VETiNSTANT
About Author
You choose to give it your all to keep the animals. smiling. We are giving it our all to help you take care of more pets, run your clinic, harness tech for instant, vital data - thereby reassuring pets and parents.
Preloader Close
10 Oct 2024
Technology is (Finally) Changing Pet Healthcare in India | A Consumer Perspective from the Pet Parent Side of Things
As a pet parent for more than three decades, I have lived through it all: the jubilation of adopting a new fur baby to your household, the devastation when they pass and the innumerable amount of visits to a veterinarian. I had often thought that human healthcare has come to be relatively futuristic compared with pet healthcare as if it was caught in a time capsule! The truth is, until this generation, we rarely saw anyone else doing it either — and the shift is almost entirely due to technology.
My old and continued role as a pet parent is associated with my new role at the startup. With every new feature and every problem we solve, I can't help but ask the question: Why has technology not caught up in this space sooner? This is a complicated question, but I am hopeful of the change we are observing now. Technology has dramatically changed how healthcare is delivered, and pet care remains one of the last bastions that has been disrupted by tech but let's be real... it just hasn't gone far enough. With all the advances in technology and (dare I say) AI/ML, what does this mean for us pet parents who have been awaiting a complete revolution in pet healthcare in India?
1. Teleclinic for the win, cavemen.
Everyone recalls those PTSD-level vet trips where your stressed-out pet practically has to be wrestled in the door. I have had the dreaded experience where I would get my pet to a clinic and just get them to shiver in fear. This is where telemedicine has been such a complete revelation. Today, I can simply video call my vet and get instantaneous advice and in many instances, follow-up treatment as opposed to putting my pet through the stress of travelling him from the house to the clinic.
What technology has finally done is bridge the gap between pet parents and veterinarians. But it is not only for us owners to make our lives easier, also vets can interact with other specialists and instantly transfer data and information leading to faster diagnosis as well accuracy. I wish we would have had this option…and the stress it would have saved me and my pets over the years…
The Real Perks:
- Providing care to individuals in remote areas
- I no longer have to worry about terrified car rides for my animals.
- Lower costs for vets and pet parents.
Because, if humans are wearing tech, why not man's best friend?
Wearable tech for pets was a novelty item at first, it recalled something you would get just so your pet could look cool. Fast forward to today and now they have become sophisticated health monitoring tools. 2 — These devices can record heart rate, SpO2 level (yes we can talk about this too), activity and even sleep habits. What if data collected by sensors in your dog's smart collar could help to determine early warning signs of illness?
I wish this tech had been available years ago — it might have allowed me to catch those early warning signs that would become full-blown health problems. Now, I look forward to the future where pet parents, like myself, get ahead of our pet's health instead of rushing to the emergency vet when something is wrong.
Key Takeaways:
- Real-time health monitoring helps you catch possible issues early on.
- More Information and Customized Care Plans on pet behavior.
- No more guessing — the data says it all.
3. Precision in Care with Modern Diagnostic Tools Advanced Diagnostics for Male Fertility
As a pet parent, one of the most frustrating experiences for me has always been waiting for test results — sometimes days or weeks at a time — and then getting some ambiguous diagnosis. But vets today have the advantage of technology on their side — from portable ultrasound machines to AI-driven diagnostic tools, faster more reliable tests can now be done.
I cannot but relate it to human healthcare where fast scans and detailed test results are quite usual. We take care of THEM just as we do with everyone! The waiting time between diagnosing cancer and treating can be anxiety-inducing for pet parents which has now shrunk to minutes technology.
Why This Matters:
- Fast diagnoses allow treatments sooner.
- Advanced services can now be offered by smaller vet clinics.
- The danger of a misdiagnosis is also much lower.
4. EHR: Bye, Bye Paperwork
I can just picture the stacks of paper files — vet records, vaccination logs, handwritten notes from the clinic. Misplacing one sheet of paper could create confusion or delay treatment. Today with Electronic Health Records (EHR) all that information is in a computer and available to the patient.
Technological advancements also make it easier and more efficient to track all of our pets' medical history which leads to better informed decisions and less human error. → For those who have multiple pets at once, it was always hard to remember who had what vaccine and when — but that is a thing of the past.
Why This Matters:
- Veterinarians have instant access to a pet's entire history
- Less subject to human error
- Seamless flow of information between specialists
5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning: The Smarter Vet?
This opens up a completely revolutionary way of care — AI and machine learning style. They can be used to analyze large amounts of data and detect outbreaks, to help in predicting possible treatment plans or even prescribe personalized medicines for our pets.
As much as I love the individual functionality which vet checks offer, AI can do such a great job of seeing patterns that vets cannot see and its predictive abilities could make real difference, especially in older or chronic pets — something one would only dream of for my other pets years ago.
Why You’ll Love This:
- For this, AI predicts future health issues(Api -2020).
- Treatment can be based on individual pets because of personalized data.
- Faster than ever research and new treatments
6. Online Resources: It’s Not Always Bad to Google
I used to go through books or call the vet for every little question. Thanks to the wonder of the internet, we have access to an in-depth medical advice site providing expert breakdowns on everything from common diseases & illnesses to random dietary restrictions. I participate in forums, speak to other pet owners and now know what the health of my pets should be.
It has formed a community close to pet parents through the digital world as well. If I have advice or confirmation there is always the internet. I find a sense of comfort in realizing that I am not alone on this journey.
Why It Works:
- Animals are Smarter Than Us:. With more informed pet parents
- A supportive community is right at your fingertips
- We are more aware with regards to preventive care which translates we keep our pets healthier.
Why has pet healthcare in India not evolved quicker?
One of the most frustrating things to think about is how tech has brought immense change to so many areas of our lives but this one. A field that has been around for centuries ago is still in the dark ages when it comes to help and connectivity available today. It really is partly endemic to this sector — used to the human medical globe, pet care has actually constantly been a more compact element of economics and research. But as more sophisticated and demanding pet parents enter the space, the industry is adapting.
The evolution is currently taking place and I am a rather fortunate man to be part of this change. But the future is bright, and I am excited to see what it holds.
Final Thoughts:
The change happening in pet healthcare in India today did not happen overnight. Whether wearable tech, to advanced diagnostics driven by AI, our furry (and not-so-furry) friends are finally getting the high-tech care they deserve. And for those of us who have been loving pets for decades, it feels like a revolution that's long in coming. And that's exactly what the future of animal healthcare — or any healthcare for that matter — should be.
