A dog who splits his weeks between your house and your parents' house effectively lives under two feeding regimes, and his stomach — and waistline — keep the score for both. You measure carefully and limit treats; your parents show love through a fuller bowl, leftovers from their plates and a biscuit every time he asks. Neither approach is malicious, but the inconsistency is the problem: richer food at their house can mean loose stools at yours, extra calories undo your portion control, and if he ever vomits or has a bad night, nobody can say what he actually ate. One shared plan, written down and genuinely agreed, is what turns two households into one routine.
Start with the conversation, not the rules
Lead with gratitude and the dog, not with criticism of how your parents feed. Most grandparents of the four-legged kind overfeed because feeding is affection and the dog's delight is the reward. Explain the concrete effects you see — the upset stomach the evening he comes home, the weight your vet flagged, the way extra richness makes him picky about his proper meals at yours — and agree the goal together: one dog, one diet, two homes. Invite them to suggest how treats can still happen inside the plan, because a scheme they helped design is one they will run when you are not there. If your vet has given a target weight or a specific food, share that too; instructions carry more weight when they clearly come from his care plan rather than your preference.
Make the plan impossible to misread
Write down, on one card that lives with his travel bag: the exact food, the measured amount per meal in grams or a marked cup, meal times, the daily treat allowance with examples of what counts, and the hard no list — no cooked bones, no plate scrapings, nothing from the other pets' bowls if your parents have animals. Pre-portion each stay's food into daily bags or a labeled container so nobody has to judge a scoop, and send his own treats in a small pot with the day's limit written on it. Keep a spare bag of his food at their house for longer stays, stored the same way, so running out never means a supermarket substitute that changes his diet overnight. Refill and re-weigh the supply at handover so shortfalls surface early.
Handovers that keep everyone honest
A two-line handover note prevents most detective work: when he last ate, what he has had that day in treats, and anything unusual — a stolen sandwich, a refused meal, a soft stool. Ask for it without turning it into an inspection, and return the same courtesy when he goes back. Weigh him monthly at the same house on the same scales; a creeping trend tells you the combined reality of both homes, whatever each believes it is feeding. If weight or stomach issues persist, bring the written plan and the handover notes to your vet, who can adjust amounts for the dog's actual total intake across both homes. With KinsLe, Family Sharing puts his food, amounts and treat rules on one shared profile your parents can open at their house, so the plan they follow is the plan you wrote — not a remembered version of it.