Mature dogs of normal weight can go without food for between 5 and 7 days. Young puppies, on the other hand, only survive for around 48 hours without food. In addition, the exact period of time depends heavily on the body fat percentage and the activity level.
On the other hand, severely overweight dogs can survive for up to 3 weeks without eating. Dogs, on the other hand, can only survive without water for a maximum of 2-3 days. [1]
The following factors are responsible for this large deviation:
Basically, the more fat reserves your dog has, the longer he can survive without food. Because fat is nothing more than stored energy.
This also explains why the Scot named “Angus Barbieri” was able to fast for 382 days in a row. Because at the start of his fasting period he weighed a whopping 207 kg.
Within these 382 days he not only lost 125 kg of body weight, but numerous health problems also disappeared. [2]
The daily calorie requirement of dogs consists of the basic requirement and the activity factor. By the way, it's the same with people.
Very active dogs, pregnant dogs and growing dogs need around twice as many calories as lazy and inactive four-legged friends. [3]
Sick and weakened dogs can survive for a significantly shorter time without food than their completely healthy counterparts.
How exactly hunger manifests itself in dogs also depends on the length of time.
>> Our top recommendations
1-2 days without food
Healthy dogs should not experience any negative effects in the first 10-12 hours without food.
Over the next 12-48 hours, hunger increases steadily. Typical symptoms here are:
During this time, the body first uses the energy in the blood (“blood sugar”) and then the stored carbohydrates (“glycogen stores”).
In the case of very young puppies, even 48 hours without food can be life-threatening. The same applies to pregnant dogs and growing dogs.
If you often forget the food, then I recommend such an automatic feed dispenser. This solves the feeding problem once and for all.
3-4 days without food
Over the next 2 days, the feeling of hunger increases steadily. In addition to the symptoms above, there are other effects:
- Lack of energy
- Irritability and aggressiveness
- Slowed metabolism
- Muscle loss
During this time, the dog's body relies primarily on stored fat reserves. Because 1 kilogram of fat provides around 7,700 kcal. [5]
For comparison: a dog weighing 20 kilograms needs around 1,100 kcal daily. If you are one kilogram overweight, you can survive around 7 days longer. [6]
Important: If your dog goes without food for more than 48 hours without any apparent reason, then I recommend visiting the vet as a precaution.
5-7 days without food
During this time, the remaining fat reserves are used up. If these come to an end, organ damage can occur or even be fatal.
Dogs are still 99.9% genetically identical to wolves. This also explains why they always try to suppress hunger and suffering. [7]
The reasons? Weak-looking wolves are not only the target of other predators, but are also more likely to be rejected to protect the pack.
For evolutionary reasons, dogs hardly notice when they are about to starve. This applies even if your body is already very emaciated.
Incidentally, severely overweight dogs can go without food for up to 3 weeks because their fat reserves cover this. [8]
Breed-specific time periods
The following table shows how long different breeds survive on average without food.
Important: The following numbers are for rough guidance only and should under no circumstances be used as a basis for experiments.
CategoryUnderweightNormal weightOverweightGreyhounds1-3 days4-6 days6-15 daysHunting dogs2-3 days5-7 days7-17 daysSheepdogs2-4 days5-8 days8-19 daysGuard dogs3-5 days6-9 days9-21 days
If your dog often voluntarily goes without food, the following reasons are usually behind it:
- Stomach and intestinal problems
- Allergies
- Anxiety, stress and depression
- Parasites
- Medicines and vaccinations
- Hormonal disorders
- Inflammation and fungal diseases
- Autoimmune diseases
- Toothache [9]
Most read articles:
- The 25 coolest inventions for dogs
- 31 original gift ideas for dog owners