Fitbit for Fido

Wearable tech for pets is hot new

By Dan Popovic

Humans have fallen in love with wearable technology, like the ubiquitous Fitbit, to help them track their health. Now that craze has come to the world of pets.

One of the very first was Whistle, which not only acts as a GPS system in case your dog gets loose, but it can also track your dog’s activity and rest levels. There are some similar tracker/monitors like FitBark and PetPace on the market now, too.

The latest creation is Vetrax, which is being built in Atlanta. Vetrax goes beyond basic activity tracking to monitor specific pet behaviors that can impact medical treatment for dogs. The system monitors shaking, scratching, running, walking, resting, sleeping and sleep quality. It can detect health challenges, like arthritis and dermatology issues, before the onset of clinical signs.

The device can also evaluate weight management and nutritional programs and review the activity of dogs recovering from surgery.

Pet related e-commerce is a rapidly growing industry: fom Chewy. com recently being acquired by PetSmart as the largest e-commerce acquisition in US history, to subscription startups targeting niche pet retail; hardware startups providing food, training, toy, waste management, and tracking solutions; and mobile app and/or softwarebased platforms that connect pet owners with pet service providers.