No scientific data to back up or bolster my opinion....The supplements are there because the dog is being worked to the point his normal feed plan will not be sufficient. In a lot of keeps the last week or so is a lot more rest and nailing down the weight at a specific time of the day. If the dog is resting more the supplementations are no longer needed (to a point, and depending on the supplement). If the amount of working supplementation is maintained when the work load is not there it could be issues.

There is a thread here about B vitamins and running hot. I see the theory R2L posted about as well. I think lots of people need to have an excuse/point fingers/blame game when the dog runs hot. Basically, it is never my fault. (LOL) I think the misuse of supplements, or better said the over use of supplements can lead to issues during maximum output. For me though, I think that usually can be fingered to the amount and type of work during the keep more so than the supplements. An example is a dog that ran a really free spinning mill throughout the keep for long periods at a medium pace. On show night he has to wrestle and push and pull and strain. All of a sudden he is hot. No supplementation issue here, just lack of a good keep. Opposite is true as well. The dog that pulls weight, gets all muscled up and is a strength machine. Then on show night it is a fast paced, back and forth affair. The speed of the night runs him hot, not what he was given during the keep.

Kinda got off topic. I think the issue with any supplement and its effectiveness depends on the amount of work it is coupled with through out the keep. If not, the supplements are no longer supplements, they should be a part of the daily feed regimen. Supplements, by definition are extra, and when those 'extras' are applied they need to be done so in a proportional amount to the work being done.

So as I rest and prepare in the last few days the supplements come off accordingly. Again, no scientific data to support my thoughts. EWO