Technology creating more innovative pet care gadgets

World Today

Technology creating more innovative pet care gadgets

Americans spent $60 billion on their pets in 2016, and globally, the industry is expanding.  One area that’s booming is pet technology. There are all kinds of gadgets to keep your pets active, healthy and safe.

CGTN’s May Lee reports.
Follow May Lee on Twitter @mayleetv

Austin the dog has every reason to sing. A urine test, normally done at a veterinary clinic, was done at home in minutes and he passed with flying colors. Stephen Chen, Austin’s pet parent, is founder of Petnostics, maker of the home urine test kit, which connects to a smart phone. Once the sample is in the cup, it takes one flip to soak the test strip and then

Chen showed us how it works.

“You line up this lid with the screen. It will then capture it. And then it gives you the results. So this tests 10 parameters, and this is the standard 10 parameters that are tested at a veterinary clinic.”
And you can do it in 60 seconds at home.

“It’s actually an exciting time to be in the pet space. A lot of people are talking about this connected pet kind of movement. The more tools that we can provide to our pets will only further their well-being.” Chen said.

Petnet is another Southern California pet tech startup that’s helping dog and cat owners answer the most common question how much should I feed my pet and how healthy is the food

The Petnet Smart Feeder does it all for you. Once the pet’s age, weight, activity level and type of food is entered into the app, the smart feeder takes over.

“Say you’re stuck in traffic on your way home and you want to feed your dog. You can just click on the remote feed, set the portion size and hit feed. And we track all those calories so the calorie count for that feeding now shows up on your app,” Caroles Herrara, CEO & Co-founder, Petnet said.

Automatic feedings can also be scheduled especially handy for owners whose pets want early morning meals.

But with all the pros of pet technology, animal experts warn pet parents not to misuse gadgets, which could lead to neglect.

“Our pet cam for example cannot be used as babysitters. It’s no excuse to leave your 2 or 3 month old puppy home alone with a camera for eight hours,” Jennifer Monique Sturgeon/Pet Behaviorist said.

So here’s the moral of the story. Even though technological advancements can keep your furry companion safer, more active and healthier, there’s really no replacing quality time you can spend with them. And I can certainly vouch for that.