Why Is My Husky So Skinny (And How To Fatten Them Up)

Why Is My Husky So Skinny (And How To Fatten Them Up)

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When your husky looks like they’re underweight it’s vital that you help them gain weight until they’re looking healthy again. However, as well as knowing how to help your husky how to gain weight, you also need to ask yourself “Why is my husky so skinny?”

In this article, you’ll find out the answer to both of these questions, as well as what weight your husky should be, how to tell if they’re underweight by looking at them and the health consequences that can occur if your husky is underweight.

So keep reading to find out everything you want to know!

First Of All, How Much Should Huskies Weigh?

Before anything it’s important to know how much your husky should weigh. After all, there’s no point trying to get them to gain weight if they’re already a good size. A female husky should weigh between 16-23kg and a male should weigh between 20-27kg.

If your husky is above or below the mark, you should take them to a vet to see what needs to be done to help them.

How Can You Tell If Your Husky Is Underweight?

There are a number of easy ways to spot if your husky is underweight. Obviously, the most certain weight is to actually weigh them. But this isn’t something that you’re probably not going to do very often.

Here are the main indicators that your husky is too skinny.

You Can See Prominent Bones

The biggest indicator that your husky is underweight is when you can see prominent bones. If you can see their ribs, spine, pelvic bones then they need to gain weight ASAP. Of course, at this stage the weight loss is already quite severe, and you’ll need to take them to a vet.

No Muscle Or Body Fat

Another severe symptom of your husky being underweight is when you notice there isn’t any body fat or muscle on them. When this and the last sign are combined, you’ll notice your husky looks skinny from a distance as well.

You Can Feel Their Ribs

If your husky isn’t majorly underweight, this is the biggest sign to let you know. When you run your hands over their ribs, you should be able to feel their ribs, but also a layer of fat and muscle over the top.

When you can’t feel the fat or muscle, it’s a clear sign that your husky needs to gain some weight.

They’ll Be Lethargic

Not all the time, but if your husky is losing weight or has lost a lot of weight, the chances are they’re not going to want to move as much. Obviously, if they don’t have enough energy to keep their body strong and healthy, then they might not wish to expend loads of energy either.

Their Coat May Look Dull

Lastly, you may notice that their coat looks a lot duller and flat. When your husky is too skinny, they’re probably not getting enough nutrients. And when they’re not getting enough nutrients there’s also a good chance that their coat is going to suffer as well.

Why Is Your Husky So Skinny?

Now you know all the different ways to tell if your husky is underweight, the next step is figuring out why they’re so skinny. While the information on this article can give you a rough idea, it’s vital you go to a vet to find out for sure.

They’ll be able to diagnose exactly what’s wrong with your husky and, more importantly, how to help them gain the right amount of weight.

Here are all the things that could be causing your husky to be too skinny.

They’re Being Underfed

The simplest explanation may be that your husky is just being underfed. This is especially true when they’re a puppy and they need loads of food to fill them up! However, even as they get older they still might not be eating enough. For example, if you have two dogs, your other dog might be eating a lot of your huskies food.

Their Food Might Not Have Enough Nutrients

Another reason is that the food you’re feeding them may not have enough nutrients in it. Each breed of dog has different dietary requirements they need to stay healthy and at a good weight. If you’re feeding your husky food that isn’t formulated by huskies or big dogs specifically, then they may end up becoming malnourished which can result in them losing too much weight.

You Might Not Be Fulfilling Their Individual Needs

On top of both of these you may not be fulfilling your huskies individual needs. For example, a husky that exercises frequently is going to need a lot more than a husky that doesn’t get as much exercise.

When you take this into consideration, the calorie difference between two dogs could be extremely high. Likewise, a dog’s metabolism can also affect how much food they’re going to need to eat.

Parasites

Another common reason that your husky may be losing weight is because they’re suffering from certain parasites. The main parasite that can affect your huskies weight are worms. However, in severe cases, fleas can affect a dogs appetite causing them to lose weight.

They Could Be Picky Eaters

If your husky is a picky eater, then this is another cause of weight loss. You’ll be able to spot a picky eater a mile away, as most of their food will be left, and if you offer them a variety of different treats they may turn their nose up to them.

Mouth Problems

Another reason that your husky may be so skinny is if they have dental problems. Obviously, if they’re struggling to eat, then they’re going to begin to lose weight. If you’re not sure whether your dog has mouth problems there are some common signs.

First of all their breath may smell foul. As well as this, you may notice that they’ve stopped playing games they used to play with you that involved their mouth. You should also check for broken teeth and wounds along the gums and lips.

Certain Medications

Certain medications can affect your huskies appetite and cause them to lose weight. If you think that medication is behind your huskies weight loss, then you should take them back to the vet. Sometimes, different medicine can be administered that won’t affect their appetite or weight.

Diseases

Diseases, specifically diseases that affect the stomach, mouth and throat of your husky can cause them to lose weight as well. The one that springs to mind most is cancer, however, it’s definitely not the only one. As well as cancer, diseases like diabetes can also be a caught of weight loss.

They’re Getting Old

As your husky gets older, the chances are they aren’t going to want to eat as much. I’m not talking about a puppy growing into an adult, but a full grown husky reaching their senior years.

While sometimes there’s no reason behind it but old age, other times it may be due to an illness associated with old age. So it’s best to take them to a vet to find out.

How Can You Fatten A Husky Up?

Fortunately, if your husky is underweight, there are lots of things you can do to fatten them up. Before ANYTHING though, you should make sure you’re taking them to a vet to check that nothing serious is wrong with them.

When you do take them to the vet, they’ll give you some of the following tips to help your pup gain weight!

Make Sure You’re Giving Them Nutritionally Complete Food

First of all, you should make sure that the food you’re feeding your husky meets their nutritional needs. Look for high-quality dog food made for big dogs or huskies specifically. Plenty of amino acids are a great place to start as well as making sure you’re looking for food with high quality proteins.

If you’re feeding your husky a raw diet, you should also consider switching to ready-made food. No matter how well you plan your huskies diet, the chances are you’re not going to be able to get all the nutrition they need into it.

(One of the best dry foods you can give your husky is Taste Of The Wild Dry Dog Food according to Dogfoodadvisor.

Try Feeding Them Wet Food

You should also try feeding your husky wet food. Generally speaking, dogs prefer the smell of wet food, as it’s much more appealing to them than kibble. But it’s not just that. As well as being appealing, wet food tends to contain a lot more nutrition than dry food.

(If you’re not sure what wet food, I’d highly recommend Blue Buffalo Homestyle Wet Dog Food.)

Add More Snacks And Treats To Their Diet

The EASIEST way to help your husky gain weight is to incorporate more snacks and treats into their diet. People often recommend that about 10% of your huskies diet should be treats. However, if you’re trying to get them to gain weight, sometimes it may be a good idea to give them a little bit more.

Just make sure the snacks you’re feeding them are healthy, and won’t cause them to put on too much weight. (Like cheese, peanut butter, or anything too sugary.)

Feed Them High Calorie Dog Food

There are plenty of high-calorie dog foods available on the market, so if your husky is underweight it may be a good idea to swap what they’re currently eating now. One GREAT dog food you can feed your husky to help them gain weight is Crave. It’s high in protein and healthy fats so it can massively increase your huskies size and weight!

Try Freed Feeding Them

If your husky really struggles to eat at specific times during the day, you could try free feeding them. Free feeding is where you leave food out for them all day, and let them graze as and when they want.

However, this method isn’t generally recommended as it can cause them to gain too much weight. And if it becomes a habit, they may like meals at certain times even less!

Feed Them Smaller Meals, More Often

Another tactic is to feed them smaller meals more often. This is a great way to get them into the habit of eating more, without letting them free-feed constantly. This means, you’re still going to let your husky eat as much as they want, but you’ll also have some level of control over their eating habits, meaning you can keep their weight in check.

Make Sure They’re Not Stressed

Stress is going to massively affect your husky’s appetite, so you should make sure you lower their stress as much as possible. If there are children around that are constantly playing with them, teach them to leave your pup alone when they want to walk away.

As well as this, if you have a loud house, then you should work on making sure that it’s nice and quiet and calm to reduce your pup’s nerves.

(If your husky is stressed, why not try an Adaptil Diffuser to help calm their nerves.)

Try Adding Probiotics

While probiotics aren’t going to help your husky gain massive amounts of weight, they CAN increase the number of good bacteria in your pup’s gut. When this happens, they’ll be able to absorb nutrients much easier which can help them stay healthy.

(Nusentia Probiotics are the best choice.)

Change Things Slowly

Lastly, change things slowly. The worst thing you can do is spring things on your husky. As well as feeding them more, you should also begin exercising them more. Not only will this build up their appetite, but it will also ensure that the extra calories your husky is eating will turn to muscle not fat.

If the weight problem is extremely severe you may also need to track their calories and weight gain to make sure they’re gaining weight every week at an adequate level.

What Are The Health Consequences

If you don’t do anything to help your husky gain weight then there may be severe health consequences for them. While this is unlikely to happen if they’re only a little underweight, or they haven’t been underweight for long, if it’s more severe, there may be trouble.

Here are some of the problems that can occur in underweight huskies.

  • They can suffer from muscle loss and problems with their bone density.
  • They’ll be more likely to suffer from hormonal imbalances and even infertility.
  • They’re skin and coat may begin to suffer and you’ll notice them beginning to look a lot more dull and lifeless.
  • Your huskies immune system will begin to weaken and they’ll be a lot more likely to suffer with illness and infections, as well as wounds taking longer to heal.
  • And in severe cases, their life expectancy can shorten dramatically.

Interested In Training Your Husky The Right Way?

If you haven’t trained your Husky properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your shepherd has, whether it’s barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.

The training program I love and highly recommend is Brain Training For Dogs.

With Brain Training For Dogs you’ll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog won’t listen, you’ll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and most importantly, that’s given proven results. Not to mention the fact, you’ll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.

So instead of worrying about whether they’re going to be well-behaved or not, you’ll only have to worry about how much fun you’ll have with them!

And in most cases it’s still going to be:

  • Cheaper than hiring a professional.
  • Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
  • And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.

Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your Husky completely and never worry whether they’ll be naughty or not. Instead, you’ll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them, will always be there, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT. 

And the best part is it also has a 60-day money-back guarantee! So there’s no reason not to give Brain Training For Dogs a try!

So if you’re tired of your dog’s bad behavior, or how they react around other people and pooches, then give it a try! You’ll be amazed by the results!

(You can also check out a full review here, to learn exactly what the course has to offer!)

Recap

You should have a solid understanding of why your husky is underweight, what to look for, and most importantly how to fix it. However, just remember, before anything you should make sure you take them to the vets so you can get the best diagnosis!

If you liked this article, make sure you check out the rest of the website, otherwise have a great day!

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