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Cups Of Dry Food Per Day


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Huskies eat about 60% of what another breed would eat. The biggest part of it, is their heritage. They would normally eat very little because food is scarce in colder climates so the body made up for it in with a very efficient digestive system and diet rich in protein. The better quality food you give your husky the less they need of it. Also works backward, the poorer the quality the more they need to consume. You might look at the price of the better quality commercial  food and say i cant afford to feed my dog 3 to 5 cups per day of this but this is the wrong thinking. You spend a bit more on the type they need and it will last longer than the cheaper brand with fillers and grain. This is one reason some huskies cant seem to regulate good poops or become obese easily. You cant expect to be in good health if all you eat is the cheap McDonalds every meal.

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We recently rescued a Husky/Shepard mix who looks like all husky except for her ears. She is guesstimated to be a year old and weighs 80lbs. The rescue group said they were feeding her 2 cups of dry food twice daily so that's what we have been doing. She is a total foody and acts like she is starving all the time. I was very surprised to read all the comments about feeing a total of 2 cups daily and that they would stop when they are hungry. Now, I'm concerned that we are feeding her too much. 

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On 12/25/2020 at 2:47 PM, G and G in NV said:

We recently rescued a Husky/Shepard mix who looks like all husky except for her ears. She is guesstimated to be a year old and weighs 80lbs. The rescue group said they were feeding her 2 cups of dry food twice daily so that's what we have been doing. She is a total foody and acts like she is starving all the time. I was very surprised to read all the comments about feeing a total of 2 cups daily and that they would stop when they are hungry. Now, I'm concerned that we are feeding her too much. 

Wish I could help you   - but I am raw feeder.   However nearly all food packs state a higher amount of food than is necessary  -  some amounts are required in order to reach the AAFCO minimum requirements   -  kibble is not the best food on the planet  -  although I acknowledge that some kibbles are very much better than others.  

Most of the websites for raw feeding also  advise amounts that are at least  1/3rd too much  - they advised that for my dog's weight to feed 1 1/2 lbs of meat a day   -  my boys get around 800g- 1,000 grams a day  -  and both could do with losing a couple of pounds (but its Christmas)

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  • 3 months later...

One of my boys regularly skips a day of feeding  - the other would eat twice that amount if he could.  23 kilos sounds a little high to me for such a young dog  - is he a really big boned boy?    One of my boys is 3" taller, longer and much much stronger than my other boy  -  and weighs around 5 kilos more, - so there is quite a bit of leeway.   It is difficult to guage with no photo.

Providing he is not vomitting or appearing to be ill I would not worry too much.     YOu do not say what you are feeding him,is it possible to try something new?

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  • 3 weeks later...

From a dried food point of view what's important is the protein content. Most dried food makers know full well that the protein content is inadequate so they suggest feeding larger amounts. The dried foods are bulked out with cereals and or rice and tend to be carb heavy, not good for dogs. I've heard owners say how their dogs love what they feed them and would eat more if they could. That's likely to be the dogs trying to get more protein by eating more dried food. It's really not ideal as a main/only food but if you must use it, please source one that is grain free and low carb. It will be a lot more expensive but surely you want to give your dog the best food you can? I'd also be throwing in a bit of raw too to help their gut 😉

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  • 2 months later...

I feed my 7months husky girl 3 cups total a day split into 3 feedings a day. Every feeding, half the cup is pure protein (human chicken or ground beef meat) then the other half of the cup is kibble. I add premium fish oil with several wild fish to her lunch or dinner meal. She eats treats throughout the day (liver dehydrated and beef Jerky treats) sometimes she gets real animal bones like the knee and chews on that all day. She also loves carrots, apples, pretty much any fruits or veggies you give her she loves it. She is 43lb currently and she exercises 1-2hrs a day plus small walks outside to pee maybe 5 times a day.

she has never refused food and actually always is looking for food even though I feed her super good.

 

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2 hours ago, Jupiter said:

I feed my 7months husky girl 3 cups total a day split into 3 feedings a day. Every feeding, half the cup is pure protein (human chicken or ground beef meat) then the other half of the cup is kibble. I add premium fish oil with several wild fish to her lunch or dinner meal. She eats treats throughout the day (liver dehydrated and beef Jerky treats) sometimes she gets real animal bones like the knee and chews on that all day. She also loves carrots, apples, pretty much any fruits or veggies you give her she loves it. She is 43lb currently and she exercises 1-2hrs a day plus small walks outside to pee maybe 5 times a day.

she has never refused food and actually always is looking for food even though I feed her super good.

 

ALL dogs will look forwrd to food  -  ANY food - its the highlight of their day.   However we, as their caretakers, must take it upon ourselves to feed them the very best food/nutrition we can.     IMHO  (as a raw food nutritional specialist)  I obviously go for raw  -  BUT - there are other alternatives for those who do not want/can  go into learning about carnivore nutrition.  There are commercial  frozen raw  /  dehydrated frozen raw.   These foods help those people who want to feed their dogs the most nutritionally dense foods - whilst still having the convenience of  'kibble fed' dogs.

Having said that can I commend you on mixing your kibble with pure protein  (hopefully raw)  - but if it is  - it may be causing your dog's digestive system some problems, - (kibble does not digest at the same rate as raw)  - but ANY raw protein - which is what these animals are histroically used to eating - is better than ANY kibble food.

OK  I know I am biased  -  and make no apologies for it  -  but I have spent the last 5 years studying dog nutrition  - becuase I have a severely food allergic husky.

 

 

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  • 10 months later...

I have 2 huskies Leonidas and Circe and am worried they are not eating enough. They just turned 8 months old Thursday. I've been feeding them 1 cup(dry) in the morning then mixing soft & 1 cup of  dry food at nite. Pedigree dry and soft food. They are both very active and run all day. Joe do I know if I'm feeding them enough?

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3 hours ago, Robert Smith said:

I have 2 huskies Leonidas and Circe and am worried they are not eating enough. They just turned 8 months old Thursday. I've been feeding them 1 cup(dry) in the morning then mixing soft & 1 cup of  dry food at nite. Pedigree dry and soft food. They are both very active and run all day. Joe do I know if I'm feeding them enough?

 

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7 hours ago, Robert Smith said:

 

 

11 hours ago, Robert Smith said:

I have 2 huskies Leonidas and Circe and am worried they are not eating enough. They just turned 8 months old Thursday. I've been feeding them 1 cup(dry) in the morning then mixing soft & 1 cup of  dry food at nite. Pedigree dry and soft food. They are both very active and run all day. Joe do I know if I'm feeding them enough?

This is going to sound rough  (I am not the most tactful person on the planet) but it is not meant that way.  I am passing on the knowledge gained during my two nutrition courses.

Pedigree is not a good make of dog food - despite the clever marketing.       

Kibble is the worst possible food to give a dog or cat  -  for many reasons:-

THE GOOD  -  its cheap and convenient for the owner (but its cheap for a reason)

THE BAD     -  Any dog eating kibble is in a permanant state of dehydration  (not good)

Kibble manufacturers use a purchased premix of vitamins and minerals  -  they have to use this as by the time it has gone through up to 3 separate cooking sessions, then the extrusion, then another cooking/drying process  - all the natural vitamins and most of the minerals have been  totally denatured and are dead.  What comes out is sterile - and has to have vitamins ets sprayed onto it in order to pass the  low-standards of dog food nutrition.

The manufacturers buy this premix usually from China  - the worlds largest producer of premix.   China does not have the best track record in safety or hygiene for humans let alone dogs.

The vitamins used are not natural vitamins but chemical ones  - these are actually mirror images of natural vitamins - and your dog's body does not recognise these as easily - nor is it able to access, and utilise them as easily (in some cases not at all)

No kibble on the market is less than 40% starch/carbohydrate  -  its the only way that the tiny kibble pieces stick together and not crumble into powder  - even 'grain free' kibble  (it just uses other forms of starch like pea, sweet potato etc.    To find the amount of starch in your dogs kibble  - look on the back of the pack for the guaranteed analysis,  add up all the % numbers and take this away from 100  -  what is left is carbohydrate and starch.   Up to 30% of the weight of a bag of kibble consists of an ingredient your dog cannot digest !     Whilst you are looking - notice that there is no section for carbohydrate listed  (protein and vitamins are there).   The reason for this is that there is no requirement to list how much carbohydrate is in the food  because no scientist has been able to prove that dogs require carbohydrate at all in their diets !   Because no-one has found that dogs NEED carbonydrate - it does not have to form part of the nutritional analysis.

Dogs cannot digest starch  - their saliva does not contain amylase like ours which starts the digestion of carbohydrates and starch.     It is true the pancreas does contain an amylase enzyme  -  but for the last 40 million years it has been used to providing enough for approximately 4% carbohydrate and starch in the ancestral diet  - and your dog is eating at least 40% starch  (some kibbles contain up to 60% starch)  - so your dog's pancreas is working a LOT harder than it should - and is enzyme deficient.

Dogs do have a bacteria that CAN digest starch  -  that bacteria is called  Fermicutees  -  and it causes chronic inflammation in your dog and his digestive tract.

Believe me I could go on  -  but if you have read this far I am hoping you just might stop believing the manufacturer's blurb on the packet  - they have only one job  - to sell as much as possible for the cheapest price possible  -  which means that nice plump healthy looking chicken on the front of the pack  - is actually more like the neck, backs, feet, head and feathers  - i.e. everything that is left over once the humans have taken everything they want first.

In order of nutrition for the dog the following may help

1.   Raw meat and raw pureed vegetables     The raw meat actually contains all the digestive enzymes needed to digest the meat  - so your dog's pancreas does not have to work so hard.    Also his body easily recognises all the different components of the meat and can easily break it down into the nutrients HE needs to make the different proteins and vitamins AND amino acids your dog requires daily.

2.   Freeze dried Raw  -  the enzymes are not destroyed in the freeze drying process, nor are the vitamins/proteins etc.  This has all the convenience of kibble - but with around 90-95% % of the nutrition of raw food.   The bad side is, it is the most expensive way to feed a dog.

3.   Commercial raw

4.   Home cooked food  (you get the raw ingredients and lightly cook it yourself)  lightly cooking does not completely destroy all the natural enzymes in the meat

5.   Tinned food

6.   Kibble

7.  plain starvation

Dogs fed long term kibble  - are up to 4 times more likely to get diabetes and pancreatitis.      Saving a few pounds a week for convenience will almost inevitably cost far more in vet fees as the dog ages.   As your dog gets older the amount of digestive enzymes his pancreas produces lessens dramatically - which makes it far more likely he will develop issues like pancreatitis.

I also have two huskies (rescues) both are around 6 - 6 1/2  we have had one dog for 3 1/2 years - yet to be introduced to our vets.  The other one we have had since a young pup (12 weeks) he has severe food allergies (life threatening true allergies not intolerances) - he has seen a vet twice in the last 3 1/2 years, once because he got a bone stuck in his teeth (first time in 50 odd years of having dogs) and the other for tests on his eyes due to a faulty gene.   One weighs 28-29 kilos and the other around 32-34kilos (bigger boned dog).       It costs me around £20 a week to feed them both  - but the allergic boy can only eat grass fed beef, wild venison, wild kangaroo, lamb,  wild salmon, wild caught fatty fish.   No commercially raised livestock  -  as he is allergic to what that animal ate before becoming his dinner,  i.e.  soya, wheat, oats, corn, rice, potatoes, carrots, peas, & sugar beet.      7 of these are medium or high starch items  - which breaks down to sugar in the body and is deposited in the saturated fat layer  -  and one is sugar.     The one that is not high starch (soya) is proving to be the one most likely culprit in the ever increasing numbers of food allergies in dogs - because 90% of the soya grown today is genetically modified - and its in EVERY commercially raised animal's food because it is also the cheapest.

Can I please ask you to do some research  - look on sites such as  Dogs Naturally Magazine,  or Innovative Vetinerary Care.  You will find many articles and studies backing up what I have said above.

If you actually got this far  - thank-you.        AND in answer to your question -  change your dogs onto real food  - the same food their ancestors have eaten for the last 40 million years  (the first dog Lepticin came around 40 million years ago)  -  your dog's ancestors had no-one to provide his food, he had to go and catch it and eat it as nature intended  -  and over the last 40 million years they have done quite well on it  - do you honestly believe that if all dogs were fed kibble they will be here in another 40 million years??

 

 

 

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