What is Sportstrail Dog Food?
Sportstrail is a specialty dog food by Royal Canin formulated specifically for performance dogs and dogs with higher energy requirements.
It is a high-protein, high-fat dog food that provides nutritional support for muscle maintenance and sustained energy release in active and working dogs that exercise regularly at moderate to high intensities like:
- Hunting dogs
- Sled dogs
- Dogs competing in or training for dog sports like agility, flyball etc.
- Search and rescue dogs
- Police dogs and military working dogs
- Herding dogs and livestock guardian dogs
- Farm dogs like border collies that work livestock full-time
So if your dog falls into one of those categories and has a higher activity level or job that requires concentrated energy, Sportstrail can help provide complete and balanced fuel to power them through it.
Key Features and Benefits of Sportstrail
Some of the standout features of this specialty diet are:
High Protein Content
Sportstrail contains a minimum of 26% crude protein which helps support the additional muscle requirements that active, working and performance dogs need.
Higher dietary protein provides amino acids that help build and maintain muscle mass so dogs can keep up their strength, speed and endurance.
Higher Fat Content
This food also has a guaranteed minimum fat content of 19% to promote concentrated energy release.
Fat is the most concentrated source of energy for dogs. Active dogs use up more energy and the high fat content in Sportstrail dog food helps them meet those höher energy demands.
The food contains quality fats from chicken fat rather than plant-based oils. Animal-based fats provide dogs with essential fatty acids like linoleic acid which promotes healthy skin and a shiny coat from the inside out.
Slow-releasing Complex Carbs
While extra protein and fat provides energy and muscle support, complex carbohydrates offer sustained energy release.
Sportstrail contains grains like brown rice, barley and oats that are slow to digest. This gives dogs a steady supply of blood glucose for sustained energy rather than spikes and crashes.
Added Vitamins and Antioxidants
The formula also contains added vitamins (E and C) along with trace minerals that provide extra immune system and antioxidant support to counter exercise-induced stress and inflammation.
This helps active dogs recover faster.
What Dogs Can Benefit from Eating Sportstrail?
As mentioned earlier, Sportstrail is designed for performance dogs and dogs with higher than average energy requirements.
A few examples include:
- Hunting Dogs – Sporting and gun dogs like Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Pointers participating in field trials. The extra protein and fat helps them handle long days in the field.
- Sled Dogs – Breeds like Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes racing competitively or recreationally. Sustained energy is crucial for pulling over long distances.
- Agility Dogs – Border collies, Australian shepherds and other highly driven dogs that train and compete in agility trials. The right nutrition provides the fuel for performance.
- Search and Rescue Dogs – Whether disaster search dogs or tracking K9 police dogs, this is demanding work both physically and mentally. Proper muscle recovery and conditioning is a must.
- Police Dogs and Military Working Dogs – German shepherds, Belgian malinois and other working dogs in these fields contend with a lot, so specialized nutrition keeps them in peak condition.
- Herding Dogs – Border collies, Australian cattle dogs and others that actively work livestock daily have high energy needs which Sportstrail can fulfil.
- Farm Dogs – Similarly, farm dogs that work livestock full-time like guardian breeds have höher protein and energy needs that this food provides.
So if your dog is highly active in any field of work or canine sport, they can likely benefit from the specialized nutrition Sportstrail offers tailored to their heightened needs.
Ingredients and Nutrition Analysis
Let’s take a look at some of the key ingredients that make up Sportstrail dog food:
Protein Sources
- Chicken meal – Chicken meal is chicken meat concentrated down to a powder by removing the moisture. It’s rich in B vitamins and amino acids dogs need.
- Turkey meal – Like chicken meal, turkey meal is a concentrated, dehydrated form of turkey meat that provides lean protein.
- Lamb meal – Lamb is another quality protein addition delivering amino acids for muscular development and repair.
Fat Source
- Chicken fat – As mentioned earlier, chicken fat provides concentrated energy and linoleic acid for skin and coat health.
Complex Carbohydrates
- Brown rice – Whole grain brown rice digests slowly to provide sustained energy for dogs.
- Barley – Barley is another nutrient-rich complex carb offering steady glucose release.
- Oatmeal – Whole oats offer an excellent source of dietary fiber for digestive and cardiovascular health.
Supplemental Ingredients
- Dried beet pulp – Supports digestion, nutrient absorption and intestinal health. It also acts as a prebiotic to feed good gut bacteria.
- Fish oil – Provides omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA to balance out omega-6s and lessen inflammation.
- Tomato pomace – Rich antioxidant source that counters exercise-induced oxidative stress.
- Choline chloride – An essential nutrient that aids muscle function, nervous system health and cognitive function.
- Vitamin E supplement – Protects cell membranes from free radical damage induced by exercise.
- Vitamin C – Potent antioxidant vitamin that also supports immune function and recovery.
Guaranteed Analysis per 5.1 oz Cup:
| Nutrient | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Crude Protein (min.) | 26% |
| Crude Fat (min.) | 19% |
| Crude Fiber (max.) | 3.5% |
| Moisture (max.) | 10% |
| Vitamin E | 250 IU/kg |
| Vitamin C | 60 mg/kg |
| Calcium | 2.2% |
| Phosphorus | 1.6% |
| DHA | 0.06% |
| EPA | 0.03% |
As you can see, Sportstrail is packed with high-quality animal protein sources, energy-dense fat, antioxidant-rich fruits/veggies and added vitamins/minerals not found in regular dog foods.
This all comes together into a nutrient-dense formula delivering complete and balanced nutrition tailored to the increased demands placed on canine athletes and active working dogs.
Feeding Guidelines By Activity Level
Since Sportstrail is designed for active dogs, their energy needs can vary pretty significantly depending on the type and duration of exercise/work they regularly perform.
There are some general feeding guidelines based on a dog’s activity level:
Maintenance
- For the average healthy adult dog providing basic maintenance (no activity beyond light walks), Royal Canin recommends feeding approximately 275 kcal per 32 lbs of body weight daily.
- So a 64 lb dog would need roughly 550 kcal per day which equates to around 2 and 3/4 cups (some variation per dog).
Light Activity/Training
- For dogs getting less than 1 hour daily of activity like light training, short walks/jogs or light farm work, increase the amount fed by 10%.
- For example, the 64 lb dog from earlier doing light training would now need about 3 cups per day to account for a small uptick in calorie expenditure.
Moderate Activity
- For dogs getting 1-2 hours per day of sustained activity like dog sports training, long hikes, sustained yard play or moderate herding work, increase the amount fed by 20%.
- That 64 lb dog training for agility competitions may now require around 3 1/3 cups on training days to fuel those workouts.
High Activity
- Dogs that train and compete in sports/events or perform over 2 hours per day of physically demanding activities like search missions, should have their food increased by 40%.
- So our example dog doing over 2 hours of search and rescue work could need upwards of 4 cups depending on variables like weather, terrain etc. This ensures they can operate at peak condition.
Sustained Activity
- Finally, for dogs doing highly demanding work like police K9s on long missions or hunting dogs actively working prey scent in the field for extended timeframes (over 4 hours), their needs jump to requiring 80% above baseline intake.
- In this case, sustaining intense field work may necessitate around 5 cups daily for our hypothetical dog. This fuels long days and aids conditioning.
Of course these are just general guidelines – actual amount fed should be tailored to the individual dog based on variables like breed, size, metabolism, workload and environmental factors.
These increased percentages simply provide a starting point to meet elevated calorie needs. Things like weight, body condition, stool quality and sustained energy levels over weeks and months should be monitored to assess if any adjustments up or down are required.
Most active dogs do very well when fed this specialized food catered towards their higher protein and energy demands in order to perform at their peak.
Transitioning to Sportstrail
When transitioning your working dog or active canine athlete onto Sportstrail dog food, follow these tips:
- Gradually transition over 5-7 days. Start by mixing a little (25%) of the new food in with the previous food. Slowly decrease old food while increasing new food in ratio over a week.
- Look for consistent, firm bowel movements indicating good digestibility and nutrient absorption. Loose stool or gastrointestinal upset means slowing transition.
- Watch your dog’s energy levels closely over the transition process. With the higher fat content they should have noticeably more sustained energy.
- Monitor your dog’s weight and body condition score for any changes up or down. As a calorie-dense food you may need to adjust portion sizes.
- Once transitioned, give it 2-4 weeks for their body to fully adjust to the höher protein and fat ratio before assessing if further adjustments need to be made.
The key is slowly easing onto the new food while remaining observant of your dog’s health and energy to ensure they thrive on this specialized formula tailored towards working dogs and canine athletes with increased nutritional demands.
Where to Buy Sportstrail Dog Food
Sportstrail can be purchased from the following retailers:
- Pet specialty brick and mortar stores like PetSmart, Petco, Hollywood Feed, Pet Supplies Plus and other local chains generally carry it.
- Online pet food retailers like Chewy, PetFlow, Pet Expert and more have it in stock for home delivery.
- The manufacturer Royal Canin’s website allows direct online ordering.
- Large marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart.com also sell it.
- Royal Canin authorized vendors are guaranteed to supply genuine products versus third party sellers. Buying directly from Royal Canin guarantees product authenticity and safety.
So in summary, owners of active working dogs and canine athletes who feel their pets could benefit from specialized high protein, high energy nutrition tailored to their increased demands should consult with their veterinarian about transitioning them onto Sportstrail dog food for complete nutrition and peak performance.
