Despite unseasonably cool temperatures, our mushing season has come to an official end, marked by Blitz’s neuter surgery. His recovery is going fine, but it looks like we’re headed into a heat wave next week.
Since I won’t have mushing to talk about for a bit, I've decided to start blogging about some other daily aspects of owning a bunch of athletic dogs. To start, I’m going to answer a pretty common question I get:
“How do you afford to feed so many dogs?”
Siberian Huskies are remarkably efficient beasts—they were bred to be. My active sled dogs get about two cups of high-quality dry kibble a day. Right now, I’m feeding Annamaet Extra 26%, (a $66.99 40 lb bag lasts about five weeks) which offers "increased fat content making it even more appealing to active dogs, canine athletes, working dogs and bully breeds”. Retired Dexter has been getting various weight-management kibbles because he’s prone to chunkiness. Right now he’s eating Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food. (the 12 lb bag lasts five weeks)
Some of the dogs can be picky eaters, so I usually add a spoonful of canned food to their kibble. I’ll switch this up from month to month to give them more variety since they do seem to get bored with the same thing all the time. I’ll also look for higher fat and protein foods during the season, then switch to regular formulas during the off season.
I’ve been feeding a lot of Nutro Max canned dog food, as it’s priced pretty low (around $16 for 12 cans) while still having good ingredients. The dogs were enjoying it for awhile, but they started to lose interest. This month, the Chewy Influencer program* hooked me up with some free Taste of the Wild canned food. I’ve wanted to try this brand for awhile, admittedly because of the wolf artwork on the cans, but it was pricier (almost $30 for 12 cans) than I wanted to spend for a kibble-topper.
For nearly double the price of the Nutro cans, I hoped the dogs would really dig into the Taste of the Wild food. So far, I’ve had mixed results. The first feeding at home went over well, probably because they hadn’t been getting any canned food toppers for a day or two. Now that we’re up in Pawling, Denali is back to her usual picky tendencies. I have to watch or Blitz will clean off any uneaten bowl.
I listed the first five ingredients of each below:
Nutro Max Beef & Rice Dinner: Beef Broth, Beef, Beef Liver, Chicken, Wheat GlutenTaste of the Wild Southwest Canyon Canine Stew (beef): Beef, Beef Broth, Vegetable Broth, Beef Liver, Dried Egg Product
Overall, Taste of the Wild is better if you’re looking for a grain free solution, but my dogs don’t have any dietary issues with grain. Beef as the first ingredient is also better, but overall both are pretty decent options. If your dog can handle wheat and grains, and you’re looking to save some money, I’d go with Nutro. It should also be noted that my dogs rather gnaw on groundhogs or eat garbage, so their taste-testing ability is a little questionable.
I have Chewy.com auto ships set up, so my paychecks get funneled from my bank account directly into dog food that’s shipped to my door (the paycheck to poop turnaround is remarkable). There are very few stores that offer the brands I buy and I certainly don’t have time to pick up food every month. The total cost isn’t as bad as you might think to feed five mouths—efficient metabolisms combined with auto ship discounts keep things reasonable.
Aside from their morning and evening meals, the dogs get a variety of chews, biscuits, and treats every day. I tend to try something new each month, along with regular ol’ Milkbone dog biscuits and Dentastix before bed. Oh, and they often get bits of raw meat here and there, depending on what I have in the fridge.
After writing all that, it does seem like quite an ordeal. After years of owning multiple dogs, I think I’ve got the process down pretty well. Their annual wellness exams show they’re maintaining healthy weights, shiny coats, clean teeth, and strong muscles. So I must be doing something right.
*I received Taste of the Wild canned dog food free of charge from Chewy.com in an exchange for my honest review.
