Veterinary scales, Weighing scales for dogs

What are Veterinary scales?

Veterinary scales or Vet scales are scales used to monitor the weight of mans best friend, or friends! Weighing scales for dogs are one example of multiple applications this kind of scale can be used for.

Introduction

In this blog we are going to dive in and focus in on one application for vet scales. These scales can be used is such a huge range of applications as weighing a prize raptor for your local falconer is very different from weighing a giraffe at your local zoo.

This can often lead to some creative solutions especially as animals are not known for keeping still. Often the animals will have to be persuaded to stand on the weighing pan, or the weighing pan adapted, and scale Zeroed, to help the animal remain on the weigh pan while the reading is taken. In some situations, the only option is to tranquilise the animal, though this is usually more in a zoo situation.

As one of the most common pet animals across the globe, the demand for scales that best suit dogs are an absolute must for vets or home use in the UK.

Why do we need to weighing scales for dogs?

There are a number of reasons a veterinary practise might hold an animal scale or precision balance for dogs:

• Monitoring Health: Weight changes can indicate health issues like diabetes or malnutrition.
• Tracking Growth: Regular weighing of puppies ensures healthy growth.
• Aiding in Diet Planning and preventing obesity: Knowing weight helps determine proper food portions.
• Assisting with Medication: Vets use weight to calculate medication dosages.
• Identifying Parasites: Weight is crucial for correct worming treatment dosages. By weighing the dog, the correct dosage can be calculated.
• Supporting Veterinary Care: Accurate weight is essential for vet assessments and treatments.

Without a vet scale vital information used to make informed decisions wouldn’t be accessible. This could mean that Buddy the dog gets the wrong dosage or is misdiagnosed!

What are the advantages of vet scales over generic scales?

A quality industrial bench scale in some situations will be fine, such as when weighing very small animals, like mice. For dogs however, the average weight for a medium dog is 10-25kg, additionally the size of the average dog means you need a lager weighing surface, so a bench scale or home use scale is not going to cut it. Most purpose built or multi-function scales have a larger capacity and larger weigh pan.

A scale with 60kg should therefore get you by in most situations but it may be the case that you require an additional scale at a higher capacity or a clever duel weighing solution meaning you can have two surfaces to weight from without damaging the scale’s load cells by overloading.

Most veterinary scales will also have an amount of waterproofing to minimise damage to the equipment if your dog has a little accident. They are also more robust to protect the equipment if a dog leaps or falls onto the scale.

Can I weigh my dog at home?

Yes, you can weight your dog at home. If you or your vet have identified a weight-based issue (We always advise speaking to your vet first); you can buy a reasonably priced scale for home use. This will allow you the convenience of monitoring smaller dogs at home without visiting your vet. Remember to note the weight time and date for reference later.

The only down side is these are only really for dogs or other pets up to a certain size or weight, so you may want to go to the vet first to check before buying one.

What if I don’t have a dog or I weigh other animals at my veterinary practise?

If you have a need to weigh other animals, that’s absolutely fine, the same logic is applied to most animals. So as long as you find a scale that has enough capacity and has a large enough weighing surface for your use case, the scale can be used for any animal in that range. You may want to also consider how the animal is going to access the scale and how you may coax them on such as with treat or familiar bedding.

If in doubt call one of our expert team who are always happy to help.