The science behind ChonkPal.

Developed by scientists, grounded in published veterinary research. Where the science is uncertain, we say so.

• Trend smoothing uses Exponentially Weighted Moving Average — the same approach as Libra and TrendWeight for human weight tracking.
• Puppy growth tracking is guided by the Waltham Puppy Growth Charts research ( Salt et al., 2017 ) — open access, based on 6 million+ measurements.
• Kitten growth tracking is guided by the Waltham Kitten Growth Charts research ( Salt et al., 2022 ) — open access, ~22,000 cats, same research team, same method.
• Alert thresholds follow WSAVA and AAHA guidance used by vets worldwide.
• We deliberately never use shame-based language — evidence shows labels like that make weight care worse, not better.

Sources

• Salt C. et al. (2017). Growth standard charts for monitoring bodyweight in dogs of different sizes. PLOS ONE.
• Laflamme D. (1997). Development and validation of a body condition score system for dogs. Canine Practice.
• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee. Body Condition Score and Muscle Condition Score guidelines.
• AAHA (2021). Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association.
• Eastland-Jones et al. (2014). Owner perception of canine body condition. Journal of Nutritional Science.

Full reference list will be published at launch.