Fasting Your Dog
Fasting Your Dog — means your dog skips a meal.
Most of our dogs are “trained” with their internal clocks to let us know when it’s time to put food in their bowl. Predictable habits are easy for them to follow — this is a factor in how service dogs are trained to remind us to take meds for example.
So the thought of actually not feeding our dogs one of their weekly meals, puts most pet parents on edge. I mean, can we take the pouty faces and demands from our dog? Yes. Yes You can.
It is recommended to fast your dog 1 day per week.
If your dog is insistent on being given something at meal time, consider a bit of bone broth or a good bone to gnaw.
Benefits of Fasting Your Dog
Metabolic Health — increases metabolic rate with intermittent fasting periods Mimics natural order of prey-driven animals. It allows full digestion and elimination to occur and gives the digestive system a little time off the clock. It allows for breakdown- absorption and elimination of a protein-rich diet — thus supporting the kidneys too.
Studies show fasting contributes to longevity.
Improved Immune System
Aids In Recovery
What Dogs Can Be Fasted
Adult dogs only.
No Puppies and No Pregnant mamas should be fasted. They require consistency in their nutritional intake.
Senior Dogs — many people worry about this. Your dog is going to self-fast some of the time. Don’t panic if it’s just 1 meal, or even if he starts to prefer his breakfast a little later for brunch. But in general the same principles of benefit and fasting apply to our older dogs as well — as long as they are getting good nutrition overall.
Don’t be tempted to add more food to the next meal — extra volume can lead to discomfort in the digestive system. It’s just skipping a meal.
When To Fast Your Dog
At least 1 time per week for at least 1 meal — ideally a full day. The best time of day would be to skip dinner so you go to bed and sleep through it. You could skip breakfast if you’re going to be out of the house for the day so you don’t have to see the pouty face
If you are uncomfortable starting a fast — you could try to just give no solids foods for one meal. Meaning they get something like bone broth or some honey and yogurt.
Through the week is also a good idea to start engaging your dog in games and play that has him seeking out his meals. Tap into his nose & hunting outside — not every meal needs to be in a bowl at the scheduled feeding time. Change things up sometimes!!
Never take away water even during a fast.
If your dog has medical issues that require medications with food, or blood sugar management — it’s important to speak with your vet and do a little more research — but for most pets, this becomes part of a good wellness program!
New studies (look them up!) are showing that when we mimic how our dog’s would eat in the “wild” with ancestral appropriate diets, they wouldn’t eat every day — and time off the clock for the digestive system can improve their health and longevity
Intermittent Fasting For Dogs:
In addition to the fasting day each week, it’s recommended to have your dog consume their meal(s) within an 8-9 hour window. The remaining hours of the day include no food! Maybe just a small treat — but not a meal. This allows the digestive system to truly move into the Circadian Rhythm of downtime overnight. The whole point is to allow the digestive system to rest. It cannot do that if it has to cycle up multiple times throughout the day.
Opposite of Fasting Is Multiple Small Meals Per Day.
If your vet is suggesting multiple smaller portions of food throughout the day, it’s worth questioning and maybe even pushing back a bit. I find this recommendation most often in kibble diets. Every time your dog ingests a new meal, the digestive system has to begin the process again — so multiple meals per day leads to digestion phases overlapping, working harder, longer, and more often. So question why multiple meals are being considered.