Weight & nutrition
Weight Management
A practical programme to reach and hold a healthy weight: assess, target, feed, move, sustain.
5 stages · 32 guides from PetsLikeMine
Who can help near you
- Your vet1 kind
- Therapists3 kinds
Listed by distance from you. Nobody pays to be listed.
Is my pet really overweight?
Stage 1 · 9 guides from PetsLikeMine
Is My Dog Actually Overweight? How to Tell at HomeThere's a ten-second check that tells you more about your dog's weight than the scale ever will, and you can do it right now, with your hands, on the dog in front of…8 min read · on PetsLikeMine Body Condition Score: How to Score Your Dog or Cat at HomeFeeling the ribs gives you a hunch about where your pet sits. To turn that hunch into the actual number your vet writes in the notes, you score it. That number is the…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine Losing Weight Without Trying: When Slimming Is a Warning SignThis whole space is about helping your pet lose weight. So here's the one piece that runs the other way, and it matters more than any of the rest.8 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 9 guides in this stage
- Weight and Arthritis: The Single Best Thing You Can Do 8 min
- "He's just a big cat": when round is a real problem 9 min
- Could a health problem be behind the weight gain? 10 min
- Weighing your pet at home: scales, tricks and how often 10 min
- Weight and diabetes: how slimming can drive remission 10 min
- Weight, the heart and breathing: lightening the load 9 min
Setting a healthy target
Stage 2 · 4 guides from PetsLikeMine
What should my pet actually weigh? Finding the idealSo your pet is carrying a bit too much, whether you've worked that out yourself or your vet has told you. The very next question is the obvious one: OK, but what should…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine How much to lose and how fast: safe rates for dogs and catsA weight-loss plan really comes down to two numbers: how much to lose, and how fast to do it. Here they are, up front, so you can stop worrying and start.9 min read · on PetsLikeMine How many calories? The feeding maths, made simpleThe word "calories" can sound like it comes with algebra attached. It doesn't. There are really only two steps. First you work out how many calories your pet needs in a…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 4 guides in this stage
Food, portions and treats
Stage 3 · 8 guides from PetsLikeMine
How Much Should I Actually Feed? Why the Bag Is Lying to YouFeeding by the scoop and the side of the bag is the normal way most people do it, and it doesn't make you a bad owner. The trouble is that you've been handed a guide…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine The Treat Budget: Keeping Treats Without Blowing the DietLet's clear up the worry most owners arrive with: nobody is going to tell you to stop treating your pet. Treats are how you reward a good sit, how you say hello after…7 min read · on PetsLikeMine Never Crash-Diet a Cat: The Hepatic Lipidosis Rule"Just feed less" is the standard advice for an overweight cat, and for a cat it comes with one rule attached that matters more than any portion size. Get the rule right…7 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 8 guides in this stage
Getting them moving
Stage 4 · 5 guides from PetsLikeMine
Exercising an overweight dog safely: start slowThink of the bit of the day your dog has quietly been getting less of. The walk you turn round early because they flag halfway. The way they used to bounce at the lead…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine Getting an indoor cat moving: play that burns calories"Your cat needs more exercise" is easy advice to give and almost impossible to act on. Cats don't go for walks. They won't run laps on cue. Nobody is putting a cat on a…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Slimming when exercise is limited: arthritis, heart or ageThere's a particular kind of stuck a lot of owners land in. Your pet needs to lose weight, but they can't really exercise, and every bit of advice you read says "walk…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Tracking, plateaus and keeping it off
Stage 5 · 6 guides from PetsLikeMine
The Scale Won't Budge: How to Bust a Weight-Loss PlateauThe food has been measured, the treats reined in, and for a few good weeks the numbers came down nicely. Then the scale stopped. Three weigh-ins, near enough the same…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Tracking that works: weigh-ins, photos and what to expectTracking has a reputation it doesn't deserve. Owners often picture homework, or the dread of a school report they already know is bad. It's neither of those, and it…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine Recalculating as they shrink: why the ration has to changeA weight-loss ration has a shelf life, and almost nobody mentions it. You worked the number out once, maybe through our Feeding Calculator, maybe from a figure the vet…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Find care near you
Your weight management care team
These are the practitioners this condition can call for, from your everyday vet to specialists and therapists. Enter your postcode to see who's near you at each step.
- Your vet (primary care)
Pet nutritionist ·Veterinary physiotherapist ·Hydrotherapist
Understand the condition
Clinical background on vetcanon, the ConciergeVet reference library. Vetcanon is published by Concierge Vet LTD, which also operates PetCare Atlas.
- Obesity in dogs
- Metabolic Health pillar
With PetsLikeMine
Read the whole journey on PetsLikeMine
Every weight management guide, in order, sits in its own space on PetsLikeMine, written by owners and vets who have been through it. We show the first few here and link to the rest.
Read every weight management guide