Routine fasting

[Sunday]

Does anyone fast their dog for therapeutic reasons?

I recently spoke to someone who did a weekly fast.. and I was curious so I looked up some more information on it and apparently it's very beneficial for a dog's system to be able to detoxify itself regularly. Even just giving your dog a raw bone once in a while instead of a meal is among one of the options I found.

I've never seen this topic come up anytime food is discussed.

[GentleLake]

I know some raw feeders fast their dogs, either weekly or just occasionally. Some do a gorge meal followed by a fast day, believing that approximates the way they'd feed in the wild.

 

I don't think anyone advocates it for puppies, old dogs or ones that aren't otherwise healthy, with the exception of fasting an other wise healthy dog that's been vomiting, usually due to some dietary indiscretion.

 

I'll fast my dogs once in a very long while, usually after they've had a larger than normal meal doe some reason (like a whole rabbit or something similar that's difficult to portion), but I don't do it routinely.

[Shetlander]

Only fasting I have done was to rest their gut due to GI problems or when required for blood tests.

[Maralynn]

Nope. The only fasting I do is for GI upset.

[Sue R]

Only fasting I have done was to rest their gut due to GI problems or when required for blood tests.

Me, too. Plus surgery appointments.

[sandysfarm]

yeah I dont know how a dog feels when his acidy gastric juices are running because he's used to being fed "now" and I withhold. I do know that I feel miserable when I really need food; Im not foisting that on my group.

[Gideon's girl]

The people I know who routinely fast their dogs all say that their dogs know what day of the week it is and don't do the usual dinnertime antics. I don't know how long it took their dogs to become acclimated, but they all do. I also know someone who feeds whole prey, so each time he feeds his dogs, he figures out how long that animal should last that dog and when feeding should resume. He said sometimes he feeds every other day and sometimes he will feed again on the fourth day, just depends on what he feeds. His dogs have been eating "gorge and fast" for years.

[Cass C]

My dogs throw up bile if they are not fed at least once a day, but like others I do fast for GI upset.

[Gloria Atwater]

I suppose it depends on a person's feeding regimen, but unless I have a medical need for fasting my dogs, I don't see the point. They are healthy and happy with daily meals, so why would I want to deprive them of food for a day? I don't know that it would make them any healthier or happier.

Just my tuppence, of course.

~ Gloria

[Sunday]

I did notice it seemed to be more of a thing with raw feeders.

[Smalahundur]

I did notice it seemed to be more of a thing with raw feeders.

There are circulating a lot of myths in those circles, 'detoxing' being only one of them.

For the record I have nothing against a well balanced raw diet, though I don't feed it myself.

To answer the original question, my dogs don't fast.

[juliepoudrier]

I don't fast mine either, except for GI upset. If one is feeding whole prey model raw, I guess it makes sense, because otherwise you'd probably be overfeeding, but in general I don't think it's necessary. Like Gloria, I don't see a need to deprive them of meals. If I am really late getting home and don't feel like feeding the three who get fed twice a day, then I will give dog biscuits....

 

J.

[G. Festerling]

I only "fast" mine when I am seeing that I am going to be running low on food for some reason. Now, I will admit, every once in a blue moon I may cut down the portions by a quarter. But that is usually when I am starting to see that I am running low! Then I may slap the label of fasting on it to make it sound like I meant to..... (obviously joking)

However, I feel way to bad about them missing a meal for any reason that I certainly don't fast on purpose. But I have also not found them to have wasted away to nothing the few times they missed one.

[simba]

I fast mine if they've overeaten or stolen food. Then they get reduced food the next day. They all tend to run to fat, and some of the family members aren't careful about feeding the right amount or checking they haven't already been fed.

[painted_ponies]

This is kind of an old idea. When I got my first dog - way back when you had to have dinosaur-proof fences - the old "dog men" (the guys who did field trials with their bird dogs) fasted their dogs one day a week. For some reason, it was usually Wednesday. Maybe that was poker night?

 

Everything old seems to become new again if you just wait long enough. But no, I don't do it. Even if I run out of dog food, I cook a big pot o' rice (cause that's a South Carolinian's answer to any emergency ) and dump in a can of tuna. The dogs it.

 

If I tried to fast mine, they'd pester me to death!