Should Huskies eat once or twice a day

Siberian Husky Feeding Guide (Everything You Should Know)

Hello, my furry blue-eyed dog lover! Welcome to my ultimate guide to feeding a Siberian husky.

In this guide, I will cover how much to feed a Siberian Husky, how often to feed your Siberian Husky, when to feed your French bulldog, what foods to feed your Siberian Husky, what foods to avoid feeding your Siberian Husky, and other questions you may have about your Siberian Huskys nutrition.

You can read the article to the end or go through the table of contents below and jump to the section that answers the questions you have on your mind.

Siberian huskies are not big eaters, despite their energetic nature. They tend to be more diet-specific, very athletic, and full of energy. I will answer most of your questions in this article as a result of my knowledge gained during my internship with a veterinarian.

Lets jump into the article.

Siberian Husky Nutritional Requirements

The nutritional requirements are the first thing to consider when choosing the best dog food for a Siberian Husky because feeding your husky low-quality food can damage its health and even trigger other health problems like ulcers, gastric erosion, gastric disease, canine glaucoma, and progressive retinal atrophy.

Your Siberian husky meal should contain at least 30% protein, 20% fat, 30% carbohydrates, and other sources of minerals, vitamins, and fiber for healthy muscles and bones.

Your Siberian huskys source of fiber should come from cabbage, carrots, and spinach, while its source of protein must come from animal flesh like fish, chicken, turkey, beef, and organ meat. And its source of fat must come from vegetables and fish oil.

Nutritional Requirement for a Siberian Husky Puppy

The diet of a Siberian husky puppy should consist of 30% protein, 20% fat, and 30% carbohydrates. Your huskies puppies need this amount of nutrients to grow rapidly and optimally. Vitamins and minerals should be added to boost their immune systems and grow strong bones.

Nutritional Requirements for an Adult Siberian Husky

The meal plan for an adult Siberian husky should consist of 25% protein, 15% fat, and 4% fiber. By this stage, your husky is done growing, so it would need a lower amount of fat and protein in order to prevent excess weight. Excess weight can affect your dogs athletic abilities.

Nutritional Requirement for a Senior Siberian Husky

The food your pet will eat at this stage of life should ideally consist of 23% protein, 9% fat, and 7% fiber. At this stage of life, a Siberian husky needs a higher percentage of these nutrients that can be helpful to the body: supplements, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics.

Factors Affect The Feeding Of Your Siberian Husky

There are some factors that will affect the diet of your Siberian husky, such as the size of the breed, its age, its activity level, and its underlying health conditions.

Lets take a quick look at those factors before we jump into the quantity of food to feed your dog.

Size Consideration

The average height of a Siberian husky for males is 21-23.5 inches (5360 cm) and for females is 2022 inches (5156 cm), 26 inches from the soles of their feet to their shoulders. The weight of the male is around 45 to 60 pounds (2027 kg), while that of the female is around 35 to 50 pounds (1623 kg).

Siberian Huskies are not big eaters; however, a much more active Siberian husky will consume more food than a less active Siberian husky. Also, male huskies tend to consume more calories than female huskies because they are larger than their female counterparts.

Age Consideration

Since huskies at different ages have a different range of activity, they would require different ranges of nutrients and food sizes for adequate development.

Siberian Huskies grow fast, which makes the nutritional requirements of a husky puppy different from those of a senior husky to maintain its health and agility.

Activity Level

As athletes are required to maintain a strict diet compared to non-athletes, you should also keep your husky away from certain foods if you want to maintain its athletic abilities.

Bad and cheap food can affect the agility of your pet husky. These foods do not contain adequate amounts of nutrients needed by your husky to flourish and be active. Your dog can become overweight and develop health problems.

Health Consideration

Siberian Huskies, just like other dog breeds, are prone to having health conditions that might stem from a poor diet or may be genetic.

Some health issues that affect your husky include ulcers, gastric disease, canine glaucoma, progressive retinal atrophy, and corneal dystrophy.

Health issues like ulcers, gastric problems, glaucoma, and weak bones can be prevented by making sure your dogs food contains essential and adequate amounts of micronutrients for proper growth and overall health.

Buying cheap, low-quality food will not save you money in the long run. They will take more money from you as you will have to pay quite a huge sum to get your husky treated by the vet.

Siberian Husky Feeding Amount

Your Siberian Husky, just like any other dog breed, will require different amounts of food according to their stage of development. According to nutritional requirements, the amount of food required by a puppy differs from that required by an adult.

On average, your puppy husky will need 1 to 3 cups of food that has 1000 to 2000 kcal per day, depending on their weight; feed your adult husky 3 to 4 cups per day that have 2000 to 2,500 kcal per day, according to its activity level; and feed your senior husky 3.5 cups per day that have 1,300 to 1,600 kcal per day.

Below are some guidelines on how to go about feeding your huskies. However, this meal plan is not one-size-fits-all. Its just a general guideline that should be followed based on your dogs needs and recommendations from your vet or dog nutritionist.

How Much To Feed Your Puppy Siberian Husky

For your puppy and adolescent to grow into healthy adults, the meal should be high in protein and low in fat, which can be obtained from animal meat.

A Siberian husky puppy should be given 1 to 3 cups of food per day that contains 1,000 to 2,000 kcal of nutrients based on its age, weight, size, gender, and physical activity.

The feeding requirement of your puppy is given in detail in the charts below:

Following the guidelines above will aid in bone development, promote muscle growth, and strengthen their immune system to fight off common bacteria and viruses that can lead to some health complications.

How Much To Feed Your Adult Siberian Husky

The nutritional requirements of an adult Siberian husky differ from those of a puppy. To prevent obesity, a mature huskys food should contain a lower percentage of proteins and fats.

A mature and adult Siberian husky puppy should be given 3 to 4 cups of food per day that contain 1,700 to 2,400 kcal of nutrients based on its age, weight, size, gender, and physical activity.

The chart below will give you an understanding of the daily consumption needs of an adult Siberian husky and help you with their meal plan.

How Much To Feed Your Senior Siberian Husky

Senior Siberian huskies are generally less active than their younger counterparts due to fragile bones and joints. This means their meals will contain lesser quantities of calories, protein, and fat.

Geriatric Siberian huskies often have a host of health issues, like a sensitive stomach, and since huskies are not voracious feeders, you might notice that your senior is a picky eater.

Senior and geriatric Siberian Husky puppies should be given 3.5 cups of food per day that contains 1,300 to 1,600 kcal of nutrients based on their age, weight, size, gender, and health issues.

The table below gives you some details about the meal plan of an older Siberian husky.

However, you must still ensure that they get the essential nutrients they need.

You can continue to feed your senior dog the same food you did as an adult because they are less active and thus require fewer calories as well as more minerals, vitamins, and other vital nutrients. However, you should still consult your vet or pet nutritionist to be on the safe side.

Siberian Husky Feeding Frequency

Your Siberian huskys meal frequency will vary the same as the feeding amounts, which are majorly dependent on its age. Below is a list of how often to feed your Siberian husky:

How Often Should You Feed Your Siberian Husky Puppy?

• During the weaning process or at 8 weeks old and below: feed them four times a day at equally spaced intervals.
• 8 weeks to 9 months old: feed them three times a day at equally spaced intervals.
• 9 months to 12 months old: gradually transition to feeding them two times a day with 12 hours of spacing between meals. Ideally, one meal in the morning and the other in the evening.

How Often Should You Feed Your Adult Siberian Husky?

You should feed your adult Siberian husky two times a day, with 12 hours spacing between meals.

How Often Should You Feed Your Senior Siberian Husky?

You should feed your senior Siberian Husky two times a day except given a specific schedule by a vet.

Siberian Husky Feeding Schedule

Siberian Husky puppies should be fed in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night due to a faster metabolism in comparison to their adult colleagues

Adolescent Siberian huskies should be fed in the morning, afternoon, and evening to help them transition properly into adults.

Adult Siberian huskies and senior Siberian huskies should also be fed in the morning and in the evening, unless stated differently by your vet or pet nutritionist.

As a general rule, you should feed your Siberian husky a few hours before going to bed in the evening, so they have enough time to digest the food before going to sleep.

Loading up on treats for your pet husky may encourage rejection of normal food and reduce the effectiveness of treats in dog training.

The Kind Of Food To Feed Your Siberian Husky

The food you feed your Siberian husky should specifically cater to large breeds and contain the required nutrients necessary for a strong and healthy dog.

The kind of food to feed your Siberian husky includes dry dog food, wet dog food, a home-cooked diet, and biologically appropriate raw food to ensure your dog eats a balanced diet.

Let me touch on these few points to help you understand what to feed your dog:

• Dry Food: Dry dog or kibble is a portion of commercial pet food made by grinding and mixing up ingredients like meats, grains, and nutritional additives which are then shaped into little kernels and cooked at high temperatures to remove the water content. Dry Dog contains more carbs, less fat, less water, and sometimes less protein and is often recommended by vets due to its lower cost, dental health benefits, convenience, weight loss support, and playtime perks.
• Wet Food: Wet dog or canned food is made by mixing up and cooking the ingredients before adding or extracting varying amounts of water. Unlike dry dog food, wet dog food contains more water, fewer carbs, more fat, and often more protein. They are recommended by vets due to their high water content, taste, ease of eating, and high nutritional profile.
• Home-Cooked Diet: Home-Cooked diets are a great option for pet parents who are not into commercial dog food, and want to go the extra length to prepare the meal for their furry companion. Feeding your dog a home-cooked meal will give you control of its nutrition and can put you at ease knowing that you will always give your dog the best treatment.
• BARF Diet:Biologically Appropriate Raw Food is a type of food that contains raw meat, raw eggs, crushed animal bones, fruits, vegetables, probiotics, and other natural ingredients. BARF diets are used as a substitute for processed foods with preservatives. However, consult your vet before feeding your pet raw diets to avoid health complications from harmful substances.

Food To Avoid Feeding Your Siberian Husky

We should take caution before giving whatever food were eating to our Siberian husky. They have large appetites, which makes it tempting to hand them whatever we find ourselves eating.

There are certain human foods, fruits, and vegetables to avoid feeding your Siberian husky because these foods contain toxins that are harmful to your pet that could lead you to frequent trips to the vet.

Human food to avoid feeding your Siberian huskies includes chocolates, coffee, gums, peanut butter, candies, cooked bones, etc.

The Fruits and vegetables to avoid feeding your Siberian husky include grapes, avocado, garlic, onions, etc.

You should always check the ingredients on the food label to see if these ingredients are present in the food. Or you can simply consult a vet or pet nutritionist to check the ingredients with them.

When To Transition My Siberian Husky From Puppy Food To Adult Food

You should transition your Siberian husky puppy from puppy food to adult food when hes around 18 months old.

Transitioning your adolescent Siberian Husky from puppy food to adult food is an important stage in your dogs development. Puppy food contains more calories and nutrients than adult food to meet the nutritional requirements at that stage of life.

However, feeding your adult puppy food will fill them with more protein and fat than their body requires and will lead to obesity due to the high fat content the body doesnt need for optimum growth.

Why Your Siberian Husky Is Not Eating

Your Siberian Huskies will not eat if they have one or a combination of the factors listed below: painful Ulcers, overheating, medication, stress, bad feed, and addiction to treats

You should not panic. If your dog refuses to eat, just like humans, they might not just be in the mood. If the situation becomes too frequent that it leads to weight loss, you should see your vet.

Why Your Siberian Husky Is Always Hungry

Siberian huskies are not like other dogs; they do not go overboard on food, and they eat only when hungry and do not overeat. Because your husky is more active than normal, it will require more food to keep its energy level up.

Frequently Asked Questions on Feeding A Siberian Husky

Do Siberian Huskies Eat A Lot?

Siberian huskies do not eat a lot. They only eat when they are hungry, and they tend not to eat above their capacity.

Can Siberian Huskies Become Vegetarians?

As a whole, Siberian huskies can live on a vegetarian diet as long as their diet consists of enough nutrients, proteins, fats, and calories to meet their nutritional requirements.However, you should consult a pet nutritionist or veterinarian to plan a vegan diet for your dog breed to prevent health complications that can arise from an uncertain practice.

Can Siberian huskies eat bones?

Yes, they can eat bones. Bones are packed with a lot of vital minerals like phosphorus, calcium, and potassium, and chewing on bones is very healthy for your dogs teeth and gums.However, you should follow some guidelines laid down by the American Kennel Club before giving bones to your dog. One of the guidelines is to throw away the raw meat bones given to your furry friend after three to four days.

What Human Food Can I Feed My Siberian Husky?

You can feed your Siberian huskies a wide variety of human foods, such as beef, chicken, pork, turkey, salmon, tuna, and eggs. They can also eat noodles, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, peanuts, parsnips, and other foods such as rice and pasta, yogurt, cheese, and peanut butter.

What Fruits and Vegetables Can I Feed My Siberian Husky?

Siberian huskies can eat a wide variety of fruits, such as strawberries, apples, bananas, raspberries, peaches, mangoes, pears, blueberries, plums, melon, pineapple, oranges, and kiwi fruit. They can also eat vegetables such as pumpkin, carrots, peas, corn, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, and more.

Should You Give Your Siberian Husky Supplements?

Your Siberian husky doesnt need to be given supplements if you feed him a commercial diet that meets his nutritional requirements. However, you may need to feed them supplements if you feed them home-cooked meals as recommended by your vet or dog nutritionist.

Final Thoughts

Siberian Huskies are great dogs that would make any pet owner fall in love with them. They are highly intelligent, energetic, and playful, and compared to other breeds, they have fewer health issues to worry about.

As pet parents, it is on you to feed your animals the healthiest food you can lay your hands on to enable them to live their best. If your pet husky is showing any sign of illness, it is best to see the vet as early as possible. If you are not sure how to go about feeding your pet husky, you can always see your pet nutritionist or vet for further guidance.