Use monthly weight-loss targets for consistency with the APOP method used by this planner. Recheck every 2–4 weeks during active weight loss. Use the lower end of each range for the first step when diabetes, uncertain intake, hepatic lipidosis risk, or muscle loss is present.

• Dogs: approximately 3–5% body weight per month (about 0.7–1.2% per week), individualized to clinical status, mobility, muscle preservation, diet tolerance, and adherence.
• Cats: approximately 2–5% of body weight per month (about 0.5–1.2% per week). A fixed monthly amount, such as 0.5 lb (0.23 kg), is an example for a cat of about 14–18 lb and should be scaled to the cat's starting size.
• Treats: treats should not exceed 10% of daily caloric intake.

Planning range, not a ceiling: A patient losing faster while eating well and holding muscle condition is not slowed down solely to fit this range. Verify that the loss is fat, and score muscle condition at every recheck. If muscle condition declines, reassess the energy allowance and protein density rather than accepting muscle loss to maintain the pace.

Diet selection: Use a veterinary therapeutic weight-loss diet, not simply less of the current maintenance diet. Verify protein and essential nutrient intake at the prescribed calorie allowance. If an appropriate therapeutic diet cannot be used, seek veterinary nutritionist guidance before further restriction.

General guidance and individual plans: APOP's veterinary and owner-facing tools use the same planning ranges, with simpler guidance for home monitoring. This veterinary planner allows the team to individualize the feeding target, rate, treat allowance, and recheck schedule using the patient's assessment and measured response. A supervised plan may use a different pace. The published ranges are not universal safety limits.

If progress is below target, verify intake, treats, adherence, food access, activity, and medical factors before reducing calories. If appropriate, adjust calories or diet formulation by 5–10%.

If weight loss is faster than intended, reassess intake, appetite, body and muscle condition, and clinical status. Increase calories by 5–10% only when the assessment supports slowing weight loss, not solely because the planning range has been exceeded.

For cats, monitor appetite closely. Contact the veterinary team promptly if appetite drops. A cat that has eaten little or nothing for 24 hours needs veterinary assessment the same day. Stop the weight-loss plan and contact the veterinary team. Prolonged inadequate intake, especially in a cat with excess weight, increases the risk of hepatic lipidosis.

This planner supports the current visit's weight-management plan. It does not diagnose clinical obesity. Use BCS, MCS, nutritional history, clinical and functional findings, the Minimum Obesity Database (MOD), and other diagnostic findings when indicated to guide assessment and reassessment.

Never prescribe below 70% of step-start RER without a veterinary nutritionist. The automatic RER selector stops at 70%. A manually entered daily calorie target below that level requires confirmation that a veterinary nutritionist is involved and has approved the target before the home feeding plan can be generated, printed, previewed, or copied. Neither the selector limit nor a calculated result confirms that an intake is safe or nutritionally adequate for every patient.