Starving your dog......

[Gempress]

I've noticed that my dogs will fast themselves. Some days, they'll drain the bowl. On other days, they'll sniff at the food and not want it. I don't force them to eat: I figure they know what's good for them.

Originally Posted by Mordy

It's not "starving" a dog, it's fasting, and it does have its health benefits - especially for dogs with certain health issues, such as for example digestive upsets.

It has little effect on weight loss, since the body tends to switch to "starvation mode" and hold on to fat reserves when food is withheld completely. Smaller, more frequent meals are the better choice in this case.

Fasting lets the digestive tract rest and gives the body a chance to focus on other tasks like for example detoxification without having to divert resources to breaking down food.

There are situations where feeding (and especially force feeding) a dog instead of fasting can even be detrimental, such as for example when running a fever.

Overall it's mostly the people who are feeding home prepared (especially raw) diets who understand this principle due to the reading they have done on the topic, but not the folks who feed commercial food.

Thank you, I think most of you up to this point were missing my point. It had nothing to do with weight loss, just that most people had no idea how to properly feed an dog to keep it at a healthy weight.

Mordy hit it right on the head, it has nothing to do with starving a dog, their are health benefits, and dogs were designed to eat sleep, heal, and eat again in a day or two. They weren't meant to have food in their bellies all day every day.

[Giny]

Yes, wolves do go without food for a while but then they gorge up as much as they can when they do find food because they don't know when their next meal will be. Usually an owner does not let a dog gorge himself with food, not that I'm aware of.

I agree that fasting has it's benefit for medical purposes, I just don't see the benefit otherwise. Sorry, just my opinion.

[Mordy]

Giny, you might want to read some good books on the topic, such as for example Dr. Pitcairn's book. He's a holistic vet and explains the whole fasting principle in great detail.

Juliette De Bairacli Levy's book is also great. She is what I'd call the "grandmother of holistic dog care".

We all hold opinions, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it's always a good idea to continue educating yourself. That goes for nutrition just as much as health issues like vaccinations and other things. If you don't learn, you don't grow.

[SummerRiot]

LMAO I think if I did that starving thing with Riot he'd loose at least 10 lbs..

NOT a good thing for him lmao He keeps himself nice and trim already with all the exercise he gives HIMSELF and then the exercise I give him lol

Definately not a good idea with a dog that is already on the "thin" side lol

Hes a perfect "show weight" right now, and I wouldn't want to tamper with it.

[mamasobuco]

I've never heard of this. I couldn't imagine our dogs letting us not feed them. Come 4:00, they are all over us and we don't usually feed them until 5:00.

[GSDlover_4ever]

Originally Posted by mamasobuco

I've never heard of this. I couldn't imagine our dogs letting us not feed them. Come 4:00, they are all over us and we don't usually feed them until 5:00.

Thats exactly why I have no feeding schedule. They all get fed 2 a day at various times. One day it might be 8:00 am and thr next day it could be 5:00am. So that way they dont know when to expect it. I would go crazy if they all started barking or hovering me because it was "dinner time".

[SizzleDog]

I second what Doberkkim said!

My dogs eat when I wake up - my dogs do not schedule my day, I schedule theirs. They get two meals - breakfast and dinner. Sometimes dinner is at 11pm. Sometimes it's at 8pm. Breakfast is sometimes at 6am, sometimes at 11am, and sometimes (like today) at 2pm... yeah yeah yeah, I slept in.

Ilsa cannot go 24 ours without eating - she'll spit up bile on my nice cream colored carpet. On days when she does not get kibble, however, she'll get a few cookies to tide her over and keep the bile down. Ronin is a problem eater (or rather, he WAS a problem eater) so he doesn't go through any fasting.

[ihartgonzo]

I definitely agree with you, Sizzledog! Your dogs should not rule over when they get their meals, nor should they become a mess if they aren't fed for half a day, or a whole day, or whatever. I agree with schedules, but if it makes a dog nervous or dependent, that is not healthy.

You guys act like it's torture! LOL! Most people do feed tidbits, or use "fast" days to give a small meal of organs/muscle meats or a veggie meal when they're doing raw. I fast for 24 hours with just a fruit/protein shake and a lot of water every once in a while, and it makes me feel MUCH better. It gives me more energy and a more balanced appetite (and probably keeps my stomach from expanding way too much), and I imagine it'd have similar affects with almost any healthy animal.

[Danegirl2208]

My 2 fast once a week ..they are on a raw diet, it gives their digestive systems a chance to rest... many people you feed raw or BARF do 1 day of fasting a week, some dont, its a personal choice. I wouldnt call it starving..a lot of dogs will go a whole day without eating, themselves