Canada’s Pet Wellness Report is put together by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and Hill’s Science Diet and gives an interesting view of Canadian pet owners. There are around 7.9 million cats and 5.9 million dogs in Canada, and around 35 percent of households have at least one dog, while 38 percent have at least one cat.

Findings suggest that while pet owners adore their pets, pet lives can be enhanced and lengthened by improving pet owners’ knowledge of nutrition and health.

Overfeeding is the most common mistake pet owners do, and people are likely to consider the pet’s taste preference (60%) before what’s actually good for the pet’s health (33%). Veterinarians believe that pet owners are more likely to pick pet food depending on price than nutrition.

The report also shows that weight control is the most important thing to increase pets’ life spans. Fewer than 8 percent feed their pets the amount recommended on the food package. Weight control and exercise go hand in hand. Pet owners know that exercise is important, but still spend three times as much time watching TV and twice as much time on the Internet as they do playing with or exercising their furry friends.

Top five most common mistakes when feeding dogs or cats – according to vets

1. Overfeeding
2. Giving too many treats
3. Making food available at all times
4. Poor quality food
5. Human food/table scraps

Five most important things a pet owner can do to increase their pet’s life span

1. Weight control
2. Dental care
3. Regular exams
4. Exercise
5. Proper food for the pet’s life stage

The most common health problem – also the one that surprises the most pet owners – is dental health. Dental problems are often followed by organ damage, strokes, osteoporosis, and diabetes.

A recent study of Canadian pet owners made by the Canadian Veterinary Association together with Hill’s Science Diet reveals an interesting discrepancy of what pet owners’ think is important and what they actually do.

When asked what the most important thing is when it comes to enhance the length and quality of a pet’s life, most owners answered exercise. When veterinarians get the same question, exercise comes in as the fourth highest priority.

However, knowing that something is important is not the same thing as doing something about it; on an average weekday, Canadian pet owners spend 79 minutes watching TV, 48 minutes browsing the Internet, and 25 minutes playing with or exercising their pets. On average, women do a little better than men. Women spend 28 minutes playing with or exercising their pets, and the corresponding number for men is 19 minutes.

According to veterinarians, 55 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats do not receive sufficient exercise to maintain good health.

On an average weekend day, the TV watching increases to 89 minutes, the Internet surfing sinks a little to 44 minutes, and pets get 29 minutes.

Overfeeding and obesity are the main issues amongst Canadian pets, and time spent together playing or exercising is a great way to strengthen the bond between humans and pets.