Monitoring Animal Apps

The roots of veterinary medicine can be traced to the First Agricultural Revolution, roughly 10,000 years ago, when domestication of animals for work and food began (the Latin veterinarius means “pertaining to beast of burden”), and which gradually led to the keeping of critters as pets. From its Neolithic origins, the field of animal care has undergone astounding change. Of particular interest to me is the recent part that technology has played, especially mobile devices, and my argument here is that while the trend towards “e-health” is generally positive, better monitoring is needed for the apps designed around companion animals.

Smartphones have managed to affect almost every aspect of daily life. During the past decade the realm of animal wellness has felt that impact; indeed, there is now an assortment of mobile software applications available, many of genuine value to professionals and laypersons alike. For example, ViralVet allows veterinarians to share images and videos in order to consider and collaborate on “interesting and challenging cases.” Serving a different cohort, PetCoach provides owners with an educational center, discussion forum, and synchronous expert advice on animal “health, nutrition, training, and behavior.”

With the pet industry expected to continue growing, animal apps will grow too. I support this, but worry that problematic applications will not be flagged, as we lack a regulatory mechanism to identify them. The Center for Veterinary Medicine is charged with protecting animal health, so should it shoulder a monitoring mandate? Would it be wise to enlist the AVMA? Does a crowdsourcing platform make sense? To mitigate caveat utilitor, my vision is a role for all three.