Dogs & cats · Updated August 31, 2026
Daily Feeding Log
Most feeding problems are counting problems. A dog on a strict weight plan is also being given three biscuits by somebody else, a cat that "is not eating" is eating two meals from two people, and a diet trial that seemed to fail was never actually exclusive. Writing every meal and every treat down for a week turns those arguments into a record, and a record is what your vet can work from.
The log has room for the meals, the extras, water intake, and a stool score, because those four together say more about how a diet is going than weight alone does over a single week. Fill it in as you go rather than reconstructing it at bedtime — the treats are the entries most often forgotten, and treats are usually where the surplus calories are.
How to use it
- 1Write the target daily amount at the top, from your vet's advice or the feeding guide on the packaging, and note whether it is measured in cups or grams. Weighing is more accurate than scooping; a cup measure of the same food can vary by a surprising margin.
- 2Log every meal as it is given, including who gave it. In a household with more than one adult this is the whole point of the sheet.
- 3Log treats and chews too, including training treats and anything from a visitor. If it went in the pet, it goes on the sheet.
- 4Mark water intake as normal, low or high compared with that pet's usual — the change matters more than the volume.
- 5Score the stool once a day using the key on the sheet, and note anything unusual: mucus, blood, straining, or a sudden change.
- 6Weigh weekly, on the same scale at the same time of day, and write it in the box. Weekly is often enough; daily weights bounce around and mislead.
- 7Take the completed week to your appointment, or photograph it and send it if your practice takes email.
What is on the sheet
Pet and plan
- Pet name, Species / breed, Weight today, Target weight, Food (brand and formula), Daily amount and how measured
Meals
One row per meal, filled in when it is given. 'Given by' matters in a household where more than one person feeds.
- 16-row table: Date, Time, Food, Amount, Eaten (all / part / none), Given by
Treats, chews and extras
Training treats, dental chews, table scraps, anything a visitor gave. This is usually where the extra calories are.
- 8-row table: Date, What, How much, Given by
Water, toileting and stool score
Score once a day. 1 = hard, dry pellets. 2 = firm, holds shape. 3 = moist, holds shape, ideal for most pets. 4 = soft, loses shape when lifted. 5 = liquid, no shape. Note blood, mucus or straining in the notes column and ring your practice about any of the three.
- 7-row table: Date, Water (normal / low / high), Stool score 1-5, Toileting notes
Weekly weight
Same scale, same time of day, ideally before a meal.
- 5-row table: Date, Weight, Change, Notes
Appetite, energy and anything else
Begging, food guarding, refusing a food that was fine last week, low energy, vomiting. Dates make it useful.
- 6 ruled lines
Questions for the vet
- 4 ruled lines
Worth knowing
- Treats should stay a small share of the day's food — a common rule of thumb is around ten per cent — and the rest of the ration should come down to match if you are using a lot for training.
- Any diet change should be introduced gradually over several days unless your vet has said otherwise; a sudden switch is a common cause of loose stools that then gets blamed on the new food.
- A cat that has not eaten for more than a day or two needs to be seen — cats can develop serious liver problems when they stop eating, and that is a same-week call, not a wait-and-see.
- Repeated vomiting, blood in the stool, straining with nothing produced, or a pet that is drinking noticeably more than usual are reasons to ring your practice rather than to keep logging.
- During a food trial for suspected allergies, nothing else goes in at all — no flavoured chews, no table scraps, no flavoured toothpaste. One lapse restarts the clock.
- Keep the same scale for weekly weights. Different scales disagree enough to hide a real trend.
This is a form for recording what you observe, not a diagnostic tool. Nothing on it replaces an examination. If your pet is in distress, contact a veterinarian rather than filling in a sheet.