Keto AND IF with my dog

fasting

(Mother of Puppies ) #1

So, I do #BoringKeto where I meal prep one food per week and have it (and maybe an omelet) daily.

I make sure to leave out onions or have them on the side, so my dog can share. (Since I’ve never been able to find a good source on how to formulate a good keto dog diet that works for her. The one I found included chia seeds and caused rectal bleeding😮)

If I’m fasting, I don’t want to give her anything from the fridge because I’ll start nibbling. I also don’t want to force her into a fast if she’s truly hungry.

So, there’s been a bowl of kibble out for two weeks that she’s chosen not to eat, preferring to wait for my eating windows. :blush:

Thinking of chili next week. If I do the onions after, and leave them on the side, that should be ok, right?


(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #2

Are you asking if your dog can eat chili as long as you remove the onions? I say no. She could certainly enjoy some ground beef, though. Remember, too much fat in a canine diet can lead to pancreatitis. We used to see it quite often when people were feeding human food, especially the fat they didn’t want, to the dogs.


(Mother of Puppies ) #3

I don’t OD on fat with her. She can’t tolerate it.

But I could use more guidance


(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #4

Sure, what is your question again? Are you interested in making home made dog food?


(Mother of Puppies ) #5
  1. Nothing else in chili should be problematic, I guess?
  2. Has anyone provided guidelines for dog Keto?
  3. Is it better to assume, since they evolved on our table scraps that generally what I eat is good for her, aside from exceptions noted above?

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #6

There is a keto cancer clinic for dogs. If you google it I’m sure you can find out more from them.

As far as IF goes, we never left food out for our dogs. They got fed once a day and they could eat it at whatever pace they wanted but when it was gone it was gone. Not that there were never treats at other times. Looking it up I see the advice is twice a day. Maybe my memory is off, or maybe the advice has changed. I worked at a vet clinic when I was a teenager, and I wouldn’t have gone against what the vet said.

Long story short I think TRE is the natural state for dogs.


(Mother of Puppies ) #7

What is TRE?

My pup gets sick eating more than half a cup of kibble per day, and if I space out her feeding too much, she may be tempted to gorge.

Certainly her behavior and needs would be different on a keto diet, but how to make the transition as smooth (and comfortable) as possible for her is my concern.


(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #8

TRE is Time Restricted Eating. It is what most people mean by IF. But IF is actually fasting for at least 24 hours on an intermittent basis.

I’d gradually extend time between feedings until you get where you want. I did find a few websites that did say 1-2 times a day, plus snacks. So my opinion is that other eating behaviors are learned.

At the same time, with domestic dogs table scraps were the traditional food, so it makes sense their eating habits would mimic ours. Of course that is assuming dogs have a person with them the whole day. Which traditionally they would but might be hard to pull off in modern society.


(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #9

You’ll want to avoid salt, hot spices (capsaicin is a GI irritant), beans (can cause gas and GI upset), onion powder (toxic). I found this recipe that looks like it’s acceptable for dogs. A general rule of thumb is skip the extras. Stick to meat, occasional cheese can be okay, some veggies too. No spices, salt, sauces, sugar, spicy foods.


(Mother of Puppies ) #10

So, I was doing 24 hour IF.

I refrain from heating up anything for her when I’m doing that, because I always nibble.

She chose to do the 24 hour, rather than eat the kibble. :joy:


(Tim Cee) #11

If I imagine a human and his wolf working together on a hunt or herding project, and I suppose they make a kill, I would imagine that if it was me, I’d take the flesh, the fat, the heart, maybe the lungs if they weren’t contaminated with the weapon, and give the dog the rest. I speculate that dogs are adapted to eat the part of a carcas the human component of a pack doesn’t like. Dogs had the same problem early sapiens had: they have to survive and stay strong if hunting doesn’t go well for a few days. A dog should have no issue with tre. One word of caution about feeding dogs with the family. The instinctive law of the pack is that the Omega eats last. I would never allow a dog to eat without permission. I have my five year old and all members feed the dog and he is required to wait even for the child’s permission—even if he’s getting real meat. If at any point he questions the status quo he gets correction from the pack leader. The same goes for passing through doors. Otherwise he will try to usurp a leadership roll and I simply cannot allow a dog to be in charge at my house. It sounds mean, but the dog respects and loves his pack members and knows he’s loved by his pack. We have a very good arrangement.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #12

The Eskimos used to give the lean meat to their dogs and keep the fattier cuts and the organs for themselves. Dogs can handle a much leaner diet than human beings can, and they don’t normally get into ketosis, the way we do. We are pretty much the only mammal that can get into ketosis so easily.


(Cathy) #13

This organization has some really valuable information. I feed my dog raw and have since she was 11 weeks old. Her food comes from a reputable company who has been in operation for years and years. If you read a bit about keto pet sanctuary, you may change how you think about how you want to feed you dog. It is not just about curing dogs but feeding an appropriate diet to keep them healthy.