Intermittent Fasting for Dogs: Is This a Good Idea?
Posted by Volhard Dog Nutrition on Sep 14th 2022
There's no doubt that you've heard about the therapeutic benefits of intermittent fasting in humans, but what about our canine companions? Are there any potential benefits for them, as well? Turns out that regular fasting, when done appropriately, can do wonders for a dog's body! It's the easiest and quickest way for the body, both human and canine, to destroy bacteria and other foreign substances, strengthen its immune system, and regain its lost energy levels! Volhard Dog Nutrition has been using a fast in their diet protocol since 1973!
Fasting Will NOT Cause Your Dog to Starve!
But isn't fasting equivalent to starving my dog? Such is the approach numerous dog parents employ when first hearing about it. We know they have their dogs' best interests at heart, which is why we'll dispel any myths surrounding this eating pattern. Fasting has nothing to do with starvation but abstinence: your dog's food intake will be reduced for a short time to allow their body to divert energy towards other bodily functions.
Through intermittent fasting, your dog's digestive tract gets a short but well-deserved break, while their kidneys get to rest from dealing with the nitrogen waste resulting from meat. We know your furry friend would like nothing else but to see a mountain of meat in their food bowl, but a well-timed dietary break might serve them more than you can expect!
Your Dog's Body Will Reap Countless Health Benefits From Fasting!
A long-established hallmark of holistic regeneration, therapeutic fasting has accompanied our understanding of medicine for thousands of years. But wild animals were first to notice its potential! Wolves frequently go for days without touching food, especially when they require extra energy to jumpstart healing. Does your dog battle a weakened immune system? Are any chronic diseases putting a damper on their well-being? Intermittent fasting might be of help!
Today's article will tackle the ins and outs of intermittent fasting for dogs and teach dog owners how the Volhard Natural Diet has the benefits of fasting embedded in its very core!
Why Do Dogs Fast in the First Place?
The intermittent fasting behavior was handed down through generations of dogs from gray wolves, with whom the former share 99.8% of their DNA.
First, wolves fast in the wild due to food scarcity. An average wolf eats three times a week if they are lucky, and they gorge themselves on their prey when they do. After every nutrient-rich meal, wolves take two to three days to sleep the meal off.
Second, intermittent fasting benefits dogs who are unwell and who need to divert energy away from digestion towards bettering their health. That is why sick dogs instinctively eat small portions or refuse food altogether and let their bodies fix the health issue peacefully. Such a process allows dogs to remove harmful bacteria, other foreign substances, and stress and regain their strength.
The Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Therapeutic fasting runs an impressive gamut of health benefits in our canine companions, such as:
Tissue Regeneration
Of course, the main advantage of fasting resides in tissue regeneration. Instead of focusing on the digestive system, the body will dedicate its energies toward healing itself by targeting:
- Abnormal body cells
- Old cells
- Damaged cells
- Dead cells
- Tumor cells
The process of autophagy prompts the canine body to start killing these damaged cells and converting them into energy. Once this process is complete, the body will be ready to produce new, healthy cells. All you have to do is resume your dog's day-to-day diet, and the stem cells will get to work in no time!
Fasting Purges Harmful Bacteria Affecting Your Dog's Immune System
Next, intermittent fasting empowers macrophages to clear the canine body of unwanted bacteria and viruses. These specialized immune cells attack and repel anything foreign that might upset your dog's health, as well as consume detrimental cells (e.g., dead or abnormal body cells). The macrophage activity receives a well-deserved boost through fasting to fight against systemic inflammation and give your dog a better fighting chance against autoimmune diseases, not to mention the helping hand it lends towards restoring proper gut health!
Lowered Insulin Levels
Intermittent fasting plays a vital part in managing diabetes in dogs. Through a well-calculated periodic absence of food, diabetic dogs can alleviate high insulin levels and the systemic inflammation associated with this disease. Less insulin means less sugar being stored inside cells and, consequently, less body weight. Be sure to consult yourself with your veterinarian and canine nutritionist before implementing any fasting plan for your diabetic dog.
Fasting Enhances Neutrophil Activity
Intermittent fasting will also strengthen the immune system against bacterial infections by encouraging the production of neutrophils. These white blood cells are always deployed on the front line against foreign invaders. Once they identify the bacterial infection, neutrophils produce hydrogen peroxide and other chemicals to suppress it, preventing the bacteria from wreaking havoc on your dog's body.
Not Just Their Body but Their Mind Will Work Better, Too!
Who says that fasting for dogs is only about physical health benefits? The latest research on fasting mice brought to light a fascinating benefit of food abstinence: fasting promotes neuronal regeneration! So, get your dog into the habit of regular fasting if you want them to stay sharper at a senior age!
Can Intermittent Fasting Backfire?
Unfortunately, fasting can quickly turn from friend to foe unless dog owners observe certain guidelines:
- Dogs of certain ages, such as puppies and senior dogs, have peculiar nutritional needs that fasting can endanger.
- Fasting is not recommended for smaller breeds.
- Dogs with particular health conditions will not enjoy the same health benefits from fasting; on the contrary, the absence of food might cause more harm than good.
- Lactating females require extra food because, of course, they have a whole litter of puppies to feed!
To sum it up, fasting only works on healthy adult dogs. Unsure of how your dog will respond to it? Contact a nutritional expert or your veterinarian for a more educated opinion.
Timing is Key
Now that you know how beneficial fasting can be for your dog, let's talk about scheduling the ideal fasting period.
It's all about perfect timing. Many dog owners associate weekends (i.e., days of well-deserved rest and restoration) with the ideal fasting time for dogs. But that's rarely the case for our canine companions, who look forward to the weekends for opposite reasons — they've been waiting for a week to have your undivided attention, so they won't be thinking about intermittent fasting and resting!
Instead, plan your dog's fasting times at times when you know they're less inclined towards being energetic or running around all day. But that doesn't mean your dog needs to sit around and patiently wait for their next meal. Trust us — it will be harder for you to resist their cries for food than for your dog to resist a few hours without it. Luckily, dogs are easily distracted, so you need to devise the right strategy to keep their minds away from their bellies for a little bit. Try taking them out for a walk, playing ball, or going for a car drive at their normal feeding time. In about 15 minutes, the absence of food will be replaced with the thrill of adventure and your precious attention!
Once again, missing just one meal is not synonymous with starving your dog — there's no comparison between the human and the canine bodies when it comes to food abstinence. That is why the canine digestive system reacts differently than ours to well-planned fasting periods. Countless experiments and papers have concluded that fasting dogs once a week improves their health and lengthens their lifespans! All you need is the Volhard Natural Diet, specially formulated to provide your dog with their weekly calories in 6½ days while keeping them at perfect weight!
How Intermittent Fasting Can Be Easily Done With the Volhard Natural Diet!
Intermittent fasting is not a new concept for Volhard. We have been promoting this type of fasting since 1973! The beauty of the Volhard Natural Diet Foundation is that it integrates the principles of intermittent fasting right from the start! So how do we achieve fasting while feeding enough healthy food to our dogs? By feeding all the meals within an eight-hour period! In fact, our dogs fast overnight while they're sleeping, during which time their bodies get the opportunity to detox in peace.
At the same time, our founder, Wendy Volhard, has adapted her Natural Diet to include a half-day fast on the seventh day, when the dog gets a break from meat (they receive red meat five days a week, then an alternative protein on the sixth day to give the kidneys a rest from the red meats' nitrogen levels). We will provide you with a Natural Diet breakdown for a 25-pound dog to help you take the first step towards implementing intermittent fasting in your dog's diet!
The Volhard Natural Diet for a 25-pound Dog
Days 1-6
Breakfast
- 2 Grain mix (dry/oz);
- 1 Safflower oil (t);
- 100 Vitamin C (mg);
- 1 Egg, small, 4 times a week
- 1 Blackstrap molasses (t);
- 100 Vitamin E (IU);
- 25 Vitamin B complex (mg);
- ¼ Yogurt or kefir (t).
Dinner
- 7 Meat (oz)—days 1–5;
- 8 Cottage cheese (oz)—day 6;
- ½ Cod-liver oil (t);
- ¼ Kelp (t);
- 1 Garlic capsule (325 mg);
- 1 Wheat germ (t);
- 1 Dry herbs (t);
- 1.5 Liver (oz)—days 1–5;
- 100 Vitamin C (mg);
- 1.5 Apple cider vinegar (t);
- ½ Brewer’s yeast (t);
- 3.5 Bone meal (t);
- 1.5 Wheat bran (t);
- 1 Fruit (t) on alternate days.
Day 7
Half-day Fast at p.m.
Breakfast
- .8 Grain mix (dry/oz);
- 25 Vitamin B complex (mg);
- 2 Honey (t);
- 100 Vitamin C (mg);
- ½ Yogurt or kefir (t).
Fasting is an Excellent Way for a Dog to Stay Healthy!
Healthy dogs have nothing but benefits to reap from intermittent fasting! Better health, weight loss and management, a stronger immune system, more energy, and healthier cells are but a few of the benefits therapeutic fasting brings to the table. As long as you do it by the books, it will benefit your dog's life in so many ways! For more advice on dog nutrition, health, and training, make sure that you contact us and check out our blog!
Volhard Dog Nutrition and its expert nutritionists are now offering online consultations to help more dog parents discover why, what, and how to feed their dogs the healthiest of foods! Speaking to a Volhard nutritionist will help you understand the inseparable relationship between healthy food, a healthy body, and a healthy mind. If you're interested in contacting one of our Volhard nutritionists, don't hesitate to access our consultation page!