PetPace, the provider of an innovative IoT collar for remote real-time monitoring and analysis of pet vital signs and activity, today released the findings of a new medical case study. The canine weight loss case study, available for download here, documents in detail how the PetPace collar contributed to successful diagnosis and resolution of weight loss in a boarded dog.
Dottie, a five-year-old spayed female Boston Terrier, was boarding at VetCare Harris Animal Hospital in Tampa, Florida. Her caregivers at the hospital noticed a gradual weight loss during her stay, despite the fact that she had no known medical problems, ate well twice daily, and was an extremely active dog.
Dottie was fitted with a PetPace collar to quantify her activity levels and caloric expenditure, in an attempt to determine the reason for the weight loss. The PetPace collar enabled caregivers to closely monitor the dog’s activity, even during the night hours, when the hospital was closed.
Dottie’s activity charts showed that her daily activity trends were consistently higher than average.
The new and limited-availability PetPace Overall Activity Score for the time Dottie was boarding was 17.2 – one of the highest ever documented by PetPace and well above the average of 11 for healthy active dogs. At the same time, all of Dottie’s other monitored and calculated parameters were stable and within normal limits, including pulse rate, respiratory rates, HRV (Heart Rate Variability), and other wellbeing indices.
Dottie’s condition was ultimately diagnosed leveraging PetPace’s estimate of her caloric expenditure according to age, weight, neuter status and other metrics, along with her activity data. Following these findings (see chart), caregivers increased Dottie’s food ration and she started gaining weight.
Weight control is closely associated with activity levels and patterns. The PetPace smart collar’s ability to quantify and analyze various activity parameters- including intensity, duration, frequency and consistency – enables PetPace to provide actionable insights into weight management. Pets who are very active may need increased food intake to meet their needs. Quantifying activity information together with caloric expenditure helps make this process more accurate, visible, and easily sharable with relevant individuals.
“Activity data analytics can be instrumental in weight control programs by making the process more accurate, objective and data driven. However, this data has implications that reach far beyond trendy exercise tracking devices,” said Dr. Asaf Dagan, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Canine and Feline practice), and PetPace’s Chief Veterinarian. “Changes in activity or in weight may also be associated with medical conditions, and should be carefully interpreted in the context of pet’s health status,” he continued.
Dottie’s veterinarian, Dr. Brian Shaw from Tampa, FL, the owner of VetCare Harris Animal Hospital added, “Using PetPace collars in the hospital helps us evaluate our patients’ needs and wellbeing. It is one thing to see a hyperactive dog bouncing around, but being able to see objective, accurate data provides us with a more solid ground for clinical decisions, including caloric intake determination.”
About PetPace
PetPace was founded in 2012 to bring peace of mind to pet owners and prevent unnecessary pain and suffering for dogs and cats through improved pet health and quality of life. PetPace specializes in the remote monitoring of pet vital signs by utilizing advanced analytical methods and alerting models. The company’s low power, wireless collar is fitted with an array of sensors that report abnormal vital signs within established physiological and behavioral parameters. Once an abnormal sign or behavior is detected, a sophisticated cloud-based analytical engine evaluates the signs and if needed, sends an immediate alert regarding any suspected condition. This allows the owner or the vet to take preemptive action to protect the pet’s health. For more information about PetPace real-time pet health monitoring, visit http://PetPace.com.
