Alaskan Malamute nutrition: calories, bloat and zinc

The Alaskan Malamute was developed to pull heavy loads over long distances, and The Kennel Club calls it the strongest of the sled dogs. Most Malamutes today do far less work than that, so the main feeding task is matching a big dog's food to its real activity. Three breed-related issues also affect the plan: bloat risk in a large, deep-chested dog, hip and elbow health, and zinc-responsive dermatosis, a skin disease with a familial form in Malamutes and Siberian Huskies.

Calories and activity

A Malamute's needs swing widely with work, season and neutering, so a single figure is not much use. The Merck Veterinary Manual formula gives a starting point. Resting energy requirement (RER), in kcal a day, is 70 times body weight in kilograms raised to the power 0.75. That is multiplied by 2 for puppies over four months, 1.8 for intact adults, 1.6 for neutered adults and 1.4 for adults that gain weight easily. Rounded:

These figures cover ordinary pet activity. A Malamute that pulls a sled, runs beside a bike or does weight pulling will need more on training days, and a dog living outdoors through a cold winter uses extra energy to stay warm. A dog that spends a hot summer lying in the shade will often eat less, and does not need to be pushed to finish the bowl.

The dense double coat makes body condition easy to misjudge by eye. Feel instead: the ribs should be easy to find under a light layer of fat, with a waist behind them. Weigh monthly and adjust portions by about a tenth at a time.

For hard-working dogs, extra calories are easier to deliver through fat than through larger meals, because fat adds considerably more calories to a food. Merck notes that most adult dog foods contain about 5% to 15% fat on a dry matter basis, and that the wide range of fat content allows diets to match different demands, including work. A pet Malamute that is already lean on an ordinary adult food needs no change.

Bloat and meal routines

Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is an emergency in which the stomach fills with gas and can twist, cutting off its own blood supply. Large, deep-chested dogs are at greater risk. The main studies of feeding and GDV followed other large and giant breeds rather than Malamutes, but their findings are the best guide available.

In a US cohort of eleven large and giant breeds, risk rose with age, having a close relative with GDV, eating fast and using a raised feeding bowl. The authors attributed about half of the cases in the giant breeds to raised bowls. A diet analysis from the same study found that dogs fed a larger volume of food per meal were at higher risk whatever the number of meals, with the highest risk in dogs given a large volume once a day.

• Feed at least two meals a day.
• Put the bowl on the floor.
• Slow a fast eater with a slow-feeder bowl, a puzzle feeder or kibble scattered on a mat.
• Keep hard exercise, and especially pulling work, away from mealtimes. The advice is standard, though less directly studied than bowl height and meal size.

Retching without bringing anything up, a swollen or tight belly, restlessness, drooling and fast breathing are signs of GDV. The dog needs an emergency vet straight away. Preventive gastropexy, in which the stomach is fixed to the body wall so it cannot twist, is worth discussing with the vet, particularly if a close relative has had GDV.

Hips, elbows and joint supplements

The Kennel Club's recommended health tests for the breed include hip and elbow scoring, eye testing and a DNA test for cone degeneration, an inherited form of day blindness. Ask for these results for both parents.

For a puppy, controlled growth matters more than supplements. Feed a food complete and balanced for growth of large-size dogs and keep the puppy lean. Do not add calcium: Merck reports that in fast-growing large-breed puppies, diets over 3% calcium on a dry matter basis produced more severe osteochondrosis than diets with 1% to 3%.

For adults, lean weight is the main protection. Joint supplements vary a great deal in the evidence behind them. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of dogs and cats with osteoarthritis found clear pain relief from omega-3-enriched diets and omega-3 supplements, but a marked lack of effect from glucosamine and chondroitin, which the authors said should no longer be recommended for arthritis pain. If a Malamute shows stiffness, lameness or reluctance to jump, the vet can confirm arthritis and recommend an omega-3 product and dose.

Zinc-responsive dermatosis

This is the nutritional problem most specific to the breed. Zinc-responsive dermatosis causes redness, hair loss, scaling and crusting, mainly on the head. A veterinary review of the condition describes two forms:

• A familial form in Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies, which usually needs lifelong zinc supplementation.
• A dietary form in fast-growing puppies fed diets short of zinc or oversupplemented with other minerals, which may clear up once the diet is corrected.

In a case series of 17 northern-breed dogs, lesions often started on one side before becoming symmetrical, and most first appeared between September and April. Fifteen of the 17 dogs cleared completely with zinc supplementation. Lesions came back in 9 of 16 dogs, about half of the time after a missed dose or a lowered dose. For an affected Malamute, consistent daily dosing matters as much as the starting dose.

Crusting around the eyes, lips, ears or on the pads can also be caused by allergies, infections, parasites or autoimmune disease, and a skin biopsy is often needed to confirm zinc-responsive dermatosis. Do not give zinc supplements without a diagnosis. The dose has to be set by the vet, and excess zinc can cause vomiting and interfere with copper absorption. We found no evidence that a particular food or form of zinc on the label prevents the familial form, so the practical step is watching for early lesions, especially in autumn and winter.

Thyroid function and weight

Hypothyroidism in dogs is most often seen between 4 and 10 years of age, usually in medium to large breeds. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, signs include lethargy, exercise intolerance, weight gain without a bigger appetite, seeking warmth, and dry skin or a coat that sheds heavily and regrows slowly. Treatment is a daily thyroid hormone tablet for life, and once the dose is right, portions may need recalculating.

Testing needs care in sled-type dogs. Merck notes that Alaskan sled dogs have thyroid hormone levels below the usual reference ranges for pet dogs, particularly during intense training or racing, and that illness elsewhere in the body can also alter results. A single low result in a fit, working Malamute is not a diagnosis on its own.

A Malamute gaining weight on the same food should see the vet, rather than simply having its food cut, so that thyroid disease and other causes can be ruled out. Treats, chews and frozen stuffed toys all count toward the day's calories. Large, durable chews suit the breed's jaws better than small treats that can be swallowed whole.

Sources

1. Alaskan Malamute. The Kennel Club.
2. Nutritional requirements of small animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
3. Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2000.
4. Diet-related risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in dogs of high-risk breeds. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 2004.
5. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of enriched therapeutic diets and nutraceuticals in canine and feline osteoarthritis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022.
6. Canine zinc-responsive dermatosis. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, 1999.
7. Zinc-responsive dermatosis in northern-breed dogs: 17 cases (1990-1996). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 1997.
8. Hypothyroidism in animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.