Nala is 1.5 years old. She is very picky about her food. I’ve tried many kibbles and toppers, etc. We have given her cooked chicken, scrambled eggs, tablespoon of peanut butter, and rice. After much research I realize that I guess I have one of those bad breed huskies. I don’t care I still love her skinny unfluffy self.
But I want her to gain weight. That area between her hips and ribs really bothers me.
She was eating TOW, we would switch between flavors cuz we thought she was bored of one or the other. We now have her on Nutro. Which she really loves. We give her 1.5 cups in the AM and 1.5 cups at night with whatever we add to it that day.
I can also feel her spine easily. It makes me cry at times. Like I’m failing her. I do not take her food away all the time but I do do it.
She also had scary episode of being hospitalized for pancreatitis. So we are careful about what she eats.
In the picture she is current 37.2 lbs and we just finished blowing her coat out so mind you she looks way skinnier which is why I am writing.
We used to Walk/Run daily. But we haven’t lately.

Is this normal? Will this area get any wider? Will this improve with running?

The cups a day LOT of food for a small female husky. My 80 pound male gets about 1.5 cups daily and my 52 pound male gets a bit over 1 cup. The food has 450 calories per cup.

At least on these pics, she looks ok to me, she should have a waist from top view and a decent tuck from the side. Ribs, spine and hips should be palpable but not sharp. If she's eating that much food and staying skinny, then I e would check with vet about worms or disease ((thyroid, diabetes, adrenal just a few guesses off the top of my head) but first, I'd make sure her weight isn't normal ... Really at 1.5 yrs they haven't fully filled out yet.

My 2.5 year old female gets 1 cup per day (1/2 cup twice). My 76lb (BIG) male, gets 2 cups (1 cup twice per day). They run/walk at least 3 miles per day, and in the winter they actually lose weight because we run about 5 miles per day.  They look pretty slim and healthy to me.  My big male (wolf) is a picky eater.  They both have slim hips. Wolf’s chest and shoulders get huge when we run a lot, but he always has slim hips.

To give you an idea of how much a Huskies coat fluff "adds" to the appearance of weight, take DarkDiamonds (post above) male Husky "Wolf" and my male Husky Kohdi (who is a bit fluffier than Wolf) and then guess who is heavier...I would guess my Kohdi looks heavier but in reality, Wolf is heavier than Kohdi by 16 lbs!

Also, I can easily feel their spines on both my huskies. She looks great to me.

Huskies are notorious for being considered underweight when they're often at their best weight.

Picture this, you're young - let's say in your 20's - run 5+ miles in a daily basis, make sure you eat the right food and get enough sleep ... do you think you're going to have a beer gut? So with that, assuming that your pup is in good health, gets enough exercise, gets a decent food - she's not going to have a 'beer gut' either.

My description of a well shaped Husky is sveldt and, I think, most people who have huskies will agree with that. (( In my opinion, most dogs are overweight - and sadly, most veterinarians seem to encourage that extra pound or 20 and I don't understand why! ))

From your two pictures, you dog doesn't look underweight. Oh she could stand to put on a couple of pounds but if you try to help her gain weight, you'll probably end up with a dog who's at the other end of the spectrum and you'll be trying to figure out how to help her lose weight!

The one you took from above her actually looks good and the one where she's laying down shows a nice tummy tuck. (Think of a 'six pack' on your favourite boyfriend (or just friend if you're a guy)) As @Darkdiamond says, I can feel the backbone on two of my three and, unless a human is grossly overweight, you can easily feel their backbone as well!

Why do you think she's underweight? If it's something someone else (to include your vet) has said, then I might tend to disagree, as I said she could gain a couple of pounds ... but not too much more at all.

ETA: The best pictures for us here are one that you've taken from above, like your first one, but where you're in line with the dog (or call it head on so we're looking down the dogs back) the other is one that's taken from the side at the level of the dog. That's the best way for us to really help you ....

Thank you for all replies.
She doesn’t always eat all the food she is given. But yes I want her to gain weight. In the morning she barely touches her food. Someone mentioned like lunch and late dinner. I think that’s more what she does. I give her 1 -1.5 kibble with a full Merrick can at night. If she has an appetite she will eat it. She is not spayed.
People says she looks skinny and small. Especially when she looses her coat. I think she is skinny but then again. I just got new puppy who is fluffy and eats anything. So maybe with her cost being gone and next to him she does look underweight.
37 lbs is somewhat at the low end of their weight scale. Yes I would like for her to put on just a bit more weight.

With what she is eating. How long will it take for us to see any weight gain? Is she burning the extra calories we are giving her in just her daily wrestling with the pup?
How long does it take for a new coat to come in?

Here are some pictures.

First of all, you probably have a girl work a coat more similar to a working husky a plush coat, show husky. Girl teeming me a lot of mobezilla's dogs

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t16806-team-yukikaze-mushing-lure-coursing-dock-diving-updated-06-04-18-fast-cat-weekend?highlight=Dock+diving

I know you want her to gain weight, but seeing those pictures, I think she looks great. An animal is not going to starve itself to death unless there’s an underlying medical issue. Even if she’s picky, she’ll eat when she’s hungry. When wolf gets picky, I just leave the bowl down for a half hour or so. If he doesn’t eat, it gets put away. I try not to add anything to entice them to eat, since they will get smart and expect it every time. The only thing I add to dry kibble is salmon oil, which the stuff I have is stinky so they love it. After I got Ziva, Wolf’s pickyness went away for the most part, because if he didn’t eat, she’d eat it!

I wouldn't worry too much about her weight. As long as she is getting her exercise and eating she is fine. My husky Sasha only weighs about 40 lbs and she is 3 years old. Siberian husky's regulate their food intake. Basically they only eat when they are hungry or done enough exercise to justify eating a lot. Huskys eat until they are full, not until they fall over like other breeds. Boil chicken breasts are a great topper! Also keep in mind they are picky eaters!! I know what you are going through.

Also keep in mind female husky's should weigh between 35-50 lbs and be between 21-22" at the shoulders. You can look the figures up online, but that is according to the AKC. It's better to have her on the thin verses overweight. It's less stress on her bones. I read that if you look down at your dog from above and from the rib cage toward the tail the body should go in and then out slightly. That's one way to tell that your dog is not overweight and at an ideal weight. If you look down at your dog and the body does not go inward and is the same size all the way then your dog is overweight.

amymeme wrote:

First of all, you probably have a girl work a coat more similar to a working husky  a plush coat, show husky.    Girl teeming me a lot of mobezilla's dogs

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t16806-team-yukikaze-mushing-lure-coursing-dock-diving-updated-06-04-18-fast-cat-weekend?highlight=Dock+diving

Okay perfect. See how her body goes in slightly after the rib cage and then comes out at the hips. That's exactly what you want to see. Sasha looks the same way and yes you can feel the bones in her spine. They say you should be able to feel the dogs ribs, but not see them. She is absolutely fine. I think you are actually over feeding her. That's why she isn't eating. I would say once a day and half of what you give 1.5 cups total. That's it!

Try Nutri-Source Super Performance, but make sure you gradually introduce it to her. Sasha gained about 3lbs on it, but it was over 6-8 months. It's a high quality food with more protein and fats. Look them up online. I agree with Dark Diamond. They do become wise and expect the good stuff every night. They are very smart!