How often should you feed your dog?

In many dogs (though not all),“intermittent fasting” can offer a variety of health benefits, from maintaining lean body mass, to reducing the risk of neurodegenerative conditions and other age-related diseases.

There’s a lot of talk about how often you should feed your dog and, with the latest buzz about the benefits of intermittent fasting for humans, many wonder if this practice is safe and healthy for dogs too.

EVOLUTIONARY FACTORS

Intermittent fasting, also termed therapeutic fasting, follows a pattern that includes alternating cycles of eating and fasting. In truth, it’s how dogs are evolutionarily designed to eat. Wolves and other wild canines do not have continual access to food and are naturally faced with intermittent eating schedules that depend on their ability to find and catch prey or to successfully scavenge for food.

In his book, Ruined by Excess, Perfected by Lack, Dr. Richard Patton, animal nutritionist and researcher, shares that canines and other carnivorous animals “have exquisitely perfected the ability to survive with the intermittent lack of food. And in fact, they are poorly adapted to deal with constant excess, particularly with calories from starches and sugars.”

WHAT THE STUDIES SAY

Even beyond the necessary basics for surviving in the wild, cumulative research has shown significant health benefits arising from intermittent fasting — or said in another way, intermittent eating.

• A study by Mark Mattson, PhD, a neuroscience professor at the John Hopkins School of Medicine, indicates that fasting and reducing daily calorie intake can be beneficial for your dog’s neurologic health. Dr. Mattson has published extensively on the topics of brain function and healthy aging. His studies with both animals and humans demonstrate that fasting can improve cognitive function and reduce the risk of developing neurogenerative diseases such Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. Dr. Mattson also reported increased lifespans in dogs that took part in fasting studies.
• Scientists at the University of Arizona published a recent study titled “Once-daily feeding is associated with better cognitive function and health in companion dogs” in Results from the Dog Aging Project. This research team analyzed data from over 24,000 dogs, looking for links between feeding frequency and health outcomes. Their findings suggested that feeding dogs just one meal a day reduces the risk of numerous health problems and age-related diseases, including cognitive decline, dental disease, GI tract (gastrointestinal) issues, liver disease, pancreatic disorders, urinary problems, kidney disease, and cancer.

DOWNTIME FROM DIGESTION

When the body is not busy working on digestion (i.e. the breakdown and absorption of food particles), enzymes are freed up to focus more on detoxification, as well as reducing inflammation and repairing tissues. During this downtime from digestion, the liver is also more efficient at processing waste products and eliminating toxic load. Numerous reparative mechanisms are allowed to work better, and this helps the body regenerate.

Furthermore, periods of fasting effectively trigger the body to metabolize its fat stores for energy. Not only is this helpful to remaining lean, but losing fat means releasing toxins too. Indeed, adipose tissue (fat) is the primary storage site for toxins in the body.

UNDERSTANDING KETONES

Like humans, all dogs have the ability to utilize either glucose or stored fat for energy. When stored fat is used, the body naturally produces molecules of energy called ketones (these can also be provided by medium chain triglycerides — MCT oils). However, if glucose is available, the body will readily use it as its first choice for fuel. This means that if your dog is continually eating throughout the day, glucose is almost always available and his body will not have an opportunity to burn fat. Another important aspect of this scenario is that each time glucose is made available through the breakdown of carbohydrate-containing foods, insulin is required to deliver that glucose into the cells of the body. This is not so desirable, as insulin is known to be a pro-inflammatory hormone, which means that frequent releases of insulin equate to higher levels of inflammation in the body.

We now recognize that inflammation is associated with chronic diseases as well as degeneration in the body and advanced aging changes. By understanding this, you can see that both what you feed and how often you feed your dog can directly influence numerous health conditions, affect aging, and perhaps even longevity.

Time-restricted feeding methods

Three intermittent fasting or time-restricted feeding methods are commonly used for dogs:

1. Feed once a day, which allows for a 24-hour fast between each meal.
2. Feed two meals per day, but include them both within an eight-hour total time frame, which allows for a 16-hour fast each day. E.g. 8 am and 4 pm
3. Feed normally five or six days a week, then skip one meal one or two days per week.

It is important to note that not every dog will thrive with this meal plan. In my experience, small-breed dogs have a higher tendency for gastric reflux symptoms or bile vomiting when their stomachs are empty for long periods. This does not appear to be as much of an issue with large-breed dogs, but can certainly occur in any size or breed of canine.

For some dogs, this issue may be corrected or improved with digestive enzymes or other digestive supplements. In these cases, incremental periods of fasting may be tolerated by slowly and gradually adjusting for more extended time periods between meals.

A WORD OF CAUTION

Generally, fasting is only safe for adult healthy dogs. Despite its potential benefits, there are many situations and health conditions for which fasting could be harmful and is not advised. Puppies, for example, require consistent meals and calories because they are growing. This also holds true for pregnant and lactating females. Senior dogs and very small toy breeds should avoid fasting as well. And finally, although fasting may be beneficial for some dogs with certain health conditions, there are many illnesses or circumstances in which withholding meals would be inappropriate or harmful. So please be sure to consult with your veterinarian before considering a time-restricted eating plan, to make sure it is safe and appropriate for your dog.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Katie Kangas

Dr. Katie Kangas graduated from the University of Wisconsin Veterinary College in 1993. She achieved her CVA certification at the Chi Institute in 2008, followed by additional training in Advanced Acupuncture, Food Therapy, Herbal Medicine and Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation. Dr. Kangas owns Integrative Veterinary Care in San Diego, California. Her areas of special interest include nutrition/food medicine, dental health and pain management.