Resting recovery

I first started working on the formula Resting recovery over thirty years ago. Since then, we have fine-tuned the formula and learned the best way of using it for optimal results. The science behind this product began over 40 years ago in David Costill's lab at Ball State University. He found that elite runners who ran 16 miles three days in a row were not able to maintain their pre-exercise muscle glycogen levels even thought they were eating a very high carbohydrate diet. Later studies of elite cyclists and rats found that supplementing carbohydrates immediately after exercise, supported complete muscle glycogen repletion between consecutive days endurance exercise. In 1990 we began to see if this concept would also hold true for dogs.

Since that time, we have done dozens of studies that have all shown that this strategy does work well in dogs. We found that if you can give 1.5-2 g of an easily digestible carbohydrate source immediately after exercise, dogs will replace half of the used glycogen in 4 hours and all of it in 24 hours. If we don't do this and we only feed our normal meal, the dogs only replete half of the deficit in 24 hours.

While most working dogs that run for more than 10 minutes rely mostly on fat for energy, glycogen -, or stored sugar is still an important fuel source. It is important for high speed and high resistance running such as chasing game, running up hills, or running in tall grass or deep snow. The other important consideration to remember is that the amount of stored energy in carbohydrates is 40-50 times smaller than the total amount of stored energy in fat, even in a lean fit dog. This is why it is so critical to re-fill this fuel tank when working multiple days in a row.

Also remember it is critical to get the Resting recovery into your dog as soon as possible after exercise for optimal effect. This is because during exercise the muscle moves glucose transporters out onto the cell membrane (surface) to maximize the transport of this sugar into the cell. These transporters stay on the cell surface for about 30 minutes after exercise ends and then they are moved back inside. Once that happens the rate of transport of glucose into the muscle cell diminishes and other cells may compete for the sugar. In that immediate post exercise period, the cell is also set up to take that glucose and store it as glycogen. For these reasons waiting even a short period of time after exercise ends before administering Resting recovery may decrease its effectiveness.

We have used the concepts found in Resting recovery for 35 years and I am confident it has helped my dogs perform at their best whether on the sled dog trail or in the hunting field. With the research and field experience we have put into this product, we know it can help your dogs recover between multiple days of work and start each day with a full tank of fuel.

Dr Arleigh Reynolds är veterinär och specialist inom utfodring och på arbetande hundars fysiologi. Han har doktorsgrad i båda ämnena och har tävlat i slädhundskörning på elitnivå i Alaska, samt är en passionerad jägare.