This is one of the most crucial questions for any dog parent, but also one of the most challenging.
Most of the time, we unknowingly fed our dog depending on our own needs, habits, emotions, and lifestyle as humans.
We fed them treats because we enjoy them ourselves, and we feed our dogs three meals per day because this is how we manage our own food needs throughout the day as humans.
We even offer breakfast for our dogs because we believe it is impossible for us not to eat one ourselves; this is how we are wired.
Is this the most effective method to ensure that our beloved dogs have the best chance of living a long life while also lowering their risk of disease and health problems?
If you do an online search on this topic, the results seem so contradicting that you will develop headaches in no time.
Some sources suggest that 6-8 short meals per day are best for your dog's digestive system, while others recommend 3 meals per day for proper calorie distribution throughout the day.
There are so many various points of view that it is difficult for us to know which information to believe and how to find the proper information to use with our dogs, and this question might become a big challenge.
What is the role of science in this question?
The wonderful thing about science is that when studies and research are conducted appropriately and without conflict of interest, emotions and personal considerations or beliefs are eliminated; science indicates us the truth, whether we agree with it or not.
And what does science teach us about the number of meals your dog should eat each day?
The most rigorous scientific data available on this subject have indisputably proven that your dog will have better cognitive health, a significantly lower risk of developing pancreatic, kidney, liver, urinary tract, gastrointestinal, and orthopaedical diseases, as well as better oral and dental health, if fed once per day.
If your dog eats one meal per day, it will be far less likely to acquire the illnesses that dogs can develop as they become older.
Science confirm that feeding your dog one meal every day can increase their longevity!
As a canine nutrition professional, the dogs I've observed that have the best health are generally fed once a day, and our family dogs have always been fed once a day, and they had and continue to have outstanding health.
The benefits of intermittent fasting
The fundamental reason why one meal per day has so strongly favourable impacts on our dog's health and lifespan is due to the well-known benefits of intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting is the activity that involves only ingesting food during one portion of the day, while allowing the body to rest for the rest of a 24hr period.
A 16-hour fasting time each day allows our dog's body, organs, and functions to repair and regenerate, resulting in more rapid cell regeneration, reduced inflammation, and improved cognitive performance.
According to this very interesting study; " Metabolic and cellular responses triggered by IF could help to achieve the aim of preventing disease, and maximizing lifespan and longevity with minimal side effects."
According to Prof. James Nelson, a professor of cellular and integrative physiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, " on a cellular level, calorie restriction makes animals more resilient to physical stressors. Calorie-restricted mice have greater resistance to toxins and recover faster from injury".
" Another explanation involves the fact that, in both humans and animals, eating fewer calories slows down metabolism. It’s possible that “the less you have to get your body to metabolize, the longer it can live,” said Dr. Kim Huffman, an associate professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine"
In fact, scientists think that one of the main reasons calorie-restricted diets make mice live longer is because the animals don’t get sick as early, if at all, said Dr. Richard Miller, a professor of pathology at the University of Michigan.
What does history show us?
Domesticated dogs have always had irregular access to food, and they have biologically adapted to this throughout thousands of years of evolution alongside humans.
Until a few decades ago, domesticated dogs rarely had regular meals, and eating many times a day wasn't something they experienced.
We can argue that this was due to circumstances, but in reality, when a habit, such as eating a low meat diet, is pursued for an extended period of time, the body and its functions adapt and change, and when we do not respect that evolution and the way it shaped the body and changed its functions, diseases, poor health, and, ultimately, premature death occur.
A dog can go without food for 8 days without negative impact on their organism or damages.
While this doesn't mean we should deprive our dogs from food for 8 days, or in any other ways, it shows that our dogs aren't biologically adapted to eat several meals a day, which, beside science, is demonstrated by over half dogs in the world being overweight or obese, and that one meal per day is the closest to the habits that shaped their evolution for the past thousands of years.
One meal does not constitute food deprivation in any way, and by giving your dog one meal per day, you are providing your dog with the best chance of life, with significantly fewer risks of illnesses, health difficulties, and early death, according to science.
MORE OF 50% OF ALL DOGS ARE OVERWEIGHT!
The majority of dogs in our society are overfed, with treats, multiple meals per day, and frequently an unbalanced nutritional intake and ultra-processed foods, having a disastrous influence on their health and leading up in severe overweight.
According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, more than half of all domesticated dogs worldwide are obese or overweight (overweight is defined as 10% above optimal bodyweight), totaling between 250 and 300 million dogs.
Being overweight, no matter how minor, can have serious effects for your dog's health and longevity.
Should I ask my veterinarian for advices ?
It may be tempting or natural to question your veterinarian about your dog's diet and how many meals they should receive per day.
However, this may not be the best solution for you.
Canine nutrition has not traditionally been a component of veterinary medicine training in most regions of the world, and we estimate that only 5% of veterinarians worldwide are educated in canine nutrition.
If a veterinarian has not completed additional training in canine nutrition, he or she is not legally permitted to advise their patients on nutrition; yet, many physicians continue to do so.
How can you know whether your veterinarian is qualified in canine nutrition?
If your veterinarian has received canine nutrition training in addition to her or his veterinary education, she or he is not allowed advise you on your dog's nutritional needs.
In this situation, his or her diploma in canine nutrition should be displayed prominently in her or his clinic, along with a statement indicating that they are also a canine nutritionist.
Wherever your vet is in the world, she or he is not qualified to advise you on the frequency or composition of the meal or diet that your dog requires, unless she or he has received additional training and is certified in canine nutrition.
If you want to understand more about this subject, this study is a fantastic place to start; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9213604/#:~:text=We%20found%20that%20adult%20dogs,than%20dogs%20fed%20more%20frequently.
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