Im fasting Ruby for 36 hours too. She's had messy poos and mucousy diarrhea for the past 3 weeks. They would go back to normal and then start up again, but for the past 4 days or so its just been messy like soft serve ice cream the whole time. And it's like a constipated diarrhea or something, she will go, and while Im picking it up she squats and goes again, then sometimes she squats a third time and nothing comes out.

And now that you mention it, that is so true. Ruby has been fasting since 9pm last night, its 1:30pm now, and no hunger pukes. Shes still energetic too, I assumed she might just want to sleep from not eating.
Also, Im doing that liver detox Liz gave to me, so it seemed like a good idea to fast Ruby, especially after yesterdays poo, I had to clean her butt -.-

 

Creek817 shared an interesting article in the holistic section in a thread I made about Rubys upset stomach. It talks of the benefits of fasting.

There was an interesting article in Dogs Naturally November 2011 issue about Therapeutic Fasting - not sure if I'm allowed to copy/paste it onto here, but I'll try:

Thanks in part to the ease with which information is exchanged these days, there is a growing percentage of pet owners who re- ject the idea that commercial pet foods are the only appropriate choice for dogs. Every day, more and more people are choosing to feed their dogs raw, homemade foods. With all the informa- tion available about the proper feeding of dogs, however, there’s still one important topic that’s not getting much attention. That is, when NOT to feed your dog.
In at least some sectors of the human alternative medical com- munity, it is known that when we are symptomatic, fasting is the quickest, most effective way to restore health. For some reason, this discovery seems to have eluded dog health practitioners. Weekly one-day fasts are frequently recommended by expert raw feeders as part of a dog’s normal maintenance, and this most likely will extend the life of a dog since it simulates the prey scar- city dogs have encountered throughout their biological history. But therapeutic fasting is different, and has benefits that go far beyond increased longevity. Specifically, it can provide dog own- ers with the simplest, cheapest, most effective and autonomous method of dealing with their symptomatic dogs.
Since sick or injured dogs can’t hunt, they have never had the opportunity – and therefore never adapted the ability – to di- gest food and heal simultaneously. Eating at a time when the body needs to direct its resources to healing and cleansing is an impediment to those processes. During their long development
FASTING
as a species, dogs have responded to sickness or injury by sim- ply finding a quiet, solitary spot to rest until the ability to chase down food has returned. Owners of domestic dogs have long ignored this self-evident fact, to the great detriment of our dogs.
The knowledge we have about the human body’s response to fasting provides convincing evidence of its usefulness. The body must normally direct a great deal of its energy to the digestion of food. During a fast, this energy becomes available for other uses. In the fasting state, the body will scour for dead cells, damaged tissues, fatty deposits, tumors and abscesses, all of which are burned for fuel or expelled as waste. The bloodstream purifies during a fast and restores normal cellular function tissue health. The elimination of obstructions restores chemical balance and returns the body’s functionality to an optimum state. Fasting allows a deep, physiological rest of the digestive organs and the energy saved goes into self-healing and self-repairing.
In dogs, and in humans, fasting is more efficacious in some ail- ments than others. Some forms of cancer (especially those in late or wasting stages) are known to respond poorly to fasting, for example, and fasting can be risky in the very obese or very young. These contraindications are rare and virtually all other common afflictions that affect domestic dogs respond very well to fasting.
Problems like skin, eye and ear inflammation are signs that the body is employing extraordinary means to eliminate accumulat- ing waste via the eyes, ear canals and skin. During a fast, the eliminative organs are able to catch up on the backlog so second- ary avenues of elimination are not needed.
Digestive problems of all kinds also call for a rest of the diges- tive organs. Diarrhea, for example, is a result of the body bring- ing water into the intestines to effect immediate removal of their contents when digestion cannot be accomplished for any reason (undue stress, spoiled food, obstruction, etc.). Food that cannot be digested becomes waste that will putrefy and become toxic if not eliminated. Considering this, obviously, continuing to feed a dog or cat that has diarrhea is a waste not only of food, but also of an animal’s precious vital energy.
Fasting allows quicker healing following surgical procedures as well. The hormones that are released in the body during and following stress or injury greatly impede digestion. Food that cannot be digested becomes waste, which overwhelms the body’s ability to eliminate it. Waste matter then circulates in the blood-

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November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine
stream and causes normally sticky platelets and other compo- nents of the blood to not function the way they should. This is the true cause of infections and other complications that arise after surgery. Bacteria are blamed, but they are there by implicit invitation, since it is their job to break down waste wherever it accumulates in the body. It is almost always recommended that dogs undergoing surgery be fasted the day before the procedure but they should also be fasted for at least two days following sur- gery. Resumption of feeding should be done with very clean, easily digestible foods so that the digestive and eliminative or- gans will not be overburdened.
In spite of all the good, sensible arguments for fasting as a way to speed recovery, many owners still balk at the idea of not feeding their symptomatic dogs for days at a time. Their reluctance is mainly due to misplaced feelings of guilt or worry. If an own- er has never fasted personally, or never experienced the power fasting has to relieve symptoms, he or she may experience these negative emotions the first time. For this reason, it is advisable to read about general fasting principles in books like “Fasting Can Save Your Life” by Herbert Shelton or Dr. Shelton’s “The Hygien- ic Care of Children” (available free on line at www.soilandhealth. org). The latter work is especially helpful to dog owners, because it documents the dramatic results that are seen in sick children after fasting and explores the emotional issues that sometimes make parents reticent to employ this valuable method of healing.
If you’re ready to give fasting a try, there are a few guidelines to be aware of.
• Supervise your dog during the fast to make sure that he has no access to inedibles like toys, garbage, rawhide chews, cat feces, etc.
• Make fresh water available at all times.
• Respect a dog’s need to rest more during a fast, although most owners find that their dogs actually have more energy.
• Watch symptoms to determine the length of the fast. It’s best to be prepared to let the fast go three to five days or even longer. Recently it took five days of fasting for a Chocolate Lab in my care to overcome a severe case of eye inflamma- tion (I chronicled this experience on my blog at www.No- MoreVetBills.com). Sometimes particularly long-standing problems (like skin issues or allergies) take more than one extended fast.
• When symptoms have subsided or are gone, break the fast with a small meal (half the normal amount of the dog’s usu- al food). Increase the quantity gradually but be prepared thereafter to feed less. Fasting increases digestive efficiency so much that dogs will require less food afterward and can easily put on excess weight. Raw fed dogs require less food as well.
Therapeutic fasting of dogs is where raw feeding was 30 years ago, and holds even more potential for leading our dogs to very high levels of health. As was the case with raw feeding, how-
ever, we’re going to have to proceed without the guidance of the veterinary profession. This very powerful healing tool is not taught in vet school, and even holistic vets are sometimes not acquainted with the benefits or proper execution of a therapeutic fast. Dog owners who have read about fasting and want to try it on their dogs are often given unqualified warnings against fast- ing by their vets, just as many vets still recommend against raw feeding - even while raw feeding owners and their dogs reap the benefits. The rare situations where fasting may not be the best option (mentioned previously) in no way justify these warning: fasting is not cruel, nor is it risky or dangerous. On the contrary, continuing to feed a sick dog is cruel, because doing so extends and exacerbates the suffering.
Nature has provided a way for dogs to heal very quickly in al- most all situations where healing and regeneration are possible. Replicating the conditions under which healing is accelerated is the kindest, most sensible, rational and natural approach to sick- ness. DNM

 

I fast mostly when I forget to that something :-0 or when their poop isn;t right.

 

So you think fasting is a must? I have never fasted my dogs and wonder if I should?

 

I wonder if it is true. I wonder if it would take care of a problem before we even noticed it while it is still minor. Like the article that Kat posted here for us. Fasting every now and then might help keep our dogs in shape.

I fast mostly when I forget to that something :-0 or when their poop isn;t right.

Sometimes poop not being is something I did. Too many organs? Too little bone? There is a difference between stool that is loose and the stool I see coming from dogs with a upset stomach. I think brandypup probably knows the difference but as a new raw feeder I couldn't always tell the difference at first.

 

I fast my dogs the day before a holiday... because they get gorge meals on holidays (I gorge myself with food on holidays, why shouldn't they? lol). Also if their stomach is upset and they have diarrhea, which is pretty rare. We don't fast much here.

 

I fast mine because they eat whole prey and I usually give them 5 days worth of food and they'll eat it in four days. I'll fast them to make up for the extra food. I fast them because I know they're eating as much as they can and getting a good work out each day and I want to give their system a break. They usually don't beg on their fast day if I give them an egg or something to replicate meal time because they're used to the routine of eating.

I should add we usually fast once a week. Most weeks we do one day of fasting and then the next followed by a light day which is around half their normal food.

 

I agree with this. Some dogs don't do so well on a completely empty stomach so giving them less might be the solution. Bridget gets hungry pukes around the 14 hour period. A egg and maybe a few organs helps her with that. Which means I can still feed her a large male later on.

Right now both of my dogs are underweight. One is really underweight and the other one is only a little. Most of the raw feeders here have a lot more experience than I do with dogs who have more experience than mines. But my thoughts are it that it may not be good to do this to a dog who is still getting use to the diet. Too much food at once for new dogs, even if it is there normal amount over two days given at one time could lead to a serious problem and the do opposite of what we wanted with health.

Where did the like this button go? It's back now. Strange.

 

IMO fasting can be broken down into two categories. One for medicinal uses for example when an dog has an upset system and the other as a lifestyle addition. These are used completely different and shouldn't be confused with one another. Fasting a dog because it has diarrhea is completely different than regular lifestyle fasting.

We fast our girls regularly as a part of their lifestyle, once every other week or so. I fast them AFTER they have had a large/gorge meal. Depending on how large the meal was, depends on how long they're fasted. I usually don't fast for more than 2 days. I almost never have issues with hunger pukes, diarrhea, etc. I absolutely believe that it is beneficial to fast dogs (who can medically and physically handle it) on a regular basis for overall health and welfare. Giving the system a break from food is a good thing in my experience.

 

Tried not to double post but I want to add a little too this.

When I fast because a upset stomach for medical reasons I do it differently. After 36 hours or whatever the faster period is depending on how the issue is I don't gorge them afterwords. Instead if it is like 25-50% of their normal meal and work them back up after a few days.

Fasting for a life style probably shouldn't alter the amount eaten in a week but instead change the amount they eat at a given time.

I believe that is right.

 

After reading that article that I posted (thank you Kat for reposting - I was about to go looking for it again, and saw you'd done it! Saved me the trouble =) ) I am seriously considering fasting more often. At the moment, as awful as this sounds, I only fast Dobby when for some reason it fits into my schedule better - Running late for something, or have to leave very early, or whatever the case may be. It only happens maybe once a month at the moment. I had planned on doing it about once a week, especially because he's really not that into food, so it doesn't bother him at all, and I think maybe I should go back to that.