Heightened Monocyte Killing
Monocytes are another type of white blood cell.
Monocytes consume infectious agents and other large particles. They usually enter areas of inflamed tissue or sites of chronic infections.
So if your dog has an infection … you may see higher monocytes in her bloodwork.
Increased Neutrophil Activity
Neutrophils are the most common type of white blood cell. Their job is to swallow bacteria and other microorganisms.
Neutrophils are “first responders” when your dog gets a bacterial infection. They arrive on the scene and eat up the invaders.
The metabolic process then produces hydrogen peroxide … and a highly active form of oxygen called “superoxide.” These destroy invading bacteria in your dog’s body.
How fasting in dogs might be good for them
In a nutshell, digesting food is hard work. It takes a lot of energy. This is why you fall asleep after you stuff you face at Christmas. All spare energy is drained from the mainframe and directed to the gut to get the meal digested and absorbed. It’s thought that if you don’t eat for a bit, the body will have more energy available to do other things such as repair, toxin removal and general regeneration. Basic housekeeping really. That’s the crux of it and the science (albeit largely in rodents and humans) is strongly in support.
A fascinating study in mice revealed that if you starve mice every other day but allow them to feed ad lib in the days in between, they are not only healthier but live longer. The researchers weren’t quite sure what to believe. They then injected both the starving and non-starving groups of mice with a toxin known to affect the brain cells and discovered when later assessed that the fasting mice suffered less damage to their brains!
And it might not necessarily as rigorous as fasting every other day before benefits are seen. Another study, again in mice, reveals that feeding them in line with their diurnal rhythm has positive net effects on their general health. This too makes sense. Fasting, at least the idea of feast and famine, is a very natural part of the process for all animals, though not so much humans anymore. Your internal computer has adapted to this and has developed mechanisms to switch off the apps it’s not using and instead divert it’s power to things it can do while eating is not top of the list. This would naturally be nighttime when we’re at rest and possibly midday when we’re supposed to be lying around relaxing! Eating is for dawn and dusk.
Energy and general replenishment aside, with fasting in dogs there is a toxin-removal process that is thought to occur. For day to day running, the body can avail of two fuel sources – glucose, which is favoured in times of plenty or ketones (from fat) in times of scarcity. You hear this all the time in the gym, you want to go hungry for a while (so all the available glucose is used up) so you work out in a state of ketosis (the process of burning fat) to shed some of those unwanted pounds.
Ebbing of unwanted love-handles aside, it so happens that all the excess toxic bits you consume, inhale and generally produce through metabolic reactions, that are not excreted in your wee, poo and sweat, is stored in your fat cells. That’s where it lives. So when you burn these fat cells for fuel, you are helping the body purge itself of the nasty gunk it was holding on to. Thus allowing the body to naturally burn ketones has proven to be an excellent healing strategy. Top doctors are now recommending fasting as one of the healthiest (and cheapest!) things we can do for our health. In fact, the burning of ketones for its amazing healthy benefits is actually why the world leader in canine cancer recover, KetoPet Sanctuary, is so called. Read more about cancer in dogs here.
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The body is constantly generating new cells and killing off old ones. It’s a process that needs constant attention. But even within the cell itself the process is constantly occurring as organelles break down and new ones formed. Autophagy is essentially the process of cellular cleansing. It is a word that derives from the Greek auto (self) and phagein (to eat). So the word literally means to eat oneself. In 2016, Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in medicine for discovering autophagy is switched on via nutrient deprivation. During this time, macrophage activity increases. Macrophages engulf and destroy bacteria, viruses and other foreign substances but they also ingest worn-out or abnormal body cells.
It’s one of the reasons you and almost every other animal on the planet is averse to eating when you’re sick, energy is needed at the front lines so the body turns off the hunger sensors.
Medzhitov was speaking to the college radio station following the publication of his research. He investigated the old wives tale which postulates “feed a cold, starve a fever”. Turns out there’s something to it. The difference is down to whether you have a virus (cold) or a bacterial infection (fever). It seems in humans while we stop eating when infected either, we get back to eating quicker if it’s a virus. To investigate this, he injected mice with either a bacterial or viral infection and divided the mice into eating or fasting groups. Mice that ate with viral infections recovered faster. When they did their science thing and convinced the mice to eat with a bacterial infection they all died.
When you fast the level of insulin in your blood falls and this is a good thing as insulin, vital as it is as a transporter of sugar to cells, is a pro-inflammatory hormone. If you are always nibbling, you keep a constant amount of insulin in your blood, increasing systemic inflammation and possibly reducing your insulin sensitivity over time. Fasting gives the immune system a break from this activity for awhile, freeing it up to do more productive things.
Even more impressive, recent studies suggest that such fasting may also promote recovery after acute spinal cord injury. Compared to controls, fasting rats with damaged spinal chords showed they recovered better, had smaller injury-site lesions and increased neuronal regeneration over rats fed more liberally.
The internet is now rife with literally dozens of very solid articles on the subject of fasting. You will find a plethora of studies on Google Scholar that document the benefits of this practice in humans, including:
So yeah, safe to say there’s probably something to fasting in dogs! 20% off for new customers to our shop. Use code NEWCUSTOMER20
Dog Fasting: Is Intermittent Fasting Safe For Your Pets? – Dr. Berg
Yes, dogs and intermittent fasting can go together. In recent years, humans have been embracing diets such as the 5:2 and Fast 800 as a way of kickstarting their metabolism, losing weight and improving overall health. So, it’s not surprising to discover that these benefits also translate to our furry friends.
Dogs are evolutionarily designed to skip meals, so fasting and intermittent eating can have a positive effect on your pupper’s health and longevity.
Fasting can boost immunity and longevity Digesting a large meal consumes a lot of energy. The idea of taking a break from eating is that it gives the body more energy to do other things such as repair, toxin removal and general regeneration.
A study has found that reduced food intake, avoiding malnutrition, can ameliorate aging and aging-associated diseases in invertebrate model organisms, rodents, primates, and humans. Recent findings indicate that meal timing is crucial, with both intermittent fasting and adjusted diurnal rhythm of feeding improving health and function, provided intake is not reduced.
Fasting can facilitate detox If your dog has constant access to food, they will firstly get their energy from glucose, which is favoured in times of plenty. When this source has been consumed, the body will then start to burn fat. Toxins are stored in fat which is why fasting can help your pooch to purge itself of any nasties.
Fasting results in cellular cleansing The body is constantly generating new cells and killing off old ones. When your dog is fasting, this activity increases. This process is called macrophage and it engulfs and destroys bacteria, viruses and other foreign substances and ingests worn-out or abnormal body cells.
Fasting is anti-inflammatory for dogs Fasting reduces the amount of insulin in your dog’s body. Insulin transports sugar to cells and is a pro-inflammatory hormone. Fasting gives the immune system a break from this activity for a while, freeing it up to do more productive things.
Fasting has been shown to help dogs cope with chemotherapy There is growing evidence that short-term fasting protects from toxicity while enhancing the efficacy of a variety of chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of various tumour types. Lyka’s co-founder and in-house Integrative Vet, Dr. Matthew Muir is embracing this concept in his clinic with pleasing results.
It is important to remember that fasting does not mean starving your pupper. It is about the timing of meals, not the quantity. Dr. Matthew Muir supports this feeding practice, and has always fed his pets this way. Most adult dogs are likely to benefit from 1 or 2 feeds within one 8-hour window. This still provides your dog with 16-18 hours without food, which will provide enough time for the benefits of fasting to kick in. Some nutritionists and vets advocate for this to be afternoon-based feeding, as it is thought that the liver is more proficient at processing nutrients during this time. Be sure that your dog has access to fresh water at all times.
Never fast puppies, dogs with diabetes or pregnant dogs. If your dog has health issues or is underweight please consult your vet, holistic vet or veterinary nutritionist.
Lyka offers a mix calorie-restricted, nutrient-rich recipes that are portion controlled, so you can easily implement a fasting regime whilst ensuring that your pupper’s nutritional needs are being met. Each recipe is vet-formulated and contains a selection of handpicked human-grade ingredients to benefit your pupper from the inside out. Always discuss any questions or health concerns you have with your vet.