Fasting?!

[No Quarter Kennel]

I know a couple of breeders who fast their dogs 1 time a week. Thoughts and comments on this?

I'm not real educated on this topic, but I've been told it's actually good for them.

Anyone have a good understanding if this is good or not?

[Officially Retired]

Used to do that alot, and I think it's great.

Sunday was the day they got the shankbone to gnaw on (which, speaking of the teeth-related matters of your other post, is a good idea).

Jack

[No Quarter Kennel]

Sounds like a plan. Cut down on the cost of feed as well.

What is the purpose of fasting and what are the benefits? Also, winter months? Do you do it in the winter or play it by ear depending on the severity of the weather?

Thanks

[R2L]

it depends on what you are feeding.
if you feed something that totaly digest within 12 houres there is no way u should fast on top of that
with kibbles and grind meat you should never
in the winter feed twice a day instead of thinking about fasting
most people who give their dogs a fasting day, for example they normaly feed 600 gram, they feed them like 1000/1200 gr and then skip a day.
jmo

[Officially Retired]

Sounds like a plan. Cut down on the cost of feed as well.
What is the purpose of fasting and what are the benefits? Also, winter months? Do you do it in the winter or play it by ear depending on the severity of the weather?
Thanks

It depends upon your winter.

You're in TX or OK, if I remember right, so I don't think your winters are as bad as mine were in TN.

I think fasting is good for cleaning a dog out and getting a "best weight." It is also good for their health IMO. Wolves and coyotes fast all the time, even in the winter, until they get their next meal.

Also, giving a shank bone really isn't true fasting, because the dogs are eating meat/fat/bone/marrow whilst cleaning their teeth. In fact, they basically spend the whole day eating fat/meat/bone and cleaning their teeth in the process.

Jack

[Dogman]

Fasting one day out of the week is good. It gives your dogs stomach a chance to rest, to build up more good beneficial bacteria , it also helps detox a dog getting rid of the toxins in his body.

As for winter it all depends on each dog, if the dog is loosing weight or not gaining enough weight I would not fast them.

[Officially Retired]

Agree. Good post.

[No Quarter Kennel]

Very good info. Along the lines of what I was thinking, but always good to have it validated by those in the same field.

Thank you all very much.

[widerange]

We fast our dogs once a week. Been doing so for about two hrs now and I believe it really works. As far as winter goes it gets cold in the carolinas but not as cold as most places but I will fast less more like once every two wks depending on the dog just remember that your dogs need fresh water daily

[Ez Country]

Been feeding kibble and ground beef scraps for a long time, been fasting the dogs once a week just as long even during winter and we have harsh winters here. The key is to fatten the yard up before winter hits, same goes with summer get some of that winter weight off the dogs before it gets hotter than a french whore house. It has been my experience that some dogs stay skinny all the time no matter how much you feed or worm them. Could be they have something else going on but I am not fortunate enough to have a vet that I can trust. Have only ever lost one dog in the heat and two in the cold. The two in the cold were old dogs that I expected to go anytime.