Starving a dog???

Question

my next door neighbour and i were talking this morning about dog food and i said that i find canned dog food makes my doggys poo runny compared to dried food. She told me that she read somewhere that you should not feed your dog for 1 day a week. I have no idea why or if it is true...has anyone else heard of this?
I have no intentions of not giving her her food, but just curious as to why some people do?

Answer 1

Don't listen to your neighbor.

Answer 2

Starving is completely different than fasting. Wilfully starving a dog that's hungry is mean spirited and inhumane, they're knowingly trying to harm the dog . Fasting a dog isn't mean spirit or inhumane. Some raw feeders believe that a fast day a week is not only good by healthier for their dog. These people aren't psycho animal abusers. I raw feed but don't do the fast day, my dogs will voluntarily skip a meal periodically and I don't get my knickers in a knot. They are both healthy and happy, annual vet check ups, etc. and will eat when they're hungry..

Answer 3

I feed my dogs once a day and have been told that is cruel by some with very fat dogs! When I get home from work I give my dogs bones and meat that I pick up fairly cheaply from the butcher on the way home from work. That is the way nature works I guess, and it works for me and my dogs.
In their world I have been 'hunting' and brought back 'the kill' at the end of the day. Because the digestion of meat is fairly slow a dog, in the wild, might go a day or so between meals so it is not necessarily cruel to restrict food in this way, if the dog is otherwise healthy. Depends on the dogs relationship with ''the pack'' and the routines you have in place.
If you like my idea be sure not to give the dogs a lot of fuss when you get home with ''the kill''. I simply put it out of the car after saying hi to my family and let the dogs eat in peace. I go hang out with the ''top dogs'', my family, first. Go play and say hi to the dogs after they have eaten, it is a natural way of doing things and doesn't encourage bad behaviour in your dogs. Works well for us!
PS We live in the country and our dogs are outdoors (minding the house) during the day. I don't advocate locking a dog inside all day alone whilst you are at work.

Answer 4

I have never heard of this! where did your neighbor get her information? As for runny poo (ick) it could just be an issue of the brand - think how Mexican food effects some people and not others in the same sense.

Not feeding your dog is the same as not feeding your kid for a day. You wouldn't want to do that would you? I dog is hyper (even is he lays around the house - when he moves he really moves!) and that burns energy is great bursts...they need nutrition and a constant diet.

Answer 5

I have heard of holding food for 24 hrs, if the dog has the runs, than feeding a mixture of rice and chicken/beef to settle their stomach. These instructions were given to me by my vet. I also find that canned food "gravy" variety gives the runs. I now only feed the ground variety. My dogs have on occasion skipped a day of feeding, they know when they need or don't need food.

Answer 6

There are people who believe that dogs in the wild miss meals because they have not made a kill, therefore, dogs can go a day without food or a meal.

While no dog or human is going to be hurt from missing a days food, I would not do it for a kibble fed dog.

Tell your neighbor that fasting for 3 consecutive days every month is beneficial for humans (it really is, but I doubt she will do it).

Answer 7

Tell your neighbor that when his dog has diarrhea ["runny poo" LOL], to feed the following bland diet:

1) plain cooked white or brown rice

2) unseasoned cooked chicken breast

The reason: a bland diet will help your dog's system get back on track, and is bland enough to prevent further "accidents" and easy on the stomach : )

I worked as a vet tech for 10+ years... : )

In your neighbors defense, a Vet will actually sometimes advise a dog or cat owner to not feed their pet for a 24 hour period IF they are throwing up, sick or if they have diarrhea... The reason: it allows the pet's system time to get back on track : ) and prevents further vomiting and/or "runny poo-ing" -- lol : )
: )
Tell your neighbor to only remove for food only a 24 hour period - AND always supply lots of FRESH WATER! : )
: )
: )

Answer 8

The only time is due to surgery or if the dog has an upset stomach and sometimes lettign the stomach rest for teh day will help but not on a constant hting.
I would ask for a copy of whatever it was she read.

Answer 9

No u should never do that. And don't feed ur dog canned food, one as ur dog gets older all of its teeth fill fall out and hard food will change that runny crap

Answer 10

a one day a week starve is recommended so as to let the dogs digestive system have a break..its not harmful to the dog and they can get into a routine of not being fed one day per week..id do it for my lot but theyd end up eating eachother by 10am hehe, i found after a while canned food made my greys runny so i switched to raw and the change is amazing (as they wont touch dry) xx

Answer 11

It was common practise years ago - thought to be good for the dog as dogs in the wild don't eat every day. Some hunt kennels used to do it - may still for all I know.