Nutrition

Feeding is where confident numbers do the most damage. A portion that is right for one dog is a third too much for another of the same weight, because age, activity, neutering and metabolism all move the figure — and the number on the bag is a starting point rather than an answer.

These pieces give you that starting point and then the part that matters more: what to watch, and how to tell the amount is wrong. The ribs and the waistline settle the question that no scoop can.

Where a claim is still the subject of research — raw diets, grain-free, the ideal protein level — the article says so instead of picking a side. Diet is also one of the few things worth going through with the vet who has actually weighed the animal in front of them.

The other half of feeding is everything around the bowl: water, treats counted against the day's total, the switch between foods that goes wrong when it is rushed, and the appetite change that is a symptom rather than a preference.