Hey everyone, hope all is well!

I have a quick question, my male intact husky is 3 years old and only weighs 48-50lbs for the last 2 years. I wanted to know how I can get him to gain a couple of more pounds because he is fairly skinny right now.
His mom weighs 52 lbs and the dad weighs 56 lbs.
He currently eats orijen six fish, a high protein kibble and does good on it.

Previously when I tried to get him to put on some pounds he would just have major diarrhea accidents in the house for days  until his tummy settles again.
I think this is because the protein got too high when I upped his kibble.


So I wanted to know what can I give him to add a bit more weight on, maybe some sweet potatoes or some yogurt?.......Without giving him diarrhea.

What does your vet think about the weight. I ask because i habe similar issues with spider. She is height/length bigger then my gsd, but weighs 47 lbs (shadow is around 90). We have done yogurt, kefir,olive oil, adding raw meat in, and free feeding and as much as she can eat she is just thin.

So i was told by my vets office that the northern breeds tend to be on the lanky/thin side unless they are spayed/neutered or hitting senior years. When my aunt and uncle where here from maryland in july they remarked how spider looked good and my other 3 need to go on a diet.

This time of year spider will eat as much as i let her and still not gain weight.

I have Avalanche an Alaskan Husky who's about 50 pounds, tall lean and lanky;  I also have Sky a Siberian Husky who's about 50 pounds, short, squat, "packed" and 6 inches shorter than Avalanche.  I've tried different ways to get some weight on Avalanche and nothing seems to work.

He's actually a good weight for his size and, although, "skinny" in good health.  

You need to be really careful about putting weight on them because it may become a problem later when they shouldn't weigh as much as they do --- getting it off is NOT any easier than putting it on.  (( At least if you're a dog ... ))

Most dogs are overweight so a dog that is the proper weight can often be perceived as too skinny. If his weight has been stable for a number of years then I wouldn't be too concerned with it. You should be able to feel the last two ribs down their sides. Now if you can see/feel all the ribs down the sides then could definitely use a little up. it will be difficult to put weight on though without changing food if the current food gives him the runs. Adding extras can throw his nutritional balance off and cause a lot of damage, not to mention pickiness. If needing to add calories I would opt to add some fully balanced canned dog food as a topper and not just straight meat or potatoes. Another option to put weight on is to just get him fixed. It will adjust his hormones and level them out. Unfixed dogs hormones tend to roller coaster around with the seasons and with other unfixed dogs around. It can help level out the personality of some males who get a little "weird" when an in-heat female is near, and that leveling can assist in their bodies retaining weight easier.

Lostmaniac wrote:

What does your vet think about the weight. I ask because i habe similar issues with spider. She is height/length bigger then my gsd, but weighs 47 lbs (shadow is around 90).  We have done yogurt, kefir,olive oil, adding raw meat in, and free feeding and as much as she can eat she is just thin.

So i was told by my vets office that the northern breeds tend to be on the lanky/thin side unless they are spayed/neutered or hitting senior years.  When my aunt and uncle where here from maryland in july they remarked how spider looked good and my other 3 need to go on a diet.

This time of year spider will eat as much as i let her and still not gain weight.

The vet just sorta shrugged it off and didn't give me a straight answer. It's crazy because when most people hear that he's only 50 lbs they're like, "I thought huskies weigh a lot more and are much bigger".

Would adding a bit of yogurt or olive oil to his kibble help him add a couple more pounds while avoiding loose stools?

aljones wrote:

I have Avalanche an Alaskan Husky who's about 50 pounds, tall lean and lanky;  I also have Sky a Siberian Husky who's about 50 pounds, short, squat, "packed" and 6 inches shorter than Avalanche.  I've tried different ways to get some weight on Avalanche and nothing seems to work.

He's actually a good weight for his size and, although, "skinny" in good health.  

You need to be really careful about putting weight on them because it may become a problem later when they shouldn't weigh as much as they do --- getting it off is NOT any easier than putting it on.  (( At least if you're a dog ... ))

I guess you're right, it's hard to believe huskies only weigh this much, when there are golden retrievers and smaller Pitbull's that weigh a lot more and aren't considered overweight.

Guys since you probably have seen alot of skinny, normal and overweight huskies...here is a recent picture of my husky showing his side ribcage. Do you all think he is a bit too skinny and needs to gain a couple more pounds or is he in good shape? Thanks!

Besides being a great looking dog, I wouldn't suggest "helping" him gain anything, he looks really good.

As you said, people think that Huskies are, well, Husky and when they're at their best weight, they're not. They're a svelte, sleek dog. It really bugs me when people come on with a picture of their "great looking dog" who's 25+ lbs overweight. Puppies are little balls of fat but they should lose all of that as they grow up. The best looking dogs I've seen are typically considered underweight by people who don't know dogs - and some who think they do.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with your pup - except his back leg is longer than it should be (( the perspective of the picture ))

He looks perfect to me. Standard for make husky is 45-60 pounds. My smaller male is around 53#. We're won't discuss my big boy

amymeme wrote:

He looks perfect to me. Standard for make husky is 45-60 pounds. My smaller male is around 53#.  We're won't discuss my big boy

Haha how big is he?!

aljones wrote:

Besides being a great looking dog, I wouldn't suggest "helping" him gain anything, he looks really good.

As you said, people think that Huskies are, well, Husky and when they're at their best weight, they're not.  They're a svelte, sleek dog.  It really bugs me when people come on with a picture of their "great looking dog" who's 25+ lbs overweight.  Puppies are little balls of fat but they should lose all of that as they grow up.  The best looking dogs I've seen are typically considered underweight by people who don't know dogs - and some who think they do.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with your pup - except his back leg is longer than it should be (( the perspective of the picture ))

Thanks! I appreciate your advice. I was just under the impression that I might have not been feeding him enough and that's why he was fairly light, seeing many 70+lb huskies online!

People often can't tell the difference between a Malamute and a Husky (to be honest, I can't unless I stop and look)  and that Mal *is* a much bigger, heavier dog.  Considering that Huskies were bred to pull medium sized loads, quickly over long(ish) distances they can't afford the body weight that a Mal is apt to have.  Mals were bred to pull (much) larger loads, in many cases over the same distances but because of their weight and the loads they pull they're much slower that a Sibe.

To give you an idea, here's a blog post from the AKC comparing a Sibe and a Mal ... and before you think I've gotten too far off topic, look at the legs and body of the Sibes in the pictures and I think you'll see why people confuse them and expect a BIG Sibe to be a BIG dog.

Definitely not in need of additional weight. At least from what I see in the perspective of the picture posted.

Looks fat in comparison to spider.