Guides
Short and with sources: how to spot extra weight, count treats and weigh your pet at home.
Look it up
- What can dogs eat?What’s fine in small amounts, what doesn’t belong in the bowl and what’s toxic. Every answer has a source, and treats come with the right amount.
- What can cats eat?What’s fine in small amounts, what doesn’t belong in the bowl and what’s toxic. Every answer has a source, and treats come with the right amount.
- How much to feed, by breedTypical weight, a daily feeding chart and a calculator for your own food. The breed only sets the range; what counts is your pet’s weight.
Guides
- Is my dog overweight?The scale alone doesn’t tell you much: a 65-lb dog can be lean or round. Your dog’s shape tells you more. You can check ribs, waist and belly in a minute.
- Is my cat overweight?A cat’s coat hides a lot. You can feel whether your cat carries extra weight better than you can see it: at the ribs, the waist and the belly.
- How many treats per day?Treats, chews and table scraps all count. Together they should make up at most 10% of daily calories; the rest comes from the main food.
- How to weigh your pet at homeYou don’t need a pet scale. A bathroom scale, a carrier or a baby scale works too, as long as you weigh the same way every time.
- Switching food, step by stepA sudden switch can upset the stomach. Switching slowly means a little more new food and a little less old food each day, over several days.
- Mixing wet and dry foodMixing is fine; most cat owners feed both. The key is to split the calories, not the weight: per ounce, dry food has about four times as many calories.