Food and Exercise for your Husky or Sled Dog
Feeding your husky or sled dog too soon before or after exercise is to be avoided.
As is the case for humans, exercising on a full stomach can be uncomfortable for your dog.
More seriously, feeding too close to physical activity has also been linked to one of the most serious and life-threatening medical emergencies that can occur in dogs;
'bloat' or gastric torsion.
It is recommended that you wait AT LEAST 30 MINUTES AFTER EXERCISE
(longer if at all possible) before you feed your dog.
This gives the dog's body a chance to settle down and cool off before having to deal with the digestive process.
You should also wait AT LEAST 2 HOURS AFTER A MEAL before you exercise your husky or sled dog -
again, longer if possible - especially if you are exercising the dog vigorously
(i.e. if you are 'working' the dog on a rig or scooter).
As owners who work their sled dogs,
we plan our feeding regime around our dogs' training schedule.
No athlete would choose to eat food that will sit heavy on their stomach and slow their system down,
and we wouldn't want to take the chance that our dogs might be uncomfortable or at risk due to food we have given them.