One size does not fit all… and sometimes less is more! There are now well-documented and publicized benefits to fasting in humans and dogs (but absolutely not cats, btw) for longevity, anti-cancer effects, and immune support.
From a logical standpoint, this does make sense. The body can do only so many things at one time, and digestion is a lot of work— enzyme production, absorption, sorting and distribution of nutrients, and detoxification of the bacterial toxins that are created in the process. Taking a break from all that frees up resources that allow the immune system the opportunity to do some clean-up work. Imagine- your desk never gets cleaned if the inbox is constantly being refilled (I have no idea what that’s like).
But, fasting does not need to be a scary or rigid concept. For starters, we can re-phrase this as time-restricted eating (TRE), then break the routine with a fun alternative activity, and finally find creative ways to incorporate the beneficial principles to suit the individual pet, situation, and goals. Here is how some of the Balanced Pet NW wolf pack gets it done:
- For Uma the Giant Schnauzer, eating once a day is her normal routine and it suits her. She is a robust lady and easy keeper, and her intricately-prepared homemade raw diet is a once-a-day production.
- For Annie the Boxer-Whippet, we follow TRE by giving breakfast late at 10am when she gets home from her morning trek, and dinner early at 4pm, so her food intake is limited to a 6-hour window, meaning her immune system has an 18-hour window for anti-cancer immune surveillance.
- For Sally the Border Collie mix, with a history of pre-cancerous indicators that necessitated fasting but a grandma who finds snacks equally necessary, we have adjusted the timing of when her body gets access to different proteins, with her goat milk + root vegetables or sardine +egg in the morning, and her red meats & treats waiting until after 3pm.
- For Bentley the Shih tzu, a small guy who is accustomed to three meals a day plus snacks, fasting means skipping breakfast every few weeks (along with his parents) to take an adventure walk at a special location followed by a half-sized dinner, in order to give his sensitive digestion a periodic rest and reset.
- And for Sailor the Pug, fasting just means respecting his innate patterns; some days he is ravenous in the morning and other days he isn’t ready to eat until early afternoon. He is an opinionated fellow with good lab work and a healthy body weight, so we respect his preferences and rhythms.
