT 10
Hi Tom, I am not a big believer in feeding veg to dogs in general but our climate is damp to say the least and we don't get a lot of good quality sun. There are a lot of supplements on the market and have tried most of them but have yet to find one that I would keep buying, apart from livermol, you could see the dogs improve on it but cant get that here now. So was looking to add something to the feed that would be general benefit. I read an interview with Robert Britton and he feeds his dogs similar to the way you fed your (half and half) He said he uses a potassium supplement but didn't mention the name, I don't suppose you the name of it? Or could you recommend one? I use apple cider vinegar (I take it myself) and liquid iron, maybe that enough?
Dave.
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Post by Tom Meulman on Jan 4, 2018 12:36:01 GMT 10
Hi Dave,
The most common used potassium supplement was Slow K until it became an S4 which required a script, now there are similar products on the market specifically for use with racing greyhounds such as Rapid-K.
While large potassium supplements were popularized by the late Alex Hauler I must admit to having some reservations other than possibly providing a large dose 24 hours prior to racing, and it should be kept in mind that under some circumstances a large dose of potassium can be extremely detrimental to the dog, such as when it’s suffering from adrenal exhaustion.
Instead of focusing on a large supplement of potassium there is nothing wrong with sprinkling something like Lite-Salt on the main meal, it’s available from most supermarkets and sold as a low sodium ulternative because 50% of the sodium content in that product is in fact potassium.
Low cost and no problems with accidental overdosing or causing stomach/intestinal damage due to undissolved potassium tablets.
Cheers, Tom
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Post by dave on Jan 5, 2018 4:10:11 GMT 10
Hi Tom, thanks for that, i'll give it a go and see how it goes.
Thanks,
Dave.
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