Expert cites tech & digital resources that help promote pet nutrition, fitness, safety and overall well-being
In today’s culture, instant gratification reigns supreme. Even when it comes to the fitness, nutrition, and overriding health and safety concerns of pets, throngs of owners are seeking out effective tech-based tools and resources for their pet’s benefit that are highly effective, user-friendly, and that can be quickly implemented.
With this in mind, field expert Paul Mann, Founder and CEO of Fetch! Pet Care , offers these 7 types of tech resources that can help promote a healthful and positive pet lifestyle:
- Internet Calculators: As with humans, Body Mass Index (BMI) can be a reliable indicator of dog’s body fat levels and serves as a free and easy way to screen your pet for weight concerns that may lead to health problems. One need only log on to the Internet to find freely accessible Dog BMI Calculators, such as that offered at PetSci.com . This Web site offers an array of other useful calculators, including a Feline Calorie Counter to determine how many calories your cat needs to help manage or avoid an obese condition, a Dog and Cat Stress Calculator for owners who are concerned Fido or Felix might be too stressed out, and a Canine Cognitive Dysfunction tool to help identify if your dog might be suffering from dementia. Also handy is PetMD.com’s Chocolate Toxicity Meter that will let you know how much theobromine and caffeine your dog has consumed and the symptoms that may follow.
- Online Quizzes: These tools offer a fast and easy way to get a snapshot of a particular health concern you may—or should—have about your pet. Given the glut of related lifestyle and health concerns, there are a number of online free-access Pet Obesity Quizzes at the ready to help you determine if your pet is suffering from an overweight or obese condition so that you can take appropriate action to remedy. Another useful online quiz from industry-leading health authority Dr. Oz asks “How Healthy Is Your Pet” and allows you to find out with just a few clicks. One interesting online quiz helps you determine if your puppy has separation anxiety , which can put many behavior and pet care concerns into perspective. With another, users can also take a veterinarian’s quick quiz on applicable to rabbits, guinea pigs, and the like.
- Digital Books & eBooks: While bookshelves are filled with hard cover or paperback books that help owners manage their pet’s nutrition, fitness, health and medical issues, there are also a myriad of handy, quickly accessible, and more transportable digital books and eBooks that educate on a multitude of topics. Amazon Kindle is one great resource with helpful titles that include: The Health Benefits of Dog Walking for Pets and People , Cat Diabetes Basics: How It Affects Your Pet and You , Puppy Socialization – An Insider’s Guide to Dog Behavioral Fitness , and Real Safety Guide to Pet Health .’Free-eBooks.net offers the useful eBook, First Aid And Emergency Care For Dogs And Cats .
- APPs: There are a number of sound APPs on the market to foster pet health and safety. One great option is the Pet First Aid by American Red Cross APP that puts veterinary advice for everyday emergencies in the palm of your hand. The petMD Symptom Checker APP provides owners with answers to hundreds of questions relating to dog or cat health. Another APP, Dogs Nutrition Calculator – Puppies and Dog Training Food Health Guide, offers helpful calculator tools and information resources to ensure your dog is properly nourished no matter where you are.
- Specialized Search Engines: While general search engines like Yahoo! and Google can be helpful, other more specialized search tools can greatly expedite and streamline a search process—gained time that can be critical if your pet has a medical situation at hand. For one, PetMD.com has a handy Symptom Checker engine that allows users to choose the type of pet (either dog or cat), select symptoms, and then quickly access highly germane articles in kind.
- Videos: The Internet is rife with helpful pet care and safety videos. YouTube, for example, has many educational and informative videos on topics on nearly any pet health topic: everything from general pet health awareness to the benefits of pet health insurance to what you need to know about intestinal parasites. YouTube’s Pet safety videos around a multitude of topics, including product testing and safety, are also quite helpful.
- Gadgets & Gear: Today’s breed of tech gadgetry can be a boon for assuring pets stay safe day-to-day and in optimum health. Pet owners are often consumed with worry–whether it’s about leaving a new puppy home alone, if the dog is still in the yard, and the like. With emerging Cloud Camera technology, like that offered by D-Link, owners can now remotely monitor their pets from any computer or wirelessly-connected device like an iPhone, iPad, Android or Android tablet. Nifty devices like “ The Tagg” pet tracking system allow users to track a pet’s location and activity from their computer or mobile device to see where the dog is or monitor its activity levels 24/7. Another area of pet health and nutrition that’s been vastly improved with technology are automated pet feeding systems, like the Wireless Whiskers solution, which uses a wireless tag attached to a cat’s collar to regulate and monitor one or more cat’s food intake to ensure the pet isn’t eating too much or too little at once or throughout the day—also keeping multiple cats away from each other’s food. Water fountain and filtration systems have also come of age, now providing pets with fresh, clean water anytime that is free of chlorine and sediment.
Paul Mann is the Founder the CEO of Fetch! Pet Care—the nation’s largest and most trusted franchisor for professional pet sitting, dog walking, and pet fitness/exercise services—serving thousands of pets and pet parents throughout the United States from coast to coast. He may be reached online at: www.FetchPetCare.com .
