How to read your pet’s health dashboard
Discover more about your dog’s health data
In the Whistle app, you’ll find information on your pet’s overall wellness, scratching, licking, sleeping, eating, and drinking. We arrive at those insights by gathering your pet’s health data and comparing it to the behavioral data from Pet Insight Project. So, you can share health reports with your vet, prevent health problems, and uncover new ways to care.
Here’s some detail on how to understand those insights.
Wellness
After your Whistle has collected a week’s worth of data, you can better understand your dog’s wellness.
Whistle’s Wellness Score gives you a data-based assessment of your dog’s energy level and insight into their overall well-being. A high score means your pup is getting enough exercise, sleeping well, and not showing signs of skin and coat issues. A low score means they’re feeling low energy and may be experiencing a health problem. Watch out for unexpected changes in energy, sleep, or skin health.
Your pup’s daily routine can affect how much energy they use every day. So look out for lifestyle changes that could influence their score. For example, an extra-long hike could contribute to a higher score, while a missed walk could lower it.
Other events that will negatively impact their score include a poor night of sleep or an increase in scratching or licking. On the other hand, your dog’s Wellness Score will increase with improvements in energy, sleep, and skin health.
Worried about your dog’s Wellness Score?
Watch closely for signs that they may be tired or not feeling like themselves. Are they dragging their feet during walks or skipping their nightly playtime session? Be sure to also consider other factors that could lower their activity level, like extra crate time or a few missed trips to the dog park.
You can also take a look at the other behaviors Whistle tracks for a clue about what may be going on with your pup’s health. Is the app showing significant changes in their sleep patterns? Are their licking or scratching levels abnormally high? These insights may be able to point you in the right direction.
If their Wellness Score stays low without a reasonable explanation, connect with your vet.
Scratching
Scratching is the #1 reason people bring their pups to the vet.
While the occasional itch is fully normal, increased scratching is one of the strongest indicators of allergies or skin infections. Left untreated, skin conditions can lead to issues like dermatitis, infection, and lower quality of life. We determine what’s normal by comparing your dog’s scratching to dogs with healthy skin and dogs with skin conditions. So we can confidently say when it’s time for a checkup.
Worried about an elevated or severe level?
Look out for:
• Red or irritated skin
• Dry or discolored skin
• Bumps or rashes
• Matted hair
Spot something? Consider any changes that may have occurred in the past few days that could cause an issue. And keep monitoring their behavior, both with your smart device and your pet parent observational skills.
If the scratching stays at an elevated or severe level, connect with your vet.
Tip: It’s possible your smart device will misinterpret a “scratch-like” behavior. For instance, if you put your pup in a new sweater and they’re trying to paw it off, that may be logged as a scratch. So keep an eye out if you see a sudden change that doesn’t match your observations.
Licking
The average dog spends over 7 minutes licking themselves a day.
It happens for a whole slew of reasons: self-grooming, cleaning wounds, dealing with boredom, coping with stress, soothing skin, relieving joint pain, establishing social order, or just licking up some leftovers. Whatever the cause, your dog’s licking level can give you insight into their physical and mental well-being.
Note: Your smart device tracks when your dog licks themselves—not other pups, objects, people, or peanut butter.
Worried about an elevated or severe level?
Keep monitoring their behavior, both with your smart device and your pet parent observational skills. Look out for skin irritation or redness. And check out their paws for any items that may be causing an issue. Licking may also be a sign of boredom or stress, so consider any changes that could be affecting your pup’s mental health too.
If the licking stays at an elevated or severe level, connect with your vet.
Sleeping
Your dog’s sleep is one of the first clues into their overall health.
Dogs love to snooze. But are they actually well-rested? Understanding the quality of your dog’s nightly sleep—specifically the consistency and continuity—can help you spot sickness or injury. So, if your dog’s sleep patterns change without cause (like a new home or change in schedule), it’s time to take a closer look.
Worried about your dog’s sleeping?
Keep monitoring their sleep patterns for changes. More or less sleep can indicate changes to health. While disruptions can be a sign of discomfort. And if your pup’s sleep patterns have changed without explanation, like a new home or change in schedule, it may be worth taking a closer look at other aspects of your dog’s behavior.
Dogs’ sleep patterns often closely mirror their pet parent’s habits, especially if you share a sleeping space. So keep that in mind too.
If their sleeping levels stay too low or high or have lots of disruptions, connect with your vet.
Eating
Eating habits reveal more than a simple love of treats.
Eating levels are based on your dog’s personal eating habits. Every day, we map out when your dog eats, so you can identify both typical patterns and unexpected behaviors. For instance, you might notice that every time you stop for a pup cup, your dog skips dinner. Spot a change? That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s an issue. It’s just a sign to pay attention at mealtime (and maybe cut down on the extra treats.)
Worried about your dog’s eating?
Keep monitoring their eating both with your smart device and your pet parent observational skills. A change doesn’t necessarily mean there’s an issue. It could be related to another change, like a new type of food, bowl, eating spot, or treat-loving friend. But if we do spot a change, try taking a closer look during mealtime.
If their eating levels stay too low or high, connect with your vet.
Drinking
A few extra slurps can speak volumes about your dog’s health.
Drinking habits can change for lots of reasons, the biggest being shifts to temperature and activity level. Another common cause? Diet. Dogs who eat dry kibble tend to drink more than those eating wet food. But health issues, like kidney disease or diabetes, can also cause your pup to drink more. So it’s important to keep an eye on your pup’s drinking patterns.
Worried about your dog’s drinking?
Keep monitoring their drinking both with your smart device and your pet parent observational skills. A change can be normal, particularly when linked to another change, like increased activity or a new food.
If their drinking levels stay too low or high, connect with your vet.
Your stories
"The scratching and licking tracking feature of the Whistle FIT has been amazing. Shortly after getting it, it alerted us to him scratching at an elevated rate and it kept going up. We ended up finding that he has severe food allergies."
Shadow's Mom
“Whistle detected an abnormal amount of scratching on my 9 month old Samoyed, Ivan. The flea & tick medication actually burned his skin and we didn’t know, but Whistle did.”
Ivan's Mom
“We got an alert that his scratching was highly elevated so we thought we'd take him to the vet. It turned out he had a pretty bad ear infection! We would have never caught it without the Whistle notifications because he wasn't displaying any other symptoms.”
Leo's Mom
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