There are several products out on the market for health conscious pet parents that target healthier living for their pets. Activity trackers for our pets are some of the newest gadgets available for tech-savvy individuals. These trackers are wearable electronic devices that contain sensors to detect movement. Some of the more advanced products also detect heart and respiratory rates, temperatures, and even boost GPS capabilities.
There has been some interest in using these devices not only to help overweight dogs to lose weight, but also for dogs with certain health conditions, such as heart failure and epilepsy. For the latter, many owners of epileptic dogs desire to have a better understanding of the seizure activity that occurs when they are not at home. These trackers could provide valuable insight into duration and occurrence of seizures, as well as response to medications. Here are a few of the products currently on the market:
FitBark
This product was conceived through a kickstarter campaign and promotes a tagline “Live, Love, Wag.” This activity tracker differentiates between active time, resting time and time together with caretakers. There is also the ability to compare dog vs human progress in terms of exercise goals. The product has the capability to send updates to a smart phone and even to share information with trainers and veterinarians. The FitBark is approximately 8 grams in weight, is waterproof and fits directly onto a dog’s collar. The cost on the website is $109 for the activity tracker and Wifi station. There is no set release date at this time, but preorders are being accepted through the FitBark website.
Voyce
The Voyce product is an actual collar that comes in various sizes to fit each specific size dog (four sizes in total). The Voyce band tracks and measures key wellness indicators through low frequency radio signals, such as heart and respiratory rates, activity and rest times, calories burned and distance covered each day. The product also syncs with i4c’s cloud platform over Wifi every 4 hours. There is a Voyce portal that helps pet owners to monitor and learn from the data the activity tracker collects on a daily basis. The portal also allows pet owner to store medical records, to set specific goals and set reminders for vaccines and appointments. Lastly, the Voyce portal offers a library of dog specific articles to help educate pet owners. The cost for the Voyce collar and membership plan is $299. The monthly rate for the membership plan is $9.95/month and for a year it costs $99.95. Expected shipping date is March 2015.
Whistle
The Whistle Activity monitor attaches to a dog’s collar and measures activity and rest times throughout the day. It also allows pet owners to create daily goals, track progress, log food and medication intake, and view highlights of their dog’s success. The release date is the summer of 2015 and the cost is $99 through the Whistle website.
Tagg
The Tagg Pet Tracker System contains a monitor to clip directly on a dog’s collar and has GPS capability. It monitors activity and rest time throughout the day. Another important component is the ability to alert pet owners to the location of their dog, especially if the dog escapes out of a pet owner’s designated home area. In this case an immediate alert will be sent to a designated smart phone and will even provide directions to the dog’s current location. There is also a temperature sensor as part of the Tagg system that identifies if your pet is exposed to extreme temperatures in order to prevent life-threatening conditions such as heatstroke. Shipping for this product will begin in March 2015 and the cost is $99.95 for the actual tag monitor with docking station and 2 months of GPS and activity tracking service. After 2 months it is an additional $9.95/month for the GPS and tracking services.