We create a balanced diet for the Siberian Husky

Huskies were bred in northeastern Siberia and lived in harsh climates for a long time.

Despite the fact that representatives of this breed have not been used as working and sled dogs for a long time, they have retained their distinctive characteristics, including hyperactivity, the ability to withstand frost and a high degree of endurance.

All this necessitates a responsible attitude towards their diet - any mistakes in feeding huskies can cause the development of serious health problems and even a reduction in life expectancy.

Natural food or artificial food? What's better?

When purchasing a puppy, no matter what breed it is, the owner decides on the type of food he or she will eat, choosing between industrial food, natural products or a mixed diet..

In the case of husky puppies, combined feeding is strictly prohibited - the body of these animals produces different enzymes for processing feed and “natural food”, so mixing them can lead to gastrointestinal diseases and, in general, have a negative impact on the development of the pet.

The remaining feeding options have their own advantages and disadvantages and it is impossible to clearly judge which one is better.

Thus, high-quality industrial food is already enriched with all the necessary micro- and macroelements, which makes it possible not to give the puppy additional vitamins and minerals.

The advantage of natural nutrition at home is that it does not contain chemical additives, all nutrients are of natural origin.

It is better not to change the chosen type of nutrition, and if necessary, do it gradually.

Expert opinion

Kozhevin Semyon Kirillovich

Expert dog handler.

Throughout their lives, Huskies need high-quality nutrition that satisfies their body’s need for vitamins and minerals and can replenish energy costs. But you should approach the issue of feeding puppies as responsibly as possible, since any mistakes made in feeding them can cause abnormal development and serious pathologies. Natural nutrition has a lot of advantages, but it is impossible to correctly create a diet without having certain knowledge in the field of veterinary medicine and dietetics. Therefore, it is better to opt for high-quality industrial food, choosing a diet in accordance with the age of the puppy.

Features of feeding dry food

Food is produced by a huge number of companies. They differ in composition, packaging, cost and other parameters. Therefore, citizens often have problems with what dry food is suitable for huskies. You only need to use one type, so it is not allowed to combine several brands.

The advantages of using dry food include:

• you don’t need to spend a lot of time and effort preparing food for your pet;
• factory-made feed contains the required amount of various microelements and vitamins, so you do not have to additionally give the animal any natural products;
• if the owner constantly moves or needs to travel regularly, then feeding the dog on the go will be much easier than using natural food;
• dry food has a long shelf life;
• Determining the norm for an animal is quite easy, for which you only need to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations located directly on the packaging.

The disadvantages of this diet include the fact that the food is dry, so to ensure normal nutrition it is important that the animal always has free access to a large amount of water. Additionally, it is difficult to choose the best brand, since there are a huge number of options in pet stores. Some foods contain really harmful additives that can harm your pet's health. High-quality species that have a good composition have a significant cost, so pet owners should prepare for significant expenses.

Natural nutrition

Many, especially beginner dog breeders, believe that feeding a dog with natural products is a priori better for its development and health, but this is not entirely true..

This type of nutrition has not only advantages, but also disadvantages.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of this type of feeding are::

• the absence of chemical additives, flavors and taste enhancers that can negatively affect the health of the pet;
• content of the required amount of fiber and proteins;
• the ability to control the quality of food consumed by the dog;
• variety of diet, eliminating the possibility that the animal will get bored with food;
• lower cost compared to industrial feed.

In addition, if a husky becomes allergic to one of the products, it can be replaced with an analogue.

Disadvantages of natural nutrition:

• it takes a lot of time to prepare fresh food for the dog every day;
• if there is a need to switch your pet to industrial food, it will be quite difficult to do this;
• food cannot be prepared for future use;
• Natural nutrition is not possible until the puppy is 1 month old.

It should also be remembered that it is quite difficult to independently create a balanced diet that takes into account the puppy’s needs not only for carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fiber, but also for amino acids, micro- and macroelements and vitamins, and improper nutrition can lead to vitamin deficiency or a lack of minerals.

Authorized Products

In the husky menu with a natural type of food, you must include:

• lean meat (beef, chicken, venison, turkey) is the main source of proteins necessary for the animal, it should make up at least 70% of the daily amount of food;
• offal (heart, tripe, spleen, lungs, trachea, liver) - they are rich in microelements and vitamins;
• bones – large, “sugar” bones help clean teeth and strengthen jaw muscles;
• cartilage is a source of collagen, microelements, vitamins necessary for the proper formation of the dog’s body;
• sea ​​fish - it is rich in iodine, fluorine, amino acids, phosphorus, vitamins A, B, D;
• cereals (rice, oatmeal, buckwheat) – help normalize intestinal function;
• low-fat fermented milk products - contain calcium necessary for the musculoskeletal system;
• eggs – maximum 2 times a week and only the yolk;
• vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, beans and pumpkin, cabbage) - rich in minerals and vitamins, stabilize digestion.

As a treat, you can give your puppy bananas, honey or dried apricots from time to time.

An additional intake of a vitamin-mineral complex is necessary, but before purchasing you should consult a veterinarian.

Absolutely forbidden

Not all foods can be consumed by husky puppies.

On the prohibited list are:

• fatty meats, chicken, veal;
• milk (puppies over 2 months old);
• tubular bones;
• chicken protein;
• sweets, baked goods, chocolate, sugar substitute;
• grapes and raisins;
• legumes;
• nutmeg;
• potato;
• smoked meats, pickles, marinades, sausages;
• fried, spicy foods.

You should not give your husky mince.

These dogs do not have chewing teeth, and the digestive system is capable of digesting only fairly large pieces of meat, so feeding your pet minced meat can cause indigestion.

Care

Husky care is simple, but periodic and mandatory:

• Brush thick fur several times a week. During molts - several times a day.
• Bathing no more than 3-4 times a year - only as needed. Warm (25-280 C) water and special shampoo for dogs are suitable for water procedures. The owner must ensure that water does not flood the animal’s eyes and ears. After bathing, the puppy is wiped with a towel and not allowed outside for an hour.
• Ear cleaning. In order not to harm the animal, it is better to drip oil into the ears and lightly massage them. This releases sulfur, which can be easily removed with a cotton pad or napkin.
• Walk at least 2 times a day. Before the first walk, the dog must be fully vaccinated. The most favorite time of year for the northern dog is winter. Huskies love to ride downhill, conquer snowy mountains and blow up snowdrifts. The owner must monitor the dog’s safety - the kitten’s joints and skeleton have not yet fully formed.

Industrial feed

This type of dog nutrition is popular among many breeders . But, before choosing it for your pet, you need to study its pros and cons and understand how to choose the right food.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like natural nutrition, a diet based on industrial feed has a number of advantages, but is not without its disadvantages.

The advantages include:

• balanced composition, enriched with vitamins and minerals;
• the ability to buy food for future use;
• simplicity and ease of use;
• the presence on the packaging of information about the daily consumption rate;
• saving time and effort on cooking and planning a diet;
• an assortment that allows you to choose food taking into account the age of the puppy.

In addition, the special composition with which the dry food granules are coated helps clean the husky’s teeth.

Disadvantages of industrial feeds:

• lack of liquid in food, unless we are talking about wet food;
• the possibility of using low-quality meat and meat waste to make feed;
• the likelihood of containing chemical flavors, dyes, flavor enhancers, soy and other harmful components;
• high cost for quality products.

If your puppy develops an allergy to one of the components of the food, the entire diet will have to be changed..

Dry or wet

Wet food contains up to 80% liquid, so it is healthier for your pet's stomach, but less nutritious.

CAREFULLY!

Such products cannot be stored for a long time - the shelf life of opened pates and canned food is no more than 2 days.

The best option for using wet food is mixing it with dry food . It is important that they be of the same brand and belong to the same class of feed.

Diet

When determining the diet for representatives of this breed, it is necessary to focus on products containing proteins, fats, fiber, which is necessary for the normal functioning of the intestines, amino acids, as well as all the necessary vitamins, macro- and microelements.

Diet of an adult husky dog

The animal should eat 2 times a day. Meat component - at least 50%.

Diet option for the day:

• Meat, meat waste (trimmings) - 400 g.
• Fish - 400 g.
• Vegetables - 200 g.
• Cereals - 500 g.
• Vegetable oil - 50 g.
• Salt - 20 g.

Diet for a husky puppy from 1 month

The number of feedings of the pet per day is reduced from 5–6 (when the puppy is 1 month old) to 2 times (when the puppy is 8–9 months old).

Approximate daily diet:

• Meat (offal) - 200 g.
• Fish - 250 g (infrequently).
• Milk - 600 g.
• Boiled carrots - 50 g.
• Cottage cheese or yogurt - 100 g.
• Salt - 5 g.

Diet of a nursing husky

• Offal only - 600–700 g.
• Rice, buckwheat, oatmeal porridge with milk - 500 g.
• Omelette - 200 g.
• Fermented milk products (kefir, cottage cheese) - 200 g.
• Boiled vegetables, greens - 50 g.

Feed rating

Food for a puppy of this breed should be at least premium class.

When choosing a suitable diet, you must carefully study its composition.:

• the first place in the list of ingredients should be meat (food based on beef, chicken, lamb is suitable for puppies) or fish, indicating their type;
• Vitamin E should be used as a preservative;
• The composition must be free of flavors, dyes and preservatives and contain proteins.

The most suitable food for husky puppies:

• Acana Puppy and Junior - made from fresh meat and fish, contains cereals, vegetables, fruits, oats with a low glycemic index and additives that promote the proper formation of bone tissue;
• Orijen Puppy – contains no grains, but contains more than 75% meat components, a small amount of carbohydrates, vegetables, beans, berries, fruits and special minerals and vitamins;
• Almo Nature Medium Puppy - 53% consists of meat ingredients, contains cereals and plant components, and rosemary extract is a natural antioxidant;
• Nutra Gold - contains meat or fish fillet, grains, legumes, vegetables, algae, vitamins, minerals, microelements; there are no flavor enhancers, flavors or other artificial additives;
• Royal Canin (Medium Puppy) – contains at least 30% meat; for puppies of this breed, you should choose holistic food with hypoallergenic ingredients;
• Advance - food consists of more than 22 products and contains at least 15% meat, enriched with essential microelements;
• Purina Pro Plan – containing at least 20% meat and offal, the Medium Puppy Sensitive line is suitable for medium breed puppies prone to allergies;
• Happy Dog (Medium Baby) – contains about 25% meat, plant extracts, fermented cereals, flax seed, fatty acids, micro- and macroelements, no dyes, preservatives, soy.

Also suitable for feeding puppies of this breed are 1st Choise (Puppy series), Now Fresh (Puppy Chiot) and Josera Puppy..

Huskies should not be fed low-quality economy class products.

What not to feed a husky

To keep your pet healthy and in good shape, you should make sure that he does not eat the following foods:

• sweets;
• salty and seasoned foods;
• raw pork;
• bones;
• smoked meats and marinades;
• grape.

Dishes with various artificial additives will not be beneficial.

It will be useful:

• how to care for a dog.
• what to do if your dog has a stuck bone.

Where do you start with the first complementary feeding?

You need to start feeding puppies 3-4 weeks after their birth. At this age, babies need additional sources of energy, vitamins and minerals, which is due to active growth and formation of the body.

IMPORTANT!

Milk porridge, calcined cottage cheese, meat broths, and grated boiled carrots are used as complementary foods.

All food should be liquid or mushy and at room temperature or slightly warmer. If the puppy reacts negatively to some complementary foods, they should be eliminated and the portion reduced.

If for some reason the bitch cannot feed the puppies or her milk is not enough, the babies need to be fed earlier, using bitch milk substitutes.

Basic porridge recipe for feeding a husky puppy

For evening feeding based on 2 servings:

Meat : put 600 g of beef in a saucepan, a third of a glass of rice or buckwheat, cover with water and put on fire. After boiling, throw carrots, zucchini, cabbage into the pan and season with a pinch of salt.

Feed porridge

Chicken: put half a kilogram of chicken legs in a saucepan, cover with water and boil. When the chicken is half cooked, add chopped carrots, onions and half a cup of rice into the pan. Feed your husky puppy warm, but not hot, porridge.

Oatmeal with butter: the required amount of oatmeal should be covered with boiling broth and left for half an hour to swell, and then seasoned with a small amount of butter - butter or sunflower.

Diet

The daily amount of food depends on the individual characteristics of the animal.

What is possible and what is not?

First of all, Husky dogs need meat. Animal protein is a basic need for both a puppy and an adult dog, which must be provided by the owner.

It is important to add vegetables and some fruits (apples, banana) to the meat. To improve the quality of intestinal function and gastric motility, fermented milk products should be used in the diet.

You cannot give:

• confectionery (chocolate, candies);
• grape;
• pork;
• pickles, smoked foods;
• oranges, tangerines;
• potato;
• cabbage

IMPORTANT! You should never feed your husky table scraps! Products must be as fresh as possible!

Fish

Huskies should be fed saltwater fish such as salmon or pink salmon. A complete absence of bones or perhaps a small number of soft bones is desirable.

Chicken bones

The deepest misconception among people is that dogs need bones that contain beneficial minerals. There are no nutritional elements in bones; they are waste that must be disposed of.

Poultry bones are not only not useful, but are often dangerous! tiny fragments into the esophagus, and then into .
It is worth noting that wild animals, such as wolves, do not hunt birds. And if the bird became their prey, then the entrails are used, but not the bones. Another danger associated with eating bones is swallowing large pieces. It can cause peritonitis and even death in dogs.

Milk

It is not advisable to use huskies in the diet. This product may cause stomach upset. It is better to replace milk with kefir (yogurt without dyes).

Pasta

It is not recommended to give flour products to huskies. Pasta is empty calories and does not provide any benefit. This product gives a feeling of fullness, but at the same time, this food contains a lot of carbohydrates, which negatively affects the dog's pancreas . The results later can be sad.

Raw meat

Husky is a predator and does not belong to the family of herbivores. And the predator’s diet consists mainly of animal protein. In this regard, it is possible and even necessary to feed your dog raw meat. It contains a large number of microelements that promote proper digestion.

However, if there is an upset stomach or an allergic reaction, then the meat should be subjected to mild heat treatment .

No pork and potatoes

It is advisable not to consume these products as food for dogs of this breed in order to avoid health problems. Pork meat has a high fat content, which can cause damage to the husky’s liver. Potatoes contain starch, which dogs cannot digest.

IMPORTANT! You shouldn't completely exclude potatoes from your diet either. You can occasionally give your pet boiled potatoes because they contain fiber and carbohydrates.

Huskies eat veal and chicken internal organs and offal with great pleasure. Before serving, such products should be scalded with boiling water to avoid infecting the dog with worms.