Vitality lunch 

I have enjoyed many wonderful days of hunting with my friend Jan Svensson and his dogs in the Swedish mountains. One thing I particularly have appreciated is the way he always stops at lunchtime to build a fire, cook lunch and make coffee. It is a great time to rest and recover from the morning hunt and to be re-energized for the rest of the afternoon. At home we rarely do this and so I began to think, if the hunters are resting and recovering, we should help the dogs so this as well. After many campfire and kitchen table discussions over our experience in the field and the laboratory we created Vitality lunch.

This formula provides an optimal mix of complete proteins, carbohydrates and fast acting fats to rapidly replace essential amino acids and energy stores that have been depleted during an active morning of hunting. It also contains essential vitamins, antioxidants, and some compounds that address mental fatigue and support cognitive function.

When using Vitality lunch it is important to remember that for it to be most effective, your dog will need to rest at least 30 minutes and preferably up to an hour before returning to hunting This is because it takes about 30 minutes for the nutrients to be absorbed from the gut, transported through the body and taken up by the muscles, liver and brain where they can replace nutrients used during the morning hunt. Using Vitality lunch this way will help significantly replace muscle glycogen, B vitamins which are essential for fat and carbohydrate metabolism, and essential amino acids which help maintain energy generating enzymes, and muscle and blood proteins. The type of fat used in Vitality lunch can enter muscle cells rapidly and be used as a fuel there and can also be used by the brain as a secondary fuel. The lipoic acid and astaxanthin in Vitality lunch serve as potent antioxidants protecting both the brain and the muscles from oxidative damage during exercise. Our studies have found astaxanthin to be many times more effective than vitamin E in protecting muscles from this type of damage. Because of its unique ability to be soluble in both water and fat it can penetrate to the part of the cell where oxygen is being metabolized and free radicals are being generated and quench them before they can damage muscle protein and DNA.

By combining these key nutrients together in this formula, Vitality lunch supports muscle, brain, and body recovery so your dog will start the afternoon fresh and ready to go.

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.