Siberian huskies are playful, loving and social family dogs. Due to their history as working dogs, Siberian huskies have special diet requirements. When raising a husky, it's important to consider their eating habits such as their diet type, feeding schedule, interest in food and how much to feed them.
Diet Types
There are three main types of diets that Siberian huskies are fed: raw food, commercial dog food including dry and wet varieties, or a combination of the two. Although feeding your husky commercial dry or wet food is less expensive, lasts longer and is easier to store, many husky parents have switched their dog's diet to include more nutritional and healthier raw foods like chicken, beef, lamb, fish, fruits (no grapes, prunes or raisins) and vegetables. If you choose to feed your husky both a processed and raw diet, do not feed him both at the same meal, as they digest differently.
When to Feed
A consistent feeding schedule is essential for your husky, especially around his exercise schedule. Never feed your husky right before exercising; wait at least two hours so he won't exercise with a full stomach. Do not feed your husky 30 minutes after exercising either, as this time allows his body to cool down. Feeding him too close to his exercise routines subjects him to gastric torsion, which is when a dog's stomach twists and bloats dangerously with gas.
Food Boredom
Eating the same meal every day can become boring for your husky. If he becomes bored with his meal, there are several things you can do to alter it, such as adding a little bit of cheese or adding a few slices of meat that he normally doesn't get to eat. It's never a good idea to completely change his meal, as this may create digestive issues or he may not like the meal and refuse to eat it. To change his meal completely, do so over a period of two weeks by altering the amounts of his normal food and the food you'd like to change his meal to.
Overfeeding
Siberian huskies were bred to be working dogs in harsh conditions where food was hard to come by. Huskies' bodies are more efficient at burning calories and using nutrients, and therefore they are used to eating less than other breeds of dogs. Huskies will only eat until they are full, unlike other breeds, such as Labrador retrievers, who will eat until they fall ill. Feed your adult husky about 60 percent of what the label on his food suggests for his weight.
