"A friend told me, she does one fasting day a week with her dog to keep him fit. Is such a fasting day also useful for Mia, Beagle, 6 years old?"

Some dog owners and breeders still recommend letting dogs fast once a week. On this day, no food should be offered, only water. Followers of the fasting day justify this with the assumption that it would come to a cleaning and a decontamination of the intestine.

Findings from the nourishing science cannot prove however this effect: it does not come to such a intestine cleaning. The cells of the intestinal wall, the so-called Enterozyten as well as the natural Darmflora need continuously substrate, in order to nourish itself. If the intestine is empty, there can be imbalances in the intestinal bacteria and damage to the intestinal cells. Also the stomach can react sensitively with longer food withdrawal and overacidify. The organs and the metabolism are also adjusted to a continuous supply of nutrients.

A regular and consistent diet with a food adapted to the nutritional requirements of the dog is therefore the best approach from a medical point of view. This prevents mistakes and supports the health of the dog.