Using AI for pet care? Know where technology helps and where it falls short

A few weeks ago, a pet parent walked into my clinic carrying a printed list titled: “Most likely causes of vomiting in a middle-aged Labrador”. It had been generated by AI and, to be fair, was not entirely wrong. Dietary indiscretion, gastritis and pancreatitis featured on the list, but so did stress from “changes in home energy”, while the actual problem turned out to be a foreign body lodged in the intestines that required surgery.

Artificial intelligence has entered pet parenting whether veterinarians like it or not. Many owners are already using it to upload blood reports, understand unusual behaviour, generate home-cooked meal plans, troubleshoot training problems or seek reassurance late at night when their pet suddenly starts acting differently.

Used thoughtfully, AI can make pet parents more informed and organised. Used poorly, it can create false reassurance, unnecessary anxiety or delays in treatment.

There are several ways in which AI genuinely helps pet parents. Travel planning has become simpler, with owners generating checklists for road trips, medication reminders and even weather-based packing suggestions. Others use it to create enrichment activities. Training games, mental stimulation ideas and breed-specific exercise suggestions are all areas where AI often performs surprisingly well.

AI can also be genuinely useful as an educational tool. Veterinary medicine comes with unfamiliar terminology, and blood reports, imaging findings and medication instructions can understandably feel overwhelming. Asking AI to explain terms in simpler language often helps pet parents better understand what is happening and allows them to ask the vet more informed questions.

This is where AI may have some of its greatest value. Better-informed pet parents are often more engaged in decision-making, understand treatment recommendations more clearly and feel less overwhelmed by the medical process.

The challenges begin when AI shifts from being an educational tool to becoming a substitute for medical judgement.

AI is very good at recognising patterns, but medicine relies heavily on context. Two dogs may present with vomiting, yet one may simply have eaten something unusual and recover uneventfully, while another may have a life-threatening intestinal obstruction requiring emergency surgery. Symptoms rarely tell the whole story in isolation.

A few months ago, I saw a dog whose family had delayed seeking care because AI had suggested “mild gastritis” as the most likely explanation. By the time they came in, imaging revealed an intestinal foreign body requiring urgent surgery. To be fair, this is not unique to AI. Search engines, social media, WhatsApp groups and well-meaning relatives have influenced pet care decisions for years. The difference is that AI often sounds extremely confident, even when uncertainty exists.

AI cannot physically examine your pet. It cannot feel abdominal pain, assess breathing effort, hear a heart murmur, or recognise the behavioural shifts veterinarians are trained to interpret. It works entirely with the information provided, and pet owners understandably miss details that may significantly alter the clinical picture.

The inverse happens too. Minor issues can quickly become alarming. A mild rash suddenly appears catastrophic, a single episode of vomiting seems life-threatening. Panic follows, often creating unnecessary stress.

The safest way to approach AI is to treat it as a tool rather than a diagnosis. It works best when used to understand medical terminology, clarify treatment plans or generate enrichment ideas. It becomes far less reliable when expected to decide whether symptoms are serious or safe to ignore.

AI should never become the reason veterinary care is delayed when something genuinely needs attention.

Nameeta Nadkarni is a veterinary soft tissue surgeon and pet blogger from Mumbai.