Food for Your Husky or Sled Dog
Huskies and sled dogs often have very sensitive digestive systems.
They can react badly to many of the common ingredients in cheaper brands of dog food, and often suffer from upset tummies.
Huskies tend to do better on 'Kibble' type foods that wet, tinned foods. Tinned dog food tends to be made of cheap ingredients such as wheat that don't agree with husky tummies.
Upset Stomachs in Huskies and Sled Dogs
Upset stomachs are common in huskies and sled dogs, particularly in husky puppies. The first course of action if your dog or puppy is showing any signs of illness should be to consult a vet. Upset tummies may be the first sign of serious illnesses, and this should not be left to chance. However, if there is no obvious reason for your puppy or dog to have an ongoing tummy upset, or they experience problems on a regular basis, the cause may well be their diet.
The main diet-related causes of stomach upsets in huskies and other sled dogs are...
Changing to a New Dog Food
Changing food too quickly is a common cause of tummy upsets.
If you want to change the type of that you give to your husky, malamute or sled dog, you must make sure you change foods SLOWLY.
Changes should be made over the course of a week or more. Start by substituting a very small amount of their old food for the new kind.
If you feed your husky on kibble, swap just a few biscuits at first, gradually adding more and more until you have switched completely.
Food Allergies in Huskies and Sled Dogs
Many huskies, malamutes and sled dogs are sensitive to ingredients found in some dog foods. The main ingredients that cause problems are:
- Wheat
- Gluten
- Dairy
- Soya
This is not to say that every husky or sled dog will react badly to these ingredients, but many do, particularly to wheat.
In a few rare cases, huskies have been known to suffer from other types of food allergies, including allergies to chicken, rice, egg and beef.
Though uncommon, such allergies do exist, and may be worth keeping in mind if your dog has long term digestive issues with no obvious cause.
If you suspect your husky has a food allergy, the standard course of action is to simplify the dog's diet until its system has stabilized, and then gradually reintroduce foods one by one.
Plain boiled rice with boiled chicken breast or scrambled eggs (made without milk), are a good simple starting point for a dog with tummy troubles.
After a few days on such a diet, if the dog's tummy has settled, you can start GRADUALLY introducing kibble or other food.
Stick to one type of food, and aim to gradually switch from rice and chicken/eggs over two weeks (so after 3 days each meal would be about 25% kibble, after 1 week 50% kibble, and 100% kibble at the end of 2 weeks).
If your husky gets an upset tummy as you introduce the kibble, go back to the rice diet, give it a couple of days to settle, and start again with a different type of kibble, i.e. one with different ingredients.
If a rice-based Kibble doesn't agree with your dog, try one of the varieties based on oats or potatoes.
*If your dog still as an upset tummy after a few days on rice and chicken, and your vet can find no obvious explanation, your husky may have an allergy to one of these foods.
In this case, you could try porridge oats soaked overnight in water, with some tinned salmon.
Boiled potatoes are another alternative instead of rice, and can also be mashed up with tinned salmon.*
Treats for Huskies and Sled Dogs
Treats are often the cause of sudden upset stomachs.
Many owners feed their huskies and sled dogs with suitable kibble or other diets, but forget that treats are often just as bad, if not worse for their dogs than the regular foods that cause them problems.
This problem is especially common for new owners, who will usually be trying to train their new puppy or dog, feeding them lots of treats whilst doing so.
It is REALLY IMPORTANT to make sure that you find some treats that your dog or puppy is not sensitive to otherwise, no matter whether or not you find a good kibble to feed them, they are still likely to get upset tummies caused by treats.
It is also worth bearing in mind that if you go to a puppy training class, the other dog owners at the class may try and reward your puppy or dog with their own treats.
As an owner you have to be really strict with other people - don't let them feed your dog with their treats!
Like many other new owners, we were woken in the middle of the night after the first puppy-class by our husky who was not feeling well at all!
She had been fed a whole range of treats by the other owners at the class, and it made her poorly all night and the next day!
The lesson is; don't let other people feed your dog - this goes for old ladies in the park with pockets full of dog biscuits too!
As sweet as people's intentions are, it does not do your husky any favors if it means they get sick afterwards. For young pups it may only take a couple of cheap dog biscuits to cause tummy upsets.
FOOD AND WATER BOWLS
As far as food bowls go, there is no need to spend too much money.
We use simple stainless steel bowls to feed our huskies, which we wash after each meal.
If you feed your husky or sled dog oudoors, it is important that you bring their bowl inside once your dog has finished eating.
Slugs and snails may be attracted to food remnants in the bowl and crawl into it.
Dogs can pick up lungworm from the slime trails left by slugs and snails.
Lungworm is a nasty, potentially fatal parasite and many worming treatments do not protect against it.
Make sure that you use a wormer that protects your dog from lungworm, and don't leave food bowls outside longer than necessary.
If you have a dog that eats very fast and 'bolts' its food then you should try and find a way to prevent this.
One method is to feed the dog in a specially designed feeding bowl with in-built obstructions to slow down the dogs eating.
Try the brake-fast bowl 
Older dogs may be more comfortable eating from a raised dish that reduces the demand on their neck, back and shoulders.
Adjustable bowls are one option, or you can quite easily construct a simple feeding bench using a couple of pieces of wood.