Pet Insight Project to study links between activity and health

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Pet Insight Project logoOn April 5, Mars Petcare announced the launch of Pet Insight Project, a three-year study of more than 200,000 dogs across the United States to uncover links between pet activity and health.

The aim of the study is to better understand when activity may signal a change in a pet's health and to make it possible for pet owners to better partner with their veterinarian on proactive health care.

Dog owners who have enrolled their dogs in the Optimum Wellness Plan at Banfield Pet Hospital, a subsidiary of Mars Inc. with more than 1,000 hospitals, will be invited to participate in the research. Participants will receive a free Whistle Fit activity monitor from Whistle Labs Inc., a subsidiary of Mars Petcare.

Dogs in the study will wear the trackers continuously, and the dogs' owners will take the dogs for wellness visits at a Banfield hospital. Electronic health records will then be correlated with data collected through the activity monitors.

Data scientists and veterinary professionals will analyze the results to map patterns of pet behaviors and movement with illness, with the goal of aiding in more precise detection of ailments and eventually providing early warnings. Information about the study is at www.petinsightproject.com.

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