# Information on the importance of fasting???



## Halliebrooks (Dec 8, 2011)

Hello, I was wondering if some experienced raw food feeders could explain the reasons as to fast your dog ? I have read about it when doing my research on raw food and also have seen it mentioned here. I have a Pom (12 weeks) and have had her on raw food from the start. But I have not fasted her ever. Why? When? And the importance of doing so would be greatly appreciated.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

We fast our pack about once a week, but it's mostly to accommodate a gorge meal. We like to give gorge meals to our pack so they really get some good gnawing, ripping, tearing, and chewing in for mental stimulation and further dental benefits. But, I am careful to keep my dogs fit and lean, so then we fast to compensate for the increased amount of food for the gorge. 

If anyone has some tummy upset or if I know they got into something, we will fast to give their systems a chance to clear out and settle again.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

I have only fasted mine once. That was when I switched to raw from kibble about a year or so ago. I just wanted to be sure the last of the kibble was out of their system because I was afraid of the two together causing problems. Everything went just fine. The only real digestive issues I have had have been due to organs. In that case, I just gave a meal of chicken quarters at the next meal and all was fine.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

I only fast the day(or 1/2 day for puppies) before switching, if/when there are stomach issues going on.
I dont have the ability to allow them larger meals less often....if/when we get that chance I might start feeding that way, but Im not sure....but at that point I might feed them 2-3 days worth of food....and then compensate with less/no food the next day or 2.....but we arent at that point yet.

I however do NOT agree with fasting if you haven't fed that day's meal in the previous feeding(unless you are doing it because one of the 2 reasons stated first!)


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

And I dont suggest you fast her for quite some time. Small breed dogs can have issues with blood sugars getting too low, but especially when they're puppies. The longest I'd fast a small breed puppy is about 8-12 hours and only if she were to get into something resulting in an upset tummy. 

As your pom matures you can do fasting gorge meals....like give a whole Cornish game hen in one sitting.


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## Halliebrooks (Dec 8, 2011)

Ok thank you both ^^^ for taking the time to reply  its greatly appreciated


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## Halliebrooks (Dec 8, 2011)

Ok this makes more sense now. Great to know I don't have to for a while bc she is a hungry girl lol and she would cry for sure  but thanks all for the advice and more questions to come lol.. New to this raw food diet and to owning a puppy  thanks again


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## kady05 (Jul 29, 2011)

I think my dogs would try to eat me if I fasted them LOL. We don't fast here.. but then again, I haven't done a real "gorge" meal yet, so I haven't really felt the need to!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Halliebrooks said:


> Ok this makes more sense now. Great to know I don't have to for a while bc she is a hungry girl lol and she would cry for sure  but thanks all for the advice and more questions to come lol.. New to this raw food diet and to owning a puppy  thanks again


Always happy to help. 

I will also say that fasted gorge meals should be something you slowly, gradually work up to. Not something that you just dive right into doing because you can end up with a pretty sick dog. The way you work up to a full fasted gorge meal should be done by slowly increasing the amount of time between meals as well as gradually making one meal larger than the other. I've found that when starting out, fasting BEFORE a gorge meal is better than fasting afterwards. Now that my dogs are veterans with gorging and fasting it doesn't really matter if I fast them before or after, or sometimes both. A lot of it has to do with planning ahead...and I'm not as on top of it as most people here since raw feeding is kinda old news to me LOL


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## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

If i tried to fast Piper she would break into the cats food and eat it all.


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

If I don't feed Tux red meat for his evening meal, he can't make it to breakfast without his stomach growling loudly. Once I had to wake up at 3:30AM to feed him, his stomach was growling bad and I thought he might start puking. I don't know that he would do well with fasting....


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

shellbell said:


> If I don't feed Tux red meat for his evening meal, he can't make it to breakfast without his stomach growling loudly. Once I had to wake up at 3:30AM to feed him, his stomach was growling bad and I thought he might start puking. I don't know that he would do well with fasting....


Thats why you have to gradually build up their tolerance for fasted gorge meals. I would say that you shouldn't even try to attempt to start this until 6 months after your transition to raw feeding is complete. 

I really do think that gorging and fasting is good for dogs if only on a mental stimulation level. The only way for us to feed a whole venison carcass to the girls in one sitting is by fasting them either before or after. I cannot describe to anyone how cool it is to watch my dogs eat like they're meant to. I can tell that they love it and that their minds get to work in such a way that nothing else could replace it.


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## Halliebrooks (Dec 8, 2011)

Ok, so do you think it's something that is vital to do with her then? Or can I just feed her the way I am forever? I have had her on raw meat from the moment I got her at 10weeks. And she had no problem with organs. ( I started her with liver and chicken necks), she eats bones and whole fish ( not salmon) weekly along with muscle meats like steak. her poops are healthy ( from what i have read, black an firm and almost oder less) would this be a technique I should even venture in your opinion?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

If she were my dog...yes. I'd want to be able to do fasting gorge meals for her. But she's your dog and you've got to do what makes you comfortable when it comes to raw feeding. Will she survive perfectly without fasted gorge meals? I'm sure of it. So it really depends on what makes you more comfortable.


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## Halliebrooks (Dec 8, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> If she were my dog...yes. I'd want to be able to do fasting gorge meals for her. But she's your dog and you've got to do what makes you comfortable when it comes to raw feeding. Will she survive perfectly without fasted gorge meals? I'm sure of it. So it really depends on what makes you more comfortable.


Ok great, thanks again for all your advice  it puts a million questions at ease as there is so many people that don't agree with the way in feeding her. So can't really ask them Lolz


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I have only ever fasted 4 times. Once with Dude when we switched the dogs and a "half fast" (for lack of a better term) with Buck at 8 weeks since he was on kibble with his breeder. The other two times have been for Dude when he got an upset stomach from something that didn't sit right with him. I would love to do gorge meals with these guys but, like Abi, I don't really have access to whole carcasses big enough for my boys. Maybe one day I will be able to. The fact that I can't do gorge meals with them right now isn't really something that bothers me though.


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## JoeynZoey (Apr 25, 2011)

I have been fasting Zoey once a week for the past year, she's been on raw now for a little over 2. I do believe in allowing the system to have a break, and I have not come across any concerns about her having a fasting day, which is also her complete rest day. The day prior to her fasting day, I do give her an extra piece for her meal that day. Especially if it is a gorge meal when I am able to obtain larger carcases, than the following day I will fast usually.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> I have only ever fasted 4 times. Once with Dude when we switched the dogs and a "half fast" (for lack of a better term) with Buck at 8 weeks since he was on kibble with his breeder. The other two times have been for Dude when he got an upset stomach from something that didn't sit right with him. I would love to do gorge meals with these guys but, like Abi, I don't really have access to whole carcasses big enough for my boys. Maybe one day I will be able to. The fact that I can't do gorge meals with them right now isn't really something that bothers me though.


You don't have to have just larger RMBs or carcasses to make gorging and fasting a regular part of the diet. You just have to feed more of something one day than they would normally get. Then you just don't feed them the next day. 

I also think this is a good thing to do just in case you don't have food for them for a day. Their bodies will be used to not having food every day and thus wont get hunger pukes. We just don't see the hunger pukes anymore.


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## Steph (Jun 24, 2011)

Ok... I've fasted mine once. They did well but I havent done it lately. I am really interested in doing a gorge meal. How big of a carcass would I need for 2 dogs around 60 lbs?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Well, I think you should find a carcass first! Thats always the hardest part. If a carcass is too big for one meal, let them eat off of it until you think they should be done and then either keep it for the next few days if its cold enough outside OR put it back in the freezer until your next gorge meal.


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## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

JoeynZoey said:


> I have been fasting Zoey once a week for the past year, she's been on raw now for a little over 2. I do believe in allowing the system to have a break, and I have not come across any concerns about her having a fasting day, which is also her complete rest day. The day prior to her fasting day, I do give her an extra piece for her meal that day. Especially if it is a gorge meal when I am able to obtain larger carcases, than the following day I will fast usually.


I'm wondering what others think about this idea, i've heard it a from a few raw feeders lately and thought it was an interesting idea. A regular fast not accompanied by a gorge, just as a recharge for the digestive tract. My dog has NO problem keeping weight on, so i wouldn't worry about that, and as long as he has a recreational something to chew in the evening he never seems desperate for food (other than, say, MY slice of pizza) he stayed with my sister in law recently over night (her poor puggle was not please with her temporary happy crack head room mate:tongue:. My sister in law just couldn't get over her squeemishness enough to feed him, so I fed him an early dinner and then not till we got home late the next night. he went about 40 hours without eating (he usually eats once a day, so i guess 24 hours is normal) just giving it some thought.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

I have three dogs all under 20lbs and we've started fasting once, sometimes twice a week. We kind of got thrown into in because one day I tossed a rather large deer leg out in the yard and went to lay down while they ate and fell asleep.... once I woke up, they'd eaten half it! So that day they had some major gas and they fasted the next day and then the day after they got half of what they get normally then they had a regular meal for a couple days and then they gorged again and this time they didn't get gas! They never got diarrhea or anything so they took to it well. They eat 8 oz a day and they usually get about 1 1/2 lbs at each meal which is why they get nothing the next day and only a little the following day. Two of mine actually started turning down food themselves the day after and then one of them will eat whenever so I have to keep an eye on them. I weigh them every day and they maintain the same weight.. it works out for me and even once I'm finished with deer parts, i'll still be feeding them 1lb hunks or so and going a day off... I like this way of feeding a lot.


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