Welcome to the Week’s Review of Canine Social Media
Welcome to this Special Feature on the DoggieU K9 Blog for an update on this week’s dog-related social media from around the world. There are so many stories. Here we will share some of the best stories this week.
Enjoy & share them.
One-third of Americans pets have a social media account. And many of the pets have more followers than the owners.
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Photo credit: GettyImages A recent study of 2,000 cat and dog owners found of those with pet social media accounts, 35 per cent set it up for their beloved animals to show them off to the world.
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While 34 per cent wanted to enjoy the positive reactions shared over their pets online. These pampered pets have an average of 925 followers, with 89 per cent of owners admitting this is more than they have on their own social networking accounts.
- However, 42 per cent of adults with personal social media profiles admitted to filling their own feeds with pictures of their beloved pets.
“It’s evident that pets are the nation’s pride and joy.
Whether we’re showing them off on social media or throwing them a birthday party, our four-legged friends deserve the best.
We love that pet owners are passionate about putting their pets first”
(S. Mendel)
The research was commissioned by pet insurer ManyPets with S. Mendel as CEO who says “our mission is to make the world a better place for pets and their parents.”
The also research revealed some other interesting facts about pet owners:
- Social networking isn’t the only place pet owners are showing off pictures – as two in five (40 per cent) even have more snaps of their pet than they do themselves.
- While many also admit to having more pet pictures on their phones than of their friends (38 per cent) and parents (36 per cent).
- In fact, two-thirds would go as far to say they consider their pet to be one of their best friends – and as many as 44 per cent of those who treat their four-legged pals will do so on their birthday.
- With 34 per cent of all pet owners throwing them a birthday bash at one time or another.
- And nearly half of these respondents have admitted to spending more on their canines and cats than they do on some of their loved ones.
- Many owners will even miss their pets the most (44 per cent) compared to their parents, kids and friends when away from home – with a third (34 per cent) taking their pet on a weekend away.
- A quarter (26 per cent) of those polled via OnePoll will attend pet friendly restaurants to include their pets in their plans and over half (55 per cent) cite making new friends thanks to their pet.
- While 48 per cent have cancelled their plans to spend more time with their furry friend.
[Link]
Most Dog Owners Don’t Consider If They Are Following Safety Guidelines When Feeding Their Pets!
A new study by researchers at North Carolina State University has found that only a small fraction of dog owners are aware of the official guidelines for safely handling their pet’s food – in this case the guidelines set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US. These guidelines cover how pet food should be stored and served, how food bowls should be cleaned and maintained, and how to report problems with food and treats. The problem is, not enough people are aware of these simple tips to help avoid pets and owners from getting sick.
That’s not just the responsibility of dog owners but also of the FDA, the researchers say: they’re calling for these guidelines to be more widely publicized, and to be followed up with some rigorous scientific research to demonstrate their benefits.
According to the research team, “Pet feeding involves interplay between the pet, the owner, and the food. “This interaction creates the opportunity for mutual exchange of microbial contaminants from food or water, dishes, and the food storage or preparation environment, which can cause health consequences for both humans and pets.”
- The research involved surveys of 417 dog owners and swabs on 68 dog food dishes. Less than 5 percent of respondents knew that there were any guidelines to follow; when told that such guidelines existed, only 8 percent knew that the FDA website was the place to go in order to find them.
- On the positive side, several of the official guidelines were widely followed by the survey group: 86 percent check their dog food for visible damage, and 91 percent know not to use the dog bowl as a scooping utensil. Almost all (97 percent) of the dog owners reported that they didn’t feed their pooches raw food.
- Other FDA recommendations are less well followed. The researchers found that only 12 percent of dog owners wash their pets’ bowls every day, and only 22 percent wash their hands with soap and hot water before handling pet food. A mere 13 percent clean the food-scooping utensil with soap and hot water after it’s been used.
As the researchers point out, we tend to overestimate how hygienic we are, and some of that bias could be present in this study too. In summary, based on this sample, dog owners could be doing a lot more to minimize bacterial build up and the risk of infection. “Exposure to contaminated dog food can have implications for canine and human health,” write the researchers. “For example, there have been multiple outbreaks of both humans and dogs becoming ill after exposure to dog food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. “These risks may be amplified in households with children and/or immunocompromised individuals, which were over a third of respondents’ households.”
Previous research suggests that pet food dishes are common among household surfaces that are contaminated with bacteria; the spread of drug-resistant E. coli bacteria is just one of the problems that can develop as a result. While this research used a relatively small sample size and didn’t go into too much detail in terms of bacterial analysis, it’s clear that more could be done by both dog owners and health bodies to make sure both pets and humans are kept as safe as possible.
[Link to PLOS study] [Link to FDA recommendations]