How to Weigh Your Pet's Food With a Gram Scale for Accurate Portions
When dinner time comes around, are you looking for the measuring cup in your cabinet?
The convenience of using a measuring cup allows for an easy way to brush through meal time with your pet, but there is a more effective way of feeding that is helpful for both weight management and maintaining a healthy body condition. To more accurately understand what’s going into your pets’ bowl, minimize imprecise feeding and support a weight loss program, consider using a gram scale.
THE ISSUE: WHY USING A MEASURING CUP ISN’T AS PRECISE AS YOU THINK
Many owners’ first instinct is to pull out a measuring cup at their pet’s meal time. It’s easily accessible, something most people already have in their kitchen, and is typically inexpensive. It is often as a simple method to provide your pet the correct amount of their favorite kibble. However, measuring an accurate scoop with this utensil could lead to inaccurate and inconsistent portion sizes that can negatively impact any pet, but especially those that are smaller in size or on a weight loss program.
When having to measure out small amounts of food, the tendency is to overestimate. A study on imprecision in measuring found that inaccuracy ranged from 18% underestimating to 80% overestimating the amount1. Measuring cups measure volume, but the amount of food in each scoop can vary. Weighing food with a gram scale helps you serve the recommended portion more accurately and more consistently. A cup's fullness and how kibble settles can affect the amount of food it contains. Even when using the same food scoop, portions may vary just because we’re human. A heaping scoop or eyeballing to the measuring line-it’s easy to do! This can lead to over or underfeeding over time that may impact weight or nutrient intake. For those pet parents already supporting their dog or cat with weight loss or adjusting their pet’s diet, changing their feeding method can be an effective first step.
WHY DOES MEASURING ACCURATELY MATTER FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Tossing in a few extra grams of kibble at mealtime may not seem to be a problem at first. You may even see those puppy dog eyes and think your pet may be just a bit hungrier today, but those extra pieces may still be problematic, especially for cats, smaller dogs and those holding onto a few extra pounds. Small differences in food portions can add extra calories at each meal, meaning that over time, overfeeding can occur. Even typical diets may be hard to maintain with a measuring cup and weight management plans can be even more difficult to follow if extra calories are added unknowingly. A kitchen gram scale helps pet parents provide a consistent amount and make small adjustments when recommended.
PRACTICAL AT HOME USE
While not as easy as just scooping kibble, incorporating a gram scale into your feeding routine can be both simple and manageable. Before diving in, it's important to first reach out to a professional. Your veterinary team can help you determine the appropriate daily portion based on your pet’s individual needs, weight, and body condition in order to feed your pet correctly. Once completed, follow these instructions to implement gram scale feeding at home. Don’t have a gram scale yet? Head to any major retailer and pick one up for a reasonable price.
How to Use a Gram Scale
- Place the scale on a hard, level surface and select grams
- Place an empty bowl on the scale
- Press “tare” or “zero” so the bowl’s weight is exclude
- Add food until the recommended gram amount is reached
PUTTING PRECISION INTO PRACTICE
Getting started with gram scale feeding can be simple once you get the hang of it! Just keep a few of these tips in mind in order to maintain consistency and ensure the proper results. If multiple people in the household are feeding, make sure everyone in the household is using this method. Similarly to cup feeding, gram scale progress can be inconsistent, if not done equally by all parties. In addition, treats, toppers, dental chews, and other extras contribute calories too so ensure that you are keeping track of not only full meals, but all additional food to reduce excess weight gain and follow your veterinarian’s recommendations. Finally, take a look at recommended feeding charts and calculators to provide starting estimates, and follow up with your pet’s vet to ensure the amount of food you are feeding is appropriate over time. Keep in mind, energy requirements vary, even for a completely healthy pet. Customizing the amount of calories based on the pet's individual needs is essential.
SAME SCOOP. THREE PORTIONS. THREE DIFFERENT WEIGHTS.
Using the same measuring cup each time may seem like a reliable way to portion your pet’s dry food. But how consistent are those scoops? To catch inaccuracies in action, we put our Rayne experts to the test.
Our Rayne team measured three separate portions of Skin Relief dry food using the same ⅓-cup measure, scooping as they normally would when feeding a pet. Then we weighed each portion.
Blue: 35g≈114 kcal Yellow: 29g≈95 kcal Pink: 37g≈121 kcal
The portions looked similar, but the largest scoop contained 8 grams more food and approximately 26 more calories than the smallest—all from the same measuring cup! Ultimately, a measuring cup gives you a volume, but a gram scale helps you repeat your pet’s planned portion more consistently. Feeding dogs and cats with consistent measurements, especially for smaller pets and those focused on shedding excess weight, can be extremely beneficial for their long term health. Our Skin Relief example shows how similar-looking portions can differ. Weighing food with a gram scale helps you serve your pet’s planned amount more consistently at each feeding.
THINK YOU CAN NAIL THE PERFECT SCOOP? TRY THE GRAM SCALE CHALLENGE!
One cup of Skin Relief dry food is listed as 94 grams and 310 calories. How does your scoop compare?
Place an empty bowl on a gram scale and press “tare” or “zero.” Scoop Skin Relief using a 1-cup measure, then add it to the bowl. How close is the weight to 94 grams? Repeat to see whether your scoops weigh the same.
The same measuring cup can deliver different amounts of food—and different calories. Weighing your pet’s recommended portion with a gram scale helps you serve a consistent amount each time.
Rayne makes weighing your pet’s food easier by providing suggested feeding amounts in grams on our diet pages. Find the Skin Relief feeding guide here and ask your veterinary team to confirm your dog’s daily amount in grams, accounting for treats and other foods.
*The one-cup portion in this challenge is for comparison only. This is a measuring challenge, not a recommended meal size. Use the chart below as a reference for gram portions when feeding a weight loss diet, and consult your veterinarian to determine the appropriate amount for your pet.
