Curious on how much I should be feeding Jasper. He's currently 6 months and approx. 55lbs.
According to the food bag a dog his age/weight should get 3.5-4.5 cups per day. When he was about 3 months he got the minimum (1/2 cup three times a day) but when we went for his shots the vet said he was underweight so we upped it to the middle of the suggested feedings (1cup three times a day) and currently he gets 2 cups twice a day, but he's starting to look pudgy to me lol.
Basically i'm wondering if these recommended food guidelines are too much for huskies considering their slow metabolisms. He just always seems to eat the food so quickly that I wonder if its not enough.

Four cups a day sounds like a lot to me for 55lbs. That's what I feed Lycus and he's 75lbs. Maybe just do 3 cups a day?

Kye is 6 mo little over 40 lbs and is a good build on 3 cups (1 cup 3 times a day).

Food bag recommendations are not breed specific and are very general "guidelines" to go by.

Most vets see overweight animals so a normal, healthy animal looks underweight.

How tall is Jasper?

My girls get 1 to 1 1/2 cups of food per day (one feeding).  One is around 60 pounds and the other is 36 pounds.  The 36 pound girl is 9 months old.  

I like this chart:


Obv. we have a breed of dog with hair so you have to feel through the hair and the outline might not be as pronounced as if it were a breed without coat but it should still be there.

When I was having a similar issue with my pup, the folks here gave me great advice and helped give me peace of mind. Dizzy was a bit chunky as well, and I had one vet say he was fine and one say he was too thin. I think vets just are used to seeing overweight dogs and so they see a normal lean husky and think its under weight. So I was trying to feed my puppy 3 cups a day, but he constantly had loose stool and was a little chunky. So I cut him down to 2 cups a day and that helped, but he still had some chunk. Now he gets 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 a day depending on activity. He weighed in at just under 40 lbs yesterday (only gained 1.5 lbs in 3 weeks), but I know he's getting taller. So he's more lean than before. I think I'm finally happy with his body condition so I might increase back to 2 cups to maintain his current ratio. I agree with the others, that 2.5-3 cups is probably more in line with what he needs. Also remember they need less as they get older. My 37-40 lb female would eat about 1-1.5 a day and leave the rest.

Another thing to keep in mind and adjust for is how many treats you're giving. If you in a obedience class or working on training that can have a big impact on his weight. I taught Dizzy a new trick the other day, and probably added at least a half a cup to his food that day working on training.

4 cups a day is definitely a lot of food. I was feeding my pup 3 cups but noticed he was getting a little chunky so I cut it back 1/2 a cup for a while then another 1/2 cup. Now he gets 2 cups a day total and this may still be a bit much, so I may transition him down again another 1/4-1/3 a cup.

Mine definitely acts like the food he gets isn't enough. But he also gets treats and such during the day so I know he's getting what he needs, even if he would eat the entire bag of food in one sitting. Lol.

Jasper's 25" at the center of his back (which to me seems big, sometimes i think he's part malamute). That chart is awesome! I just felt his ribs and I can distinguish eat rib with what feels like some fat and his stomach is still concave, its just his fat hips that worry me haha.

I forgot to mention he just got neutered 3 weeks ago and it seems to have definitely reduced his hyperness. Maybe the decrease in energy means he's taking in excess calories.

Thanks everyone for the feeding suggestions, I'm gonna start cutting his food back to 3 cups and day and see how he does with that, the maybe down to 2.5 cups once he hits 8/9 months and his growth slows. I also never even considered how training may be affecting his weight, we do training sessions daily and he sometimes gets 10-20 treats so that definitely is not helping.

The measurement should be to his shoulder blades (sorry for not clarifying) but since he's so tall at the center of his back already it doesn't really matter! lol

55 for a dog of that size is probably fine. If you can get a picture of him standing from the side and then one looking down on his waist from above that would be great.

Oops! Sorry, haha. Yeah he's pretty tall, taller than most full grown huskies at the dog park and people are literally shocked when I tell them he's only 6 months.




I hope the first one is clear enough for you to see, he thought it was play time and kept chasing my feet.

He looks fine to me!

Perfect, glad to hear that. Thanks again!