Can AI check a dog's tear stains and skin condition through smartphone photos?

Since pets cannot directly communicate where they are hurting, owners often fall into deep contemplation over whether to visit a hospital even for small changes. Recently, services utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology have been gaining attention, allowing owners to easily check the condition of a dog's eyes, ears, and skin simply by taking smartphone photos.

Checking pet health status through photography and voice consultation

According to a Culture Portal video, the AI pet health management service 'TTcare' allows for the analysis of a dog's health status by body part. The method involves the owner taking photos of the dog's eyes, ears, paws, teeth, torso, etc., with a smartphone, which the AI then analyzes to find abnormal signs. In the video, as a result of photographing the eyes of a dog named 'Angko', excessive tearing symptoms were discovered. The AI provided information that a hospital visit is necessary if the area under the eyes becomes brown-pigmented or if the dog has difficulty opening its eyes.

In addition to photographing body parts, owners can consult about their concerns through the 'AI Voice Consultation' feature. When an owner verbally answers questions regarding the pet's worrying symptoms, changes in water intake, or recently taken nutritional supplements, the AI summarizes and analyzes the content. In the case shown in the video, when the symptom of 'paw licking' (frequently licking paws) was mentioned, the AI analyzed that pigmentation of the paw hair could be related to allergies, eczema, or stress, and recommended consulting a veterinarian if the symptoms worsen.

The role and precautions of AI health management services

Health management utilizing AI technology has the advantage of allowing easy monitoring of a pet's condition at home. Especially for novice owners, it can serve as a useful auxiliary tool by providing daily care methods, pet common sense, and behavior correction tips. The video mentioned that the function where the AI summarizes the core content spoken by the owner to infer the cause of the problem is useful.

However, there are essential precautions when using AI. AI cannot replace a veterinarian who makes a final medical diagnosis. The participant in the video emphasized, "AI is strictly for reference purposes," and stressed that if a pet's health is in doubt or if abnormal symptoms persist, one must visit a veterinarian in person to receive professional treatment. The role of AI is not diagnosis, but rather closer to an 'auxiliary tool' that helps owners discover changes in their pets more quickly and observe them more carefully.