Lennon Posted September 2, 2020 Report Share Posted September 2, 2020 Hi, I am Russ and our new Husky is called Lennon. He is a rescue dog from Dogs Trust and was a stray in Belfast before joining Dogs Trust Merseyside and is about 2 1/2 years old.. We have had him for 2 weeks and what an amazing family dog. Playful, loving and affectionate, a real character. He is our first Husky (had Collies, Labs and Alsatians in the past) Being a stray he does have a few issues, most notably mad on the lead, hates other dogs (probably had to compete with many in the past) and he mouths quite lot, but gently. Obviously we read up as much a we could about the breed before adopting. We were advised to exercise him about 2 hours a day, which we do mostly on long walks, but as letting him off the lead is not an option, to get some cardio, we use a flirt pole with him in the garden. Obviously i am no expert, but I do think he looks to be a bit under weight. I havnt had chance to get him on the scales yet, but hopefully will do later. You can feel his ribs, and i do feel he is very narrow in the abdomen. (see pic) When we adopted him he had been having very loose stools which DT said was probably stress related. They had been feeding half a tin of Chappie with Wainwrights Salmon dry food, twice day. His stools continued to be loose so we changed over to the foo we fed our Lab on, and his tummy seems to be improving slightly. We now feed a mix of Sainsburys tinned food and plain kibble mixer. advice on weight and feeding would be really appreciated Thanks in advance, Russ and Lennon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfpup Posted September 2, 2020 Report Share Posted September 2, 2020 He does seem to be a bit on the slimside - but then again he is stretching up so will look thin. Certainly looks a lovely chap. I would get him weighed just to make sure. I have two huskies one is a small male and weighs nearly 28 kilos (a bit on the heavy side for his size) and my other male is far bigger and stronger and weighs in well over 34 kilos - but not an ounce of fat or flab on him - all solid muscle. I cannot help you with feeding advice as I am a raw feeder - have been for the last 13 or so years, sorry. However I would try and discourage the mouthing - it can escalate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted September 3, 2020 Report Share Posted September 3, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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BingBlaze n Skyla Posted September 3, 2020 Report Share Posted September 3, 2020 Hard to say re weight as the pics aren't the best but if you Google dog body condition score that should help you , you should be able to feel the ribs but not be able to dip you fingers between each rib huskies have very sensitive stomachs and a straight swap with food will be causing loose stools , given his past he would have got used to just eating whatever he was given , a lot of sibes do better on a raw (barf) diet so that might be worth looking into Also have a look at 100ft dog leads on ebay aswell or a horse lunge line to let him have a run around safely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennon Posted September 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2020 Wow, thanks for the warm welcome folks, much appreciated. Now I'm not sure if I should move this over to the health forum, if so, mods please let me know. Anyway, just gone over Lennon's DT paperwork and when we adopted him 2 weeks ago he was dead on 22kg. From what i have read/listened to etc, that seems to be a bit on the light side, and yes you can definitely feel his ribs and spine! Now knowing how important exercise is to Husky's I'm loathed to lessen his exercise time. As I said about 2 hrs a day walking plus some time with the flirt pole. So i guess the other option is to up his calorie intake. So currently feeding him twice a day, 200g of tinned wet food and tbh I havnt been weighing the dry mixer, was told by DT to feed 165g mixed in. Ive just been giving him 3 handfuls each meal time (breakfast, about 8am and dinner about 4pm). He is fed 30mins after exercise. We have not noticed an weight gain, which after just two weeks would probably be difficult to see anyway, but, we have noticed him taking an interest in food in general, outside of his feeding times (ie. accepting snacks/treats and even longingly watching us eat too), which suggests to me his appetite is increasing. If this is the case what would you suggest I do to let him bulk up a bit? Decrease exercise? (after all he didn't get that much in DT) Increase his calorie intake in general? If so, what elements should I increase, both wet and dry food, or one or the other? Sorry for bombarding you all with info and questions, especially as so new here, but all your help is very much appreciated ATB Lennon and Russ PS, if i need to move this to the health section please let me know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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