Since we have begun to consider our pets as a member of the family, there are more and more studies and research that are carried out to ensure your well-being, improve your quality of life and lengthen it. In this sense, Mars Petcare researchers have launched a tool capable of measuring the health and well-being of dogs.
Teams from the Waltham Petcare Institute of Science and Banfield Pet Hospital have conducted an evaluation of the quality of life, health and welfare of pets. They have done it through a questionnaire of 32 questions answered by the owners of 2,813 dogs from which information is extracted on their behavior and activity.
Once the results have been processed, a global view of the dog’s health and well-being is obtained, including information and data on the animal’s energy levels, happiness, mobility, sociability and appetite. “This project will allow us to obtain more accurate data on the health and well-being of dogs,” says Nefertiti Greene, president of Science and Diagnostics for Mars Petcare in a press release.
To carry out the project, the results of the survey answered by the owners have been contrasted with the medical records of Bandfield. For example, agreed that mobility and energy scores were lower in dogs suffering from osteoarthritisas did levels of sociability and happiness in dogs that aged or developed chronic illnesses.
“The study mentions that they used two main questions: ‘Please tell us how well each of these words describes your dog as he/she is today’ and ‘Please tell us how well each of these words describes your dog at mealtime’; with the aim of collecting information during the day and at mealtimerespectively,” explains Vanessa Caralps, director of category and portfolio at Mars Iberia.
Following the main question, the animal’s owners had to rate a word on a scale of 1-7. “The example words for the first question are ‘active’, ‘painful’, ‘athletic’ and ‘happy’, among others; while for the second they are ‘protective’, ‘excited’ and ‘hungry'”, details Caralps .
Could be integrated into telemedicine apps used to schedule vet appointments
Although more research is needed to validate the questionnaire as a quality of life instrument, the study demonstrates “the link between health and well-being, and that the instrument can quantify the effects of well-being that the owner perceives.” “Completing this survey before going to a veterinary consultation can help make veterinary visits more efficient“, adds the director of Mars Iberia.
In addition, from Mars Petcare they consider that this study can serve as support for future applications or digital tools that veterinarians and owners can use to more accurately and accurately track the well-being and health of dogs at any life stage,
“Could be integrated into health apps that dog owners can use to assess their own dog’s well-being or in telemedicine apps used to schedule vet appointments,” Caralps concludes.
