How Many Calories Should A Husky Eat? Huskies, just like all dogs, require a well-balanced diet to provide them with the energy necessary for a healthy and happy life. In order to find out more about a particular husky’s nutritional requirements, it is important to have some background knowledge about the breed itself. Below are the pet food nutrition facts for how many calories should a husky eat, so you know how much it is safe to feed your husky:
Siberian Husky General Nutrition and Diet Guidelines
Siberian Huskies are strong working dogs that need hearty diets to support their active lifestyles. Adult Siberian Huskies require no less than 1,100 calories on a daily basis. However, if your dog is more active than the average Husky, you might have to feed it at least 1,800 calories a day.
Your dog’s diet should include fruit, vegetables, and meat.
Owners can choose between purchasing commercial brand dog foods or home cooking their own meals. They can eat raw, dry, or wet dog food.
Cooking and feeding your dog raw meats and fruits is certainly healthier for it, but it is also more expensive than purchasing generic or brand name food.
Commercial dog foods can also contain just as many nutrients as raw ingredients. Ideally, your dog’s food should also include omega-3 fatty acids, chicken fat, and flaxseed to promote healthy development.
Siberian Husky Feeding Reminders
Remember to feed your Siberian Husky according to a regular feeding chart or schedule. Owners should feed their adult Siberian Huskies twice a day. Most feed their Siberian Huskies once in the morning and again in the afternoon.
Unlike other dog breeds, Siberian Huskies will not overeat if they are presented with access to their food all day. However, you should still follow a regular feeding schedule for your Husky. At times they can be notoriously picky eaters.
If a Husky does gain a little extra weight, it is difficult for them to lose it.
Remember to feed your Siberian Husky at least two hours before taking him out to exercise to give him enough time to properly digest the food. If you feed him after exercising him, you should wait at least 30 minutes before doing so to prevent gastric torsion.
Husky Puppy Feeding Chart
If you have a Siberian Husky, you will need to feed them three times a day. As your Husky grows older, you can gradually lower their feeding frequency down to twice a day. Most owners wait until their puppy turns 6 months old to adjust their feeding schedule.
In general, Siberian Husky puppies have more sensitive stomachs than other dog breeds. While you can feed your Husky a raw diet when it is an adult, vets advise against feeding it on a raw diet when it is still a puppy.
Until then, you can feed your puppy a commercial dog food brand designed specifically for large breed puppies. Before you officially switch your little Siberian Husky to raw food, consult with your veterinarian first for advice and guidance.
If you notice your puppy showing signs of stomach sensitivity such as vomiting or diarrhea, it is imperative that you take them into the vet. Your vet may decide to switch your puppy to a limited ingredient diet or food brand designed specifically for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Siberian Husky Food Portions
Typically, commercial dog food brands will offer portion recommendations for their specific formula. Most owners feed their Siberian Huskies around two to three cups of food per day.
Each serving should be divided up equally. If you have an adult Siberian Husky, you should divide the portion into two meals. If you have a puppy, you should divide the portion into three equal meals.
Common Food Allergies in Siberian Huskies
Most Siberian Huskies are allergic to a number of ingredients in commercial dog foods.
Avoid purchasing dog foods that include wheat, which can irritate your Husky’s digestive system. Many cheap dog food brands contain wheat and other ingredients known to cause indigestion in Siberian Huskies.
Food allergies can also be caused by animal protein such as chicken or beef. Some dogs can even grow allergy to eggs, milk, and corn.
Siberian Huskies also tend to have trouble with absorbing zinc.
As a result, they may show signs of deficiency, or Zinc Responsive Dermatitis, even if you have been feeding them a sufficient amount of zinc. Symptoms include scabs and hair loss around the eyes and ears.
These symptoms can also appear if your Siberian Husky is stressed. To help clear their symptoms, add a zinc supplement to their food. If the symptoms do not clear up within a week or two, you should take your Husky into the veterinarian for a quick check-up.
How much should you feed your husky puppy?
How much you feed your husky puppy depends on the brand of food you are using, their overall activity levels, and their age.
Two cups of high-quality, protein and fat-focused kibble per day will provide enough calories for steady growth of a husky puppy.
These 2 cups should be split up into 3 meals throughout the day.
2 cups of puppy food from brands like Orijen, Taste of The Wild, Acana, and Wellness will provide the right amount of calories and contain a favorable macronutrient breakdown (high protein, fat, low carbs). Let’s talk about calories below.
How many calories do husky puppies need?
To really get a good understanding of what’s too little or too much, we must know the daily calorie requirement to support a growing husky pup.
Husky puppies need between 850-1250 calories per day depending on activity levels to be healthy and grow without issues.
It’s super important to remember, though, the required amount of calories can vary drastically depending on how active your pup is. For most husky pups 850 calories will suffice, but for those that are very active, 1250 will be more appropriate.
Are you giving your puppy enough food?
I know one thing I was particularly concerned about is if I’m giving enough…
Firstly, check the calories you are giving. In most cases, 2 cups of high-quality kibble will be around 850-950 calories. If the kibble is too low in fat or protein, the same 2 cups may equal fewer calories than this, and that would likely be insufficient.
Secondly, how’s your husky doing? Is she gaining weight and size on a weekly basis? It can be a little hard to monitor daily changes, but you should see positive growth on a weekly basis (weight chart below). If you’re not already making note of weekly weights, it’s certainly worth doing.
Ways to know you’re giving enough food:
- Their daily food (not treats) contains at least 850 calories total
- Your pup is getting on well and digesting his food without concern
- Your pup is gaining weight on a weekly basis
When to give your husky more food?
As your husky reaches 10-12 months their exercise requirements will increase and he’ll be craving longer, more intense runs. This is fine, but his calorie intake will need to be bumped up a little to support his growth and recovery.
So what’s the difference of calories that a puppy needs compared to an adult? I’m glad you asked!
Most adult huskies need around 1250-1750 calories per day depending on exercise levels. As your puppy reaches 10-12 months and moves on to an adult formula, it’s crucial his calories get bumped up a tad too.
It’s important to remain consistent for a while to see how a small change may affect your pup’s weight. If you’re providing a noticeable increase in exercise and your pup is over 10 months of age, raise his calories to around 1000-1200 for at least a few weeks to see how this change affects him.
Ideally, weight gain should continue at a slow and steady pace and his appetite shouldn’t suddenly fall off a cliff!
Weight gain should also slow down by the time your husky is around 18 months. If your husky is still piling on the pounds at a considerable rate by this age, this could indicate the calories are too high. By 18 months, most huskies should reach a plateau on their weight, especially females. Males may continue to add mass but it should be at a very slow rate.
Use the correct treats
Treats are an essential tool for training and effectively communicating with your husky pup before they really understand our verbal cues.
The problem, though, is that many dog treats are way too calorie-dense and filling. This is why a lot of owners have trouble with their husky pup refusing food. The treats they receive throughout the day are heavy enough to spoil their appetite. And this is not what we want!
The nutrition from your husky’s puppy formula is spot on, and we never want to ruin that with treats.
The best kind of treats for your husky pup is either all-natural dog treats like Zukes Mini Naturals (which contain only 1-3 calories per treat) or very small morsels of plain boiled turkey breast (turkey over chicken as it’s not a common allergen).
Apart from that, it’s best to avoid everything else. Especially table scraps.
What to Feed My Husky Puppy
Huskies need food with a high amount of protein, preferably sourced from animals. Plant-based protein sources are not as readily absorbed by your Husky’s body and not as good quality. Make sure the food that you give your Husky is nutrient-dense and contains as few filler ingredients—like corn, wheat, and soy—as possible. This is because Huskies do not have the ravenous appetites of many other breeds and need calories that are jam-packed with nutrients. Huskies are far more efficient at burning calories and efficiently using nutrients, so they are accustomed to eating comparatively less food than other dogs their size.
While Huskies can do well on raw and homemade food diets, you need to do extensive research to be sure your dog is getting all the nutrients that they need. This can be a real challenge, and this is why we always recommend going with high-quality commercial food.
Dry kibble contains the essential nutrients that your dog needs in the correct ratios, and it is convenient to store and readily available. Most vets recommend a diet consisting of 80% dry food and 20% wet food or lean meats and organ meats. American Journey makes great dry foods and wet foods for large breeds, and all their food is grain-free.
Avoiding Underfeeding & Overfeeding
Male Huskies are between 45-60 pounds at a year old and females between 35-55 pounds. They will typically reach their full size at 12 months, but they may fill out and gain more weight in their second year too.
Huskies will grow rapidly from the time you bring them home (8 weeks) until around 4 months, where their growth should begin to slow down and stop at around a year. While all dogs are unique and will gain weight at different rates, your Husky should never look plump and overweight during this first growth stage. Huskies will be fairly lanky and slowly fill out during their first year, so plumpness could be a sign that you are overfeeding them or that their food has unnecessary calories.
Of course, if they appear to be gaining weight too slowly and you can feel their ribs, they may not be getting enough calories overall or the food you are giving them may be lacking in essential nutrients.
When to Switch From Puppy to Adult Food
Huskies are fairly fast-growing and fast-maturing dogs, and you can begin transitioning from puppy food to adult food at around 6 months old, which is near the middle of our Husky feeding chart. Puppy foods are aimed at supporting the rapid growth of your Husky and are packed with extra protein and nutrients. From about 6-12 months, your Husky’s growth will begin to slow, and they won’t need these extra nutrients. Feeding them puppy food for too long may cause them to become overweight.
The best way to transition your Husky from puppy food to adult formula is to do it slowly. Mix a small amount of adult food into your puppy food and gradually increase it over a couple of weeks. By taking this process slowly, your pooch will be far less likely to have any gastrointestinal issues.
Why Won’t My Husky Puppy Eat?
Huskies don’t require as much food as other breeds and typically have fairly sensitive stomachs. Of course, they should still be eating regularly, and if you notice a decline in their eating habits, there are a few possible reasons.
- The food you give your Husky may be of poor quality and contain empty, filler ingredients. This may cause issues in their sensitive stomachs and put them off eating.
- Lack of exercise. Huskies are not highly food-motivated animals and tend to only eat when they are hungry. If they are not getting sufficient exercise and burning enough energy, this could easily be causing their lack of appetite.
- Too many treats. Your Husky needs a strict feeding routine, whether they are still having three meals a day or just one or two. If their meals are interspersed with treats throughout the day, they may not feel sufficiently hungry at mealtimes.
- The reason that your Husky is not eating may simply be boredom with their food. Try and add in wet food, lean meats, organ meats, and bones to add variety. You may also need to switch up the food brand that they are currently eating.
Husky Feeding Guide for Seniors
As your Husky gets older, they tend to be less active and energetic, their metabolism slows down, and they need less food to sustain them. At this stage of their life, they can easily become overweight if their diet is not closely monitored and adjusted, and most vets recommend around a 20% caloric reduction in senior dogs. This is especially true for Huskies that have degenerative issues, like hip dysplasia, that are preventing them from being active.
We highly recommend feeding your senior Husky specially-made commercial foods that are tailored toward senior dogs. These foods typically have more fiber to aid in digestive health, fewer fats, and fewer calories overall. They are also usually loaded with added beneficial vitamins and minerals. Senior dogs will generally need more hydration, so you may want to supplement their dry food with more wet food or lean meats than usual.
We recommend the Active Life Formula Senior dog food from American Journey because it is free from grains and poultry by-products, contains added vitamin A for healthy vision, has glucosamine and chondroitin for joint and mobility support, and has a healthy antioxidant blend to encourage optimum brain function.
Why Is My Husky Always Hungry?
There are a variety of factors that can affect your Husky’s appetite. If they are still growing, this is fairly normal behavior, and you may just need to feed them a bit more. The most likely reason for your Husky being hungry all the time is a lack of essential nutrients in their diet, and you may need to consider changing the brand of food that you are feeding them or adding in more nutrient-rich foods.
There also may be an underlying health issue to explain their constant hunger, most commonly worms. Make sure your Husky is dewormed regularly, as worms will cause a rapid increase in their appetite. Another possible reason is over-exercise — although it takes a lot to tire out a Husky! Most Huskies will need around 2-3 hours of exercise a day, and if your pooch is getting more than that, they may be burning up a large amount of energy and require extra calories.
Seasons also make a difference to your dog’s appetite, and Huskies may not eat as much in warmer months as they do in winter. While a Husky will generally only eat until they are full, we do not recommend free-feeding them. Your dog needs boundaries, and a scheduled meal is a great way for them to learn a routine. Also, all dogs are unique, and while some Huskies can easily self-regulate, others cannot and will quickly become overweight. If you are out frequently, an automatic dog feeder can keep your pooch on a regular feeding schedule.
What Foods Are Bad for Huskies?
Like all dogs, there are several foods that you should strictly avoid giving your Husky. Some foods are harmful to your dog, while others can be lethal, so be sure to avoid letting them eat the following:
- Sugar
- Grapes and raisins
- Avocado
- Chocolate
- Onions and garlic
- Excess diary
- Cooked bones
- Caffeine
- Peaches and plums