Hello,
   I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the best food is for my 2 month old puppy and also, what food will be good for when she is all grown up.
                           Thank you,
                                Jessica.

Hmmm, that is an opinionated question. Alot has to do with budget and what one thinks is great another will think something else is. Some to consider that are 5 star foods....Acana, Fromm, Earthborn. There is a thread in the feeding section, called what your feeding, or something like that, quite a long thread, but you will get some ideas on what others are feeding their huskies. what are you feeding or what was the breeder feeding? The best route for most huskies is a grain free food, most do best on grain free. Good Luck!

The breeder gave me Bil - Jac but she doesn't like it, so I got her purina beneful puppy and I mix the two together, like the breeder said to do till she's used to the new but I was doing some reading and learned that purina had some lawsuits this year about dogs becoming ill and passing away from eating it. So I'm worried that I shouldn't give it to her. I worry about everything, sorry.

I think we all worry, lol, no problem. I hate mentioning, and you will have to watch for recalls, but for a budget conscious people, Taste of the Wild works quite well for many of us. I feed it to both of mine and have been quite happy with it. I just watch for recalls, since they have been known for. Beneful, I am sorry, hate to bash is terrible, it is mainly grain, and just not an overall good food. If you must stick with a purina brand I would go with the purina pro. If it's availability and price and taste of the wild is out for you, then I personally would look at the Walmart pure balance, i think that is what it's called, it is cheap, but at least it is a grain free food, or dollar general has the grain free lassie way. Both are better than any type of purina product. So now I have given you pretty much the spectrum of foods to look for. Dogfoodadvisor.com is a good resource in looking for great foods. look for a 4 or 5 star if you can fit them into your budget.

Forgot another, Costco carries nature's Domain, some here feed it, very good quality, and cheaper, grain free, I think a 4 star food. So if costco is around you I would go with theirs over walmart or dollar general.

Another good grain free food on the inexpensive side is the Tractor Supply brand, 4Health. Not quite the protein content of TOTW but better than a lot.

Okay thanks. I'll look into when I go there later.

Yeah just like everyone has already stated-it depends on your budget. TOTW is popular here on the forum and is a great food...I also recommend Dr. Tims kineses, Acana, and Orijen. (Dr tims is only available online at sites like chewy.com...Orijen is probably the most expensive and highest protein kibble around...Acana is the same thing as Orijen but less protein/fat and more for the average activity dog)

I'm gonna look into Taste of the wild and Blue Buffalo. Since I'm familiar with that and know which places close to home have them. I live in the middle of no where and quality pet supplies are hard to come by without having to order them.

Not to dissuade you on Blue, but they are currently being sued by purina for deceptively saying their food is USA sourced and other things. Also many huskies do not do well on Blue, for what reason I do not know. I too live in the middle of no where, and travel over 30 miles one way to Tractor Supply, to get TOTW.

Thanks. I'm gonna go with totw then. I don't want to get something that will harm her.

MiyasMomma wrote:

Not to dissuade you on Blue, but they are currently being sued by purina for deceptively saying their food is USA sourced and other things. Also many huskies do not do well on Blue, for what reason I do not know. I too live in the middle of no where, and travel over 30 miles one way to Tractor Supply, to get TOTW.

Renee - if you have to travel so far, have you thought of auto delivery. I've started using Chewy's. I have to order 2 bags (30# each) at a time to get free shipping but for me, I don't have to worry about waiting around for a Tractor Supply coupon, so far it is always cheaper than the coupon and no sales tax. The first order I got a 20% new customer discount. The only bummer is, the almost $90 in one month out of the grocery budget. But then, nothing the next month. Delivery is really fast - the first within 24 hours, the 2nd in 36 hours (but the shipment was split due to holiday season and Fedex trucks being full, the 2nd bag went to Albany first then here so it was 2 days later. And you can change your ship date, postpone, speed up or cancel at any time. I've been very pleasantly surprised.

Amy, I use chewy for their treats and flea meds. I probably will change over to chewy's once I can figure out how long the 30 pound bags go me. Sofie inhaled her food, so I had to switch her to Miya's. I also have used Dr. Foster Smiths, and they do the same as chewy's, sometimes cheaper than chewy's, just not as big of a selection. The biggest difference is that dr.foster smith's offer free 10th autoship, as long as the auto ship is the same every time. I am wondering if going through dr foster smith would end up being even cheaper than chewy's???? Either way, they do take a little longer to get to me, so I would have to time it just right.

Hi, I have currently 2 Siberian Huskies, I am not an expert or a dog trainer, but I do have some experience. I had another Siberian Husky die of stomach cancer at age 10, too early! He was a boy and I loved him, he was very verbal, he and I had conversations, he would tell me when he was low on water, he would say wawer, I wanna war out, many many words he picked up and I would say to new owners that talking directly to your husky is great for them. Now the food, I looked into what I fed my boy and did a lot of research on "dog food", do you realize that "dogfood" is not regulated by the fda? They have brainwashed people into believing that people food is bad for dogs, on the contrary it's the only thing you should be feeding your dogs. Most if not all dry dog food is garbage, it will lead to taking your dog to the vet many more times because of illnesses that dogs never used to get but are common now. Just know this, the world wide web is very useful, search, study and learn, love your pets as they love you. A Huskies lifespan ranges usually 12 to 15 yrs, if when feeding your pup if he walks away, there's something in it that he knows is bad, eventually they'll eat it because they are starving, but remember dogs have a better sense of smell than we do, for dry food the different colorations in there are for us to think it's different tasting (we're not eating it), it's not, it's just dyed, also they have a hard time digesting dry food, you'll notice your dog drinking lots of water. Absolutely no regulations in dogfood! Many die before recalls are made. Heartbroken owners, vet visits, wondering what's wrong with my dog, feed them better, make their food, search online for what's not good for them and you'll have a dog with less temper tantrums, better coats and less trips to the vet, if they are eating grass, they have an upset stomach, give them tums. Look up rendering plants and research and read. You can look up specific dogfood reviews on dogfood advisor.com, which will also tell you which foods are recalled, many many good books out there regarding the hazards of the dogfood industry. One other thing, treats, you can make your own, but if you prefer buying them, milk bone type only, the pressed bones and rawhides can cause severe stomach problems and also since dogs have a tendency of swallowing them whole, they can get stuck in their throats and cut off their breathing tube, know what you're feeding them, there will be no warning labels on packages for choking hazards, everything is dollars.

It is regulated by the FDA through the FFDCA but also AAFCO . The bigger question usually comes down to how well it's monitored, which isn't very good at times. Diy can be great food and can be healthier but if it isn't balanced correctly it can cause more health problems than a good quality kibble.  Pet fooled is a great documentary but if someone wants to do Diy for their dog definitely put in the time to research and do it right. If you don't have time for Diy a good kibble is a fine option that many dogs do great on for long and complete lives.

Not being too argumentative but there really isn't any regulation by the FDA.  And AAFCO is an NGO that sets the standards for dog food but has no power to ensure compliance.  Quoting from the AAFCO web site:

Quote :

In the US, feed regulations are enforced by state and federal regulatory officials who provide subject matter expertise in animal science, animal nutrition, feed label compliance, field operations for inspection staff and program administration.  AAFCO provides a forum for these regulatory officials to come together and create model guidance to ensure that the regulation of animal feeds is as uniform as possible from state to state.  AAFCO Membership includes not only US state and federal regulatory officials but has grown to include international membership of Canada and Costa Rica.

If you read that the same way I do then "enforcement" is by the creation of model guidance - nowhere do I see anything that even really insinuates an enforcement ability.  That guidance may be implemented by law within the various state governments but there is no requirement that they do so.

What I find interesting is that an admitted quick review of the CV's of the members of the board of directors of AAFCO shows that they hold baccalaureates in Agronomy (yep bachelors degrees!) as well as having worked for the Pet Food Industry - I'm sorry, but that sounds an awful lot like taking a fox and "training it" to guard the hen house.

ETA:  a copy of Pet Fooled can be viewed for free at https://www.putlockermovie.me/watch-pet-fooled-2016-online-free-618.html
NOTE WELL:  if you don't have your system set up to avoid "bad things" don't even go there!

I've exchanged messages with Susan Thixton a few times and I find the lady charming, but I'd really not want to get on her bad side.

https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/Products/AnimalFoodFeeds/PetFood/default.htm

The FDA has a page that goes over how they do it. Or lack of actually doing it. While they say that manufacturers don't necessarily have to follow FDA they are still regulating it through labeling and providing standards and enforcement. FFDCA requires food be safe and lists production guidelines. FDA also jumps in in such instances a manufacturer tries to do stupid things with their recall food like Evangers trying to donate all their recalled food to animal shelters. They don't do nothing, they just don't do quite as much as we really wish they would when it comes to regulating and research in the industry.

I agree, AAFCO can kinda seem like foxes guarding the hen house. They have changed their standards as time has gone by. A truly unbiased research of canine nutrition and affects of different foods on dogs long term done properly would be nice, but until someone decides to throw funds at such a thing who isn't tied closely to the pet food industry then information is always going to be on shaky ground. Even raw hasn't been studied that hard even though there is an army that now feeds it. I would like to see someone take the time and dime to study the alternative feedings properly. Anyone who has a pinterest and looks up diy dog food will find a whole host of horrible recipes for dog food out there and there now needs to be something come out that can be easily spread to outweigh the pull that people who use pinterest have who are convincing people that they should feed their dogs 5 pounds of peas, 5 pounds of carrots, 4 cups of rice, and 2 pounds of turkey.

Aafco does set standards that manufactures should follow, but we all know that they don't follow, if they did there wouldn't be dogs getting sick and dying, there wouldn't be recalls, there wouldn't be problems with different cancers popping up, the fda does get involved when the owners of those pets that are very sick or dying go to the vet and the vets reporting what dog food they ate, when there's a consensus to investigate that food, then a recall is made. Whom ever said that a dogs poop needs to be firm? Is that from owners that scoop it up? Is your poop firm? Mine isn't always, sometimes yes, sometimes no. Passing the buck or pointing a finger to the next guy is a good way to describe what agency will enforce the regulatory standards and for that matter bring criminal charges against a manufacturer. I'm on the fence about feeding raw, my opinion stems from bacteria, I feel more comfortable cooking their food. It'd be different if we had our livestock on pastures feeding them grass and hay, but unfortunately they're not, they are being fed the same thing we are talking about our dogs not eating, so raw to me is a no. Yes in the wild, they eat meat, because that's what's there, but they are not in the wild, we have them in our homes as pets, mine do get meat (cooked), a lot of veggies, pasta, potatoes. They never walk away from their food, they devour it, coats are soft and shiny, lots of energy and they sleep with me. A good read "Dead Pets Don't Lie".

The consistency of poop is the tell of how your dog is digesting it. You don't want soft unformed poop. If that's what you have it's moving too fast through your dog's system either because your dog's digestive tract is seeing it as a threat and trying to move it along or your dog isn't absorbing anything from the food. You definitely don't want poop like rocks either though. That suggests too much fiber content and no moisture. Too much either way is hard on your dog to pass. By firm it is generally meant that it holds its shape for picking up if you do that. That's the easiest way to tell, but the reason for wanting that consistency of poop isn't for the soul purpose of picking up if I'm reading your question properly.

I feed raw, but have healthy dogs who I'm not worried about bacteria with. Dogs have a shortened digestive tract to help with the handling of bacteria, but definitely some dogs should not have it and I don't have an issue with someone cooking meat for a healthy dog either. Certain meats I will cook based on potential diseases carried. Heavy carbs I don't feed though. Carbs feed cancer so I keep them to a minimum. Keto is something that has become a growing interest of mine, but as I said we really do need more solid scientific info and studies done on ALL of these alternative diets. There are valid arguments for most of them I think in some form or another.

We do have a review section so if you've read or seen any good documentaries and want to give it a review for others we would love to see it.

Just putting this out there. Many dog breeds do just fine on a high carb diet, that is found with most kibble diets and most cooked diets. However, huskies are not one of those breeds. I have mentioned this scientific study in numerous dog food related groups. It makes sense, take the dog breed and figure out it's origins. Huskies were bred in Siberia, not a lot of agriculture to be found there. Because they lack certain enzymes, most huskies in general do best on a low carb diet, you would be hard pressed to find grains as well as potatoes and peas in Siberia. Here is a a scientific study, a lot of reading, but will explain why certain dogs do much better on a low carb diet. http://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1004016

I did watch pet fooled. And yes they did spotlight on some very important things, and I do read many things from Hixton, Mercola, Dr Dodds, etc Sadly too many people can not afford to feed a species appropriate food. We feed the best food that we can afford, and our dogs do well on. I would be hard pressed in this forum to imagine that any of us feed a low quality food that has food dyes in it, as an example. Most higher quality foods contain no dyes. And although most of us do not feed Purina, I will say that Purina spends a ton of money, always has spent a lot of money on research. So there are many camps out there concerning dog food. lastly on the subject of poop. If your dog doesn't have consistent firm poops, 2 things come to mind, 1) your dog is not utilizing all of their food, as an example, if you feed carrots and their poop has carrots in it it is pointless to include as part of the main diet, dogs do not process food like we do. 2) dogs that do not have consistent firm poops can develop anal gland issues, mind you, us humans do not have anal glands like cats and dogs have, we can not compare humans to animals, that is why we go back to the basic argument of what is appropriate for our pets to eat.

<< boy, I'm glad someone got this back on the topic; my apologies for helping to get it so far off topic >>

I have to say this, I understand there are many opinions out there, I am new here. I put the poop thing out there as an example of what people believe, "it's gotta be this way, look at this, look for that", most are bull, Just like kibble is good for their teeth. Just for the record, my pups poop is firm. But I do believe kibble killed my first husky, not right away, but he died much too early. from studies on dog food and problems they cause, kibble will never touch the stomach of any dog I care for again. I have an acre fenced in for them to play and they do get plenty of exercise. They do get fed fish too, but for me I do not believe that taking a species out of one environment with no vegetation means that they cannot eat vegetation, the changes that I have personally seen with the Huskies I care for have been night and day. The pasta may not be the best for them, but I do believe they need a base, a filler so to speak, what do you recommend?

Sadly I am going to say over breeding is a much bigger issue with longevity of our pets vs food. What do I recommend, I personally feed a partial raw diet, so kibble that is grain free and in my budget along with meat, fat and raw meaty bones. If you don't have a strict budget I would go with The Honest Kitchen or Grandma Lucy's base mixes along with raw, my preference is Grandma Lucy's, just can't afford to feed it exclusively. And yes it has carbs, but it is low carb, lower than most kibbles, and it is freeze dried or in the case of honest kitchen dehydrated, so it is closer to fresh food. Those brands also allow for people who prefer to cook their meat vs feeding raw. Home cooking isn't bad, but unfortunately, most people do not give it balance and also include far too much carbs. As long as it's balanced, as in proper calcium, minerals, vitamins, and fish oils and your dogs do well on it, then great! I can not feed either of my girls pasta, oh lord I would be cleaning that up for days I did try another dehydrated food and my one girl pooped carrots for a couple of days, and she is a gsd. Those who do include vegies and other starchy items, typically home cooked will follow 75% of the diet as meat, 15% vegies and starches (typically rice or sweet potatoes), 5% liver and 5% other secreting organs, along with a calcium and daily vitamin supplements. As Jenn mentioned in her post, most follow something they read online, and the balancing is wrong. feel free to pm me, and I can give you some places to research on home cooked diets for dogs, that does follow proper balances.

I feed fairly similar to renee. A little bit of quality kibble to save on costs but I feed mostly raw following a BARF model, so mine do get some carbs through veggies and fruit, but it's a very low amount. I do have one dog who has a tumor on his side, though benign thankfully, but that is the main reason why I limit my carbs even lower than most BARF models do and have started keto research.

I agree, there's some really odd information out there where kibble is concerned. Much stems from early kibble sales and marketing and have been debunked in recent years. Separating fact from fiction can be a daunting task. Extra sets of eyes and ears always helps and the rise in actual pet nutritionists rather than just vets relying on the quick overview of pet food in vet school I think is helping to spread the word and information about what is right and wrong as best as we know it at the moment. It's an ever changing industry and I believe it will continue to change as we learn more.

Hi Everyone,

I have had my Ghost since August and he is a pretty picky eater. I started him off with Nutro Max Grain Free food and he really didn't seem to like it. So I changed him to Petco's brand, WholeHearted, the salmon and pea one. He was good with that a while, but recently he has lost interest. I started putting a Turkey bone broth on his food to entice him and it seemed to work for about a week, but now he has no interest in it. I was thinking about switching him to Merrick but wasn't sure. DogFoodAdvisor.com says it is a Meat based food that they "enthusiastically recommend" but I'm nervous about spending that much and him hating it. Also, if I keep to the same brand and just change flavors when he gets bored, is that generally ok? He is my first husky, I've only had cats for the last 12+ years, so Im trying to do my research but it is still very foreign to me.