Food Portion

[ChristineL]

Hello HA! vets and parents,

About a month ago, I started putting my dog Hope on intermittent fasting (eating only within an 8-hour window). The recommended amount of food intake (of local raw meat blends and/or Answers nibbles) for her age/body/weight is 3.5oz - 4oz per day.

Before I started her on the fasting, I would feed her smaller portions (0.5oz to 1oz per meal) throughout the day (morning till before bedtime) and she was able to meet the recommended amount. But now I find it hard to meet that requirement - sometimes she would not finish the entire plate (1oz - 2oz per meal) and have leftovers…so now, overall she is eating less and not meeting the recommended amount. [She gets an egg as her first meal and that's been consistent.]

I’ve learned to look at her BEAM. Is that an indication of slight drop in Appetite?
I thought about what dogs would do in the wild and yes, they eat what they can find and therefore, portions varied, but what about our domesticated dogs? I’m just concerned about if she’s getting enough nutrients.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

How's her weight look Christine?

She may be self-regulating if she needs to lose weight.

 

[ChristineL]

Her weight is good - I felt her ribs and she’s just fine.

Tonight as of 730pm PST, I gave her one plate of food (1.1oz meat blend, CoQMax and a little bit of Green Juju) and she was picky - only ate a few bites...I didn’t want the food to go to waste so I added some powdered green lipped mussel then she finished it hesitantly. For her second plate, I gave her about 0.7oz of raw rabbit blends, she finished it without any hesitation. After that, I gave her some Answers goat milk, but she turned away.

I’ve noticed that sometimes she seems afraid of her food plate - this made me a bit nervous because I experienced that with Koby before he got sick.

Anyhow, I can say that this has been her eating behavior for the past two weeks or so.

The changes that took place recently in her life: 1) dental extraction in April, 2) I started a new job working from home about two weeks ago - minor changes in her routine. I try to keep it as consistent as possible for her. 3) after the dental surgery, she’s way more sociable and loves being outside, 4) she’s not timid anymore - she barks at dogs and cats as they walk by her house.

She does snuffle mats (she looks forward to it) after her second plate of food, for about 40 mins every day. She sometimes asks for food after the session...

oh, her stool has been soft or sticky even though no major diet change.

@Dr. Jeff you mentioned in our May HMDM call that Hope may go through “calibrating” (is that the word) after her dental surgery. Could this be it?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

The internal re-balancing after the dental which I may have mentioned typically involves an increased willingness to eat.

This is more likely to be a response to changes secondary to lifestyle and your new job.

Have you tried any lightly cooked food (which is more palatable)?

 

[ChristineL]

Ah I see. Her appetite was better when she had her rotten teeth ;(

If this is a response to lifestyle changes, should I (and when) expect to see her “bounce” back?

No, I have not given her any lightly cooked food recently. I did make her some white fish and sweet potato when we first got her but she did not like it. I’d given her steamed chicken drumstick and plain rotisserie chicken but that cause gurgling and soft stool. What would you recommend?

would you recommend homeopathic remedies like Nux? In addition to the symptoms I described previously, what I can add is: right waxy ears, some front paws chewing.

 

[Dr. Christina]

Great guidance, Dr. Jeff.

I would not suggest a homeopathic remedy now unless carefully prescribed to fit all symptoms.

I might suggest the flower essence changing times (jackson galaxy solutions) as I think this may be related to your going back to work.

Also, I would not worry too much about slight changes in her appetite. Seems like if hungry (after snuffle mat) she will eat more. And if not interested in food, will respond to your adding something.

I am a little more concerned about being nervous of her food plate. Now that it is nice weather - maybe feed outside. Or try different ways of feeding. Or contact an animal communicator to see what is happening about this.
Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

How old is Hope, Christine? As they age, dogs' appetite may decrease somewhat, which is normal. However, it is still important that she eats enough calories so as not to get into an energy deficit.

I am not aware of any scientifically-validated benefits to intermittent fastng for dogs. (I do know it is very difficult to get dogs into what we would consider ketosis.) The one study I could find about it used extended than intermittent fasting period of 48 hours, though they called it intermittend.

Another possibility is that Hope may just not be able to comfortably eat that much food in a sitting, especially with the reduced between-meal interval.

OTOH it's possible she may just be going through a "picky" phase, maybe related to the other changes. In that case, adding toppers or treats or other delicacies to stimulate her appetite is totally fair!

 

[ChristineL]

Thank you for all of your great advice!

@Dr. Christina - I have "new beginnings" by Green Hope Farm, I'll try that! I got that bottle when we first rescued her. It never crossed my mind that with me going back to work (even working from home) IS a change to Hope that may affect her! Thank you for the reminder! She had no fear towards the food bowl today....I did an experiment - I gave meat only today and her appetite seemed to return. And you're right, @Dr. Jean - she may just be going through a picky phase! I followed your advice and gave her some lamb green tripe on top of her food and she loved her dinner. Oh, Hops is 11 years old.