Any husky owners here?

[Disney1fan2002]

I have sweet, lovable, full-of-energy 2 yo husky named Athena. She is a short haired husky, so she doesn't look filled out like the more hairy huskies. Last year, she lost so much weight, we could count her ribs and her vertebrae. We took her to the vet and found she had lost 6 pounds. When she only weight 41 pounds to begin with, that was a lot of weight.

SHE DOESN'T EAT!!! I mean, of course she eats, because we all have to eat, but she doesn't gobble her food down at meal time. She "grazes". So, we would put her dry food out and let her graze on that all day, but I would feed her canned wet food with a fork. She would mostly eat the whole can, but it was like getting a toddler to eat their food. She would lose interest ad walk away. I would have to pretend I was eating it, so she would think it was human food. Then, my DD moved back home with her Min-pin, who eats EVERYTHING all day long. She is obese, so we can't leave Athena's food down anymore, because Dutchess will eat it, and Athena lets her.

I just bought an elevated food stand from Chewy.com that looks tall enough to keep Dutchess from getting into Athena's food, (should arrive Tuesday) but if it is not tall enough, I am out of ideas. We need to put weight on this dog. And Dutchess needs to lose weight.

How do you get your husky or any picky eating dogs to eat?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

DH and I were just talking about this. A neighbor's dog came to visit tonight, and gobbled all of our dog's food down! This always seems to happen when another dog comes over. Our dogs graze, too. We've never had one that was food obsessed. Our vet used to say it's normal for dogs to lose a little weight in summer and gain a little in winter. I assume all checked out ok when you took her to the vet? I would probably just feed her the dry mixed with the canned once a day, twice if you think she'd eat it, but it sounds like she won't. We always fed our dogs twice a day, but our current dog will only eat in the evening, so rather than let it sit out all day, we just feed in the evening, and mix the dry and wet together. Sometimes he eats it and sometimes he doesn't. But his weight is good. You probably don't have to worry about it too much unless you think she seems like she's ill. Is she very active? BTW, those elevated food bowls may cause bloat in large chested dogs, so be careful. https://www.vetinfo.com/elevated-dog-feeder.html

 

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

We have a 2 corgis, male & female. We feed them both at the same time, morning & night. Ema INHALES her food the minute it hits the dish. Charles will watch her eat & then look at his food, maybe eat 1 or 2 pieces of kibble, then he walks away. We have to make a little trail of food & hope he will start munching.
I always thought all dogs just ripped into their food, but this is not the case.
When he won’t eat, we just hold it & give it to him for the next feeding.
He is a healthy weight but a weird eater.
I think if Athena is healthy otherwise & her vet did not uncover an underlying problem, this is just her way & she will eat when she’s hungry.

 

[xjillianpaige]

i have a 2 year old husky and he's very lean. he eats 2-3 cups of food a day, but sometimes we put food down and he's just not interested until he's ready to eat. i think that huskies are naturally lean because they need/want/get so much exercise that they need more calories to gain. i wonder if you need to switch to a new type of food. we only give him dry food.

 

[design_mom]

We have a Lab who is food obsessed and a Standard Poodle who is a grazer. If given the chance, the Lab will scarf down her food then go over and eat the Poodle's food... and he'll let her. He'll usually eat a little when we first put it down. When he walks away, I will pick it up so the other dog doesn't have a chance to eat it. I work from home, so I have the opportunity to put it down a few other times during the day, and he'll nibble when I do that. So I offer it a few times and usually he finishes it eventually. He's a little bit of a diva. ;-)

 

[Dan Murphy]

We had two Siberian Huskies years back. They are lean dogs under all the fur. Malamutes are big, pulling dogs, Huskies, lean racing type dogs. When they would go swimming in the lake, they looked like greyhounds with a bit of meat on their bodies.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Delete

 

[DIS_MIKE]

OP- My husky is the same way when it comes to eating her food. On occasion I will mix her wet food in with her dry but that method doesn't always work and if she decides she doesn't want it until later then it will be all soggy.


Here is a pic of Abbey. She is like a little gremlin. She loves the snow, water, plastic recyclables (makes for a cheap chew toy), car rides, leather baseballs, tug of war, the couch, air conditioning, used tissues and ice cubes. This was a nice bed until she ripped it to shreds.



I've had a few huskies over the years and they are incredible animals, but they are also not for everyone which is sadly why so many end up in shelters. My pup turned 2 in February and she is extremely picky when it comes to her food. She tends to leave her dry food until the late evening. I do give her wet food which she seems to prefer more.

xjillianpaige- Huskies are known to grow tired of their food so I would suggest changing it up to keep his interest. It can be frustrating and my dog is definitely lean as well. She only weighs 40 pounds but the vet said that's ok. You're totally right that they are just so energetic that they burn off everything they consume.

 

[low-key]

they are beautiful dogs, but they got some "Im gonna kill you" eyes

 

[DIS_MIKE]

they are beautiful dogs, but they got some "Im gonna kill you" eyes

Huskies are very predatory. My pup killed a racoon. I'm convinced she gave it a heart attack because i didn't see any bite marks but it was laying in the yard where she's tethered.

 

[low-key]

Huskies are very predatory. My pup killed a racoon. I'm convinced she gave it a heart attack because i didn't see any bite marks but it was laying in the yard where she's tethered.

best home alarm system you could have

 

[Dan Murphy]

Tanya and Keemo, from years ago.

 

[Boardwalk Jedi]

We have a Siberian who even at age three looks like a pup because she's on the thinner side. Still acts like a pup too, lol. She too is a grazer which stinks for us because we have a lab. Oddly enough, the husky really like raw broccoli and red peppers. Try some healthy snacks.

 

[xjillianpaige]

xjillianpaige- Huskies are known to grow tired of their food so I would suggest changing it up to keep his interest.

I'll have to let my brother know!

Huskies are very predatory. My pup killed a racoon. I'm convinced she gave it a heart attack because i didn't see any bite marks but it was laying in the yard where she's tethered.

Mine just killed 4 baby bunnies.


For the record, this is our Ghost!

 

[DIS_MIKE]

Ghost is a great name and a good looking dog! Is he just chilling on the porch? Mine will run off and get into trouble so she's always chained.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

First off, I love Huskies, to me they are the coolest most beautiful dog but sadly we have to get "hypoallergic" type dogs. Not a husky but our dog you have to fuss with her food and "doctor" it up a little or she will barely eat and we've gone through all kinds of food to try to find one she likes. That said, what is weather like where you live? I had a friend who had a beautiful Husky and her dog was acting not enthusiastic about anything and she took the dog to the groomer and got all it's hair shaved off and it became like a new dog. I know it seems weird to do to a husky but it worked. It was just too hot for the dog, being bred for cooler weather. Not saying that would help with eating but I found it very interesting bc the dog's demeanor totally changed after just a simple thing like cutting all it's hair off lol.

You should never ever shave a husky!! While they seem hot to us, their fur serves a purpose. It actually keeps them cooler in the summer, and warm in the winter. She is molting her winter undercoat ow. (I am getting her furminated this week.) She will molt her summer undercoat around September, and she will grow her winter undercoat.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

they are beautiful dogs, but they got some "Im gonna kill you" eyes

Why, what do you mean? LOL

 

[Disney1fan2002]

I'm loving all these pics!

Here is my Athena

 

[GreatLakes]

We have a Husky mix (Husky, GSD, Australian Cattle Dog to be exact) and our last two dogs were Husky/GSD litter mates. None of the three scarfed down their food. We put food down for them and they all grazed throughout the day.

Huskies are extremely intelligent dogs and need both exercise and enrichment. They can get bored and often appear almost depressed if they are not properly stimulated. Make sure you exercise your dogs (we give ours at least a mile walk each day if not 2 or 3) and have plenty of different types of toys for her to play with. Beyond that keep an eye on her and follow the vets lead.

And please never shave your Husky.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have sweet, lovable, full-of-energy 2 yo husky named Athena. She is a short haired husky, so she doesn't look filled out like the more hairy huskies. Last year, she lost so much weight, we could count her ribs and her vertebrae. We took her to the vet and found she had lost 6 pounds. When she only weight 41 pounds to begin with, that was a lot of weight.

SHE DOESN'T EAT!!! I mean, of course she eats, because we all have to eat, but she doesn't gobble her food down at meal time. She "grazes". So, we would put her dry food out and let her graze on that all day, but I would feed her canned wet food with a fork. She would mostly eat the whole can, but it was like getting a toddler to eat their food. She would lose interest ad walk away. I would have to pretend I was eating it, so she would think it was human food. Then, my DD moved back home with her Min-pin, who eats EVERYTHING all day long. She is obese, so we can't leave Athena's food down anymore, because Dutchess will eat it, and Athena lets her.

I just bought an elevated food stand from Chewy.com that looks tall enough to keep Dutchess from getting into Athena's food, (should arrive Tuesday) but if it is not tall enough, I am out of ideas. We need to put weight on this dog. And Dutchess needs to lose weight.

How do you get your husky or any picky eating dogs to eat?

I don't free feed for one thing. That needs to be priority one for you guys get rid of free feeding. If dog does not eat, put it up. Here is how you do it.

Feed twice daily both of them, same time.

Keep with this routine. Pup will get the message and then can count on it. One thing a Husky loves is structure and routine.

Feeding time will now become a training session. I want you to do sit, stay, down, etc...run through the basics and then teach a new trick, speak, shake, spin, etc. Dogs don't get to eat until they do training. If stubborn Husky walks away, so be it. Ignore. Feed other dog. Sometimes it is a battle of wills with Huskies.

If you are able to, walking the Husky before eating is better for them. It stimulates appetite. Even if it is just a short walk. You can then include training in the walk. Then you train at the food bowl.

What food do you feed the Husky? Certainly need to change food as well.