Well I lost my dog- an Alaskan Malamute about 4 years ago. My wife has really wanted a new dog badly. Well I finally gave in She's arriving Friday - a husky an 8 week old puppy!
So my question revolves around what to feed her. A LOT of people suggest raw chicken. Apparently cooked chicken causes fractured bones and is a choking hazard.
What are your thoughts? Time to sharpen up my honesuki?
So I asked my friend who has two huskies, brothers, about 2 years old. He and his daughter researched diet extensively and talked to their vet.
Results were that huskies historically are mostly carnivores but are a bit omnivorous, getting plant matter from the stomachs of their prey. They mostly feed on fish and small artic mammals, but will eat larger mammals including deer, elk, etc. Vet recommended looking at 'prey diet' if they wanted to be most authentic, which involves feeding whole raw animals to huskies. Rabbits, chickens, etc. This also lines up with the Huskies' impressive canines and molars, clearly intended for tearing up meat and grinding on bones.
Given a Huskie's energy level and size, they have a need for pretty high caloric diet rooted in protein. They also have a tendency to have allergies to fillers and grains found in many kibble.
The cost and difficulty with a raw or whole prey diet was a deciding factor to go with a salmon and potato kibble. Taste of the Wild is what he used, recently moving over to Costco version of same with smooth sailing (same food I use for my mixed breed...ingredients are same as name brand versions, less money).
Hope it helps. And congrats to you and your wife. They are great dogs. Be ready for adolescent phase though - it is a fun but trying time for owners!
Last, yes, bird bones are pretty thin and shatter easier when cooked. Choking and perforation issues do occur. Daughter worked as vet assistant for years...says she used to get these calls all the time. She only feeds her two dogs (mixed breed and Great Pyrenees protecting the goats, chickens, ducks, rabbits and barn cats at their farm) raw meat and kibble. No poultry.
Was researching a bit on raw diet and came across this regarding using chicken. I believe you have a substantial medical background...thought you might find it interesting about the hormonal imbalance caused by primary chicken diet, with preference for turkey and/or salmon.
I don't know the author, but know of her through her dog breeding - regarded as credible (my mother in law was a breeder and dog show competitor for a couple decades). https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/r ... d-feeding/
Mods, if you don't like the link to an outside site, just delete and I will send to Ken by PM.
Brother has always had Samoyeds (including a show dog that he is not allowed to do much with), but they have had a diet of mostly salmon over the years. I've had some big dogs (wolf hybrids etc) Last wolf hybrid only lasted 11 years (140lbs), and my shepard 18 yeras (80lbs - did not have use of her hind legs, so I would take her out in the yard to do business), and my beagle was 16 1/2 when she died last summer. Always fed my dogs Purina one
and salmon. Never had tooth problems in any of my dogs either. The mushers that I know all feed their sled dogs fish as well - probably a good thing
lsboogy wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2020 1:24 pm
Brother has always had Samoyeds (including a show dog that he is not allowed to do much with), but they have had a diet of mostly salmon over the years. I've had some big dogs (wolf hybrids etc) Last wolf hybrid only lasted 11 years (140lbs), and my shepard 18 yeras (80lbs - did not have use of her hind legs, so I would take her out in the yard to do business), and my beagle was 16 1/2 when she died last summer. Always fed my dogs Purina one
and salmon. Never had tooth problems in any of my dogs either. The mushers that I know all feed their sled dogs fish as well - probably a good thing
We've had big dogs over the years including German Shepherd, Akita, Samoy, Timber Wolf hybrids including a Husky mix. They all did well mostly on lamb & rice chow with occasional meat when we found it on sale at Costco (Priceclub at the time) or we cooked an animal (pig or goat) in the pit. Apparently was good nutrition as they all were fit and healthy until passing. The Husky was excellent with the kids while growing up, very good breed.
Here's her picture. We are naming her Nikita, since they are of Siberian Origin.We will be picking her up Friday. Yes I'm excited! I pray she is in good health.
I'll go over the diet part next ... I appreciate the comments.
We already got her basic doggy supplies - leashes, bowls, etc. I know they are more hyper than malamutes. A friend of mine who owns a husky hooked him up to an Atv and they did a 25 mile run. I figure I'll loose some weight on this one.
So a bit of background. I had two malamutes each for about12 years. They both died of bone cancer - osteosarcoma. The last one died a rough death - spewing up green fluid, refusing to eat ice cream, falling asleep in the rain and refusing to get up etc. Tore my heart out. I didnt want to go through it again. My wife however persisted, saying that if she died without getting another dog it would be my fault. Another form of Jewish guilt? Perhaps.
But the idea persisted. Perhaps it was what I fed them. They both ate well - salmon, beef, lamb, chicken, etc.
Part of my training involved working in a dog lab. I can't remember how many endotracheal tubes I passed, ivs, major spinal and plastic surgeries etc. Im fairly experienced and taught microvascular surgery to many residents and post doc fellows. Ive also removed splintered bones (turkey mostly) out of my pet's dog throats.
But the doubts persist. Ive never fed raw chicken to a dog. The study mentioned seems to be a mostly chicken diet but with lots of extra stuff added. I know a rabbit only diet is defective for humans (missing essential fatty acids). I wish I had a clear answer. At this point I think ill avoid carbs and focus on proteins. Even so, very high protein diets are hard on kidneys for humans too. I guess no one lives forever...
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts and hearing your thoughts.
---
Ken
We feed our three mixed breed small 15-18 lb chihuahuas a mix of chicken (cooked), carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, and rice. We add a dog supplement from Amazon (not sure of the name) and powdered collagen. They never have stomach issues and all are doing great for 11-13 year old dogs. The change from their prior diet of Wellness canned was a big boost for them. We also still add Wellness kibble to their bowls. They all go for a mile and a half walk every day and two and a half on weekends with my wife. In the Texas heat one and sometimes two get a ride part of the way in a dog cart in the summer.
I think your new pup is gorgeous btw...and sorry for your loss of your other Malamute.
I know folks who follow BARF with very good results (German Shepard, Boxer & and number of Cocker Spaniel owners). I considered it for my dogs, but it is rather pricey for larger dogs, especially with those with high calorie / protein demands (like Huskies, and my crazy 105 octane 70 lb mixed breed). I think of it as the gold standard for canines, replicating the best of what they would eat naturally on a farm, ranch, homestead, etc. But we have to acknowledge that most (maybe all?) domestic breeds are created and maintained and have no 'wild' counterpart, so really, who truly knows? We all know what wolves eat - what they kill or scavenge. And that is mostly mammals of all sizes, some fish, maybe a bit of fowl. But mostly mammals. So for a breed that is closer to their wolf ancestry than most, I would focus there - mostly mammalian and minimal to no fowl.
My daughter is raising rabbits for her family and her dogs and is part of a club that meets regularly to discuss husbandry. She says that it is pretty universal that if you use rabbits for dogs, you have to feed and/or supplement with other things, so seems like issues with rabbit-only diet likely persist for canines as they do for humans.
If you do go for part salmon, I'd focus on Sockeye when you can get it from a big box store (like costco) and grab all you can frozen. It is usually under $10/lb. (my wife just got some that was $8.99/lb. there). You probably know this, but all Sockeye is wild and not farmed. And if you are going through the efforts to get your dog the benefits of a raw diet, I wouldn't want to taint those efforts by introducing farmed fish unless it is the high end designer stuff (which would be even more expensive)...akin to the no chicken argument that I linked you to prior. Also, my local fish monger sells harder-to-find salmons like Faroe Island, New Zealand, Mt. Cook Saikou, and will sell the tail tips at $7/lb. because folks want the thicker cuts (which they sell at $30-35/lb.), so I grab a bunch of those when they have them (they are great in the smoker at 150* for 50-60 minutes). I'm not sure if you've got someone local, but might be worth looking and asking.
Personally, we went with salmon and sweet potato kibble (and whatever hits the kitchen floor). Seems like a good mix of healthier protein than most and veggies that are great source of minerals, antioxidants and vitamins.
I got a VERY picky cavapoo puppy last September. Went through a number of different diets and read a lot about dietary issues. For puppies vs adult dogs, you really need to be careful about feeding your own dog food blends to them, even pure meat. They've got a lot of specific needs. If you're making your own food or feeding them the BARF diet you probably want to look at some online supplement stores to ensure they're getting added nutrition.
For a while I was feeding freeze dried raw, the brand I went with was Stella's Beef and Salmon Puppy food. When COVID-19 started up I forced him to go back to kibble. My advice is do this, because you don't know when the food supply could be disrupted, or if something happens requiring you to give the puppy to someone else to care for, doing a raw or home made diet can be hard. Switching foods can be disruptive to a puppy, and GI issues in a puppy can be a lot more serious than for an adult dog. I've had the best luck with the Instinct Raw Brand. Seems like very good ingredients, and my puppy will actually eat it. Just transitioned to adult dog food, still seems to like it. GO! Carnivore also seems to be a good one with high reviews.
From day one I've always fed my dogs Acana kibble and I try to stay with what they call singles (limited ingredients). They have never had anything chicken in their lives. If a dog is going to develop a food allergy it will most likely be from chicken, so to be safe I've never fed them any.
The other benefit from Acana is that it is formulated to be interchangeable with their other products so you can swap out different Acana food without the hassle of gradually introducing them to a new food.
I've never gone full blown raw diet but I've experimented with freeze dried raw and it is expensive messy and a real PITA.
I had a friend that used to feed the raw diet (chicken) that you are referring to until the dog started to bury some of his meal in the back yard and it started to stink.
ken123 wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 1:01 am
So a bit of background. I had two malamutes each for about12 years. They both died of bone cancer - osteosarcoma. The last one died a rough death - spewing up green fluid, refusing to eat ice cream, falling asleep in the rain and refusing to get up etc. Tore my heart out. I didnt want to go through it again. My wife however persisted, saying that if she died without getting another dog it would be my fault. Another form of Jewish guilt? Perhaps.
But the idea persisted. Perhaps it was what I fed them. They both ate well - salmon, beef, lamb, chicken, etc.
Part of my training involved working in a dog lab. I can't remember how many endotracheal tubes I passed, ivs, major spinal and plastic surgeries etc. Im fairly experienced and taught microvascular surgery to many residents and post doc fellows. Ive also removed splintered bones (turkey mostly) out of my pet's dog throats.
But the doubts persist. Ive never fed raw chicken to a dog. The study mentioned seems to be a mostly chicken diet but with lots of extra stuff added. I know a rabbit only diet is defective for humans (missing essential fatty acids). I wish I had a clear answer. At this point I think ill avoid carbs and focus on proteins. Even so, very high protein diets are hard on kidneys for humans too. I guess no one lives forever...
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts and hearing your thoughts.
---
Ken
Ya its sad that we have to say goodby to our dog friends but I could just never become a parrot or tortoise person.
The pig is a magical animal. It takes vegetables and turns them into bacon.
She's arriving Friday - a husky an 8 week old puppy!