How do I know when my Dog is Sick? Wearable Technology and your Dog

How do I know when my Dog is Sick?  Wearable Technology and your Dog

By Jim, Manager

There is hardly a day that goes by where we don’t wish the animal could talk to us.  They cannot tell us how painful they are, how much they itch, or if their ears feel full.  Even the most attentive of owners can miss the subtle signs that a pet is beginning to feel out of sorts.  Usually owners don’t realize that something is wrong until the issue is very severe.  By this time it is often more expensive to treat, more time consuming, and the likelihood of success lower.  Not to mention, how does an owner notice these subtle changes if they occur while the owner is at work or out of the house?

Humans have a bit of an advantage being able to speak to the doctor and explain exactly what is wrong, how it happened, and what other issues may complicate things.  Even so, we often don’t notice small changes until someone (or something) points them out.  We’ve developed ways to track these small changes without having to spend any time or effort on it.  These new wearable technologies are very popular right now.  Many of our smartphones track our steps, flights of stairs taken, and the distance we’ve walked.  We have devices like the FitBit that track all this and can even track our sleep patterns.  There are even shoes that link to your smartphone to tell you information about your health.  These technologies have helped many people lose weight, sleep better, and stay active.  Doctor doesn’t go anywhere without her FitBit around her wrist.

With any new technology that changes human medicine, it is only a matter of time until it is modified for the veterinary world.  In spring, AGL technologies released its own type of FitBit but for dogs.  They call it the VeTrax.  It tracks how much a dog walks, runs, scratches, and shakes their head.  It also tracks sleep quality.  Now owners can see small changes as they are occurring and can see patterns.  Does your dog start to scratch each spring?  Maybe you can get it on an allergy medicine before the scratching turns bloody!  Maybe your dog only itches after it goes to the dog park.  Let’s give it some Benadryl prior to leaving the house so it isn’t scratching when it returns.  Is your pet not as active as it used to be?  Let’s perform a blood test and see why!  Maybe you just want your dog to lose a few pounds.  Let’s set a daily goal for how much running your dog needs to complete. 

Here is a video about the VeTrax.

The VeTrax costs less ($99.95 currently) than most of the comparable human products.  It comes with everything the owner needs to attach it to their dog’s collar, charge it, and the device itself.  It links to a phone app that shows the data (in almost real time) about what the dog has been doing.  The app costs $17/month to use.  That’s probably too expensive to buy one just for fun, but AGL has started working with Hill’s Pet Nutrition and will pay for the app (through a rebate) for you if your dog has certain medical conditions!  The only catch is you have to feed your pet select types of Hill’s pet food that corresponds to those medical conditions – weight loss, allergies, and arthritis. 

One of the amazing things is that owners can now see if a treatment is helping.  Maybe you notice that after giving your dog a bath the itching decreases for two days.  Now we know that more bathes equal less itching so let’s plan one every two days!  Or, maybe, you notice that the new food has made your dog more active.  These subtle changes might otherwise be missed and you might not think the food is working or there is anything that can be done about the itching. 

In addition to these benefits, your veterinarian can be given access to the data.  Your vet might see something you missed!  Additionally, you can customize the app by uploading a picture of your dog to the app.  It even has a journal so you can write down what you did with your dog each day.  No more remembering if you took Bella to the dog park on Tuesday or Wednesday.  Now you’ll know (and know what reactions, if any, the trip had on your dog)!

This is a big change in veterinary medicine!  While the dog still can’t talk, its actions can!  We have two staff members who are testing this on their dogs currently.  Ashley is testing it on Jeremy who has allergies and Melissa is testing it on Leo who needs to lose a few pounds.  Please ask them about it.  And, ask Doctor about whether this might be something for your dog!