Lintbells has launched its new Mobility Matters initiative to the pet trade for the first time. It provides training and useful resources to stores, to assist owners in the multi-modal management of dogs with stiff joints.

On offer is free training and support materials that allow outlets to offer a value-added service to dog owners. It’s estimated that one in five dogs suffer from mobility problems* so there is a distinct need for help to manage it.

The Lintbells’ Mobility Matters initiative includes support materials that help pet owners better understand their pet’s joint health. There is a step by step guide in a flip chart format that allows a more structured conversation to take place and which addresses the many ways the pet can be helped.

The role of supplements in supporting mobility is discussed but the materials extend even further. It includes adaptations that can be made in the home, such as using non-slip mats or raised food bowls and hints on how to choose a complementary therapy.

Lintbells is offering to visit stores and provide staff with the appropriate training. Once complete, certificates are issued for every staff member that has taken part and an ‘Accredited Mobility Matters Store’ window sticker provided to help signpost that expert support is available.

Also included is a handy pocket guide for staff to carry around and refer to as needed to ensure those ‘on the spot’ conversations reflect the learning, as well as giving the pet owner a reminder of all the key points to take home.

The initiative has been introduced following great feedback in the vet sector where a veterinary version of the materials has been used to support the set up of vet nurse-led clinics.

Lintbells Brand Manager, Gemma Cunningham, says retailers can use the materials to complement the advice given by veterinary practices and to refer customers to the vet when needed. There is a lot of potential to assist pet owners by reducing weight in overweight pets – which reduces the strain on joints – encouraging regular but gentle exercise and adapting the pet’s environment so it’s easier for them to get around the home and in and out of bed.

The idea behind the initiative is to take a wider, more ‘holistic’ look at how pets and their owners can be supported.

Gemma says that while Mobility Matters can help increase the sales of supplements and generate incremental sales from mobility aids and harnesses, the benefits go much further, “It’s about improving expert credentials and knowledge and developing the services pet owners want. We want to ensure that pet owners have a great experience when they ask their retailer for advice. Mobility Matters will enable retailers to exceed expectations and help their stores become a destination for expert pet care.”

*Johnson JA, Austin C, Breur GJ. Incidence of canine appendicular musculoskeletal disorders in 16 veterinary teaching hospitals from 1980 through 1989. Vet Comp Orthop Trauma 7:56-69, 1994.