DOGSDog Pet TechPet obesity

Pet obesity

Sadly, pet obesity continues to rise here in the UK. It’s estimated that 40% of dogs and 53% of cats are overweight or obese and it’s believed that the problem is only getting worse, with 81% of vets and nurses seeing an increase in the number of overweight animals.

As well as a general reduced quality in life, obesity in pets can lead to serious health problems including diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, and cancer. Even worse, obese pets can be expected to die younger than pets of a healthy weight, with a recent study by the University of Liverpool showing that the lifespan of obese dogs can be shortened by as much as two years!

The facts

Happy DogJust like with humans, pet obesity is most often the result of overeating and/or under exercising.

In fact:

  • 33% of dog owners walk their dog just once a day
  • 45% of dogs are only getting up to 30 minutes of exercise when they are walked
  • 1% of dogs are never walked at all
  • 65% of cat owners don’t know their pet’s current weight
  • 19% of owners described their cat as overweight or obese
  • 4% of cats don’t exercise daily – including running, climbing, or playing
  • 5% of cat and dog owners believe their pet had put on weight since the pandemic began

How Pawfit can help owners manage their pet’s weight

Over the years, we’ve spoken to many pet owners and a lot of them say the same thing: how can they be sure their pet is getting enough exercise to stay healthy?

Thankfully, Pawfit has the solution.

Dog with Pawfit trackerAs well as being a waterproof GPS location tracker, Pawfit 2 is also designed to monitor your pet’s activity levels throughout the day. Owners can set activity goals based on their pet’s age, weight and breed and track how well their pets do at reaching these goals each day.

Once the Pawfit tracker is attached to your pet’s collar or harness, it monitors their activity throughout the day. Pawfit tracks the number of steps your pet does and combines this with your pet’s profile information to accurately calculate the number of calories burnt and distance travelled and also report on the number of hours your pet was active and inactive.

All the information is clearly displayed in the Pawfit app and pet owners can compare their pet’s activity on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. This gives them an excellent insight into their pet’s behaviour and allows them to make informed decisions about the health and wellbeing of their pets.

For example, if dog owners can see that their pup is mostly inactive throughout the day, they’ll know that they need to take them for bigger walks in the evening. However, if their dog is really active, owners know to take them on shorter evening walks and perhaps give them a little extra for dinner!

“I’ve been using Pawfit for over a year now and it’s been a true life saver. We were told that our dog wasn’t getting enough exercise and it allows us to keep track of our Labradors health and also gives us the motivation to reach every goal” – Issac, UK

Are you ready to take control of your pet’s weight? Shop Pawfit 2 today with 45R6P4 at checkout to enjoy 10% off. Visit www.pawfit.com/en-gb

TOP DOG EDITORIALS

VIDEOS

More article