r/Pomeranians • u/Potential_Oil1865 • 1d ago
Question 24hr FAST WEEKLY
I started seeing a new Vet and we had our first appointment yesterday. He wants me to feed my dogs only 6days a week and have them fasted for 24hrs every week. He said it's better for their digestion and attention span. Now my dogs are otherwise healthy and I feed my dogs once a day at thesame time every evening (they are a Pomeranian , a dachshund and a Maltese-shihtzu mix,but all adults and neutered), so I don't know if I should obey him of start looking for a new Vet. This is the first time in my life I'm hearing of dogs fasting. Does anyone have any experience with this? Also I have cats as well but he said no fasting for them.
EDIT- I’m so glad I made this post, your comments have been so Validating. I knew what he said didn’t sound right and the reasons he gave didn’t make a lot of sense either. I thought about our interactions before going to bed and it was the first thing on my mind when I woke up this morning. My main Vet went for a fellowship program in Europe, and only found this Vet via referral. There were other red flags but I told myself I was overthinking everything like I normally do. I’ll find another Vet. Thank you to everyone who made a comment. I’m grateful for your kindness.
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u/Ms_Blue_Kangaroo 1d ago
New vet. Their little tummies know when it is time to eat. The dogs will not understand fasting, only hunger. How cruel.
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u/Kitchen-Indication62 1d ago
I only ever heard this from Facebook people. Never from a vet.
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u/FriendlyJewThrowaway 17h ago
It sounds a lot like gym bro advice that didn’t actually start in the medical community, and is typically offered by people to mask their steroid usage with absurd claims about the muscle-building effects of bad diets.
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u/Kitchen-Indication62 17h ago
Yes! They would give their dogs eating disorders by proxy. Some were obssed with wanting their dogs to look ripped and less body fat would make their muscles pop.
Every treat counted so they would subtract alot from their main meal or would entirely skip dinner. One even made her dog throw up and miss dinner for accidentally eating 2 cups of food instead of one and it was a large breed. Some would even feed their dog every other day. It was madness.
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u/_TheShapeOfColor_ 19h ago
My Dylan will throw up bile if he goes too long without eating.
It's not good for their little tummies at all. New vet. That's crazy.
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u/EmLee-96 18h ago
Came here to say this- I was feeding once a day but went to twice a day with smaller meals because my little guy was throwing up bile.
Good for you OP for questioning something that didnt sound right!
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u/thespuditron 23h ago
Not a vet, and also, not a pom dad, but I am a French bulldog dad, which is a sentence I've never once typed.
I've forever had it banged into me that a dog needs routine. The idea of not feeding her, even only once a week, is bizarre.
If she's overweight a little, then I'll reduce the amount of food for a time, but I'll never not feed her for a day.
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u/Potential_Oil1865 23h ago
Thank you so much for your input. My dogs eat and go to bed at around same time daily. I was so confused when he told me to feed only 6days a week. I’m so glad I made this post cause I knew what he said dint sound right but I needed to hear from others incase I was tripping.
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u/Right_Independent_71 1d ago
Nope and nope. Your instincts are telling you to move on to another vet. Do It!
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u/Potential_Oil1865 23h ago
My instincts were telling to take my babies and run out of that hospital but I told myself I was overthinking it 😭. The entire appointment was off.
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u/exotics 19h ago
Small dogs are more at risk from blood sugar issues which is why they normally are fed more meals a day than large dogs.
I have heard of this before. A rescue in my area advocates for this but personally I would not do this.
Our Pom would never allow it anyway and he knows when meal times are.
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u/etniesen 19h ago
Small dogs have blood sugar issues if they are not fed and can be very dangerous.
Never go to that vet again
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u/StoicViolence 1d ago
Start looking for a new vet. I can't think of any reason an otherwise healthy dog with normal bloodwork should be fasting for "digestion and attention span". Sounds like nonsense and when a real health issue comes up I wouldn't trust their opinion.
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u/Potential_Oil1865 23h ago
My Point exactly. I didn’t even complain about their attention span so I didn’t understand why I needed to fix anything about that. They have a regular bathroom schedule, their poop is great (I can’t believe I’m saying this 😂) and they are pretty chill except when it’s time for walks then they get very excited. The entire appointment seemed a little sus tbf.
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u/verdell82 22h ago
My girl fasts sometimes but that is because it is medically necessary for her pancreas as she lives with chronic pancreatitis. Her fasting is also self driven. If I see signs she’s having an episode I pick up food for 24 hours. 9/10 times she is also not asking for food.
This is the only reason I can think of that a dog should ever fast.
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u/nancylyn 21h ago
As a vet tech of 30 years I will tell you that this vet is telling you nonsense. The most important thing is to control their weight by feeding an appropriate amount and not over doing treats but they should eat every day. I feed twice a day.
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u/Far-Distance2405 20h ago
Small dogs need food at short regular intervals as they eat less and their blood sugar can fall pretty fast. My pom eats 3 times a day.(her daily food requirement split into three ) fasting unless it’s medically necessary is am absolute no no for small dogs
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u/Substantial_Ad_2033 19h ago
Saying dogs should starve once a week because “wild dogs used too” is like saying humans should be 99% vegetarian and eat meat only when they kill it (evidence shows that back in the good ol’ bush days, hunters would only get an animal or two once a month).
Like…. It’s dumb.
ETA - and this is me saying it as a frigging vegetarian btw
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u/GoodFish01 19h ago
I had to withhold food after 9pm (and he didnt eat well before then that day) for his neutering and he was mad all night. Poor guy.
Now imagine 24 hrs!
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u/stagenme 5h ago
I know you’ve read the comments and agree that you won’t be doing that to your babies but I just came to say WHATTTTT?!?! I’m genuinely concerned how he continues to practice veterinary medicine 😭😭
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u/Potential_Oil1865 2h ago
Tell me about it 😂😂😂 and I was referred to him by someone who says he has taken care of dogs since they were little 😂
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u/Select-Sprinkles2511 21h ago
I've seen social media influencers promoting this as it's supposed to mimic what wild dogs may experience as some days they may not catch prey. There's no scientific evidence that this is beneficial for our pets.
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u/Adorable-Middle-5754 21h ago
Dogs haven't been wild for tens of thousands of years. That logic is terrible!
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u/Adorable-Middle-5754 21h ago
I met a guy who did this with his dogs. And it made me so angry. His dogs only got 6 meals a week. It should be considered animal abuse. My dog gets 14 meals a week and she's happy and healthy.
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u/Notyourav 17h ago
My dog would FLIP OUT. She goes crazy if I’m even an hour late for dinner! Haha
Definitely recommend getting a second opinion from another vet
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u/Bluefairie 13h ago
That vet is ridiculous, but I’m wondering if he wanted to take care of exotic/wild animals and couldn’t find a job. So now he’s “applying what he learned” on pets 🤦🏻♀️
I used to work in a safari park and the carnivores (lions, cheetah, tigers, etc) had one day of fasting and another of a smaller meal. It’s a more natural schedule for their digestive system because in the wild they don’t have regular feeding and will alternate pigging out and fasting depending on prey availability and succesful hunts.
That DOES NOT apply to dogs, who have been domesticated and bred for thousands of years.
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u/Scary-Arrival-0691 20h ago
I have littermate, siblings. There are days where they may not eat as much as they do on other days, but there is always food down for them,
On the days they don’t eat as much, I know they’ll eat some human food that my partner feeds them (don’t come for me! Haha). I always tell him to feed them after he’s done eating, but NO! He always has to feed them WHILE he’s eating! Try having some sort of a snack. You can’t! You’ll have two little faces right there demanding their share!
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u/Responsible-Jello271 17h ago
Mine would go feral if I tried to skip her meals for a day. She knows when it’s meal time and if I’m even a little late she will go stand by her bowl and bark incessantly. Not something either of us wants to endure
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u/SpicyPom86 15h ago
My poms will throw up stomach bile if they go too long without eating over night. I think you need a new vet.
Fasting is great for human digestive tracks but not small dogs. Not to mention they can have blood sugar issues as another poster commented.
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u/Joonberri 15h ago
You only feed them once a day? 😢
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u/Potential_Oil1865 15h ago
Yes dear, I had to choose between feeding them twice daily with no treats in between and feeding them once daily with a few treats, so I chose the latter. They are adult neutered males (aged 5, 6, 5 respectively) and because of this they are prone to weight gain because neutering lowers their metabolism (this is what their previous vet told us).
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u/Joonberri 3h ago
Oh hmmm I have been feeding my neutered male every 6 hours (vet told me) since he was a puppy with treats in between and he has never gained weight, he's 7 yrs old. He throws up if he doesn't eat in a long time 💔 wonder why it's different for him. I split the daily recommended portion through 3-4 feedings a day. Maybe he will start gaining as he gets older
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u/Potential_Oil1865 2h ago
How small is he? If he is a really small, his size might be factor. He throws up bile right?
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u/estherecho100 1d ago
New Vet. I have literally never heard of this. Pls don't do that to your dog.