
01/28/2025
5 Benefits of Fasting Raw Fed Dogs
Fasting your dog for a day every week or so can yield tremendous health benefits. Always make sure she has plenty of water. You can also give her some fruit or a recreational bone to keep her amused. Only fast adult dogs.
A healthy raw fed dog that is at the proper weight probably doesn't necessarily need to fast. But there are benefits to consider…
1) Fasting our dogs gives their gut a break from constantly breaking down foods
2) Fasting promotes the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut
3) Fasting our dogs allows the immune system to recharge and promotes self-healing
4) Fasting our dogs helps their system naturally detox
5) Fasting boosts a dog's metabolism, promoting fat burning and toning
If you're worried about fasting your dogs, there are three ways that you can incorporate fasting into your dogs' diet:
1 – Fast your dogs once a week; feeding them a slightly heavier meal the other days to make up for the loss. The day of the week isn't important; consistency is key.
2 – Fast your dogs by feeding them once a day; the rest of the day mimics fasting as the gut resets itself. And feeding dogs once a day makes meal planning easier. When you feed once a day, you want to feel 100% of the food in one meal. For instance, if your dog eats two pounds of food daily, then you'll feed a 2-pound meal instead of dividing the food into two 1-pound meals.
3 – Allow your dog to self fast; if your dog doesn't feel like eating, allow him or her to take a break. My dogs have self-fasted on occasion. Usually when they have an upset stomach or because they're not hungry.
How to Incorporate Fasting into a Raw Diet
Adding a fasting day to my dogs' routine turned out to be surprisingly easy. On Friday night, my dogs get a heavier meal than what they usually eat (3-5 ounces more) and they don't eat again for 20-24 hours. On Friday, they eat between 5-6 p.m. Their next meal will be between 1 and 4 p.m the following day. I started with 20 hours and slowly increased the time between meals. My dogs were fine.
They sleep most of the day anyway.