Chesapeake Bay Retriever nutrition for working and pet dogs

How much a Chesapeake Bay Retriever should eat depends far more on its workload than on its breed. A Chessie that hunts ducks through a cold season and one that walks an hour a day can differ by hundreds of calories, and the same dog can move between the two across a year. According to the American Kennel Club, males stand 58 to 66 cm (23 to 26 in) and weigh 29 to 36 kg (65 to 80 lb); females stand 53 to 61 cm (21 to 24 in) and weigh 25 to 32 kg (55 to 70 lb). The breed was built for retrieving ducks from the icy water of the Chesapeake Bay, and its dense, oily coat and deep chest both have consequences for care.

Calories for pet and working Chessies

The Merck Veterinary Manual estimates the resting energy requirement (RER) as 70 × body weight in kg to the power 0.75. A moderately active adult needs roughly 1.6 × RER if neutered and 1.8 × RER if intact, and a dog that gains weight easily about 1.4 ×. Merck describes these figures as starting points only.

Those multipliers describe a moderately active dog. Long days of retrieving, particularly in cold water and wind, raise energy use well beyond that, and there is no reliable breed-specific figure for how far. The practical approach is to increase food gradually as the training and hunting season builds, weigh the dog every week or two, and cut back as soon as the work stops. Many owners feed a more energy-dense performance food during the season and return to a maintenance food afterwards, changing over across a week or so. The AKC suggests a food with at least 20 percent protein for especially active dogs.

Keeping working-season portions into the off-season is an easy way for a Chessie to put on weight, so the scale matters most in the weeks after the season ends.

Joints and body condition

Hip dysplasia is the AKC's first-listed health concern for the breed, and its recommended tests include both hip and elbow evaluations. Genetics sets much of the risk, which is why these screenings on both parents matter when choosing a puppy. Diet cannot remove the genetic risk, but how fast a puppy grows and how lean the dog stays both matter. It can control how fast a puppy grows and how much load the joints carry for life.

Puppies should eat a complete food made for large-breed growth, measured rather than left out all day, with no added calcium. Merck notes that excess calcium is a particular problem for large and giant breeds from weaning to one year and worsened osteochondrosis in fast-growing large-breed dogs.

In adults, staying lean does the most good. In a lifelong study, Labrador Retrievers fed 25 percent less than their pair-mates lived longer and showed signs of chronic disease later. A heavily muscled Chessie can hide fat, so check by hand: ribs easy to feel with light pressure, a visible waist from above, and a tuck behind the ribs from the side. Glucosamine, chondroitin and fish oil are widely used for joint support; for a dog with diagnosed dysplasia or arthritis, discuss product and dose with a vet.

Bloat, fat and feeding around work

The breed standard calls for a chest that is deep and wide, and deep-chested dogs carry a higher risk of gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat), in which the stomach fills with gas and can twist. It is fatal without emergency treatment.

In a prospective study of large and giant breeds, bloat risk rose with age, with a close relative that had bloated, with fast eating and with a raised food bowl. One finding matters particularly for working Chessies. In a case-control study, dry foods that listed an oil or fat among their first four ingredients were linked to 2.4 times the risk of bloat. If a performance food lists an oil or fat that early, that is one more reason to manage carefully how it is fed:

• Split the day's food into at least two meals, and more on heavy working days.
• Feed from a bowl on the floor, and slow down a fast eater with a slow-feeder bowl.
• Keep meals moderate in size on working days, and do not give a large meal just before hard work.
• Let the dog rest and settle after eating before training, retrieving or swimming.

Exercise-induced collapse

Exercise-induced collapse (EIC) is caused by a recessive mutation in the dynamin 1 (DNM1) gene. It is best known in Labrador Retrievers, but a genetic survey across breeds found carriers and affected dogs with collapse in Chesapeake Bay Retrievers as well. The AKC lists an EIC DNA test among the breed's recommended screens.

Affected dogs are normal at rest and with moderate exercise. The trouble comes with intense, exciting activity such as repeated retrieves. In a study of Labradors with the DNM1 mutation, the first collapse typically came at about a year old, started in the hind legs with floppy muscles while the dog stayed mentally alert, and recovered quickly. A dog that collapses during work should stop at once, be cooled and rested, and be examined by a vet, since heatstroke, heart disease and low blood sugar can look similar. An affected dog is usually managed by avoiding the intense, exciting exercise that sets off episodes; a vet can help work out safe limits.

Eyes and spinal cord

The AKC breed page advises DNA testing breeding dogs for progressive rod-cone degeneration (PRA-prcd), the most common form of progressive retinal atrophy in the Chesapeake. It causes gradual, painless loss of vision, usually noticed first as poor sight in dim light. No diet or supplement prevents it; testing and breeding choices do. The AKC's list also includes an eye examination by a veterinary ophthalmologist and a DNA test for the common variant linked to degenerative myelopathy, a slowly progressive spinal cord disease of older dogs.

The coat

The Chessie's double coat pairs a short, harsh, wavy outer coat with a dense, woolly undercoat full of natural oil. The AKC describes it as insulating and waterproof, shedding water much as a duck's feathers do. It needs little work: a good brushing about once a week, and not much bathing, which also leaves the natural oil in place.

A complete and balanced diet provides the fat, protein and zinc a healthy coat needs, and extra fish oil is optional. If the coat turns dry, thin or stops shedding water on a good diet, look for a cause with a vet, such as skin disease, parasites or a hormone problem, before reaching for supplements.

Sources

1. Chesapeake Bay Retriever dog breed information. American Kennel Club.
2. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
3. Effects of diet restriction on life span and age-related changes in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2002.
4. Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2000.
5. The effect of ingredients in dry dog foods on the risk of gastric dilatation-volvulus in dogs. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 2006.
6. Presence and impact of the exercise-induced collapse associated DNM1 mutation in Labrador retrievers and other breeds. The Veterinary Journal, 2011.
7. Relationship between dynamin 1 mutation status and characteristics of recurrent episodes of exercise-induced collapse in Labrador Retrievers. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2013.