Gordon Setter nutrition: bloat, lean weight and thyroid

Bloat is the feeding risk that matters most for a Gordon Setter. The Merck Veterinary Manual names Gordon Setters among the breeds at risk of gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), and meal size, meal timing and food choice have all been linked with that risk. The American Kennel Club gives 55 to 80 lb (25 to 36 kg) for males and 45 to 70 lb (20 to 32 kg) for females, and traces the breed to the Scottish kennels of the fourth Duke of Gordon, which were producing recognizable Gordon Setters by the early 1800s.

Bloat and how feeding affects it

In GDV the stomach fills with gas and can rotate on itself, cutting off its own blood supply. It mainly affects large and giant breeds, and Merck puts the death rate at about 20% even in dogs that are treated. Merck links it to a deep, narrow chest, a close relative with GDV, older age, once-daily feeding, fast eating and feeding only dry kibble.

Diet studies in high-risk breeds add detail. In one nested case-control study, dogs fed a larger volume of food per meal had a higher risk of GDV whether they ate once or twice a day, and the risk was highest for a large meal fed once daily. A second analysis of dry food labels found that foods listing an oil or fat among the first four ingredients were linked to a 2.4-fold higher risk. The number of soy, cereal or animal-protein ingredients near the top of the label made no significant difference.

What that means in practice:

• Split the food. At least two meals a day, and three if the dog eats a lot or has a relative that bloated. Smaller meals also mean less volume at once.
• Slow a fast eater. A slow-feeder bowl, a puzzle feeder or kibble spread across a tray.
• Keep exercise away from meals. The AKC breed page advises no exercise for half an hour before or after feeding. Longer is reasonable for hard running, and a full day's activity can end with the evening meal.
• Read the first four ingredients. If a dry food lists an oil or fat among them, consider one that does not.
• Feed from the floor. Merck's advice for owners of high-risk breeds includes avoiding raised feed bowls.
• Ask about preventive gastropexy. Merck notes that many veterinary surgeons recommend it for at-risk breeds, and it can be done at the same time as spaying or neutering.

Calories and a lean body

The Merck Veterinary Manual gives the standard starting estimate. Resting energy requirement (RER), in kcal per day, is 70 multiplied by body weight in kilograms raised to the power 0.75. Multiply by 1.6 for a neutered adult, 1.8 for an intact adult or 1.4 for a dog that gains weight easily. Any dog may need up to 30% more or less than the formula suggests.

Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 kcal. A Gordon that runs in the field several days a week may need more, and a quieter house dog or a senior less. The AKC breed page says Gordons should be lean with a clearly defined waist. The feathering on the chest and belly can hide fat, so check by hand: ribs easy to feel under a thin covering, and a tuck behind them.

Growing puppies, hips and elbows

Breeding Gordons are screened for hip and elbow dysplasia, and a puppy from screened parents starts with better odds. Diet cannot undo genetics, but fast growth and extra weight put more load on developing joints.

• Feed a food labeled complete and balanced for growth, including large-size dogs.
• Feed measured meals rather than leaving food down, and adjust to keep a visible waist.
• Do not add calcium or other supplements to a complete puppy food.
• In adults, keep the dog lean. It is the simplest thing an owner can do for joints.

Glucosamine, chondroitin and fish oil are widely sold for joints. Evidence for giving them to young dogs without joint disease is limited, so they are best discussed with a vet, particularly once a dog shows stiffness or lameness.

Hypothyroidism

An underactive thyroid slows metabolism. Typical signs are weight gain without eating more, lethargy, reluctance to exercise, seeking warmth, and a thin or dull coat with recurring skin infections. In a birth cohort of 291 Gordon Setters, 2.7% had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism by eight years of age, and the average age at diagnosis in the wider study group was 6.4 years.

Diagnosis needs blood tests, and treatment is a daily thyroid hormone tablet. A dog that gained weight before diagnosis may need its portion reduced at first, then reviewed as the medication takes effect, since energy use usually rises again once hormone levels are normal. Iodine or kelp supplements should not be given to a hypothyroid dog without a vet's advice.

Coat, skin and claws

The long black-and-tan coat needs brushing at least weekly to prevent mats, according to the AKC, plus regular trimming around the feet and ears. A complete and balanced food supplies the protein, fatty acids, copper and zinc that hair and skin need. Changing coat color toward a reddish tinge, persistent dry skin or hair loss are reasons to see a vet before changing diet, since thyroid disease and skin conditions are both possible causes.

Gordons also have a claw disease. In the same cohort study, 8.9% of eight-year-old Gordon Setters had symmetrical onychomadesis, in which claws loosen and fall off. Lameness, licking at the feet or claws that separate from the toe need a vet examination. No diet change is known to prevent it.

Inherited neurological and eye disease

Gordon Setters can inherit a juvenile-onset cerebellar ataxia, a progressive loss of coordination caused by the death of Purkinje neurons in the cerebellum. It is recessive, and researchers have linked it to a variant in the RAB24 gene shared with Old English Sheepdogs. A young dog with a wide-based, unsteady or high-stepping gait, or head tremors, needs a neurological assessment. Food does not change its course.

Late-onset progressive retinal atrophy, called rcd4, has been traced to a mutation in the C2orf71 gene in Gordon and Irish Setters, and a DNA test for it appears on the AKC list of recommended screening. Night blindness is usually the first sign. No diet or antioxidant supplement is known to prevent or slow it.

Sources

1. Gordon Setter dog breed information. American Kennel Club.
2. Gastric dilation and volvulus in small animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
3. Diet-related risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in dogs of high-risk breeds. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 2004.
4. 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.
5. Nutritional requirements of small animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
6. Genetics and epidemiology of hypothyroidism and symmetrical onychomadesis in the Gordon setter and the English setter. Canine Genetics and Epidemiology, 2015.
7. Canine hereditary ataxia in Old English Sheepdogs and Gordon Setters is associated with a defect in the autophagy gene encoding RAB24. PLoS Genetics, 2014.
8. Late-onset progressive retinal atrophy in the Gordon and Irish Setter breeds is associated with a frameshift mutation in C2orf71. Animal Genetics, 2013.