What should I feed my husky to gain weight

How To Help a Skinny Husky Gain Weight: 5 Top Tips

If your husky is skinny or underweight, youll want to know why and what the next steps are to get them at a healthy weight again.

In this article, I cover everything owners need to know about husky weight and how to help a skinny husky gain a few pounds!

I will explain the three main causes of an underweight husky, which is of course crucial to know before trying any of the following.

5 Tips to help your husky gain weight.

• Add unsalted chicken broth
• Use dog food seasoning
• Mix in wet dog food to his kibble
• Add organic unsalted peanut butter
• Limit the time they have to eat

Empty food bowls will definitely help get your husky to gain extra weight. However, theres more to it than that, so lets first take a look at some important things to think about.

Normal Weight For Huskies

Does my tail look big in this!?

Lets take a look at the normal weight ranges for huskies. You may be concerned about your huskys weight when you dont need to be! Most huskies are on the slim side, and thats perfectly normal.

If you can feel his ribs a tiny bit, this is ok, just as long its a small amount. Remember that in general, for dogs, its healthier to be slightly underweight, than overweight.

According to the American Kennel ClubThe normal weight for an adult male husky is 45lbs 60lbsThe normal weight for an adult female husky is 35lbs 60lbs

This can vary slightly but your husky should ideally fit within these weight ranges.

Related Article: Why Is My Husky So Small?

3 Main Causes of Underweight Huskies

Rule out health issues

Of course, ruling out health issues is the most important thing to do and should be done first. Its strongly recommended to take your husky to the vet in these situations:

1. Your husky has completely refused to eat for more than 2 days 2. Your husky is eating more than usual and is still very underweight

If your husky hasnt eaten in around 2 days, you will need to take him to your local veterinarian asap. Hell need to have some nutrients very quickly and further checks to discover what the issue is.

If your husky is eating a lot but is still skinny, its possible he has worms. Worms feed on your dogs body and can lead to weight loss.

1. Inadequate diet & nutrition

Perhaps your husky is not getting along with his current diet. A good starting point is to make sure you are using a premium, trusted brand of dog food.

Its important that your husky is only eating high-quality ingredients from trusted sources to avoid an upset stomach. If his food is giving him any kind of discomfort, he wont eat it.

I have an interesting article that goes in-depth about why your husky isnt eating.

There is a big discussion around huskies eating a raw food diet. This topic has been covered in much more detail in another one of my posts.

Although the raw food diet supposedly has great benefits for huskies, its a complicated diet, and getting it right is very challenging.

If you have recently tried changing diets to a raw food diet and your husky is struggling to adjust, then I strongly recommend you go back to commercial dog food.

2. Fussy eating

Although this coincides with the diet section, huskies can be so stubborn that it deserves its own little piece!

There may be nothing wrong with your huskys diet or the food youre giving him.

If your husky gets remotely bored with his food, hell just stop eating it. just. like. that

Fussy eating can also develop if owners offer too many treats or tidbits throughout the day. A husky will quickly realize that if they refuse their own food, they may get something better off our plates!

This is where youll need to spice up his food to get him eating it again. Before you grab the chili, read the section below!

Related Article: Why I Love Human-Grade Pet Food

3. Too much exercise

Yep, theres such a thing as too much exercise even for a husky!

If your husky is extremely active were talking about 3 hours a day of exercise. Then their caloric intake will need to be completely different to cope with this.

A regular diet for a husky this active will not suffice. So its either their exercise that needs to be reduced or their calories that need to be upped.

• Highly active adult huskies could eat up to 2500-3000 calories a day and be just fine, depending on their actual exercise levels.

• If your husky is highly active, try raising calories to 2000 per day and monitor their weight over 2-3 weeks. (most huskies consume between 1250-1750 anyway, so testing out 2000 shouldnt be too much of a jump.

5 Best Ways To Help a Husky Gain Weight

1. Add unsalted chicken broth

A simple but very effective way to get your husky actually eating his food is to pour some chicken broth over the kibble before you put it down.

Nothing is more attractive to a husky than some tasty chicken juice. You can save the broth leftover from your dinner and use it for your huskys mealtimes.

Be sure that youre using plain chicken broth. Its not a good idea to be adding salt and other ingredients that might upset the sensitive stomach of your husky. You can also make delicious, healthy chicken broth biscuits which serve as a great treat for your husky.

This doesnt increase calories too much, but more just encourages huskies to eat if their food if theyre currently refusing it.

2. Use dog food seasoning from Herbsmith

Herbsmith offers a fun and healthy way to make your furry friends kibble more exciting is to use dog food seasoning.

Much like we would add spices and herbs to our food to enhance the flavor, you can do the same for your huskys kibble.

They have various flavors in their range, all made from high-quality natural ingredients. Mix it into your huskys food and this will definitely give him something to drool over.

Their products have excellent reviews and are very reasonably priced. Check Herbsmith out here on Amazon.com.

3. Mix in wet dog food to his kibble

A small change in texture could be enough for him to start eating his food once again. Wet dog food is highly nutrition, high in protein and calories. So not only will this get him eating again, but itll increase his calories too (a little).

Preferably you use the same brand for the wet food as you already use for the dry food. Using the same brand will ensure the same quality of ingredients as your regular dry kibble.

Try introducing a small amount and always remember to follow the correct portion sizes.

Although huskies will never eat more than they need to, its still vital that YOU know the number of calories and the nutritional breakdown you are giving him.

I highly recommend Blue Buffalo Limited Ingredient Wet Dog Food. This avoids irritating sensitive stomachs.

4. Add organic unsalted peanut butter

It still seems that peanut butter is LOVED by practically every husky, so mixing in a small dollop to your dogs food will work wonders.

Yes its true that dogs should avoid many varieties of nuts however, peanuts arent actually nuts, theyre legumes filled with a lot of nutrition.

It is important to use organic unsalted peanut butter without the ingredient Xylitol. Other than salt and Xylitol, your husky should be perfectly fine eating peanut butter.

I recommend checking out the article below for more information on peanut butter and huskies.

Related article: Can huskies eat peanut butter?

5. Limit the time he has to eat (combat food refusal)

This is more of a training method. The goal of this is to train your husky to eat his food when you put it down.

Huskies can be left all day with food in the bowl and he will only eat when hes hungry, however, this is teaching him to graze and not eat properly.

Many husky owners have had great success by limiting the time that the food bowl remains down.

All you do is call dinner time, place the bowl on the floor, and in exactly 10 minutes pick the bowl up again.

Thats all the chance he has to eat until the next mealtime. By doing this, youre teaching your husky that food is not always readily available, he needs to eat his food when you give it to him or it will shortly be gone.

This actually simulates what it would have been like for huskies over thousands of years. Nothing like a kickback to the past!

Additional Info: The Honest Kitchen

Popular Articles on My Happy Husky:13 Signs That Your Husky Actually Loves YouHow To Completely Train a Husky Puppy

Exercise Requirements

This wouldnt be a real husky article if I didnt mention husky exercise! Seriously though, huskies need A LOT of exercise.

Due to their upbringing for many years with the Chukchi Tribe in Siberia and sled racing in Alaska, they crave intense physical exercise, this is normal for them.

Without sufficient physical activity, your husky will be conserving too much energy, and this will not create a healthy appetite.

Summary

Its always important to be aware of the overall health of your husky, or any pet for that matter! So please, if you have an inkling that something just isnt right, never hesitate to contact your veterinarian.

Its good to know the correct information specific to the breed of dog you have.

If you are paying close attention to your pet you will notice when things dont seem right.

I hope this article has helped you and has given you some ideas to try out!

Most Recommended For Huskies

Best Brushes For Husky Shedding

The Furminator Undercoat Rakeand aHertzko Slicker Brushare by far the two best brushes that any husky owner should use.

Best Online Training Program For Huskies

Brain Training For Dogs has become very popular with Siberian Huskies in the last few years. Owners that have tried it say amazing things about the incredible results and how easily implemented the training is.

Best Husky Puppy Book

If you would like an easy to read guide for training your husky puppy, check out my bookThe Husky Puppy Handbookon Amazon.All purchases are greatly appreciated.

6 Reasons Your Husky Is Overweight (& How To Help)

If you notice that your husky is gaining too much weight or even getting fat, its normal to have questions and be concerned for their health. This article covers the reasons why your husky is gaining weight, whats a normal weight for a husky, and how you can help.

6 Reasons Why Your Husky Is Overweight

Your husky may be gaining weight due to a number of reasons including overeating throughout the day, eating too many carbohydrates, a lack of exercise, water retention or bloating, or due to a health problem.6 Reasons your husky is fat:

1. Calories are too high (treats & tidbits)
2. Carbohydrates are too high
3. Inadequate exercise routine
4. Water retention or bloating
5. Hypothyroidism
6. Age-related weight gain

1. Calories are too high (treats & tidbits)

This is often overlooked but it explains most weight gain issues in huskies (and in fact, all dogs).If your husky is gobbling down everything given to him throughout the day on top of his usual meal in the morning and evening, his calories could be much higher than whats needed.

The average amount of calories that a husky should consume per day is effected by many things including age, sex, exercise levels, and current health. A male husky at 2 years old exercising 2 hours per day with no health issues average 1300-1600 calories per day for maintenance.

How calories work is easy to understand. If your husky consumes more calories per day than the number of calories he burns on that same day, he will gain weight.It happens slowly over a period of time, but thats the basic principle.

Everything your husky eats will have calories in it. Its important to check the calorie content of what you give him. Zukes Naturals are one of the most common dog treats on the market and they are as low as 3 calories per treat which is excellent! But if youre giving your husky jerky dog treats or pig ears, calories could be upwards of 150 per treat. Not so excellent.

Dog treats are one thing, human food is a whole different ball game!

As an example, heres a list of calories in human foods that are often used as dog treats:

• Peanut butter (1 tablespoon) 96 calories!
• Boiled chicken (50 grams or a handful) 80-100 calories
• 1 Pork sausage 150 300 calories
• 1 Banana 90 calories
• Ice cream (50 grams) 100 calories
• 1 Egg 80 calories

And the list goes on, but as you can see, there are more calories in human food than dog treats. Especially meat items.

A tablespoon of peanut butter and a cheeky pork sausage will probably put your husky over the caloric limit when combined with his dog food.

The main takeaway from this is to be really careful with what extra tidbits your husky eats throughout the day.

If you want to continue giving your husky treats for training purposes, at least use a low-calorie option like Zukes Naturals. (I use these every day and theyre awesome)

2. Carbohydrates are too high

Its worth checking the dog food that youre using. All dog foods have different nutritional breakdowns and lean towards either higher protein, fat, or carbs. They all vary in their proportions.

Huskies are a highly active breed and thrive on a diet that contains medium-high protein, medium fat, and low-medium carbs.

Without getting too scientific, carbohydrates contribute to insulin spikes. Insulin spikes not only lead to fat gain but will give your dog an unstable (or increased) appetite. It may be subtle, but more begging will result in your husky receiving more treats (even if you dont approve, it will happen.)

Now, youre probably thinking, ok, so what does all that mean? how do I know whats in the dog food I use?

Well, typically speaking, the cheaper the dog food, the higher the carbohydrate content will be. Why? because carbohydrates are far cheaper and easier to process into dog food than using high-quality whole ingredients and more meat. Opting for a premium dog food like Orijen or Taste of The Wild, gets you higher protein and fat, with a lower proportion of carbs.

Heres a good example of high protein and fat, to low carbs:

Calorie weighted breakdown for Orijen Premium Dry Dog Food Six Fish

• 37% Protein Considered high
• 23% Carbohydrate Considered low
• 40% Fat Considered high

Try googling the dog food you are using along with carbohydrate content to find out the ratio. I say google it because the packaging label may not show the percentages like this.

One last point about carbs. According to the National Research Council, zero carbohydrates are needed for a healthy canine diet. Thats right. carbohydrates are quite literally, not needed. Protein and fat can do the job alone. Dog Food Advisor Article Source

3. Inadequate exercise routine

There are TWO parts to this

Lets get the obvious out of the way first. If your husky doesnt receive enough exercise in the first place, then, of course, its time to start upping it. Huskies should receive a minimum of 2 hours of intensive exercise per day. Remember that huskies are unlike other breeds! 2 hours of exercise is the minimum.

As your husky gets older (above 6 or 7 years old) then its understandable to lower the volume and start protecting those joints. (again, another reason weight gain can set in) But until then, exercise should be a key part of your huskys day.

But like I said at the start. Theres a twist! Over time, your husky will adapt to the exercise routine you practice on a daily basis. So a routine that used to be high intensity may not be as intensive 3 or 4 months from now. Your husky will adapt and become fitter, essentially making the exercise easier and less effective.

To counteract this, try switching up your routines and avoid doing the same thing every time you go out. Luckily, I have a great article that gives you 10 high-intensity exercise ideas you can try with your husky. You can check it out here.

4. Water Retention or Bloating

Water retention or bloating can often make your husky appear to look bigger without adding much weight on to the scales.

Bloating or potbelly is often caused by Cushings disease. This disease increases the amount of cortisol produced in your huskys body. Cortisol is a very important chemical that has multiple important functions. But too little or too much of it can cause issues.

Cushings disease causes dogs to lose muscle mass but at the same time display a potbelly. So while the dog may appear to increase in visual size, the scale will remain similar to before or even sometimes less.

Signs that this may be the case include unhealthy hair loss, patchy skin, excessive urination, and poor wound healing.

If you think this may be the case with your husky, its critical you see a veterinarian as soon as possible. Cushings disease is very serious and needs to be addressed immediately.

5. Hypothyroidism

One of the health issues that huskies are most prone to, is called Hypothyroidism.Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid gland doesnt produce enough of the thyroid hormone.

How does it lead to weight gain? Well, imagine that your huskys metabolism is an engine, the thyroid hormone will be the gas When your husky doesnt have enough of the thyroid hormone, the metabolism will slow down.

The metabolism is important for many different aspects of health, and as soon as it slows down or doesnt work as well, weight gain will be an instant result.

Even if you were to decrease the calories your husky consumed, weight gain would still happen.

Just some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism include: From Small Door Vet

• Weight loss despite no change or even an increase in appetite
• Excessive water consumption
• Increased heart rate
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Heart murmur
• Congestive heart failure
• An increased amount of stool

If you suspect this could be the case with your husky, give your veterinarian a call and schedule an appointment as soon as possible.

6. Age-related weight gain

As your husky reaches his older years, many processes in the body will naturally change. The first one to point out is metabolism. Just like with us, the metabolism naturally slows down with age. This will without a doubt lead to weight gain and is hard to counteract, especially when its due to age.

Your husky probably cant exercise the same way he once could. During old age, no human or canine is a spring chicken like in their earlier years. We have to protect the joints of our furry friends, so what comes with a more sedentary lifestyle will unfortunately be some level of weight gain.

Weight gain from old age is hard to combat but not impossible. Specific diets and daily routines can be discussed with your veterinarian and will vary drastically for each husky out there (so its hard for me to give accurate advice here).

If your husky is in his older years, schedule an appointment with your vet and hopefully, you can start making some progress.

How Much Should a Husky Weigh

We are often quite good at just looking and determining whether our canine companions are a bit overweight. But it helps to know some real numbers.

Before you realize your husky doesnt match the numbers below and start to panic, remember that theyre just averages. Some huskies are thicker, some have more muscle, and some may be naturally smaller. So try to keep those things in mind.

The charts below were taken from one of my other articles. The first chart is for females, the second chart is for males.

For example, if you have a female adult husky weighing 75lbs, its a good indication she may be overweight. But a female husky at 60lbs could just be a big (but still healthy) adult female husky.

When to see your veterinarian

If you are ever unsure whether your husky is overweight or has too much fat, then its best to make an appointment with your veterinarian.

Nothing beats having a professional opinion and because weight management is so crucial for all dogs, its an area that veterinarians understand well.

Most vets I have spoken to know exactly how to distinguish a truly overweight dog from one thats on the heavier side, but still healthy. Remember, if you ever need further assistance, your vet is there to help.

Summary

So there you have it! You now know why your husky may be overweight and you have some remedies ready to try. If you have experience with an overweight husky (or any dog) and want to share how it happened and what you did to solve it, that would be greatly appreciated!

Most Recommended For Huskies

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These brushes when combined together will remove dead fur and maintain your huskys coat better than doing anything else! These brushes are a simple Undercoat Rake and a Slicker Brush.

Best Online Training Program For Huskies

Brain Training For Dogs has become increasingly popular with Siberian Huskies in the last few years. Its now recognized as perhaps the best way to train a husky in the most stress-free, positive way.

Best Husky Puppy Book

If you would like to support My Happy Husky directly and have an easy to read and entertaining guide for training your husky puppy, check out my book The Husky Puppy Handbook on Amazon. All purchases are greatly appreciated.