What do Samoyeds Eat? Should your Samoyed Eat Raw or Dry Food?

If you go to your local grocery store and browse the pet food aisle, you can easily get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options. Dog food from raw food to dry food, you look at bag, container, and can, unsure what to choose for your Samoyed. Which food is best?

There’s no reason to limit your Samoyed’s diet exclusively to raw or dry food. A combination of both from puppyhood to adulthood should keep your dog healthy and happy. Just make sure not to overfeed, as they will gain weight fast!

In this article, we’ll explain the differences between raw and dry dog food. We’ll also share examples of what you should feed your Sammy (and how much) so they’re strong, healthy, and at a good weight. Let’s begin!

What Is Raw Dog Food?

The raw diet harkens back to a dog’s more natural days. It’s comprised of dairy, eggs, vegetables, fruits, bones, and meat. Sled dogs and greyhounds that competed in races would eat this diet often. When you consider that your Samoyed was once a guard dog that could pull sleds and other cargo (as we discussed in our last article), then a raw diet fits their lifestyle, too.

By the early 1990s, more and more household dogs began eating a raw diet. This was due to the influence of Ian Billinghurst, a veterinarian from Australia. Billinghurst referred to this diet as the Biologically Appropriate Raw Food diet or BARF diet. Yes, it’s a funny name, but an option for canines nonetheless.

According to Billinghurst, since a raw diet traces back to a dog’s natural ancestry, that made it a better option than dry, commercial dog food. That’s not necessarily true, as the Federal Drug Administration or FDA has opposed his points. Other veterinarians don’t quite agree with Billinghurst, either. Make of that what you will.

Does the raw diet help dogs like Samoyeds in any way?

Some benefits may exist, although not all are proven. These include:

• More manageable stool size
• Greater energy
• Shinier teeth
• Improved skin
• Brighter coat

An article in Canine Journal mentions that the American Veterinary Medical Association or AVMA opposes the BARF diet. The AVMA says that bones could cause punctures and other damage inside a dog’s body. Dogs are also at a higher risk of breaking their teeth and accidentally choking by noshing on bones. If you feed your canine raw meat, they could develop a slew of bacterial conditions like salmonella. It’s possible for your four-legged friend to spread these bacteria to you and other members of the family as well.

That doesn’t mean you can’t give your Samoyed some version of the raw diet. You might omit bones entirely for the sake of their health. If you want to feed them meat, then make sure you cook it at least a little so it has no bacteria.

What Is Dry Dog Food?

Your other option, dry dog food, is a dietary staple for canines across the country. It’s the opposite of wet dog food, the stuff you get in cans or small containers. This has far more moisture by volume than dry food, between 60 and 90 percent. Compare that to dry food, with moisture by volume content of 6 to 10 percent.

Most dog owners refer to dry food as kibble. You can buy it in huge bags that often weigh several pounds each. In 2010, the pet food industry sold tons of dry dog food, $8 billion in all according to Dog Food Reviews.

To make dry food, pet food manufacturers will use an extruder. They pour a mixture through a barrel, which passes through a funnel in the extruder. The machine also has a fat distributor for separating fat.

The moisture by volume goes up during manufacturing. At one point, it can reach 35 percent. This occurs when the food manufacturer includes water in the dry mix to boost the starches. Then the food mix goes through a heating process that uses hot water and steam. This causes a gelatinization of the starch. Some fat gets reinjected into the food before it’s reheated again to become puffy-looking. Then it’s dried, where its moisture by volume goes back down.

Eating dry food can benefit your dog in the following ways:

• Dry food is crunchy and chewy, which dogs appreciate. Some dogs chew to control stress or show dominance, so they like crunching.
• Their breath may improve, especially compared to dogs who eat canned wet food.
• No matter the age of your precious pup, there’re different kinds of dry food to fits their nutrition requirement. There’s a blog that we discussed the best dry food for each age.
• Dry food also costs less than wet food and raw food. You can keep it at room temperature, and it travels incredibly easily.
• There’s some special “Rx” dry food for the dog with special needs. 

Which Should You Feed Your Samoyed?

What should you give your Samoyed, raw or dry food? As we mentioned in the intro, ideally, their diet should include both types of food, but only when they reach adulthood.

Canine Journal warns against implementing the raw diet any sooner than 12 weeks of age. During those first few months, your Sammy pup should eat primarily dry food. Pour in some warm water so the kibble is soft enough for their growing teeth to gnaw through. At the three-month mark, you can stop wetting the kibble and just give it to the dry.

Your dog might be finicky at first with what they will or won’t eat. The Samoyed Club of America recommends using bacon grease or meat juices to incentivize your Sammy to eat dry food. They go on to mention that what and how much you feed your Samoyed will set the groundwork of their diet for the rest of their lives.

By getting your dog on a healthful, nutritious, well-rounded diet early in their lives, your Samoyed will sprout up in size within their first year. They should eat enthusiastically this young. If your dog has a pickier diet, then it may always be on the skinnier side, even in adulthood.

If you have questions or concerns about the raw diet versus a dry one, we recommend you contact your vet. Even if you do choose to go the raw route, as mentioned before, refrain from feeding your Samoyed whole bones (or even bone fragments, as these can be sharp) and raw meat. It’s for their health and yours!

Also, do know that you can sort of implement both diets just through dry food. If you get food with animal proteins, it’s almost like eating a raw diet but without the health risks. Try it for your Sammy.

Related Questions

Q: What do Samoyeds eat in the wild?

A: Samoyeds lived in the wild for generations. What did they use to eat back then? Most wild dogs favored meat. They’d chow down on insects, birds, rabbits, voles, mice, and other tiny creatures they could easily catch. If they paired up with the rest of their pack, they could often take down a bigger animal.

Like the BARF diet suggestions, your Sammy’s wild ancestors would eat the bones of an animal as well as its meat. Internal organs weren’t off the table, either.

These dogs will also seek out herbs, grasses, and vegetables, even rotten ones. Hey, when you live in the wild, you have to take what you can get!

Q: How often should a Samoyed eat?

A: Like most dogs, once your Samoyed reaches adulthood, they only need morning and evening feedings, or if they feel good you could only feed once in the evening. Puppies should eat more often, three times. Add an afternoon mealtime to keep them full and energetic. Cut out that third meal on their first birthday or thereabouts.

Q: How much should I feed my Samoyed?

A: Your Samoyed has the energy to burn, and they get that from their food. Just how much should you feed them, though?

Puppies between four and 12 months old have a surprisingly high daily caloric need. If your dog weighs at least 40 pounds and fits the above age range, then they should eat about 1,200 calories each day, closer to 1,250. You might reduce their caloric intake depending on their health and how much they exercise. If they’re running around all day, then stick to the 1,200+ mark. On those days when your Sammy feels lazy, cut back on what you feed them ever so much. You don’t want to starve your dog, though.

If your full-grown Samoyed weighs 60 pounds, then they should consume about 1,500 calories a day. Remember, overfeeding your dog early becomes the feeding blueprint they follow for the next decade or so. They’ll continue expecting lots more food than what they should eat, leading to them gaining weight.

If your Samoyed, or any dog really, becomes overweight, bad things happen. They don’t play as much because they tire out fast. They won’t want to walk or even move around. Overweight dogs are also more susceptible to:

• Bacterial skin diseases due to their excess skin folds
• Tumors like transitional cell carcinoma (a type of bladder cancer), breast cancer, and lipomas (fat tumors)
• Laryngeal paralysis, collapsing trachea, high blood pressure, and heart disease
• Anterior crucial ligament (ACL) tears in the legs
• Arthritis

They may also have shorter lives compared to dogs of the same breed at a healthier weight.