In this article, I will go through all the different types of food you can feed your Alaskan Klee Kai dog to keep it healthy and happy. I will cover the best dog food brands for base feeding and also include a few great ideas for treats you can give your dog.
I will first focus on what you should give your puppies when you just bring them home and then go through other dietary recommendations for Klee Kais. So, let’s get started!
Day 1-3 of Bringing Home Your Klee Kai
If you’ve just adopted an Alaskan Klee Kai puppy, you’re probably a little worried about how to make sure you give your new friend everything they need.
For days one to three, and as your dog gets accustomed to the new home and family, there are two excellent options you can try to keep them in top shape. These are:
- Boiled and shredded chicken (remember to remove any bones before you do this!). You can add and mix some steamed rice, and a little bit of broth to make it tastier and healthier. Feed this to your puppy three times a day.
- Canned pumpkin. It’s best to use the pumpkin (or a similar vegetable, I’ll go through them in a little more detail below) to complement the chicken, so only give it to your Klee Kai once a day.
As your puppy grows, this should also be your go-to diet anytime they have an upset stomach or loose stool. Pumpkin is also a great food option to help with both diarrhoea and constipation, so it’s always a good idea to have some around.
Daily Base Feeding For Your Klee Kai
The best way to keep your Klee Kai well-fed is to give them raw dog food in the morning and the evening. Ideally, you should also look into adding some sardines (packed in oil is fine) at least three times a week. Once a week, you can also feed your Alaskan Klee Kai some raw organ meat, such as liver, heart, or kidney.
Sardines are also a great food to feed your puppy; just make sure they are packed in oil and give them to your dog, accompanied by a zinc supplement. There is a great supplement I recommend that can help you achieve that perfect diet balance. I recommend a product called Zinpro, made by the company Boreal.
I also like to leave out kibble all day long. These are the brands I like the most and that have given me great results in caring for my dogs (you can find all of them on the website Chewy.com)
- Health Extension Original Chicken and Brown Rice. This food is made with organic chicken in the USA and provides a balanced diet for both puppies and adult Klee Kais.
- Team Dog Essential Blend. Also made in the USA using quality ingredients, this brand also has its own factory. Their Essentials range is gluten-free, non-GMO, and supports dogs in all life stages.
- Victor Purpose Active Dog & Puppy. Again, this food is made in the brand’s own place in the USA, too, with USA-sourced ingredients. This bag is composed of 77% premium meat protein, including beef, fish, and pork.
- Annamaet Original Option Formula Dry Dog Food. Made in the USA with free-range grass feed lamb, this food includes salmon, grass-fed lamb, and healthy whole grains.
- Annamaet Ultra 32% Dry Dog Food. Made in the USA. This is a high-energy option, so only feed it to super-active or skinny Klee Kai! It’s also made in the USA with super-premium ingredients.
- Nature Recipe’s Grain-Free Chicken, Sweet Potatoes & Pumpkin. This food is pea-free, and the ingredient list is really to my liking. This is dry food, by the way.
- Evanger’s Super Premium Game Bird Recipe with Coconut Oil. Also pea-free and made with great-quality ingredients, this recipe has real duck and turkey protein and coconut oil to promote healthier digestion and skin.
- Whole Earth Farms Healthy Grains Beef & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food. Made with 100% USA beef and an excellent option for Klee Kai dogs, this food provides a perfect amount of nutrition to your pup.
Daily Vegetables and Fruits
About 20% of your Klee Kai’s diet should come from roughage. This means that you need to give your Klee Kai some sort of fruit or vegetable every day.
For example, I usually rotate between frozen green beans, apples, carrots, baked yams, or sweet potatoes (baked or raw. if baked, you can add a brush of butter), blueberries, canned pumpkin, and lightly steamed broccoli with a dab of butter. Another great homemade treat is boiled chicken pieces.
Canned straight pumpkin is also something you can give your Klee Kai once a week without having to boil or steam any other ingredients. Just remember: Your Klee Kai dog also needs vegetables and fruits to stay healthy!
Treats
The best practice when feeding your Klee Kai treats is to make your own. There are great recipes you can find online. For example, you can create peanut butter popsicles or sweet potato jerky!
Store-bought treats are also an option, but you should always make sure the ingredients are sourced from the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, or the EU. You should also check whether these treats are manufactured in one of these countries, which have stricter regulations to keep pets healthier. Dogs are dying from treats made with toxic ingredients, so be careful!
An excellent idea for an easy and healthy snack is RAW beef knuckle bones or neck bones. The reason they need to be raw is that you want to keep the bones from splintering when they are being chewed – as this is a considerable choking hazard. These treats are also great for keeping their teeth clean. This is because the knuckle bones have small edges, so they will not break your Klee Kai’s teeth. So, in turn, this can reduce vet visits. You can follow this link to see what they look like or order directly from the manufacturer here.
Bully sticks are yet another excellent option. Make sure you do not get the odor-free kind and remember to take them away when your Klee Kai has chewed them down, small enough to choke on. Pig ears, too, are a great option.
What Treats I DO Not Give
I recommend you don’t give your Klee Kai rawhide treats of any kind. This breed can not only choke on rawhide but, when swallowed, it can get stuck in their stomach (and need surgery to get removed!). Other considerations:
- Do not feed cooked/smoked bones of any kind.
- Also, do not feed the braided chewys.
- Do not feed Yak milk or antlers. Klee Kai will break their teeth on these chewy.
Table Scraps
Table scraps are for sure a huge yes. Just remember that, prior to the invention of dog food in the 1960s, dogs lived completely off table scraps!
There are just a few things to keep in mind when feeding scraps to your Klee Kai. The first one is: Do not feed them cooked bones, fat, or skin trimmings (you probably wouldn’t eat these yourself, so they are not a great pick for Klee Kais either!). The second: Meat, veggies, potatoes, pasta, and salads are all excellent options as long as you feed them to your dog in moderation. Just be careful not to give them too much onion or garlic, as these are considered poisonous foods. Marrow bones are also a big no!
What Treats I DO Not Give
I recommend you don’t give your Klee Kai rawhide treats of any kind. This breed can not only choke on rawhide but, when swallowed, it can get stuck in their stomach (and need surgery to get removed!).
Here are some other considerations about what NOT to feed your Klee Kai puppy:
- Do not feed cooked/smoked bones of any kind.
- Also, do not feed the braided chewys.
- Do not feed Yak milk treats, marrow bones, or antlers. Klee Kai will break their teeth on these chewy.
There are a few other ingredients and foods that are not good for Klee Kais. You can see a comprehensive list here: Poisonous Items for Your Klee Kai to Eat.
