Idea Exchange: Combat super-sized pets

How many times has a client said, "But I only give my pet one scoop of food," and then you find out he or she is using a shovel? To combat this, I developed a display to go along with the obesity poster our food supplier provided. The title of the display is "How many cups are really in your 'cup'?" I attached an 8-oz measuring cup to the board. Then I attached various plastic containers I've seen clients use to dispense their pets' food, with stickers showing how many cups each really holds: a child's juice cup = 1 1/2 cups, a coffee cup = 2 cups, a margarine container = 2 1/2 cups, and a soda cup from a fast-food restaurant = 4 1/2 cups. The 3-D display gets clients' attention, and many laugh at the soda cup. But the display also stimulates a dialogue about how much food each client's pet should be getting based on body score and weight.

Debbie Bess, office manager

Carson City, Nev.