By Dr Duncan Houston
You might know how many steps you took yesterday, how well you slept and whether your weight has changed. Your dog deserves that same attention to their health.
They cannot explain that their joints feel stiff, their thirst has increased or they keep waking up uncomfortable. Those changes have to be noticed by someone who knows them.
Quick answer: Tracking your dog’s activity, appetite, weight, sleep and symptoms helps establish what is normal for them. A record of changes can support earlier veterinary assessment, clearer decisions and consistent care between family members or pet sitters. Combine those records with direct observation and regular veterinary checks.
Your dog does not need a spreadsheet for every sniff. A few useful observations, recorded consistently, can go a long way.
Why are changes in a dog’s health easy to miss?
A change can happen gradually enough to become the new normal. Walks get shorter. Getting up takes longer. The water bowl needs filling more often.
Dogs may still eat, greet you and show interest in favourite activities while something is wrong. Pain and illness do not always produce an obvious cry or dramatic change. Persistent alterations in energy, appetite, thirst, toileting or behaviour deserve attention.
For example, reluctance to use stairs can be a sign of discomfort. Recording when it happens, whether it is worsening and how your dog moves gives your vet more to work with than simply describing them as “getting old”. Owner observations and repeatable assessments are recognised parts of evaluating chronic pain.
Your dog’s normal matters
A busy young terrier and an older greyhound will have different daily routines. Comparing their activity totals tells you less than comparing each dog with their own usual pattern.
Build a picture of your dog when they are well: how they eat, move, rest, interact and recover after exercise. Include context such as hot weather, a change in routine or a particularly active day.
A lower activity reading might reflect fewer walks, discomfort or a recording problem. It identifies something to investigate; it cannot tell you the cause by itself. Veterinary guidance treats activity monitors as one part of health assessment.
What should you track?
Start with information you can record accurately and use.
| What to track | Useful details |
|---|---|
| Activity and mobility | Walk duration, willingness to play, limping, stiffness and ease of getting up |
| Food and appetite | Food offered and eaten, treats, missed meals and difficulty chewing |
| Drinking and toileting | Noticeable thirst changes, urine frequency, accidents and stool consistency |
| Weight and body condition | Dated weights, changes in body shape and your vet’s assessment |
| Sleep and comfort | Settling, waking, pacing, restlessness and changes in sleeping habits |
| Behaviour and symptoms | Interest in family, scratching, coughing, vomiting or unusual withdrawal |
| Treatment and records | Medication actually given, appointment notes, test results and care instructions |
Weight is particularly useful alongside body condition and muscle assessment. A stable number on the scales does not guarantee that body composition is unchanged. Veterinary nutritional assessment considers food history, activity, weight, body fat and muscle together.
For some dogs, your vet may also recommend sleeping breathing-rate monitoring, particularly as part of a heart-disease plan. Count chest rises for 60 seconds while your dog is quietly asleep, not panting after exercise. Each rise counts as one breath. Ask your vet how often to measure and which changes should trigger a call.
Why track your health and your dog’s together?
Your routines influence each other. A busy working week may mean fewer walks for both of you. A regular walking plan can create time for exercise, outdoor activity and companionship.
Reviewing both routines helps you ask practical questions: Have walks become less frequent? Does your dog need a gentler route? Are you allowing time for sniffing, play and rest?
Choose activity that suits both participants. Your dog’s age, fitness, health and the weather matter. Your personal step target should never become a requirement for a puppy, an arthritic dog or a dog struggling in the heat. Veterinary exercise advice supports tailoring activity to the individual animal.
Better records make veterinary appointments more useful
Imagine arriving with dates for the first appetite change, several recent weights and a short video of your dog struggling to rise.
That information helps your veterinarian understand what happens at home and whether signs are intermittent, progressive or associated with particular activities. Videos can be especially useful when a movement problem does not appear during the appointment.
Records also help assess treatment. Following an arthritis plan, for example, you might monitor walking comfort, ease of standing and nighttime rest. Your vet may recommend a validated questionnaire to make those comparisons more consistent.
Keep the record focused on meaningful changes. A brief timeline is easier to interpret than hundreds of screenshots without dates or context.
What happens when someone else looks after your dog?
A capable pet sitter may still be unfamiliar with your dog’s normal habits. Clear records make it easier for them to recognise a change and know what to do.
Before going away, share:
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Normal meal amounts, appetite and toileting habits.
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Usual walks, sleep patterns and any mobility limitations.
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Current medications, written instructions and the time each dose is given.
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Health concerns, your vet’s contact details and an emergency plan.
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Specific signs that require a call or immediate veterinary care.
Ask carers to record what actually happened, including food eaten and medication administered. A reminder that a tablet is due is different from confirmation that it was given.
A pet camera can provide additional observations between visits. Arrange regular in-person care and a clear response plan, because a camera or tracker cannot examine your dog or provide treatment.
How do you start without making it a chore?
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Choose one place for the record. A notebook, shared document or suitable pet-health app can work.
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Start with the basics. Log appetite, activity, toileting and anything unusual.
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Learn the usual pattern. A week or two of ordinary observations can provide useful context when your dog is well. Investigate illness immediately rather than waiting to finish a baseline.
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Measure consistently. Use the same scales where possible, record dates and distinguish measured values from estimates.
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Agree on a schedule with your vet. Growing puppies, dogs on weight-management plans and animals with chronic disease may need different monitoring.
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Review and act. Bring relevant trends to appointments and contact your vet sooner when changes are concerning.
Keep preventive care, appropriate nutrition, exercise, enrichment and comfortable rest in the routine. Recording information is most useful when it leads to a sensible action.
How much should you trust wearable data?
Wearables can make tracking more convenient, but accuracy depends on the device and the measurement. Movement, rest, calories and clinical vital signs are different outputs and need their own validation.
For example, research evaluating one commercial canine wearable found its energy-requirement estimates unreliable. That finding should not be applied to every device, but it shows why calorie estimates alone should not determine feeding amounts.
Check unexpected readings against your dog’s actual condition and the device’s fit and operation. A normal dashboard does not rule out illness.
When should a change prompt veterinary advice?
An isolated, explainable change in a dog who otherwise seems well can be recorded and reassessed. Repeated or unexplained changes deserve a conversation with your vet.
Seek prompt advice for persistent appetite changes, increased drinking or urination, unexplained weight loss, limping or unusual tiredness. Marked weakness, repeated vomiting or rapid deterioration needs urgent assessment.
Difficulty breathing, collapse or straining without passing urine requires emergency veterinary care. Do not wait for more readings, a device alert or an online reply.
Common mistakes include dismissing changes as ageing, comparing your dog with another dog, increasing exercise to satisfy a target, and collecting records without reviewing them.
Do I need an expensive tracker?
No. Consistent observations, dated notes, occasional videos and appropriate weigh-ins can provide useful information. A wearable is an optional tool.
Should I track a healthy young dog?
Yes. Start simply so you become familiar with their habits. Update your expectations as they grow and their routine changes.
Can tracking diagnose disease?
No. It can reveal changes and help guide assessment. Diagnosis may require an examination, blood or urine tests, imaging or other investigations.
How often should I record information?
A brief daily check is a practical starting point. Log symptoms and treatments when they occur, and agree on the frequency of measurements such as weight or breathing rate with your veterinarian.
Your dog relies on you to notice when something changes. ASK A VET™ can help you understand which observations matter and when veterinary assessment is needed. Keeping a clear health record gives you, your carers and your veterinary team a more useful picture of your dog’s everyday wellbeing.
The ASK A VET™ Tracker logs live location and activity trends, so a change in routine never goes unnoticed.
Every ASK A VET article is written and reviewed by qualified veterinarians.
