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Is weighing dog food and water important for my dog's health?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Hi! I am a college student working on a "smart" dog food bowl. Our project aims to address epidemic of dog obesity, as 56% of dogs are overweight; this statistic indicates that there is room in the market for a food monitoring solution that would improve pet health in the long-run. The bowl would come equipped with a scale/sensor connected to an application that recommends servings. Do you think both water and food should be weighed? Or just food? Is there a value in weighing water like food?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 8th, 2019

Hello. I think there may really be a need for your "smart" dog food bowl. Ideally, it would be connected to a program where the owner can input breed, age, neuter status, weight, activity level, type of food, kcal per cup of food & I am sure something I am leaving out to calculate the total calories required to maintain a sensible weight in that pet. The less the owner has to do, the better. I do not think it is necessary nor advisable to weigh water as you do not want to make judgements about water intake. Your program should be able to adjust for a wet vs dry diet, as wet diets are by nature, less nutritionally dense because of the water already added. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    The food should be weighed. Weighing the water would help to know how much the pet is drinking and this is helpful because changes in the intake could indicate the onset of many diseases. Good luck with your project!

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