Did you know that obesity can shorten the lifespan of pets by more than two years?
As I scroll through my Instagram feed (of course I'm a big fan of pet accounts) - I see so many cute pets bringing joy to their owners' lives. But what strikes me is that many of these pets on Instagram are overweight. This looks super cute, but often leads to severe health problems in pets.
53% of all pets on this planet are overweight.
According to a study by Banfield Pet Hospital in the USA, obesity is the number one health problem in dogs and cats. Overweight pets are more prone to disease and are often diagnosed with diabetes, arthritis, or an overactive thyroid. As a result, obesity can shorten the lives of pets by more than two years. For a pet with a lifespan of around 15-20 years, that's a large chunk of life that would be lost to obesity. Sort of like taking eight years of a person's life away. However, obesity is not solely due to high calorie intake. Age, breed or medical procedures such as neutering also have an impact on your pet's weight. These are all factors you should research before adopting a pet, for example. This way you can get a comprehensive overview of your pet's health and prevent possible weight problems.
Good to know: More than 65% of all dog owners and more than half of all cat owners find it important to regularly check their animal's state of health.
The biggest challenge pet owners face is staying informed about the health of their pets. A recent study by MSD Animal Health found that more than 65% of all dog owners and more than half of all cat owners find it important to check their pet's health regularly. Pet owners are increasingly concerned about their pet's well-being. The majority of respondents do not currently use any technology to monitor the health of their pets and 60 said they would like to use such a device.
So what can pet owners do to learn more about the health of their pets? The answer is simple: First of all, it is important to know the normal condition of your pet. In this way, slight deviations in the daily rhythm and behavior patterns of the animal can be detected. This means that monitoring weight changes, sleeping habits, eating habits and toilet visits is important, as deviations in these areas can already be the first signs of health problems. Of course you can document all these factors manually in a diary, but let's be honest: Who has the time for that?
That's why we at Feniska have developed an intuitive health app and a Feniska Base. The Feniska Base monitors real-time data and tracks your cat or dog's weight change, rest time and sleep patterns. What is unique is that the data is measured non-invasively and in the familiar environment of your pets. This saves you and your pet stressful visits to the vet, such as weight checks. The big advantage is that your animal's health data is measured automatically and without distortion and can be viewed in the app at any time. So you can easily monitor your pet's health.
