experienced large dog owners.?

Question

I own a 1.5 year old siberian husky. she seems on the skinny side to me. she weights about 48-50 lbs. she does get an intense exercise about every day. shall i bring her to the vet. under her fur all of her bones are easly felt.

i forgot to add she has one of those self refillable food dishes. and i even tried extra treats. the doc checked for parasites but it was negative

Answer 1

I have a 11 yr old Siberian Husky and she is the same weight. she eats when she is hungry and not very active anymore cause of her age, but she has always been that same weight and the vet told me there was no medical problems with her.I could never see or feel her bones thought so you might want to call your vet and ask about it . good Luck

Answer 2

With any dog, you should be able to feel their ribs, but they shouldn't be prominent or sticking out. There should be some extra "meat" on the chest, but you should still be able to feel the sternum. You should notice a defined waist, but not too much.
Here's a site about how to tell if your dog is at a good weight:
http://www.dogfocused.com/dog-health/underweight-dogs.php
It's possible that you aren't feeding her enough compared to the amount of exercise you are giving her. You could increase the amount of food you give her until she is a healthy weight, or add olive or canola oil to her food. You also might try feeding her a premium food such as Nutro Natural Choice. Some of the other brands have corn as the #1 ingredient, but for dogs, corn is just a filler and doesn't contribute nutritionally. Meat should be the top ingredient.
It definitely isn't a bad idea to bring her to the vet to get a professional evaluation. She may have a medical condition, such as hyperthyroidism, worms, or other parasites.
Hope this helps!

Answer 3

I am a Siberian Husky owner. And it is tough to gage their size because of all of their fur. I read at the vets that there is an easy way to tell if they are healthy. With a Husky, it is best to feel their ribs. Is their skin moving easily over their ribs or does the skin feel tight? If tight is your answer then you may want to increase their food intake. I give mine a lot of fish, like cat treats because of the fish oils. I also feed him Hundenflocken. It has a brand specifically for Arctic dogs. I don't know he loves it and his coat is beautiful. Good luck, they are awesome dogs to own.

Answer 4

Hi i own a female husky and its the same problem, she was so skinny too, and I take it to the vet so many times, they dont eat alot and she has her food available all day and i found out to put the food twice a day instead and now she is better,she weights now 55 lb..mine was so skinny then yours and trust me I take it to the vet to many time even I look for the better doctors in miami and it just the female husky...if you want to she get fatter!!! speyed!!!and thats not good idea they be availavle to get to many health problems because the weight...good luck...

Answer 5

I just want to add some additional information to the good answers above...

things such as the height, bone structure & muscle tone need to be taken into consideration before you say your dog is underweight.

consider the food you are currently feeding, many brands now make a variety of formulas, so if possible it is always best to change to a formula within the brand you are already feeding. if you do switch to a different brand, make sure to do so gradually over 3-6 days.

make sure that the brand of food you are feeding is nutritionally complete & not too high in undigestible filler. brands like Pedigree, Nutros are well balanced & reasonably priced. more expensive doesnt always mean better, but do not buy the cheapest simply to save money for one dog. Diamond, Ole Roy, etc (most 'store' brands) will cause a lot of excess waste in your yard, and are hard on the dogs system.

be careful with high-protein formulas... they are not appropriate for every breed, and can cause kidney problems if the protein is not processed in the body correctly.

the same is true about adding fat to the existing food in teh form of oil or eggs, etc. make sure there is something to be corrected before you make changes to her diet. it could be that she is in perfect health & you are relying on only one of many numbers to determine her weight health.

i second the suggestion that you consult your veterinarian. make sure that she does not have a medically treatable condition, and to get a professional opinion of her health. also, if you are still in contact with your breeder, give them a call & discuss your concerns. they deal with huskies on a regular basis & should be well informed of the correct weight she should be carrying.

finally, if after all of the above it is determined that she is underweight & you make changes to her diet, make them gradually, with as little change as possible (if your brand offers a formula, use it, dont switch brands as well). also, make sure to monitor her for signs of loose stool, cramping, diarrhea, discomfort, etc. that would indicate she is having a hard time tolerating the changes.

Answer 6

I have two huskies and one of them is skinny because he is so hyper. My other one is a little over weight because she is lazy and just lays around. The skinny one just isn't all that interested in eating, it's just his personality.
But if you are worried then I would definitely take her to the vet. It's always better to be safe than sorry. Huskies are known to have all kinds of health problems, so it could be a sign of something more serious.

Answer 7

um ya shes a tad bit on the small side...i would start feeding her a little more often..keep exercising her...i would try feeding her more for a month and if it doesn't help her bulk up then take her to the vet...but a husky should weigh more than that

Answer 8

She sounds just about right to me.Remember that she's not done growing and you don't want to try to bulk her up now if you don't want her to be overweight later.
As long as she's on a good quality food instead of generic crap you have no need for concern.

Answer 9

definately see a vet.. has she been dewormed? is she eating regularly? is she on good food?
(huskies dont do well on foods with SOY in them)

some foods have special forumals for active dogs or puppy food will help her gain weight too

Answer 10

since she is very active try feeding her a high protien diet and that should fatten her up....It did with my huskies they went from relly skinny to hefty about a 100lbs or so in a couple months