"Exercise and Digestion"  

Except From An Older Purinal "link" no longer available. Timing of meals is important in canine athletes. Exercise alters gastrointestinal transit time and therefore can change nutrient digestion and absorption. Exercise, also, can cause mild hypoxia in the gut due to redistribution of blood flow. In addition, the heat of digestion can increase heat load in exercising dogs that are already at risk for excessive heat production. Due to the heat of digestion, dogs fed 4 hours before exercise had higher core temperatures than those fed 17 hours before exercising. Approximately 23 hours are required for the complete digestion of a large meal in a dog. Dogs fed less than 23 hours before an exercise event may have fecal matter in the colon that can compromise performance by adding extra weight to the dog.

Some researchers and dog enthusiasts theorize that feces in the colon can also cause cecal slap. Cecal slap is a condition during which the residual feces “slaps” against the colon causing irritation of the surrounding epithelium and perhaps inducing diarrhea during and after exercise. It is recommended that intensely exercising dogs be fed approximately 24 hours before an intense exercise bout to help alleviate problems associated with a full colon.

If the sporting activity in which they are participating is a multiple day event, then dogs should be fed as soon as possible after exercise so that they have the maximum amount of time to digest the meal before the next exercise bout. It is appropriate to feed a dog only when it is no longer panting or exhibiting signs of heat stress or dehydration Most dogs can be fed within 45 minutes of cessation of exercise.