So, Tetra has just hit 5 month of age yesterday! The past month she's only gained about 4 pounds and I was wondering if that was normal for 4-5 months of age? Also I'm curious what your experiences have been with growth. When did they hit full height and weight? I've seen so many things online that I'm not sure what to believe anymore. I know she'll be about 40-45 pounds based off her parents weights, but will she end up being bigger since she won't be spayed till after her first heat? Also since she has an inverted vulva, I was originally going to wait to spay till her first heat cycle to see if it wold push out naturally, but I'm not sure if I should just spay now and have the corrective surgery already so she doesn't have to worry about having more UTI's. She won't be having her first heat till 10 months to a year or so since her mom was a late bloomer (a little over a year for her first heat) so I'm assuming she'll have hers a little later too. Now there's another problem. She's started hating her TOTW pacific stream. I got some of the Prairie one and she doesn't want to eat that either. Are there any other food recommendations that you all have or is raw the best way to go? If I went to a raw food diet, what kinds of food should I be feeding her and how much? She loves raw eggs and chicken so far, but I'm not sure what else to try. She hasn't been eating all that much at all lately since she doesn't like her food and I'm just concerned she isn't getting all the nutrients she needs. She also lost about a pound in the past week from under eating. She only has been eating about a cup a day and I have to tempt her to eat the kibble every time with raw eggs and treats and even then she still picks out the kibble and only eats the egg or chicken or licks the chicken broth. Any and all advice is welcomed and thanks in advance for reading this whole post!

What's her current height and weight, how much are you feeding her and how often?

Dogs tend (not an absolute, here) to reach most of their adult height in the first year with a bit of additional in the next 6 -12 months. Adult weight often does not keep up in the first year and they are scrawny things...much like a 15 year old boy. By 2 years most (if not all medium sized and smaller) will have reached their adult weight.

Raw feeding is a real commitment to research, sourcing and prep. To my mind, also not very convenient if you travel at all.

Your pup may just be in a temporary lull as far as appetite and growth are concerned. Personally, I would not be chasing the "what will my dog eat" train and buy a food, stick with it, offering the usual amount at the usual times, leaving it for 20 minutes or so, then picking it up, not offering ANY snacks/food etc until the next normally scheduled meal time. If you are training her with treats, I would use her usual kibble. A healthy dog will eat what it needs...some, like mine, will eat wayyyyy more than it needs.

I'm unsure of her current height(I'll measure when I'm home if you want), but Saturday she was 23.6 pounds and this morning she was 22.8 pounds and that really concerned me since she's a puppy and should be gaining weight not losing it. She's currently the lowest weight out of her 4 sisters who are 26-30 pounds and she seems to be a little taller and lankier than at least 2 of them. I currently feed 2 cups a day, One in the morning and one at night. This has been going on with her not eating much for about 2-3 weeks now. I've tied not giving her anything aside from a few training treats for food during the days and she still doesn't seem to eat a lot even after a day of a lot of activity. I also found out that 2 of her sisters didn't like the pacific stream flavor as well so I was thinking maybe she just doesn't like fish. Yesterday she was super lethargic and had no will to do anything and honestly I was super concerned. She even cuddled on the couch with me and she NEVER does that. I gave her a chicken breast this morning because she was going to day camp for the first time and I didn't want her to go on a totally empty stomach since she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, and she seemed to brighten up after eating the chicken. Since we got her though she's kind of just ate as she pleased throughout the day, but she doesn't have access to her food all day or anything. We've been feeding her in her crate so she has access morning, a little in the afternoon, and night, and she still won't eat. When I gave her the Prairie food last night she went in, smelled it, and walked out and went on the bed to sleep. I was hoping a change in flavor might've been enough to get her to eat but at that point all she had had to eat was a raw egg, a tiny bit of kibble she picked up with the egg(both at around 8am), and couple treats from training(around 5pm).

Catering to her pickiness is only training her that it is acceptable behavior to hold out for what she wants.

Raw is always going to be the best diet but it requires proper knowledge and usage as Amy pointed out. You need to put in the necessary research before you decide to venture into raw feeding. There are a few threads in the topic here that can offer some starting advice. Amy also mentioned the challenge of raw feeding during travel. To that I would say that there are some relatively easy solutions such as traveling with a prepared or commercial frozen/refrigerated raw meal or using a dehydrated raw food that you can simply rehydrate on demand. They are more costly but for occasional travel make it pretty darn easy to stick with raw.

If your vet is not concerned about her weight then I wouldn't be either. The weight difference you mention isn't much, that could easily be the difference between an empty and a full bladder there being less than a pound.

Genetics play the biggest role in growth. Some linesmature quicker and others slower. My boy didn't reach his mature weight until 3 yrs of age and was a lanky boy for quite a while. Even siblings grow at different rates so don't worry so much about where her siblings are in comparison to her.

I think it's kind of normal. Puppies eat like they've never eaten before when you first get them, but there is a point it levels off and becomes more "adult" like in terms of how they eat/how much they eat. Honestly, I don't remember exactly the point it happened to mine (age wise) but I'm sure it happened. And, of course, the amount of weight they gain, becomes slower and more progressive as well. They tend to sleep less and be more active, than the first month or two after you get them. The only thing that kind of concerns me, is you say she was a bit lethargic. Is she better today?

All she wanted to do yesterday was sleep. Even when the trainer came she noticed that Tetra wasn't totally herself. I think it was because she wasn't eating much because today she went to day camp and I wanted to make sure she ate something before going so I gave her a chicken breast and an egg and she seemed to perk up a bit. Then they said she was super playful at camp till she tired out and then she just kind of chilled and kept to herself. She seems to be a lot more energetic since getting home from camp and even ate like 1/4 cup of food(High Prairie) just now on her own with no enticing. I was mostly concerned with her not eating much because she wasn't even eating a cup a day some days even when she was more active. She hadn't eaten anything since what I gave her this morning till she had the little bit of food just now before bed and I know she was running all around today so she should've been more hungry I think. She does seem to be sleeping a lot more now than she used to, but we've only now started having her leashed around the house for training so she's kind of forced to sleep more since she's always by our sides and can't run around when she pleases.

How much time has passed since she was on meds for the UTI? That mighta messed with her stomach some if it was fairly recent. Whenever a husky acts "different" it worries me, Mishka also goes through little episodes where she won't eat as much (mostly skipping the breakfast meal but eating the dinner meal) but being "super lethargic" tells me something was up with Tetra and I'm thinking it wasn't the not eating very much, to me that's just more a symptom of whatever was bothering her. Sounds like the change of scenery did her some good though so I'm not *as* worried when I read that. No farts or bloating or anything like that? She poops good and everything?

Oh lord she's been farting a TON lately. Or at least around me she is. They're rancid haha. She's not bloating though. I', going to take her to work tomorrow with me and have one of the vets look at her and make sure everything's okay. She hasn't been as lethargic since, but she's been sleeping a lot more still. She finished the UTI meds a little over a week ago and they checked her urine for me again last Saturday and didn't see any crystals or bacteria. So far today she hasn't eaten anything. I'm debating giving her a raw egg or some chicken just so she eats something. Do you think I should? Also how do you feel about Blue Buffalo food? I have a bag of their puppy food and was thinking of trying that and see if she likes it.

LOL, I feel your pain, Mishka had the farts the other night that had me gasping for air. Of course she was on the bed right next to me letting them go too! There was one, that I heard, and she lifted her head and kinda looked around (as if she could pin it on someone else, LOLOL) and get this, buried her head under the blanket so she wouldn't have to smell it! No lie!

Ok, so I read up on the farts and for the most part they are caused by things in the food that don't get fully digested or something like that. Mishka eats good food though, but...she had a certain treat that I think is too rich for her. It's a rabbit chew. Tetra is eating TOTW, and I'm sure it's a good food as many members here feed it, so with both our dogs, I don't think the actual kibble is causing the farts, but the farts are a symptom of something, and possibly why Tetra isn't eating very much. Maybe.

With Blue Buffalo, I'm pretty sure others will tell you not to feed it. Both Kohdi and Mishka ate Blue Freedom as puppies, mixed later on with Natures Domain until it became fully Natures Domain. They eat Acana now but I had no issues with Blue. You will have to decide whether Blue's lawsuit/dishonesty is enough to make you not feed it. I have my own opinion but really, what we feed has to be a personal choice because every dog is different and I don't think it's right to be *told* what not to feed.. Since you have it, I personally don't see the harm in putting some in her bowl and see how she reacts to it.

Mishka SEEMS intolerant to chicken, in foods, but no issues eating chicken bought and/or cooked. So I'm thinking Tetra would be ok as well eating chicken and even raw eggs, to get something in her system. Since the meds were only finished a bit over a week ago, that could be the culprit, these meds can play havoc with their stomachs. Do you ever feed Tetra yogurt? It's good for them. I give mine Greek yogurt, unflavored, and they love it too. It's good for their stomachs.

I hope she gets to feeling better soon!

Every time Tetras been farting the past three days its when we're on the couch and it reeks for like 3 minutes. I think she might be constipated. The past few times she's gone to poop, I've notices some of the time she walks around in a poop squat for a minute and nothing comes out. Maybe that's why she's farting so much too? Or would her lack of eating make her more constipated? I feel like I should know this since I'm going to school for vet tech(only in my second semester though) and have been working at a vet hospital for the past 4 months or so haha. Tetras sister has yogurt all the tie and loves it, but I keep forgetting to get some for Tetra when I go to the stores. So far it doesn't seem like she has any allergies either, but she does seem to be pretty picky. I'll let you guys know if they find anything going on when she goes with me to the vet tomorrow! Thanks so much for all the help so far!

But she can poop thought, right? Any chance she swallowed something she shouldn't have, like a sock?

Not that I know of. She's been on leash most of the time in the house lately and she hasn't ever tried to eat something she shouldn't. Even underwear she just chews on and is done. The last time I remember seeing her poop was Wednesday night on our walk. Other than that she hasn't pooped for me since and my boyfriend said she hasn't pooped for him today at all either. She could've pooped at camp though but I have no idea since we weren't there

Since she's not eating, she also wouldn't have much in the way of poop either, so that could be why. As long as you're confident she didn't swallow anything, like a sock, strands of rope from a rope toy, basically things that could cause a blockage, I'd say you're ok. A blockage would be a medical emergency though.

Yes! Please update us when you know something.

So they did a basic PE and a fecal to start and see if anything wad wrong. She wasn't painful and had no bloating. Her temp was 102.2 so still within normal dog limits. I just realized I forgot to weigh her before I left like I had wanted to but that doesn't really matter haha. In her fecal, the float was negative but they found more bacteria than normal in her direct, so they put her on antibiotics for that and said just keep an eye on her and see if this will help. If nothing changes in a week and a half, I'll probably take her back in. So aside from too much bacteria in her intestines, she seems healthy. The diagnosis he gave for the bacteria is gastroenteritis. Also around 2 am she had diarrhea in the house, but just now she had a normal bowel movement. Not sure what the diarrhea was caused by, but I'm thinking maybe it was the bacteria.

Or the antibiotic...antibiotics are notorious for causing diarrhea. If it becomes a problem, you can give a tablespoon of yogurt with live cultures.

She hadn't started any antibiotic before the diarrhea happened.

It amazes me how closely Tetra is following exactly what Mishka went through, right down to the gastreontitis, which happened right after her last UTI. That's when I thought she was going to die and rushed her to the E.R. She wasn't eating, and had the most wicked diareah. And now that I think of it, was very tired/lethargic. Because she was having trouble pooping, I had worried she had a blockage because she had a rawhide bone during that week. Then she started the diareah and I was glad atleast she was pooping. The vet had diagnosed her with gastreontitis, she got some meds for it, and eventually she got back to her old young self.

I haven't gotten that cranberry stuff, but I'm going to soon with my next order from chewy. What meds did she get for the gastroenteritis? If you remember that is. Tetra is on Metrondizole for 5 days and Proviable for 10. Here's hoping it's nothing worse than that, but if she seems to be following Mishka's path then I'm going to say meds will help and then she'll be fine.

The cranberry supplement, to me, is something that works. I wouldn't suggest it if I had any doubts about it. I know several people (even a few members in here) who have dogs that had constant uti issues and after starting a cranberry supplement, they were resolved. On Amazon I even read all the reviews with each brand and some of them were like carbon copies of what was happening with Mishka, and after getting them on the supplement, no more. The one I get, Cranadin, is like 75 pills, lasts like 6 weeks I think.

I will look better for Mishka's vet receipts tomorrow. I found her initial UTI receipts but not the ER visit receipts (I'm painting the interior of the house and stuff isn't where it's supposed to be at the moment) I know when I brought her in, they started her on IV's to rehydrate her, they did X-rays, etc. when it comes to meds though, they are just not something my brain puts into memory, haha. So I'll need to look for the receipts they gave me. I'm pretty sure it's even posted somewhere in here, but no clue where to start looking, haha. I looked in the post I made when her UTI's just started but it's not there.

I'm sure Tetra will be her old self very soon, her issues don't seem quite as severe as Mishka's were and Mishka was back to her old self within a few days of her ER visit. Mishka was pretty bad off, and of course it happened on the weekend when her regular vet isn't open.

She's already back to being more energetic and even ran with me tonight! I've started riding my bike so she can run a little instead of boring walks all the time and she gets super excited every time she sees me pull our my bike now! She's still sleeping a little more tan normal, but I know its just the medication and getting over all of this. I just ordered the cranberry supplements so here's hoping they'll work for us! I got the 21 pill bottle to start and see how that goes first because they're pretty expensive haha.

They always have something wrong when it's the most inconvenient timing. Tetra's first UTI I found on Christmas so I went to emergency because we were flying in 2 days and I wasn't sure my work could squeeze her in the next day. I don't know how I have any money to spoil her anymore with how much I spend on her for medical things already while I'm still in school and trying to get by myself haha.

It's not a huge deal as to what drugs Mishka got, I was just curious if they were the same. I haven't had my pharmacology class yet so I'm unsure as to what everything is yet and how to pronounce most of them as well. I'm sure painting a house with husky hair all over is quite a task. Have you ever accidentally painted a hair to the wall?

I'm glad she's feeling better already! It truly sucks when our dogs are sick and aren't themselves. When Mishka was sick, even Kohdi was moping around which made it even sadder!

Which cranberry supplement did you get? Yes! They are kinda pricey but so is the vet when they get a UTI, that's how I've been justifying spending the money, LOL. I get mine from Amazon, and you can kinda shop around on there for the least expensive. With Prime you get free shipping and stuff. And I do know what you mean as far as not really having the money to spend with Mishka's ER Bill, I had to open a CareCredit account, it was just toooooo many vet appointments in a short amount of time with the ER visit being the final blow at almost $2000, only to be followed up by more vet visits to make sure she was ok. It's paid off now and I like the fact that I have it now in case something big happens.

I havnt looked for her invoices yet, I'll try and get to that tonight. I'm pretty stoked I got the first phase of my little project done in the house so some things can go back where they belong, lol. And yeah, I have no doubt there is dog fluff somewhere in the paint, lol, if I can't see it though, it doesn't exist in the backyard, I KNOW I got Husky fluff in the cement when I did the flagstone, but I do not care, lol. I think back in the olden days, hairs were mixed with plaster or something to make it stronger, wasn't it??? I'm not sure but I think I read that somewhere, and if it's true, this backyard flagstone isn't going anywhere, hahaha.

Keep us updated!

Ahh, if I'm off base, I apologize, but I THINK it might still be too early to be running with Tetra? I think a pup is fine running by itself (or other dogs and stuff) on things like grass, where they run, stop and rest, etc. but structured runs I think can damage the joints and stuff if done too early. I hope someone corrects me if I'm wrong, I can get things mixed up in my head, a lot.

I got the Cranadin you recommended and we started it today! She's doing a lot better but she had diarrhea today twice and I'm not sure if it's just the meds getting it all out or what haha. I've been contemplating a car card, but I don't have too high of vet bills and hopefully I never will (fingers crossed). It's nice to work at the vet because I get discounts and can bring Tetra in anytime to get her checked out quick which is what I did the other day haha.

Thankfully I haven't had to deal with too much shedding yet since it's still just puppy coat coming out, but I'm already prepping her for coat blowing by brushing a couple times a week. I used to work at a petsmart in a grooming salon and have had to bathe waaaayy too many huskies who cried the whole time they were being brushed so I'm trying to avoid that for Tetra. As much as I love a husky howl and cry, my co-workers hated it and thought I was crazy for wanting a husky haha. I've also tried my best to desensitize her to being touched everywhere and my one vet said the other day he was impressed by how desensitized she was when he was checking everything.

About the running, yes you would be correct. You're suppose to wait till their growth plates close to really start running them which is closer to a year for huskies. I don't do it often, just every couple days, and I only do that for like 1/4-1/2 of a mile because I don't want to push her too much yet. She doesn't usually run the whole thing either. A lot of it is speed walking haha. I'm mainly trying to get her used to being by my bike (and get a little more energy out at the same time) since I want to have her do bikejoring possibly at some point or just run while I bike since I'm too lazy to run with her all the time once she's old enough haha. We've only done it about 4 times so far but she seems to be super excited to run already, which I'll take as a good thing!

Nice! The other supplement I liked was called Cranimals, it's a powder you can mix with their food, or yogurt, and I think even their water. And it worked too! I only changed cuz the Cranadin is sold in larger amounts, just meaning I didn't have to remember to order it as often, haha. I suppose I coulda just used their pre-order option though where it's just delivered at a certain interval that I request.

My friends Doberman sheds more than my two, LOLOL. But...the hairs are short and black whereas a husky is white and longer, makes a difference, LOL.

With Mishka, it was a vet visit charge, lab charges, prescription charges, and once even canned food (which she wouldn't touch) when she wasn't eating anything. It got really expensive. I'm so glad Kohdi is so healthy!!! then her ER was just ridiculous with its charges, I think the X-rays alone were like $300. The supplement has more than paid for itself, not to mention Mishka doesn't have to endure the pain and just being sick.

Yeah, I understand with the running. I am one that is guilty of taking ALL my huskies on structured walks too soon. I'd let them play around on lawns and stuff, I don't think I was too bad with it, but...yeah, I did it.

When I took Tetra to the ER it was $100 just to be seen and then it was another $80 for meds that I could've gotten so much cheaper anywhere else so I totally understand where the ER expenses come from. Usually if they don't eat the canned food, you can return it if it's unopened, but it's probably a little late for that now. I'm super excited for this cranadin to avoid more bills and pain than needed. I had contemplated just doing the surgery and spay now so she won't have to worry about it anymore, but I figure why put her through a possibly unnecessary surgery if I don't have to.

I probably let Tetra run around too much at dog parks and stuff, but so far she hasn't had any issues and I'm not forcing her to do so much running around, so I figure she's fine. Some people run with their dogs way too early and they all seem to be fine. Random thing, but I've noticed Tetra has been jumping higher and further to get on couches and jump over things and it's so cool to watch how nimble she is. For being such a clumsy dog, she sure knows how to impress me

Mishka's meds started at like $85...by the third UTI, and the med change, I think it was $110. Then each and every visit was a dr. exam fee and lab fee, even though we already knew she had another UTI, but yeah, I understand the reasoning, it was just frustrating. I'm just glad they haven't come back! And yeah, I went the same route with opting not to do surgery, however, if she ever starts having issues again, surgery it will have to be.

Runs/running at the dog park are perfectly fine as far as I know...its structured runs where it's continuous and on pavement/hard ground and stuff that aren't good. I don't think damage is usually seen til later in life when they can develop arthritis and stuff.

Oh! Huskies are nimble creatures!