Before buying a pet, you need to think that it belongs to a sledding breed, so you need to ensure regular long-term physical activity, frequent walks and proper nutrition for the husky, its muscle growth and bone tissue. If your pet's menu, especially in the first 12 months of life, is unbalanced, there is a high probability that Husky will become a frequent guest at the veterinary clinic. It is important to study the intricacies of your pet's diet in detail before purchasing it.
Features of the Husky breed
Husky is a native, working dog breed bred to carry small loads over long distances. The history of the breed is shrouded in fog, but there is an assumption that the ancestors of the husky are polar wolves. Modern representatives of the breed are practically not used for working purposes and are considered as show class dogs.
The characteristics of the breed make a husky a natural disaster if a puppy is purchased only for appearance or fashion. Huskies are very active, often run away, and require careful and labor-intensive care. Training a Husky requires some experience or the help of a professional.
Food for adult dogs
Dogs over 1.5 years of age can also be fed natural or prepared food. The diet of adults should consist of 80% dietary meat. It is also necessary to add boiled vegetables, cereals, and fermented milk products to the menu.
Important! It is worth remembering the feeding schedule and giving your husky food at the same time every day.
Is it permissible to use mixed nutrition?
Veterinarians do not recommend mixing natural and finished products for feeding husky dogs. It is advisable to choose one type of food. Also, you should not change your dog’s menu frequently, constantly switching it from homemade food to ready-made food and vice versa.
Choosing a place and dishes for feeding a husky puppy
Husky puppies eat a lot, often and not very carefully. Representatives of the breed are very active in childhood.
When hunger becomes unbearable, the puppy drops everything and rushes to the bowl, not paying attention to obstacles. For this reason, many dogs are injured, suffer dislocations and even fractures of their front legs.
To keep your puppy safe while eating, you need to make the best choice of place and utensils.
- The eating area must be covered with a non-slip mat, preferably rubber.
- A husky puppy should be taught to eat from a stand from an early age. It is better to purchase a stand whose height can be adjusted as your pet grows.
Note! Your puppy may hiccup after eating if he swallows food too quickly. To teach your pet to eat correctly and leisurely, you can use special bowls with a structured bottom.
How to stimulate milk production in a pregnant bitch
Often, owners do not know what to feed a newborn dog to produce milk. It is known that the quality of nutrition directly affects lactation, so simply increasing portion sizes is not enough - it is important to make food as balanced and nutritious as possible. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the physiological characteristics of the dog. Some pets require more food, while others, on the contrary, are often malnourished.
There are also medications that help four-legged mothers increase milk production. However, you should not risk your pet’s health and use them without first consulting a veterinarian.
Note! If lactation remains weak even after adjusting the diet, you can start feeding the bitch milk with honey dissolved in it.
Dog's first meal after giving birth
The process of bearing and giving birth to offspring exhausts females, so they need rest. The dog needs time to recover, so at first it is unlikely to show interest in food.
If your pet refuses to eat in the first hours after birth, this is normal. Don't worry and take her to the vet. The right decision would be to leave your pet alone, let her relax and limit her from all kinds of stressful situations. There should always be fresh water near the bed.
Only after 6–8 hours can you begin to think about what to feed your dog after giving birth. It is worth returning to your usual regimen gradually, starting with liquid food. You can offer your pet fermented milk products and cereals. Meat broths should not be given immediately, as they may be hard on the stomach. It is worth introducing such food in small portions and definitely not on the first day.
Lack of appetite in the first days after birth is normal
First week
After 1–3 days, the bitch’s appetite should normalize, but this does not mean that you can offer her her usual food. The body is still in the recovery stage, so high-calorie foods can have a negative impact on the female’s well-being. You should be especially careful with Chihuahuas and other dogs with a fragile constitution and an increased risk of complications.
What to feed a husky puppy - types of diets, advantages and disadvantages
Ask the breeder what to feed your husky puppy before moving to a new home. Stock up on the necessary products for 10-14 days and maintain the cleanliness of food that your new pet is accustomed to. This approach will reduce the puppy’s stress level after the move and speed up its adaptation.
Next, you need to decide what type of diet your pet will be kept on. There are natural, industrial and mixed types of diet, each of them has advantages and disadvantages, let's take a closer look.
Natural diet for a husky puppy
A natural diet for a husky puppy is more natural and optimal. A natural diet means feeding your dog meat porridge, which consists of meat, cereals and vegetables. During puppyhood, protein foods should predominate in the diet.
Benefits of a natural diet for a husky puppy:
- Puppies readily consume a variety of natural foods.
- You can always control the freshness and quality of the food you feed your dog.
- You can adjust your puppy's diet depending on his needs, time of year, rate of weight gain, and so on.
- Husky puppies are very playful, and large, meaty bones occupy the baby's attention for a long time.
- Feeding natural, high-quality products is cheaper than keeping them on high-quality industrial feeds. When keeping small dogs, this difference is not very noticeable, but when it comes to a large dog, you need to sensibly assess your capabilities.
Disadvantages of a natural diet for a husky puppy:
- It takes time to prepare high-quality, balanced food.
- Prepared food should not be left in a bowl, especially in hot weather.
- If the diet is not prepared correctly, there is a risk of developing vitamin deficiency or lack of minerals.
A husky puppy can be switched to a natural diet from the age of one month. If there is a need to feed a puppy from birth, it is better to use a bitch's milk substitute, and at 3-4 weeks of age the puppy can be switched to whole milk.
Ready-made food for husky puppy
Ready-made feeds vary by type and class. Economy class food is considered to be of low quality, premium and super premium class products are suitable for everyday feeding of healthy animals, holistic food is as close as possible to the natural composition. Only wet and semi-moist food of at least premium class is suitable for feeding husky puppies.
Natural food
Feeding your dog with foods of natural origin is the most correct and most popular option. But, despite the obvious benefits of natural food, properly balancing meals for your pet is quite problematic. About 70% of the daily diet should be meat products:
- offal - tripe, beef or chicken liver, kidneys, hearts;
- trimmings.
Types of meat that are suitable for huskies:
- beef;
- chicken;
- rabbit meat;
- horsemeat.
Sometimes it is useful to replace familiar dishes with sea fish. It should first be washed and cleared of bones. The rest of the dish (side dish) for your pet can be made from various cereals with the addition of grated fresh and boiled vegetables or fruits:
- spinach;
- cabbage;
- beets;
- dill;
- pumpkins;
- carrots;
- zucchini;
- potatoes;
- cucumbers;
- apples
Cereals for dogs should be cooked in water or broth without adding salt or spices. You can add 1 tbsp to ready-made rice, buckwheat and oatmeal porridges. l. sunflower or olive oil. Some breeders season the side dishes with sour cream, which is also not prohibited.
In the morning, at the first feeding, it is recommended to give the dog fermented milk products:
- low-fat cottage cheese;
- fresh cheese;
- plain yogurt;
- non-acidic kefir or sour cream.
About once every 5-7 days, it is advisable to offer your pet a hard-boiled egg. There is no need to add salt to it.
If the owner’s choice is made in favor of a natural type of nutrition, then you need to remember about vitamin and mineral supplements. For proper development and rapid growth, a dog requires many useful elements. The required daily dose of mineral components is difficult to achieve by compiling a menu of products of natural origin. Therefore, it is worth additionally purchasing ready-made dog food in pet stores.
The Siberian Husky should not be fed before long trips. It is also not recommended to place a bowl of food in front of the animal 30-60 minutes before bedtime. In general, the dog’s personal plate should be at his disposal for no more than 30 minutes at a time.
Feeding a husky puppy - sample menu by age
When compiling a sample menu by age, many owners doubt which foods are truly healthy and safe for a husky puppy. When feeding industrial products, everything is a little simpler; right on the packaging you will find instructions regarding the dog’s age, activity and weight. With a natural diet, you need to introduce more products into the dog’s menu and make sure that the puppy digests them normally.
As with small children, the menu for puppies is expanding gradually. All new foods should be given to the puppy to try in small quantities and the body's reaction monitored for several days. If the puppy does not experience diarrhea or other symptoms associated with disruption of the digestive system, the product is left in the diet.
Up to a month
Until the age of one month, puppies feed exclusively on their mother's milk. If a puppy is separated from its mother for some reason, it must be fed with a bitch milk substitute for at least two weeks, after which it can be switched to baby formula without additives.
Important! If you are feeding a husky puppy, do not forget to artificially massage the genital area with a cotton swab dipped in warm water every time before and after eating. This manipulation imitates licking, without which the puppy cannot empty its intestines and bladder.
Puppies from birth to one month eat little by little, but very often. In the first two weeks of life, babies eat every 2–3 hours without a break for nighttime sleep. From two weeks of age, puppies sleep at night for 4–6 hours.
Reviews
Olga, Magnitogorsk
“When little Hector appeared in the house, my head was spinning - what to feed, what was possible, what was not! I've read so much. I tried different options and products for up to 6 months. Then I spat and feed her in my own way: in the morning - meat, chicken, beef, offal, in the evening - dry food. Sometimes I give cottage cheese, kefir, eggs. Definitely vitamins. He doesn't eat porridge. The dog is already two years old, no problems - his fur is shiny, he runs after his bicycle, catches mice and ducks. He eats them too."
Valentina, Kirov
“I will be happy to share recipes from the menu of my six-month-old husky. Usually in the morning I give him porridge with meat. Pour 300 g of meat and a third of a glass of cereal with water and put on fire. After the porridge boils, add carrots and zucchini or bell peppers to it. If you have ready-made meat broth from which I cook cabbage soup for the family, then pour hot oatmeal over the oatmeal and leave for 30 minutes. You can add a little vegetable oil.”
Ilya, Perm region
“My urchin eats twice a day. In the morning, 200 grams of cottage cheese + grated apple or carrot with vegetable oil. In the evening, half a kilo of meat, a glass of rice or buckwheat porridge, 200 grams of boiled vegetables. A couple of times a week – fish day or offal day: I replace meat with red fish or tripe (700-800 grams).”
Vitamins and supplements in the diet of a husky puppy
During the entire period of active growth, especially at the stage of changing baby teeth, the Husky puppy should receive vitamins and supplements. The following can be added to your puppy's food as natural vitamin supplements:
- High quality meat and bone meal.
- Tricalcium phosphate or other animal feed additives.
- Fish fat.
- Vitamin B complexes are sold in regular pharmacies.
- Omega-3 and Omega-6 - sold in regular pharmacies.
- Brewer's yeast.
- Greens, except onions.
- Sprouted wheat.
- Bran.
Natural vitamin supplements vary in quality and content of substances beneficial to dogs, so they are difficult to dose. As an alternative, you can give your husky puppy commercial vitamin supplements. Veterinarians recommend purchasing several vitamin complexes with a small composition and alternating them.
What substances should you get with food?
Many dog breeders do not know what to feed their dog after giving birth. In the first few days after the puppies are born, you don’t have to think about the bitch’s nutrition.
Most dogs exhibit restless behavior after giving birth. They begin to behave strangely and refuse any food. In such cases, there is no need to worry and try to do something. The dog needs to be given a little time for its body to fully recover and begin to gradually replenish its reserves of useful elements.
Once your pet stops whining and has a good appetite, you can start feeding. The daily food intake will have to be increased. At the same time, you need to give only nutritious and healthy food. It should contain the following substances:
- proteins;
- vitamins C, D, A;
- increased amount of carbohydrates.
Water in a husky puppy's diet
Water plays an extremely important role in a dog’s diet, especially during periods of active growth. Water is the basis of blood and all body fluids, which means that without it normal growth, development and life itself are impossible.
- When fed with natural products, the puppy receives more than half of the necessary conclusions from food. The puppy drinks the missing amount of liquid as needed.
- When feeding with industrial feed, especially dry granules, the situation changes dramatically. Industrial feeds are stored for 1–2 years, which means they contain preservatives. Absolutely all preservatives either remove water from the body or absorb it. In addition, dry kibble begins to absorb liquid as soon as it enters the dog's digestive tract. It is for this reason that after eating dry food the dog suffers from extreme thirst.
Drinking plenty of fluids is a must
As already mentioned, in the first hours and even days after birth, the dog is likely to refuse food due to lack of appetite, and digestive disorders often occur. During this period, food becomes of secondary importance for the bitch. She needs liquid much more.
In order not to stress your pet, it is recommended to temporarily move the bowls from their usual corner closer to the bed. This way the animal will have access to water, which should always be fresh. The larger the dog, the more fluid it will need to recover. It is important to constantly monitor the amount of water in the bowl.
Prohibited foods on a husky puppy's menu
When feeding a husky puppy naturally, all foods can be included in the diet, except for questionable and prohibited ones.
List of prohibited products:
- Chocolate, products containing sugar, sweeteners, any sweeteners.
- Grapes, raisins, nuts, mushrooms.
- Fresh meat, especially pork.
- Freshly caught fish and seafood.
- Tubular bones, fat, skin.
- Sausage products, smoked products, products containing spices, marinades, vinegar, salt.
- Any flour products, including pasta.
- Leftover food from the table.
- Expired products.
- Semolina and semolina porridge with milk.
- Economy class food for cats and adult dogs.
Questionable foods include whole milk, eggs, honey and lean pork. Whole milk can lead to diarrhea if you are lactose intolerant. Chicken eggs and honey are very healthy, but they are strong allergens. Raw lean pork has optimal fat and calorie content, but can be a source of infection with helminths and the false rabies virus.
Pros and cons of natural food
A natural diet allows the owner to independently choose food for the dog, controlling their quality and freshness.
In addition, this type of nutrition has a number of other advantages.:
- the composition does not contain chemical dyes, flavors, flavor enhancers and preservatives, which not only do not provide any benefit to the dog, but can also adversely affect its health;
- all vitamins and macro- and microelements contained in the products are of natural origin and are better absorbed by the animal’s body;
- If your pet has an allergic reaction to one of the products, it can be replaced with an analogue without changing the entire diet.
In addition, with a natural diet, you can make the husky’s menu as varied as possible, which will minimize or completely eliminate the likelihood that the dog will get bored with food.
The disadvantages of this type of nutrition include:
- large amounts of time spent preparing food for your pet;
- inconveniences associated with feeding while traveling;
- lack of opportunity to prepare food for future use.
It is also important to understand that it is impossible to independently create a balanced diet for a husky without certain knowledge of veterinary nutrition..
