Nearly everybody these days wears an activity tracker and soon your dog could be wearing one. It’s called the Waggit Collar App. Waggit claims to use location, activity and health tracking to give you a holistic day to day view of your best friend’s wellbeing.
Would you buy Waggit? It recieved mixed reviews from people we asked at a dog park, so we decided to ask a veterinarian if the device is a worthy buy.
Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald says before you go online and purchase your pet an activity tracker, you should assess whether it’s even overweight.
“A good place to start is to put your hand on the rib cage to feel the ribs and not see them. And is the abdomen tucked? Does she have a nice line of a stomach or does it sag way down and looking at her from the top, does she have a waist?”
If your dog is on the heavier side and your vet agrees, Dr. Fitzgerald says to hold off on the tracker. You should reflect first on your pet parenting skills.
Dr. Fitzgerald says, “these animals are completely dependent on us for good decisions. Anything your dog or cat puts in his mouth you gave him.”
Here are simple tips to keep your pet slim and trim. First, take your pet to the vet for a checkup.
Dr. Fitzgerald says, “coupling that with good exercise, a better diet, measuring food, cutting treats down, what about ice cubes for a treat, or green beans, or even baby carrots.”
The best treat is face time. Showing your dog love with time not food.
Dr. Fitzgerald says, “if we take him on as a companion we owe him good nutrition and exercise.”
Though Dr. Fitzgerald says a weight tracker for your pet isn’t necessary, it’s still nice to be able to track your pet’s health. Waggit Collar App is a part of a Kickstarter campaign. Pre-Orders are being taken now online.
