FINER FOODS FOR FIDO NOTHING TO KIBBLE OVER
PET lovers are trialling a new activity tracker for dogs and feeding them gourmet meals to help shrink canine waistlines and keep their fourlegged friends in good health.
Ilume created the activity tracker that clips to a collar, akin to a FitBit, that monitors dog activity levels and calibrates their food intake accordingly via an app.
The company, which also launched a range of pet meals this year, is undertaking home trials of the device with the food dispenser technology.
Ilume co-founder and CEO Craig Silbery said the system was fully customisable to each pooch.
“It works via a set of scales, so it will only dispense exactly how much is needed when it is needed,” he said.
“The dispenser pairs with an app, where you can select what type of food you’re using and it determines the quantity of food based on the number of calories per kilo of food, so you could use whatever type of dog food you want.”
Mr Silbery said studies have shown overfeeding as a leading cause of premature canine death.
Ilume has also launched a range of chef-prepared dog meals, which, although more expensive than traditional kibble, are much healthier, Mr Silbery said.
“Fresh food avoids ultraprocessed food,” he said.
“Kibble is full of artificial products, it’s like feeding your kids fast food every meal.”
The meal range starts at about $3.70 a day for a meatball dish, increasing to about $10 a day for chicken medallions.
Brisbane’s Ambi Sud’s spoodle, Penny, “absolutely loved” the meatball dish. “It’s a great idea,” Ms Sud said. “Penny isn’t food motivated so giving her the right amount of food at the right time would certainly be better than just her two meals a day.”