# Do you "fast" your dogs?



## Stephanie17s (Jun 16, 2009)

I had read somewhere (can't remember where now) that raw fed dogs should have a fast every once in a while. Does anyone do this? I think the logic was that in the wild the dogs wouldn't be eating everyday like domestic ones do.


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## sunfluer (May 12, 2009)

<span style='font-size: 11pt'>Personally, I wouldn't fast my dogs. I think there might be concern of bloat. I know if my Lab gets his meal later than usual, he might bring up bile and be just plain miserable.</span>


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

Some people feed a gorge/fast style of raw feeding where they give their dogs a huge meal (like 2x the normal amount) and then not feed them a meal the next day. I don't feel comfortable doing that as I'm worried about bloat. The only time I fast Risa is when she has an upset tummy.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

Dogs don't do a lot of things than in the wild they'd do.

But in the Zoo I worked at they did fast the big cats once a week, they weren't left without food at all, but only with recreational big bones with little to no meat to chew all day.


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## Stephanie17s (Jun 16, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: LicanAntaiDogs don't do a lot of things than in the wild they'd do.


Very true.

I would be concerned about bloat as well. I'm not planning on fasting Alexa, especially since she is just a pup, so I wouldn't like her missing even one meal anyway. Just curious if this was something people actually did.


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## AK GSD (Feb 27, 2008)

Scout is on premade raw and if a meal was served way late, or heaven forbid totally skipped, she would think she was starving and might turn to eating inappropriate items... like the house









No fasting for us.


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## djpohn (Jun 27, 2003)

I fast my dogs once a week. I do not fast pups though - I normally don't fast a pup until they are around 9 months. I feed a couple very large meals a week so will fast them one complete day. I also vary the feeding time so the dogs don't anticipate their feeding time and start to have their digestive juices start (hence the throwing up bile). I also do a big meal like on a Tuesday morning and then I will feed them a smaller meal on Wednesday night. I will sometimes give them a rib bone on a fast day, but not always.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

I'll skip a feeding with Obie if he has stomach trouble. I feed twice a day so skipping a meal is the same as fasting him for 24 hours.

Once in awhile I will also skip a feeding before training or tracking. I don't do this often but sometimes a little bit of hunger is just the kick in the butt he needs to get working (especially when I then break his fast with something extra delicious, like raw beef or PB sandwich). Lollygagger


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## ahlamarana (Sep 22, 2008)

I fast my dogs one day a week (except for training treats), my fast day is different every week. I also vary the daily amount they get by 1/2 lb or so and I vary the time of day I feed. My dogs get fed once per day.

I don't want them to get used to a strict feeding routine and then get ill if that routine changes due to some unexpected event.


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

I have never fasted Jerz... back when she was eating Eukanuba for breakfast (and raw for dinner) she would just fast herself because she hated it so much but it was never anything I enforced.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: ahlamarana
> 
> I don't want them to get used to a strict feeding routine and then get ill if that routine changes due to some unexpected event.


I do the same. I never leave a dog without food a whole day (unless I see pasty poop) but breakfast can come from 7 AM to 2 PM and dinner from 3PM to 2 AM, LOL. Also I feed once a day from time to time.

With my SAR dogs I had them conditioned than not to have breakfast meant they were going to travel or work that day. With Diabla, since we do not have a routine for training it may happen any day, but she knows that to eat once a day is some of those things that happens in life, just like rain.

Disclaimer: I feed kibble.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I don't fast unless there's a digestive problem. As for varying the feeding time--Rafi's feeding time varies daily (dinner could be at 6pm or at 10 pm, for example) and he still throws up bile if his stomach empties out. Varying the feeding time doesn't change their metabolism.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

The only time Stark's meals are skipped totally is when he has an upset tummy. I usually fast him for one meal then I will make a special rice, ground beef, pumpkin, and sweet potatoe meal for him for a day or so.

I do feed him late on the days we go to training classes though or when we are Tracking, as this helps with his food drive. It makes those treats extra yummy and the focus is better. Also it prevents him from getting a upset tummy from all the running and excerise we are doing (if he had a full stomache).

I too do not believe that companion animals (pets) need to be fasted (unless for sugury, etc.).

ETA: Stark's meals are at different times each day as well. He can get breakfast anywhere from 7am to 1pm and dinner anywhere from 5pm to 11pm. This is mostly due to MY schedule (student with a part time job) but I like the idea that he doesn't KNOW when meal time is.


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## meisha98 (Aug 27, 2008)

I don't and wouldn't fast unless it was medically necessary. Both dogs cough up bile if they have an empty stomach for too long. Feed times vary depending upon whats going on. If it is a long time between meals and they are crated, I'll leave some food loose in their crate to snack on later. Due to bloat concerns I feed two good meals or three small ones. I'll also sometimes give frozen kongs if I know it's going to be a long time between meals.


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## VonKromeHaus (Jun 17, 2009)

I've never had a dog throw up bile because of an empty tummy. I guess I'm lucky as it seems to be common. 

I do fast my dogs 1 day a week. It varies depending when just as their feeding schedule changes. I feed them when I get to it, no set time really. I find that easier in my house. 

Courtney


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## Effie325 (Aug 19, 2009)

No, and I won't since he's a young puppy


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

I fast occasionally but not on a schedule. If dinner is still frozen solid, the dogs can wait til the next day. They can eat (I feed raw) anytime from morning to bedime - it's usually evening, but it depends. I have had really good luck with mixing it up so much - I have not had any issues with throwing up bile.

I agree that I wouldn't fast a puppy, not until the dog is 1 year old IMO.


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## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

Ok, "never-fed-raw-stupid" here wondering .... why would you fast? What is the purpose or what does it do/don't do?


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## Doggydog (May 12, 2009)

I fast all my cats and dogs from 1yr old on. They do have chicken broth, or vegetable juice. This is on the advice of my favorite all time vet who I will forever miss. He was one of a kind. He taught me about importance of healthy diet & gave me home-made recipes 25 yrs ago. I feed them once a day in the evening also per Dr. Bill's recommendation. Often when I break the fast I will feed them a 1/2 meal the a.m. after.
It's been so looong since the vet described to me that I can't recall his exact explanation. The gist is that their digestive system works better at night so they absorb more nutrition from the food if they eat then. He also advised me that their systems haven't changed so much from their wild ancestors. In a natural, wild environment they would not eat every day. It gives chance for their digestive track to be clear. 
My 1st GSD lived to be 15, my Rotti was about 14, my senior cat passed at 21.
I'm having a good track record, I'm sticking with it.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: ahlamarana
> I don't want them to get used to a strict feeding routine and then get ill if that routine changes due to some unexpected event.


Us too. We travel a lot, so meals can get pushed back into late int the evening, or we'll be on the road so early that breakfast isn't really practical. Also, it seems that the best training classes always seem to fall right during dinner hour. So my kids can miss meals here and there. With my puppies, I really don't want them to miss meals -- partly because when puppies get hungry, they'll start to pick up and snack on the weirdest things, like twigs or leaves, but also because they're growing.

But overall, my kids don't have a set meal hour. They definitely start to remind me (by sitting in the kitchen) if they haven't been fed by a certain time. But when we're on the go, they're busy too, and not sitting around waiting to eat.


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## MelissaHoyer (Sep 8, 2006)

Due to Grace's digestion problems, I do not fast. A missed meal leads to stomach noises, gas, bile vomiting, and reluctance to eat past that...not good!


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

Only when I am instructed by my vet.
(Vomiting...dirraeah.)


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Only when she sleeps. ;-)
She is self-feeding.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

Fasting for dogs?I have never heard of it. Will I do it?No.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Riley's Mom said:


> Ok, "never-fed-raw-stupid" here wondering .... why would you fast? What is the purpose or what does it do/don't do?


The idea came from wolves. Wolves would go for a day or more without food.

But they didn't do it on purpose. Either A) they couldn't catch anything to eat or B) they had already gorged themselves on as much food as they could handle.

Wild canids don't when when their next meal may be so they don't eat 'just a bit' when they have a catch in front of them. They will ingest as much food as they possibly can in one sitting. That could be 10 or more POUNDS. They would then lay around for a couple days digesting.

Personally, my dogs don't get to lay around for a day or more doing nothing. They go and do stuff every day. 

Since they don't eat the way wolves do I see no reason to fast them like wolves would.


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## Gib Laut (Feb 21, 2010)

Dexter will fast himself sometimes once a week, sometimes he may go two weeks before he will fast; won't want dinner, may or may not eat breakfast the next day. In the end he gets the same amount of food over the same time frame whether fasting or not, just not in the nice little human time frames normally set for him. He is the expert on what his system needs so I allow him to tell me when. I never force food, if he doesn't want it, so be it. This is of course under healthy circumstances. If he went beyond that or showed symptoms of illness, I would consider it abnormal behavior.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Mine seem to regulate themselves to a fast about once a week. Our vet described our last shepherd Omy as a 'throw back' and she would gorge than fast like a wolf in the wild. She was the healthiest dog I've ever had. Stosh seems to do the same, he'll eat everything in sight then barely nibble for a day. I always offer regular meals and dry food out- sometimes he'll eat during the night, sometimes he'll go a day without. I figure he knows a lot more about being a dog than I do so I go with it


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Since I feed the dogs twice a day, I will occasionally skip a meal. But I do not go over board on the next meal, just the ordinary meal size. I do this myself as well. It does not hurt them, and I think that it gives their system a bit of a rest. 

I know that with humans fasting for like three days the body starts conserving better. With dogs, a full day fast when they are sick can get them back on track better than anything. I mean loose stool and vomiting. But even if they are not sick, once in a while, skipping one meal seems to be beneficial. 

But not with puppies, or dogs already struggling with keeping weight on.


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## kallie (Sep 3, 2001)

No, unless it is due to a health issue..


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

Lauri & The Gang said:


> The idea came from wolves. Wolves would go for a day or more without food.
> 
> But they didn't do it on purpose. Either A) they couldn't catch anything to eat or B) they had already gorged themselves on as much food as they could handle.
> 
> ...


Well said. I have never fasted my dogs, I see no reason to do so. Would do it if they were very sick, but if that were the case they probably wouldn't want to eat anyway. I would be pestered unmercifully and given the evil eye if I missed a meal .......(and they KNOW they are supposed to get two a day!!!) With dogs I've had in the past which had a greater tendency to gain weight I have cut back on the size of the portions, but that's about it.
_________________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge


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## Battle Fiercely (Jan 12, 2021)

Stephanie17s said:


> Very true.
> 
> I would be concerned about bloat as well. I'm not planning on fasting Alexa, especially since she is just a pup, so I wouldn't like her missing even one meal anyway. Just curious if this was something people actually did.


Yes medical doctors and vets and I do fast dogs, fasting is good for yuour health as well.


Riley's Mom said:


> Ok, "never-fed-raw-stupid" here wondering .... why would you fast? What is the purpose or what does it do/don't do?


*Fasting boosts recovery
Fasting is possibly anti-inflammatory for dogs
Fasting fights infections
Fasting results in autophagy, or better clean-up activity
Fasting likely facilitates detox
Fasting seems to boost health and longevity
Also *

Improved fat burning and weight loss
Improved mental clarity and concentration eight and body fat loss.
Lowered blood insulin and sugar levels
Reversal of type 2 diabetes
Increased growth hormone (tells your body to start growing new bits!)
Lowered blood cholesterol
Increased longevity


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

11 year old thread but to answer, I'm afraid if I fasted Rogan, he'd look to eat me instead


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## Battle Fiercely (Jan 12, 2021)

WNGD said:


> 11 year old thread but to answer, I'm afraid if I fasted Rogan, he'd look to eat me instead


Funny, but that's a good reason to not fast your dog.


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