How we form a prediction
GrownPaws keeps layers separate on purpose: what you observe, what curated references support, what deterministic maths can say, and what optional AI may notice in a photo. When evidence is missing, we say so instead of inventing biology.
Observe
Species, breed context, age, sex, weight, and optional notes or a photo. Your facts, not a clinic chart.
Reference
Curated breed and growth references with provenance. Gaps stay gaps. No invented numbers.
Calculate
Deterministic maths for eligible dog paths, plus ranges and confidence words. Works when AI is off.
Optional AI
Photo notes for visible coat and colour only. AI never replaces the growth engine.
- 01
Collect what you know
Start with species, breed context, age, sex, and weight. Add height, appearance notes, or an optional photo when you have them.
- 02
Apply reference evidence
We match your inputs to curated references. Stronger sources come first. Outside what we can support, we say so instead of guessing.
- 03
Calculate carefully
Eligible puppies may get a GrownPaws personalised broad adult-weight estimate. Cats use breed-typical ranges only, not an experimental cat model.
Credits
Sources we cite
GrownPaws keeps a source registry so predictions can point back to real references. Below are the open-access papers we rely on most, plus breed organisations we cite by linking to their official pages. Listing a source is not an endorsement of GrownPaws by that publisher.
Open-access growth research
These PLOS ONE articles are published under Creative Commons Attribution licences. We credit the authors and link to the DOI.
Salt C, Morris PJ, German AJ, Wilson D, Lund EM, Cole TJ, Butterwick RF. Growth standard charts for monitoring bodyweight in dogs of different sizes. PLoS ONE. 2017;12(9):e0182064. View paper
Foundational open-access dog growth research we cite for size-category growth science. Reuse is allowed when authors and source are credited.
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Salt C, German AJ, Henzel KS, Butterwick RF. Growth standard charts for monitoring bodyweight in intact domestic shorthair kittens from the USA. PLoS ONE. 2022;17(11):e0277531. View paper
Foundational open-access domestic shorthair kitten growth research. We do not treat it as a curve for every cat breed.
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Veterinary commentary
Grant C. Puppy growth charts. Royal Canin Academy. Visit article
Veterinary educational overview. We link for context; we do not republish Royal Canin or WALTHAM chart packs from that page.
Breed organisations
Breed standards and organisation pages are typically copyrighted. We summarise limited adult-size and appearance facts after human review, and we link out for the official wording. We do not host full standard PDFs.
Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI)
Dog breed standards used as reference candidates for adult size and morphology. We cite and link; we do not republish full FCI standard PDFs.
Dog breed standards used as reference candidates. AKC asks sites to link rather than reproduce online materials. We cite and link; we do not republish full AKC standards.
The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA)
Cat breed information and standards used as reference candidates. CFA materials are copyrighted. We cite and link; we do not republish full CFA standards.
Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF)
Cat breed information used as reference candidates. We cite and link; we do not republish full GCCF standards.
The International Cat Association (TICA)
Cat breed information used as reference candidates. We cite and link; we do not republish full TICA standards.
Credits for transparency. Not a claim of endorsement by any publisher or breed organisation, and not legal advice. If a value arrived through AI research help, a human still has to verify it against the original source before it counts as production evidence.
Want the short product story? About GrownPaws