What diet supplements would you recommend for a dog? We are taking our dog on a hike of the Appalachian Trail?

SFC Charles Temm I don't have a great answer for this but there was a book written called "Following Atticus" about a dog that has hiked all 48 major peaks in New Hampshire, many of them multiple times and in the winter. I think the author has a blog, and contact info there.

I asked one of our Horse back riding students. She races sled dogs. She recommends raw side pork, but you needs to introduce it slowly into the dogs diet, or you will give them a serious case of diarrhea. You also need to reverse the scheme to wean them off the side pork when they don't need the extra calories. Wean them off too fast and you can constipate them. She does not recommend side pork for any dog that has had a history of bloat. For a 40-50lb dog she starts them out on 1/4 lb per day served in four different servings at least three hours apart. They max out at 1 lb per day total. Each seven days, increase the portion by a quarter pound. It is also important that they get a 2-4 mile walk a day once you start them on the side pork.

She can be out for as many as ten days without resupply. She obviously races in the winter, so it isn't overly concerned about it going bad before she can refresh her side pork.

This is only a SWAG on my part, but if water isn't going to be a problem, salt pork or side pork vacuum sealed with a little apple cider vinegar, might also last longer, but I'd clear that with a vet first

interesting...so far I've seen salmon, chicken and pork bantered. The aprt about a gradual buildup of any of this in her diet though is one I hadn't given much thought to

SFC Charles Temm - Side pork is the cut that is cured to make bacon. It is primarily fat and not much lean meat. Side Pork is about 200 Kcals per uncooked ounce. Salmon is about 43 KCals per uncooked ounce and Dark meat of Chicken is about 39 KCals per ounce. Thus you get about 5 time the KCals per lb of pack weight by packing side pork for your dog ration, but it is nutritionally deficient. She will still need to carry her normal kibble ration (which should be nutritionally complete).

I live down here and am religious about heartworm treatments. I think I'll also have her on tick pills too

There is a 6 month heartworm shot now.