How Much Should Huskies Eat? (Husky Feeding Guide)

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For working dogs, who you’d think would want a good deal of food to fuel their fun antics, can be surprisingly resistant to eating enough food sometimes. Thanks to their heritage in the colder regions, food was at times scarce, and they had to adapt and become especially efficient at getting all the nutrients they could from lesser amounts of food than might be expected. 

That being said, however, most huskies are self-sufficient in knowing the right amount of food for them to get the energy and nutrients they need. This can come as quite a surprise to their owners, though, who might worry if their dog is actually eating enough or not! With that being said, let’s take a look at some general guidelines for how much huskies should eat. 

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How much do I feed a Husky puppy? 

To begin with, let’s start by taking a look at how much huskies should eat at different stages of life. This, of course, can vary between huskies because of their size and sex, but it is a good starting point. 

When your Husky is 2 to 3 months old

Two – Three Months: Most people usually bring their beautiful husky puppies home at about the two-month or eight-week mark. At this age, assuming the puppies weigh between about twelve and twenty pounds, puppies should get about 3/4 cup to 2 cups a day divided into three different meals. If you picked the runt of the litter, they might need a little more food to help them grow to normal size.

The exact amount will vary depending on the weight of the husky puppy. Most dog food brands, and especially puppy foods, will have a recommended feeding guideline on the back of their bag that can be a great resource to follow. 

When your Husky is 3 to 4 months old

Three – Four Months: At around this age, huskies will start packing on the pounds and growing bigger. Assuming their weight is somewhere between twenty and thirty-five pounds, huskies at this stage will need to eat between 2 cups to 3 ½ cups per day. 

When your Husky is 4 to 6 months old

Four – Six Months: At this age, huskies will continue growing substantially and, as such, will need plenty of calories for all that growing! Assuming the husky puppy weighs between thirty-five and fifty pounds, it will need to eat between about 3 ½ and 4 cups of food per day. 

When your Husky is 6 to 12 months old

Six – Twelve Months: During this time, growing starts to slow down a little bit as the pups get closer to their max weight. If the husky puppy weighs between fifty and sixty pounds during this period, it will need to eat about 3 cups up to 4 cups of food per day. 

When your Husky is older than 12 months old

Twelve + Months: At this age, our puppies have become young adults! They’ll be near their adult size of between 35 and 50 pounds for females and 45 to 60 pounds for males. At this time, it is usually recommended to begin the transition from a puppy diet to an adult dog food diet. Young adult huskies will need somewhere between 2 and 4 cups per day. 

Further reading: How big do Siberian huskies get?

Male vs female Husky food requirements

As you may have already guessed, male and female huskies typically don’t eat the same amount of food. Females are often smaller, usually weighing between 35 and 50 pounds, while males can be a fair amount bigger, usually weighing between 45 and 60 pounds. As you can imagine, a 35-pound female will likely need fewer calories and less food per day than a 60-pound male. 

However, with that being said, if a female husky is pregnant or lactating, her dietary requirements will change. By the time a female husky is ready to give birth, her diet should increase in amount by about 15 to 25%. Because it can be uncomfortable to eat more with a pregnant belly, she’ll need to be fed smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. 

After the puppies are born, food intake will typically also need to increase so she can get all the nutrition she needs to be able to feed the puppies. A female dog with a large litter may need as much as three times her normal amount of dog food. 

As a side note, pregnant females also should be transitioned over to puppy food during the last part of their pregnancy as puppy food formulas contain higher percentages of fat and protein. 

If your husky is pregnant, learn about the best dog food for pregnant huskies.

Young adult Husky food requirements 

As mentioned, huskies over the age of twelve months and between one and three years old are transitioning into the young adult period of their life. Some may continue growing well past their first birthday. 🎉 Most agree that they become fully grown at about 18 months of age.

Some young adult huskies may eat more, and some may eat less. It all depends on their sex, size, and activity levels. A good starting place for most is between 2 and 4 cups of food a day, but the best place to look is the feeding chart that can be found on the back or side of their specific dog food bag. 

Mid-adult Husky food requirements

Middle age adult huskies are typically considered to be between three and seven years of age. Like young adult huskies, middle age adult huskies will typically eat between 2 and 4 cups of food a day, but the exact amount can vary depending on their sex, size, and activity levels. 

Senior Husky food requirements

Now for our senior huskies! Seniors are considered to be huskies over seven years of age. These pups tend to be not quite as active as their younger counterparts and typically don’t require quite as much food as they once may have. It is normal to see a small decrease in appetite around this age. 

Free feeding vs. structured feeding 

Because huskies tend to rarely overindulge, many people are proponents of letting their dogs free feed once they are older and established in their routine of how much they eat. While this may work for some, it may not work for others. 

If you free feed and allow your dog to eat throughout the day when they feel like it, it will be important to still monitor their food intake so if any health concerns do arise, you can let your vet know about any changes in dietary habits.

For example, if your dog usually eats four cups a day, don’t put out more than four cups. This way, if your dog doesn’t finish all of its food, you’ll be able to figure out how much they are missing and if they are getting enough. 

Another great option can be automatic pet feeders, which will only open up for your husky at certain hours of the day. You can usually pre-program this yourself. This way, if you know you aren’t going to be home around feeding time, you can still have a structured feeding time for your dog, no matter what your hectic schedule may look like. 

We recommend the Petdiary Automatic Dog Feeder.

Must read: 👉 Best Dog Bowls for Huskies

How often to feed huskies

When huskies are puppies, the typical recommendation is to feed them about three times a day. Morning, afternoon, and evening are the general times of day people will feed their puppies. Eventually, as they grow up, they’ll start showing less and less interest in their afternoon meal, and you’ll be able to switch them to just two meals a day. 

While huskies generally are very good about not overindulging and only eating until they are full, most do better with a structured mealtime routine. Some huskies can free-feed successfully, but most do best with structure. This way, we can know exactly how much our dogs are eating and when.

This is also important to know because dogs shouldn’t exercise heavily on a full belly. Knowing when their last meal was will help us determine when it is appropriate to exercise them. 

We free feed our Huskies; Lexa and Mishka!

When to avoid feeding huskies

While not entirely common, some dogs can go through a terrible experience if they eat too quickly and exercise too much shortly after. What happens to these dogs is commonly referred to as bloat or Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV), but it is also sometimes called a twisted stomach or gastric torsion, or gut torsion. 

What happens with GDV is that excess gas begins to accumulate in the stomach, and the stomach is not able to empty as it should. From there, it can begin to dilate and become twisted. Ultimately GDV can be fatal because the stomach will eventually become so contorted or twisted that the blood supply will get cut off, resulting in the dog going into shock. 

In order to avoid this, it’s essential to wait at least thirty minutes after exercise before feeding your dog and to wait at least thirty minutes after feeding your dog to exercise. GDV is most likely to occur within the first two hours of eating, so the longer you wait, the better. 

It is also beneficial if our dogs eat slower and chew their food thoroughly as opposed to wolfing it down! While huskies are usually pretty good about not doing this, some may benefit from having a slow feeder during meal times that make them work just a little bit harder for their food. 

Determining if your husky is at a healthy weight 

In addition to keeping an eye on how much or how little your dog is eating, keeping an eye on their weight and the condition of their body will also be important. Many veterinarians use a 9-point scale called the Body Condition Score or BCS to measure a dog’s body condition.

It is similar in a sense to human medicine’s BMI or Body Mass Index scale, which measures our body condition as average, underweight, or overweight. 

The great thing about the BCS is that you can familiarize yourself with it and assess your dog at home. All you have to do is look at and feel your dog. 

A dog with a score of 1 to 3 would likely be emaciated or very skinny. You would be able to see ribs, backbone, and pelvic bones sticking out, a loss of muscle mass, and an obvious waistline without feeling your dog.

A score of 4 to 5 is considered to be the ideal body condition for a dog. You would be able to easily feel the dog’s ribs, pelvis, and backbone, and they may even have a thin layer of fat covering them, but they won’t be as clearly visible. 

A score of 6 to 9 represents an obese or overweight husky. There would be little to no clear waistline, there would be a significant layer of fat on the body, and you’d have to apply pressure to possibly feel the bones. 

If you’re still not sure if they are at a healthy weight, check this husky size chart.

If you have a skinny husky, make sure you are using the best dog food for huskies to gain weight.

What to do if your husky isn’t eating enough 

Sometimes our pups just don’t seem to be eating enough. There are many possible reasons for your husky not eating enough. It will be important to talk to your vet if you notice any other symptoms that might point to a bigger underlying problem.

In the meantime, here are some things you can do to help increase your dog’s appetite:

• Stick to a regular feeding schedule, so your dog knows when to expect breakfast and dinner. If they are on a set feeding routine, it’s far more likely that their body will start to give them hunger cues the closer it gets to feeding time. 
• Additionally, try mixing some dog training treats or fruits or veggies in with their food to make it a little bit more appetizing. If they are being especially picky, try cutting up some small pieces of plain cooked chicken breast and placing that in their dish to really get their mouths watering!
• Sometimes just adding some warm water to their dry kibble helps release more flavor and scent and changes the texture up enough that it captures our picky eaters’ attention. 

Just make sure you don’t overfeed them! Overweight huskies are arguably in worse health than skinny huskies.

Further reading:

• What do Huskies eat?
• What foods can Huskies not eat?
• What fruits can Huskies eat?
• Best dog food for Huskies
• How long can Huskies go without food?

Final takeaways about how much should Huskies eat

There are all sorts of factors that go into considering how much we should feed our huskies, from weight, sex, and age, to the type of food, their metabolic rate, and the amount of exercise they get every day.

Because some huskies have a tendency to under-eat, it will be important to keep a close eye on their weight, body condition, and food intake. This will also help your veterinarian if any problems ever arise in the future.

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