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The Biscuit App saved my life
Gail Walters from Hampshire was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure in 2021. As a result of overeating to cope with her struggling mental health, the diagnosis was a game changer for Gail which set her on a path to find ways to replace her bad habits with good ones.
A friend and fellow dog owner recommended the Biscuit Pet Care app to Gail, who is a full-time carer to her two autistic teenagers and looks after elderly relatives including her aunt who recently suffered from a second stroke.
Biscuit Pet Care is an app which rewards dog owners for caring for their dogs including walking them and uploading microchips and flea and worm treatment details. Users earn points known as ‘Biscuits’ which they can spend with more than 30 retailers and pet wellbeing businesses.
Gail said: “The Biscuit app has made a huge difference to my life. Walking has become an important part of my routine for managing my mental health and helping control my overeating. It’s like a comfort blanket.
“My dog Dafni is a huge comfort to me and I love being able to monitor our walks together and I look forward to them now, rather than seeing them as a chore. It ’s great seeing the route view and knowing how far we’ve walked, and it motivates me to walk for at least an hour a day which is more than I’ve ever done before. I have been able to reduce my blood sugar to a prediabetes level and some weeks Dafni and I can walk up to 35 km!
“If someone had told me a year ago that an app could change my life, I’d have laughed at them. But it really has been a lifesaver.”
After losing Bob, another dog, during lockdown Gail was bereft. Dafni joined the family following Bob’s passing. A Greek hare hound mix rescue dog, Dafni is named after the village of Dafni near Athens where she was found and rescued by the DASH Dogs Rescue Centre.
“Because my children are autistic, there are lots of ups and downs in our household. There’s no way to predict what each day will be like. Having Dafni, and walking, gives me the consistency I desperately needed to help me in my recovery and becoming healthier. For me it’s the power of the incentive of it and the deep connection it brings between people and their pets.
“I’m not sure who rescued who, but I am so lucky to have Dafni in my life. The Biscuit app has connected me to my dog in a way I never dreamed possible, and when life gets too much, we always have our Biscuit walk to look forward to.
“The icing on the cake is how the app rewards me for caring for Dafni. To date I’ve earned £50 which I’ve used at ASDA, M&S and have a £20 Harvester voucher which I plan to use as a treat for my auntie when she’s up for going for a meal.
“I had to give up work so I could be there for my children and take my son to a new school that could meet his special educational needs, so it was really nice being able to buy my husband something for Christmas with my own money! I got him a special bottle of whisky for just £8 because I put one of my Biscuit vouchers towards it.”
Biscuit is a free-to-download app for Apple and Android smartphone users.