Our dogs can reap the benefits of fasting, but how, and why?
When it comes to human diets, specifically the keto diet and carnivore diet, intermittent fasting are on top of the list when it comes to health trends.
Many health-conscious people turn to these two methods to lose weight and control certain health conditions, and the science is there to show why.
Wild carnivores (yes, dogs are primarily carnivore) will naturally fast between feasts. Unlike our domestic dogs fed by us, wild carnivores also won’t suffer from obesity. Even when whole prey is in abundance.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the dietary strategy of fasting dogs. How it works, and the kinds of food you can feed them to reach a health goal.
We will also look into combining intermittent fasting with a raw diet if you’re currently feeding a high-carbohydrate kibble – and whether this combination is effective.
Fasting a Dog
Fasting a dog intermittently is a dietary strategy that combines calorie restriction and food consumption over a specific period of time.
There are several different types of intermittent fasting routines, but the most common method of fasting a dog is 1 day per week.
If your dog is obese, you may also have a couple of morning fasts per week, cutting out a regular morning meal and opting to only feed in the evening. This can help your dog lose extra weight, but it is important not to overdo it and allow your dog to lose the extra bulk gradually.
What are the Benefits of Fasting?
As well as weight loss there are other benefits associated with intermittent fasting.
These benefits include reduced inflammation, such as stiff joints, dysplasia, and age-related pain. Research into fasting in humans have suggested an improvement in brain function, and better bodily controls of blood sugar levels.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
If you look at fasting your dog from a weight-loss perspective, intermittent fasting discourages overeating during the day. As pet guardians who want to keep our dogs happy, it’s very easy to overfeed our dogs, and we only realize when a veterinarian points out the obvious bulk.
By following the rule of thumb limiting your dog’s food intake, fasting your dog on a routine basis can break their cravings for high calorie dog food products and treats.
The main mechanism attached to fasting, fat loss, and improved health conditions comes from the process of reduced insulin production, increased ketone production, and autophagy.
During the hours our dogs fast, their insulin levels keep dropping periodically. This promotes the process of ketogenesis – the release of fat from your dog’s fat cells.
Your dog can benefit from fasting from a regular kibble diet, but a dog fed a raw diet will likely benefit from ketosis to a far greater extent. This allows the dog to enter a deeper state of ketosis, promoting a self-cleaning process known as autophagy.
Combining Intermittent Fasting and a Raw Diet
As somewhat of a disclaimer, as it’s very likely information from your veterinarian (who sells grain kibbles for pet carnivores) will be against combining fasting with a raw diet.
Nevertheless, as a pet parent you must always monitor your dog’s health, and seek veterinary advice and blood tests if any concerns arise.