How do we stop our dog from being fed twice by different people?

Why it happens

It happens in homes where more than one person loves the dog. Dad feeds at 7:00, the kids get home at 7:20, the bowl is empty, the dog looks like it hasn't eaten in days, and it gets dinner again. Nobody was careless. There was just no shared record.

It adds up, too. PDSA, the UK vet charity, says eating too much food or too many treats, along with too little exercise, is the most common reason dogs gain weight.

What stops it

1. One person per meal. Breakfast is Mom's this week, dinner is Noa's. Nobody else feeds unless they're asked.
2. Log it as soon as you feed. A note on the fridge, a line in the family chat or an app, and the house rule is "check before you pour".
3. Measure the day's food in one place. Some families put the whole day's food in one container each morning. When it's empty, the dog has eaten. The amount comes from the food label and your vet.
4. Count treats as food. Agree who gives treats and how many, and keep them in one jar. PDSA advises limiting treats to keep a healthy weight, and the ASPCA's general care guide says extras shouldn't add up to more than ten percent of daily intake.

If it already happened

For a healthy adult dog, one extra meal is usually something you note and move on from, but you know your dog. If your dog has a medical condition or a special diet, or seems unwell after eating, call your vet.

Make checking faster than pouring

Whatever you use has to work at 7:20 PM with a hungry dog staring at you.

That's the moment PupShift was made for. You tap Fed when you feed, and if someone taps Fed again within two hours, the app checks first with a "Pepper already ate" message and who logged it.