How Much Should Your Husky Puppy Eat? Discover the Ideal Feeding Guide!
If you have a husky puppy, one of the first things you need to know is how much should a husky puppy eat a day. Proper nutrition will help them grow properly. We’ll share our feeding guide and what foods you should and shouldn’t include since huskies are known to have sensitive stomachs.
Diet is an important consideration that you must get right if you’re looking forward to a happy lifestyle with your husky. This breed is more prone to certain health conditions than other dogs.
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Cataracts are examples of retinal issues that might arise if you don’t take care to feed your dog foods that promote a healthy lifestyle.
In this article, I’ll show you how you can take charge of your husky puppy’s health.
Let’s get started.
How much should a husky puppy eat?
Yes, huskies are a large breed even in their puppy stage. But their large size doesn’t necessarily mean they’re heavy feeders. That explains why you’ve probably never seen a husky that’s overweight; they’re so rare.
Of course, huskies are also working dogs by nature but as already mentioned, it’s not in them to overindulge in food. However, how much food they eat will differ depending on their hunger needs, teething, and growth spurts.
Often, they’ll stick to the routine you’ve established for them only eating when it’s time to eat.
Similarly, after weaning your husky puppy, it should feed on 2 cups of food every day.
You need to spread out the 2 cups so that they cover three meals in a day; morning, afternoon, and evening.
What do you feed a husky puppy?
Is there a particular diet that works best for huskies? Well, huskies are known for their athlete bodies with massive amounts of energy. Their bodies are adapted to live and thrive even in arctic climates.
That said, they’ve got high energy requirements due to their high metabolism.
Huskies tend to like high-fat diets. That means you need to be extra cautious when shopping for commercial diets. You’ll need to avoid ones that are too carb heavy.
From what I have observed with my huskies, they seem to have a low tolerance for soy, wheat, corn, and other artificial ingredients.
I have also come across the same observations from several people in forums and husky-owner communities.
Consider large-breed dog food
As you shop for your husky puppy’s food, it’s a good idea that you consider the foods for large breeds. Most huskies grow up to a maximum of 50 pounds.
But in a few exceptional cases, you’ll get some hitting the 60 pounds mark.
The best husky puppy food that will serve you well is one made with natural and wholesome ingredients.
The commercial foods come with feeding instructions on the package that make it easy for you to apportion the meals in the best way possible. The recommendations are based on the age and the average weight of the dog.
It’s also important that you pay close attention to changes in the body weight of your husky puppy. In case you notice your dog starting to gain weight at an alarming speed, you’ll need to switch to scheduled meals if you were previously using a free-feeding schedule.
In the event that your dog starts losing weight after introducing it to a new food, consider switching to a diet with higher calorie content.
Important considerations for husky puppy food
- Go for a diet high in fish, meat, poultry, and other high-quality animal protein;
- Limited carbohydrate content and carbs should be those that are easy to digest such as low-starch veggies and whole grains;
- No artificial additives such as preservatives, synthetic dyes, or flavorings;
- Moderate fat content sources like fish oil and chicken fat;
- At least 2 sources of animal protein.
High-quality food makes it easy for digestion and absorption of nutrients to take place. Vegetables, whole foods, and fruits are the best sources of minerals, vegetables, and fruits.
How much should you feed a 6-month-old husky?
When my youngest husky Leki was only 6 months old, I used to feed him 2 cups of food spread throughout the day to cover three meals. After testing out several foods, I came to discover that he liked (a lot), the Orijen 6 Fish.
So I eventually settled on a ⅔ cup of food for each meal.
What I liked the most about this diet is that Leki maintained his weight and weighed between 28 and 29 lbs. For a puppy of its age, that was a pretty good range and so we kept it going on the same diet.
Also, I don’t ever recall having major health issues or any indicators of such. The stools were firm and the dog seemed to be happy.
From my experience and interaction with other husky parents, I can say that what matters the most is the individual needs of each dog.
Although it’s good to follow recommendations and feeding charts, you should keep an eye on how your dog responds to each of the recipes. That will enable you to explore and find out what works best for your furry buddy.
For instance, I have a friend who feeds his husky puppy 1 cup of food twice a day. He had started with 2 cups of food spread out 3 times a day but realized that his puppy was gaining weight too fast.
When he shifted to 1 cup a day spread out twice a day, the weight of his 5 ½-month-old puppy stabilized. So he has stuck to that but throws in some treats like carrots, pumpkin, and chicken here and there in the course of the day.
As you can see, it all depends on the dog and so it’s up to you to observe and know what works best for you.
Siberian husky puppy feeding chart
The following is a brief Siberian husky feeding chart that I’ve drawn based on my personal experience in the years of raising up my 3 huskies.
Weight of husky puppy in kgs | 0-12 weeks | 3 – 5 months | 6 – 12 months |
1 – 3 | 40 – 105g | 80 – 185g | 60 – 100g |
3 – 5 | 106 – 160g | 186 – 250g | 101 – 135g |
5 – 10 | 161 240g | 251 – 400g | 136 – 210g |
10 – 20 | 241 – 375g | 401 – 615g | 311 – 325g |
The figures shown are grams per day based on the NRC recommendations for active dogs. |
Based on the chart above, the following are some of the observations we can make:
- First, you’ll notice that huskies require between 2 to 4 cups of food each day;
- Huskies stop feeding when they’re full;
- They’re not carnivores although they require proteins from meat;
- The amount of food you feed your puppy increases with age.
Due to the high level of activity, you need to feed your husky puppy with proteins so that they have enough energy for the day. They’re probably among the most active dog breeds you’ll ever meet.
For a start, you can feed your puppy three times a day since that’s the typical routine.
However, as I mentioned earlier, you need to keep an eye on how it responds so that you can make the necessary adjustments. As it grows, you can then cut down to feeding it 2 meals per day.
Another thing that I realized is that huskies have more sensitive stomachs than any other dog I’ve ever parented.
Back when I was getting started with huskies, I used to think that it was just a normal temporary issue that would go away.
But boy was I wrong. Whenever I mixed up recipes or suddenly switched from one to the other, they could have serious stomach reactions.
Things got particularly awful when I attempted to make the switch to raw food. Eventually, I had to check in with the vet who gave me some valuable guidance.
One of the recommendations the vet made was that I switch my puppy to a limited-ingredient food brand that’s meant for dogs with sensitive stomachs. That ended up sorting out the problem.
If you realize your puppy is having stomach sensitivity issues, you should take them to the vet for advice. The most common signs include diarrhea and vomiting.
What vegetables can huskies eat?
Yes, I’ve already mentioned that huskies aren’t carnivores. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll feed on just any vegetables that you come across.
Some of the best veggies to include in your husky puppy’s diet include
- beets
- alfalfa
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- carrots
- parsley
- thyme
- cucumber
- green peas
- and zucchini
Other veggies you can offer to your puppy while cooked include corn and sweet potatoes.
Why should you feed your husky puppy vegetables?
They’re an important source of minerals, vitamins, and roughage better known as fiber. The fiber helps in getting rid of toxins from the body of the dog.
Carrots are good for cleaning the teeth while at the same time helping your furry buddy to exercise.
Veggies are also good as they’re low-calories. You should ensure vegetables feature in your dog’s meal plan as they’ll ensure a balanced diet.
Another benefit is that you can use them as treats. In addition, frozen vegetables are ideal for teething puppies.