The FastDay Forum

i have two older dogs, one shepherd mix who had his 16th birthday in march and a lab(?)-mix who is 11 or 12-ish.

16 years is *way* up there for a larger dog, but i'm wanting to keep him around (and healthy) for as long as possible and i'm thinking that maybe the boys should join me on fast days.

wondering if anyone else has tried that...?

the dogs, btw, are definitely not excited about the idea. but it's easier not to feel too guilty about it when i'm on restricted kibble myself...

I do know people who fast their dogs weekly or fortnightly. If you feed your dog once a day, then it's just 6 meals instead of 7 over a week. I sometimes consider it for my Lab, she is a food machine and so hard to keep her from getting overweight. But the way she stalks me for an hour or two before dinner time... I think it would be HARD to do. For me as much as for her!. Sure it would do her a lot of good.

It might start chewing on your toes on it's fast days as you cant communicate what you are trying to do. I have a cat and the cat would not be into it im sure. it grazes like me as a matter of course.

I guess it worked for the rodents they tested it on in the original BBC horizon program so why not dogs, if you can stop the chewing on toes problem

The doggies get to eat once a day (except for pups of course). I make sure they get lots of exercise...but if they miss a meal they have been known to find one outside or inside! Not recommended for ridgies!

Maybe consult your vet.

Well dogs are sposed to be fed once a day - so that essentially would be a 23 hour 55 min fast LOL, but like most people these days I feed mine twice. Howeveer they only get a natural diet - veg, raw meat & raw bones

My oldie -but goodie- gets fed three times a day because he can't chew one meal at once (he's even eating cat food now).
Personally, I wouldn't do. Or, I wouldn't do it without asking a vet. The main reason why I wouldn't do it is because I could not explain it to him.

BTW, I totally agree with Juliana, my cat would kill me and eat me if I didn't feed her...

My largish dogs get fed twice a day -partly because of the risk of a twisted stomach if they have just one large meal. Mind you I couldn't stand their nagging if I tried to cut down to 1meal.

I have a geriatric, formerly overweight cat. The vet said that people should never make drastic changes to the quantity fed to pets - steady, gradual reduction was the only way to go. I'd say the best thing to do is consult your vet.

I have a huge German Shep and 4:3 is her normal way of eating! It has been since just after we got her 3yrs ago. I used to worry that she didn't eat until I realised she had a pattern. On 2 or 3 days a week she will barely eat 1 can of food. On the between days she seems to eat like a machine! I gave up worrying as she is healthy and gorgeous.

It dawned on me that she was doing 4:3 purely by natural instinct. Now whether it would be OK to alter the regime of a dog already established in a routine I couldn't say. From what I've heard of labs they might just go out and eat something inappropriate! They seem to always need to be munching! Cass has always been picky with food and never eats more than she needs however much is put down. Other dogs we've had have always been much greedier.

Oh my god...the very thought of attempting this with my terminally starving/ greedy boy makes me feel ill! Honestly he'd make my life a misery.

Not one for a goldendoodle. Think he'd ring the RSPCA!!!
To keep him trim(ish) we feed him on a dry food called Fat Dog Slim which with a lot of exercise is doing the trick.

My Lab finds ways to break into the chicken run, eats the eggs, grain, compost but luckily not the chooks and ducks. I think I'd have dog anarchy if I didn't feed her one evening! Lots of hilly walks for her, lots of good raw bones to slow her eating down a tad. If she ever gets to her ideal weight, I'll give her a smidge of breakfast too, but keeping it at once a day until then.

Depends on if your dog is overweight doesn't it. I have a German Shorthaired Pointer that is very fit, not much fat on him, and he gets fed 2 times a day, and starts freaking out around dinner time. It would be torture to not feed him.

ng/
Not one for a goldendoodle. Think he'd ring the RSPCA!!!

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa that would be so funny!!!

Well dogs are sposed to be fed once a day - so that essentially would be a 23 hour 55 min fast LOL, but like most people these days I feed mine twice. Howeveer they only get a natural diet - veg, raw meat & raw bones

for some that's 23 hour, 59 minute, and 55 second fast.