# Fasting??



## ciaBrysh (Dec 16, 2011)

Is fasting a common practice amongst kibble feeders? I know some raw feeders do it, but I'm a bit confused as to how fasting a dog every other day could be beneficial to their health??
Someone from another forum (not trying to bring other forum drama I'm just seriously curious) fasts their dogs every other day, one cup of purina dog chow for 4 days, 1.5 cups for one day and chicken broth for two days...can someone explain to me how that is best for the dog???

I could really use some wisdom here guys cause this doesn't make sense to me at all...


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Wow, that doesn't sound good. I rarely fasted my dogs when we fed kibble. Now that we feed raw if they get a large gorge type meal they fast the next day. I didn't cut their food though they just get more one day and skip the next. Sometimes I get something large like a leg of lamb and it is easier just to let them have at it until they are full.


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## ciaBrysh (Dec 16, 2011)

Yeah I know! I don't understand.The person's logic is that it help's her to lose weight...Oh and there are "all of these studies" that say it is the right thing to do...but I asked her to post them but she hasn't yet, and I can't find anything on google...
I feel kind of bad for the dogs...the one is probably going to lose weight way too fast and Idk what anyone says...that is not healthy.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Chicken broth isn't healthy unless it's bone broth without salt added. Even so it's still healthier just to give the bone-in chicken! 

I do fast once a week or so. I just feel that the bigger meals are more satisfying. I've never even thought of people doing it on kibble, though. I can control stool quality by giving a high bone content meal- you can't with kibble.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I think I know which forum you're talking about, this person got really defensive because everyone said its not healthy not to feed the dog anything, especially since she's doing some work with them. I think its pretty cruel, I know that if I didnt feed Uno, he'd go out and start looking for stuff to fill him up including grass and poop.


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## ciaBrysh (Dec 16, 2011)

I looked into it, I understand that fasting once a week is beneficial to "cleanse the body" I get that. Buuuut she wouldn't have to cleanse as badly is she didn't feed Purina...and she isn't cleansing anything if she is still giving her dog chicken broth IMO. She's not listening and keeps claiming that she has all these links to prove us wrong, but hasn't posted them yet...


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## NotAChampionFan (Apr 6, 2012)

Fasting a dog for a day was often done during training, sled, hunt trials, etc. in order to trick the liver into storing more energy. Simulating starvation does in fact do this. However, it was later found that doing this depleted muscle glycogen as well. Most people that have dogs in heaving training will feed one meal a day because a 24 hour gap in feeding time does the same thing as fasting without the downside.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

From what I've learned, unless, you're feeding an "extra large" meal then fasting, all fasting does is make a dog's metabolism to go into "saving" mode. It's body will try to store as many calories as it can, even if it has to "harvest" the energy from more than just food consumed. If done "often" this kind of fasting can actually cause damage to a system.


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## ciaBrysh (Dec 16, 2011)

Yeah she finally posted the links to "prove" her point, and they all stated that feeding extra food the rest of those days would be necessary. I highly doubt the cup of food is enough for two days worth of food, you know what I mean? Her dog is probably 40-50 lbs


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## DDBsR4Me (Jan 23, 2012)

I agree with Unosmom that this person's method seems pretty cruel - especially as she isn't feeding the dog for 2 days. 

I've never fasted any of my dogs unless it has been for a medical reason - such as they were having surgery the next day and couldn't eat or drink anything after a certain time the night before. 

I guess my dogs sometimes "fast" themselves - where they will skip a meal occasionally because they aren't hungry. But I don't just not feed them. If they don't eat it, it is there choice, not because I didn't offer them food.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Is the dog underweight?


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

like others have said, the only time i fast is when he gets a ton of food in one day, and the next day he's likely not to even want food... usually 2-3X what he gets in a day if a gorge for him, then the next day he doesn't get anything... those days are few and far between though when my wife and i are on the same page of when we've fed the little rat... of course, he never says, "mom already fed me today" :lol:


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## _unoriginal (Apr 8, 2012)

Caty M said:


> Is the dog underweight?


The dog isn't underweight. If anything, the dog could stand to lose a few or tone down some. The dog was overweight a month or 2 ago and this weird feeding schedule has caused the dog to lose weight that she was supposedly unable to lose before.. But supposedly said owner is not doing this to get the dog to lose weight. Doing it because "kibble has toxins that need to be cleansed from the body often".. Which only raises the question of "Why not feed something else?"


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## ciaBrysh (Dec 16, 2011)

Caty M said:


> Is the dog underweight?


No in fact, I believe this odd feeding schedule started because the vet said her dog needed to drop a few due to hip displasia (meanwhile she has the dog jumping around without a care inthe world....but that is a different topic for another day and I will NOT get into it lol)


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

I'd think fasting every other day is bad. I know ppl who skip a day of feeding maybe 2 to 4 times per month but never heard of anyone routinely skipping food every two days. Doesn't seem right to me.


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## Deaf Dogs (Apr 10, 2012)

I will skip a meal now and then, but I dont fast them per se. I think what that person is doing to her dog is dangerous.


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