My fat poodle

Question
Hi,
I have a one and a half year old male miniature poodle. I feed him once a day at dinner time but he gets snacks throughout the day and also goes and cleans out the cats bowls whenever they have food. He weighs approx 17lbs and i cannot feel his ribs anymore and my poodle groomer says i should.
How much should he weigh?
How much should I be feeding my poodle?
What can I do to help him lose weight?
Thanks :)

Answer
Good for your groomer.  She is on to the only answer to your questions.  Dogs vary so much, I can't say how much he should weigh or you should be feeding him.  What I can say is is less than now.  I think the first thing is to devise a way of keeping him out of the cat food.  Cats and dogs have different nutritional needs and cat food isn't right for dogs.  Can you put it up somewhere the cats can reach, but he can't?  Perhaps you are over feeding the cats too and if you fed them less, they wouldn't leave food behind for him to eat.  Obviously if he is eating much, the cats are getting by on less than you are giving them.  I think the same rib test can be applied to cats.  If cutting out the cat food doesn't return him to good body condition, you may then need to cut back his food.  Of course, more exercise, walks, fetch, etc. would help.  

Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog must have its food and exercise adjusted to its individual needs. Here is a link to a good illustrated guide, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx