Dan Posted December 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 Been googling around for a bit but really not finding much on height/weight charts for huskies. Took Loki for a walk to the shopping centre earlier to grab some lunch and a lady commented on him being pretty skinny. His hair really seems to be in the process of changing at the moment too, it's becoming a lot more dense (not the undercoat) compared to what it used to be. He'll probably put on a few kg over Christmas though - that's what humans do right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 but remember Dan he is in his " Lanky" stage as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted December 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 Yeap - unfortunately my + his weight combined is too much for regular bathroom scales, had to get mum to hold him for me today. Not really sure how I can check on him back home unless maybe I can modify them for a larger platform he can stand on. So weird running your fingers across his spine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 is your vet close by I know that I can walk into my vet and get on the scales there any time during opening hours... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 i wouldn't worry about feeling his spinal bones etc while brushing, i get that with kaiser, sort of weirds me out to be honest but yeah he doesn't look that skinny, they always look alot skinnier after blowing a coat, i do think the same with kaiser but he's 100% healthy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowDogLove Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 When Cara blew her Winter coat last Summer, she looked like a scraggly coyote for a while, but then some of her undercoat came back in and she looked normal again. The coat blowing will make him look drastically different for a while, but he honestly looks fine to me. Anyone that would comment on him being "too skinny" on the street probably doesn't know their Huskies. I read the entire thread on judging whether your dog was too skinny, healthy or fat and the way you're supposed to judge is feeling the top of your hand on the knuckles with your hand relaxed, that's roughly what his ribs should feel like. If you tighten your hand into a fist and feel the knuckles on top of your hand, that is what the ribs of a dog that is too skinny will feel like. He IS intact, and still fairly young. I wouldn't be too concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted December 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 Just watch, I'll be in here again in 6 months time complaining he's too fat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted January 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) Ugh, I gave him a wash today and I kinda flattened all his hair out, my jaw almost fell off. I think I could literally put his collar around his waist. I can't really see his ribs but because of all the hair I don't really expect to be able to. It's very easy to feel them without basically any pressure, same with his spine. He looks skinny when he's dry but wet, wow. Basically if I stick my 2 thumbs end to end, then the 2 longest middle fingers, it fits right around his waist. Do you think maybe I should visit the vet? He still seems happy and healthy but honestly he looks far too skinny. But I don't really know how I can get him to eat more, and not sure what a vet could really do about it either. 20kg just seems far too light for his height, it's stressing me out Edited January 3, 2015 by Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 do not stress Dan remember lanky stage....he will fill up...when Alpha came to us he was 1,5 years old and weighted 17,5 kilos....now he is a healthy....heavy boy at 28 kilos...it will happen ....he is eating and drinking fine ?? then why worry...unless you need to go the vet anyways for boosters then you could ask him or her.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted January 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 He eats and drinks, yeah, but I have no idea if it's really enough food for him. At the moment I'm feeding him kangaroo meat with some frozen veggies and some eggs mixed in. He probably only eats a cup a day, if he actually even eats that day. Would have thought by 14 months maybe he would have started filling out a bit. I've heard though that some huskies don't really change that much. I really hope he does though, at the moment it looks like he'd break a leg if you looked at it wrong I've been googling trying to figure out when their weight usually levels off and it just becomes a case of maintaining it, but not really having much luck. Nor have I really found anything about ideal height vs weight figures. Just hate looking at him and thinking I'm underfeeding him or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 if he is healthy in all otherways and not scrounging for food then no worries and those tabels are just that tabels for a guide line...mine are at the moment fed on pressed food (denser than kibble and more meat in them) and get280 grams a day , plus treats and carrots, poo is fine engergy level is normal and they are happy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted January 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 So Alpha didn't even really fill out till after 1.5yrs? Is there any way to get an indication of when it might happen? I was looking at Loki the other day and he seems to have pretty loose skin especially around his back/spine. I could grab a fold of it and you could almost use it as a handle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 he started gaining weight at about 2 but that all started gradually and now it is my task to keep him on the weight he is now...last summer he lost a little weight due to the heat and that he not wanted to eat as much and now he is back to normall again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowDogLove Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Is there a reason you don't want to feed him kibble? He might do well with some fat in his diet. 1 cup a day is how much I feed a puppy when they're small. Will he not eat more than 1 cup a day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted January 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 He was on it as a puppy and basically had constant diarrhea. I haven't really heard good things about most dry foods as they're just full of fillers. I'd prefer to know what he's actually eating. He doesn't really eat it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowDogLove Posted January 4, 2015 Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 There are plenty of good dry foods to choose from out there. And diarrhea as a puppy could be from over-feeding. I feed mine dry food and they've always been at a good weight, even during that "lanky" stage. I'm not saying you need to feed him dry, I'm just saying I've had success with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted January 4, 2015 Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 He eats and drinks, yeah, but I have no idea if it's really enough food for him. At the moment I'm feeding him kangaroo meat with some frozen veggies and some eggs mixed in. He probably only eats a cup a day, if he actually even eats that day. Would have thought by 14 months maybe he would have started filling out a bit. I've heard though that some huskies don't really change that much. I really hope he does though, at the moment it looks like he'd break a leg if you looked at it wrong I've been googling trying to figure out when their weight usually levels off and it just becomes a case of maintaining it, but not really having much luck. Nor have I really found anything about ideal height vs weight figures. Just hate looking at him and thinking I'm underfeeding him or something I don't think you have anything to worry about really. What concerns me slightly is the content of his meals... I think it is okay, but will be lacking some vitamins and minerals. The frozen veggies need to be either steamed and mashed or grated for Loki to be able to extract the nutrients. A good addition to the meal will be a daily portion of raw lamb flaps, this will have the bone and fat necessary to balance the leanness and high phosphorus of the roo meat. This may be all you need to make the meals excellent and it is excellent for cleaning the teeth. That would be the bone I would recommend for Loki for now. Remember that Roo is very very lean, it is the best protein for dogs wanting to lose weight. It is an excellent meat for any dog but you just need to be aware that some fat is needed. I only feed lamb flaps on rare occasions these days as they are known for adding weight quite quickly if you are not careful... but this may be what you desire. The meal you are currently feeding is pretty close to perfect for an obese dog that needed to lose a lot of weight - Roo is the leanest of readily available meat proteins and the frozen veggies will add bulk while adding little calories Another thing to consider is getting some 'Protexin Probiotics' (green label is what I use, but they also do a Yellow or orange label which is more expensive that you add to water instead of food if that is what you prefer) available at petshops and vets. This will help populate the guts with heathy bacterial flora and may help with comfort and create more enthusiasm for food. I add an Australian product called Augustine Approved Super Boost, which I highly rate, it will fill in any gaps in your feeding regime. An alternative to this is an American product called Missing Link - available in petshops in Oz. You don't really need either but unless you are rotating your raw foods I would worry about some deficiencies arising over time. Anyway, those are my thoughts... but like Rob says, I don't think there is any need to worry too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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