These 10 states have the healthiest dogs
Pets
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By Dr. Lindsay Cassibry for Ollie, Stacker
These 10 states have the healthiest dogs
A team of veterinarians and veterinary technicians reviews thousands of photos submitted through Ollie’s health screening service. That’s hundreds of dogs (and their stools) checked and scored for healthy digestion, weight, dental hygiene, and skin and coats. While the team zeroes in on the details of every dog’s screening, when they zoom out, they get a fuller picture of our dogs’ overall health, and interesting trends emerge. One such trend is the correlation between a dog’s location and their health. Ollie shares which states have the healthiest dogs.
Four Factors of a Healthy Dog
The four unique health screenings that dive deep into key areas of dogs’ health include digestion, weight, dental, and skin and coat. Each screening has its own rubric, allowing veterinary professionals to thoroughly assess every photo.
Digestion
The digestion screening evaluates a photo of a dog’s stool and checks it for factors such as color, consistency, the presence of blood or mucus, and foreign matter like grass, parasites, or undigested food.
Weight
A nine-point body composition scale helps analyze photos of dogs taken from above. This rating system assesses factors such as the visibility of the dog’s ribs or abdominal tuck and fat distribution (if any) in key areas, including the base of the tail and the lumbar region. Once assessed, the team will assign a number ranging from 1: Very Underweight to 9: Very Overweight.
Dental Hygiene
Similar to digestive health, a dog’s oral hygiene is closely linked to their overall health and wellness. Maintaining good dental health can help prevent a wide range of diseases and ailments. When conducting a dental screening, the team will look for instances of plaque and tartar build-up, as well as any inflammation around the gumline to determine if a dog’s dental health is in good standing or if they could use extra care.
Skin and Coat
Itchy skin, dull coats, and hair loss are linked to diet and nutrition. The team will look for dry, flaky skin, the presence of irritation or inflammation, as well as the coat’s luster, texture, and distribution.
Healthiest Dogs by State
For all of the dogs whose owners completed a health screening, Ollie found that certain states stood out, having passed more screenings with flying colors than other states.
1. Michigan
Michigan made the top 10 list across all screenings and leads for the highest healthy scores in the digestion screening in particular. Is there something in the lakes giving these pups a leg up? And should there be a motion to redub Michigan the Great Poop State?
2. Florida
While the next two states on the list are tied for overall scores, Florida came out on top with the best dental screening results. Over half of the Floridian pups aced their first screening, proving that gators aren’t the only ones with champion chompers.
3. Arizona
Not only did Arizona make it to the top three overall, but this state’s pups took home third and second place, respectively, for their digestion and dental screening scores.
4. Illinois
This next state really takes its digestive health seriously. Nearly 94% of Illinois pups scored passing marks on their first digestion screening, just behind Michigan for healthiest results.
5. Texas
While the Lone Star State was in the middle of the pack overall, it really shone when it came to skin and coat health. Texas pups take silver for best skin and coat screening scores.
6. New York
New York’s pups also proved to be star students in the skin and coat screening, falling just behind Texas in third place for this specific measure. Ask them to drop their skin care routine ASAP.
7. Tennessee
The sweet Southern pups in Tennessee secured bronze for both digestion and dental screenings. Good poops, clean teeth — can’t lose!
8. Massachusetts
Digestion and skin and coat Screenings were the strongest suits for Mass pups. While they may not have been top dog in any of the screenings, an impressive 93% of these pups had outstanding results for their first digestion screening.
9. California
While the Golden State didn’t earn gold in any of the screenings, they did make it to the top 10, which is still something to be proud of. Every dog deserves a treat, whether they made the list or not!
10. Ohio
Lastly, but not least, Ohio, coming in at No. 10. Ohio’s pups aced the skin and coat screening, with nearly half of all submissions yielding healthy results.
This story was produced by Ollie and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
