On Apr 08, 2005, at 11:11 am, Thomas Bridgeland wrote:
> My college animal science prof also told us that an every-three-day
> feeding schedule is most healthy for dogs, because it was similar to
> the natural pattern. But no one does it because the dogs look so
> unhappy. Even he couldn't do it.

Maybe once a day is the best compromise between hunger and the benefits
of fasting.  Perhaps once a day, with a one day fast every week or two
would be ok.

As for the dogs, I guess there's a difference between a human choosing
to go without food, and a dog having food withheld from the person he
expects it from.  A bit like making a child go hungry.  Did your
professor tell you what he was feeding the dogs?  If it was meat that's
one thing, if he was giving them dog cereal that's another entirely.

>
> Dogs and pigs and humans are on a continuum of omnivore to carnivore,
> pigs a bit more herbivorous, dogs a bit more carnivorous. Maybe
> meaningless, but interesting.


I guess it depends a lot on environment.  There are carnivorous
hunter-gather communities and ones that depend on large amounts of
plant food.  My own experience, though, is that there's an ratio of
plant food to animal food that my body decides.

Ashley