When it comes to weighing animals, accuracy and durability are essential. Whether you’re running a veterinary clinic, managing a farm, or caring for pets at home, selecting the right animal scale helps keep your animals healthy and gives you peace of mind.

How Much Do the Animals Weigh?

The first step in choosing an animal scale is understanding the weight of the animals you’ll be weighing. A scale should comfortably support your heaviest animal with a bit of room for growth. Overloading a scale can damage the load cell, which leads to innaccurate weight readings. Choose a scale that has a higher weight capacity than the largest animal you'll be weighing.

Here is a handy (and fun!) infographic for typical animal weights to help you determine what scale capacity is needed:

Platform Size

Animals come in all shapes and sizes. Now that you've determined capacity, you also have to make sure the size of the scale is adequate. These scales can have weighing surfaces that are only a few inches, with others as large as 10 feet or more! 

Much the same as capacity, consider the length of the largest animal you'll be weighing, and choose a scale with a platform large enough to accommodate them. For example, the Tree LC-VS 60 animal scale is one of our most popular animal scales. The weighing surface measures 24" x 16", which is sufficient for cats and small to medium-sized dogs.

Where Are You Weighing the Animals?

Durability plays a big role in how long your scale will serve you. Farm and clinic environments can be rough, so choose a model made from sturdy materials. It not only holds up against wear and tear but is also easy to clean and disinfect, important for maintaining health and hygiene.

Outdoor weighing is significantly tougher on equipment, which is why choosing the right scale for the environment it will be used in is important. For example, livestock scales are typically designed for heavy wear and tear. Not only do they contend with heavy capacities, but they are often used outdoors, in harsh weather and used continuously. This is why most livestock scales are built for the elements, and you should consider one of these for any outdoor weighing.

Does the Scale Need to be Portable?

Some veterinary clinics offer on-site evaluation and care of animals. Weight is a common measurement used to help determine the health of an animal, and a properly suited animal scale makes all the difference. Portable models are often lighter weight, have carrying handles or built-in wheels. If you're weighing on the go, consider a portable animal scale.