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 Need some opinions

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moto1087
Teenager
Teenager
moto1087

Male Join date : 2013-07-08
Location : michigan

Need some opinions Empty
PostSubject: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptyTue Oct 28, 2014 6:39 pm

Alright so, Rikku has been on TOTW since a pup, her fur is great she is considered a healthy weight, but much so toward the skinnier side. Now her and I are quite active, we do lots of running, biking, and hiking. The thing that I'm having issues with, is I feel she could use a little more weight to her, and she only eats her food about 2 cups every two days. She is completely bored with it. Now I'm not one to give in to her and get new food just because she decided she's bored with it, but it's been going on for about 6 months now. I have tried different flavors of TOTW, and it's all the same for her. I don't really feed her too many treats, or anything else. Occasionnaly she gets some raw or bones. But never really enough to where it may spoiler her from eating. So I guess my question is my concern with her eating only 2 cups every other day, should I try a different brand of food? Or what else can I do to get her to start eating more.
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jalepeno
Senior
Senior
jalepeno

Male Join date : 2010-12-22
Location : Portland, OR

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptyTue Oct 28, 2014 6:57 pm

I got Bodhi at 1 year and 5 months.
He was eating 3 cups a day of Kirkland dog food.
I switched him to TOTW and he continued at 3 cups a day until he was two, when I started dropping the amount to the two cups a day he eats now.

Bodhi was brought up in a kennel, and he always has inhaled his food.
If he didn't eat, the food was eaten by another dog.
So he has always been an enthusiastic eater.

My second husky, Tasha, was a finicky eater.
She would have days when she wouldn't eat at all and it would worry me.
I got best results when I added some tuna or mixed the kibble with beef broth instead of water.

Know that all huskies are not the same when it comes to eating.
How many times a day are you feeding her?
I was only feeding Tasha once a day.
She ate lots of grass and would throw up as a result.
My vet had me feed her twice a day and that helped.

Good luck.
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amymeme
Senior
Senior
amymeme

Female Join date : 2013-12-20

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptyTue Oct 28, 2014 9:12 pm

How much does she weigh? My 63 pound big boy eats 2 C TOTW in warm weather gradually going to 3 with colder weather (I use the formula 15% more for every 20° drop in temp - he is outdoor dog.) I have to watch him - he gets a wee bit chunky if exercise is down or treats are up.
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moto1087
Teenager
Teenager
moto1087

Male Join date : 2013-07-08
Location : michigan

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptyTue Oct 28, 2014 9:38 pm

I'm in and out a lot during the day because of work, so when I use to do a feeding schedule, I would give her 15 mins 3 times a day cut down to 2 times a day, she wouldn't eat for 2 days when I did that. I then decided since I have any only dog house hold, I would just leave the food down for her. She now eats one day skips the next. Usually every other day she'll eat her food. She does have an extremely sensitive stomach. She weighs 45 lbs but I have owned a couple huskies and many other dogs, and she is definitely on the skinny side could at least use another 5 lbs. but even with out concerning weight, for how active we are 15-20 miles a week of running, she should be throwing down more food then an avg of 1 cup a day I would think.
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lillith87
Senior
Senior
lillith87

Female Join date : 2013-05-26
Location : Michigan

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptyTue Oct 28, 2014 10:36 pm

Try to add a tiny bit more kibble each feeding time than normal, or split to two feedings and split a half a cup into each feeding extra for the first week. Maybe adding the extra slowly will increase her stomach capacity, therefore increasing appetite. As Michael said, try adding a little tuna/broth or wet dog food in with her kibble, maybe it will help the drive to eat along a little too.
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moto1087
Teenager
Teenager
moto1087

Male Join date : 2013-07-08
Location : michigan

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptyTue Oct 28, 2014 11:30 pm

I'll have to consider adding something to it, I just don't want her to get use to something being added to it every time. I just leave her food out, she always has a full bowl, so I can't really just increase it haha ....
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wpskier222
Senior
Senior
wpskier222

Female Join date : 2013-02-11
Location : NYC

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptyWed Oct 29, 2014 10:13 am

Honestly, I think one cup a day sounds like it might be about right for her, but I also would switch brands. Nothing wrong with a little variety. Also, it might be an age thing. Diz went through a phase when he just started refusing food in the mornings, which came out of the blue and was super weird, considering his normal voracious habits. Diz will eat until he pukes, so I'd never had a problem with him being a picky eater... I just switched up the food and haven't had a problem since.

My other girl, Tasha, was very picky and prissy. I actually would have to just hang out with her and tell her, "go eat your breakfast" and she'd wander over to her bowl, take a bite, and then come back for some pets and lovin. She was a social eater. Eventually we got another dog, and he was a pig, so she started eating it all at once eventually.

Your other option would be to add green beans or pumpkin to finish off your bag of TOTW and then change brands. Most dogs love it and scarf it right down. I agree with the whole tough love thing, but I also think a little variety can be a good thing too. Smile Diz loves his zignature turkey and potato (on his second 30 lb bag), but the next bag i got is nature's variety instinct raw boost, rabbit flavor. I try to add variety before he gets bored. Plus, if there is a recall, then I'm not screwed.
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moto1087
Teenager
Teenager
moto1087

Male Join date : 2013-07-08
Location : michigan

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptyWed Oct 29, 2014 11:34 am

It she wasn't active, I would find that amount normal, but she's very active. I do variety of flavors, like salmon one week something new next bag. I just have a hard time swapping to a different food in general due to her sensitive stomach, but maybe I'll have to try.
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wpskier222
Senior
Senior
wpskier222

Female Join date : 2013-02-11
Location : NYC

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptyWed Oct 29, 2014 11:40 am

You could also try crumbling up some of the stella & chewy's freeze dried raw dinners into her totw. That stuff tends to have a firming effect. A friend of mine with a similar situation with her husky uses that to get her pup to eat more.
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aljones
Senior
Senior
aljones

Male Join date : 2014-08-18
Location : Terlingua, Texas

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptyWed Oct 29, 2014 12:14 pm

Jesse, Husky's are a very different breed in that they can, to a pretty major degree, regulate their own metabolism.  I guess that comes from the life they led with the Chukchi; they got fed, sometimes; they foraged, sometimes; they hunted, sometimes and sometimes just like the humans, they went hungry.
I have two dogs here, an Alaskan Husky who eats about like yours does, he has food down 24/7 and nibbles sometimes; I also have a Sibe who'd eat anything she can get hold of, I seriously think that if I didn't feed her regularly limited amounts of food she'd be quite happy to kill herself by simply overeating.
Here's my big *IF*, if your girl is in good health (meaning regular vet checkup with good results) then I'd be less than inclined to worry about how little she eats.
One line I've used with a lot of dog owners "No healthy dog, husky or otherwise, is going to lay beside a bowl of good dog food and starve themselves to death."
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moto1087
Teenager
Teenager
moto1087

Male Join date : 2013-07-08
Location : michigan

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptyWed Oct 29, 2014 12:34 pm

Yea I know she won't starve herself, and I understand huskies and their metabolisms, i grew up around huskies, mals , and wolf hybrids. She is very healthy, she is just on the skinny side. So I was just seeing what every one else had to say, she is exteremely food motivated, just does not like her food, so I may try to swap to a differnt brand in general, to see if she will eat more or if the same thing will happen. I guess if the same thing happens it's just how she is. If her eating habits change, then she clearly just really hated her food haha and only ate to survive. Thanks everyone
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ASaroka
Newborn
Newborn
ASaroka

Female Join date : 2014-11-08
Location : Greater Pittsburgh Area

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptySat Nov 08, 2014 3:54 am

I had a husky that was like that; sensitive stomach/picky eater. We found out he had a severe grain allergy. Every 3 to 4 months I would switch his food out. We would cycle through Canine Caviar chicken/venison flavors, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Recipe Grain Free. I used Orijen Six Fish kibble as treats for him. I would get asked all the time if I had just rescued him because he was always super skinny.

The tuna on her food is a good idea. I'd recommend an egg, but if you leave your food out, that probably wouldn't be a good idea.
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Hughie
Adult
Adult
Hughie

Join date : 2013-04-17
Location : South East Wisconsin!

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptySat Nov 08, 2014 6:43 pm

If you are in a rural area try some fresh goat milk if you can find it. Try just enough to help moisten and flavor her food. Maya goes nuts foe it and it does have a good amount of proteins and fats that should help her store some extra body weight. You could always feed her beaver meat, tons of fats and oils, George Atla regularly fed beaver meat to his sprint dogs.
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japhotos
Newborn
Newborn
japhotos

Male Join date : 2012-09-04
Location : Orange County California

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PostSubject: Re: Need some opinions   Need some opinions EmptyFri Dec 12, 2014 5:44 pm

My husky is also a very picky eater some things that have helped me are:
1) Grizzly Salmon Oil: You can find it in a pump form in most pet stores, it adds flavor to the kibble and they can't pick around, I put this on her food daily not only for flavor, but for all of the other benefits of salmon oil in a dog's diet.
2) If you can afford it, try raw, I have switched about 50% of her meals to it and she definitely loves it more than any kibble we have tried. I would go 100% raw but the cost and storage space are an issue.
3) I rotate between three different brands of kibble to keep her interested in the kibble, they are: Orijen, Instinct, and Merrick.
4) Someone already posted it as well but the Stella and Chewy's freeze dried patties are another topper you can use. If you add water to them it makes them mushy and harder for your husky to pick around the kibble.
Hope this helps!
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