Have you ever experienced the heart-pounding panic of realizing your beloved pet has gone missing? Or perhaps you’ve fretted over their health while you’re away, wishing you could monitor their well-being remotely. As a devoted pet owner, these concerns are all too familiar. However, thanks to the remarkable rise of pet wearable technology, those sleepless nights and anxious days are becoming a thing of the past.
Pet wearable technology has emerged as a game-changer for pet owners everywhere, offering a myriad of benefits that enhance both the safety and well-being of our furry companions. From tracking their whereabouts to monitoring their health, these innovative devices are revolutionizing the way we care for our pets.
But what exactly has fueled the rapid growth of this market? And what can we expect in the future? Let’s dive into the world of pet wearable tech to find out.
What Is Pet Wearable Tech?
Technology is constantly evolving and has not restricted its focus just to us humans, but towards four-legged furry tails as well. How? By introducing pet wearable technology. These devices can be placed on the pet’s body to start showing its technological wonders.
You will be impressed to know that the device enables the owners to do their pet’s diagnosis and suitable treatment.
The tools are gaining immense popularity because they are helping in the following fields:
- Identification
- Tracking
- Medical Diagnosis & Treatment
- Behavioural Monitoring & Control
- Safety & Security
- Facilitation
The Growth Of The Pet Wearable Market
According to Storm3, the market value for pet wearable gadgets in 2020, was estimated to be $1.8 million, and a recent prediction displays that the pet wearable market will reach $1.7 billion by 2024. That’s not the end as researchers have come forward with their anticipations that sellers and owners be prepared to witness over 49 sub-categories of wearables as the list will include fitness trackers, smart watches, medical devices, connected clothing, smart eyewear, headphones, and hearing devices.
The Reasons Behind The Growth Of Wearable Technology
As you are reading the article about the rise of wearable technology, can you guess what are the prime reasons behind the rise? They are:
Tracking Their Behavior In Covid-19 Pandemic
You must be thinking how COVID-19 is one of the reasons. During that time, a surge was seen as people adopted dogs, because the majority worked from home, having a lot of time on their hands, and wished to have good company at home.
A Pet Can Assist In Balancing Mental and Physical Health
People adopt pets as there is sufficient awareness that having a pet proves to be a great companion in balancing mental and physical health. If you are suffering from some illness, then you can count on your furry friend to help you. Other than that owners with children are fond of having pets especially dogs, whom they can go out for a casual stroll too. This adds to the expenditure on the well-being of pets on a global scale.
Pet Safety and Security
The primary concern for pet owners is often the safety and security of their furry companions. Wearable technology for pets, such as GPS trackers, enables owners to monitor their pets’ whereabouts in real time, reducing the risk of them getting lost or stolen.
Types Of Technology Used In Pet Tracking
GPS
Your pet freely roams around the house and at your one call how they arrive to play with you or have their meal. But when this does not happen, that frightens the owner. Every minute passes like an hour and you think of all the possible places they usually go to, but they are nowhere to be found. Therefore the pet wearable instruments step in with a GPS. Once you enable the feature you won’t need to bite your nails in tension as that will assist you in telling the exact location of your pet. Usually, cats have a habit of crossing their home boundaries and returning when their mood wants, leaving the owners distressed and confused about what went wrong. Hence pet wearables with GPS puts your mind at peace that they are safe and sound.
Example: Whistle is one such pet wearable company that provides collars to help owners track the fitness, health, and current location of their pets. How? The best part about their collar is that it quickly gathers data and sends you alerts through the installed smartphone application on your mobile phone whenever it detects changes like lots of scratching, or less activity that appear to be a red flag health-wise.
The company boasts of having sold more than 1 million pieces of the collar industry-wide as Collete Bunton, the CEO of the company, focuses on making their products better and tailored according to their client’s requirements for a hassle-free experience.
Some GPS trackers are packed with extra features that leave pet owners embazzled. Motorola Scout 5000 ticks the benefits. How is this different from others? It allows you to interact with your dog from a distance. There is an option of setting a virtual fence in some trackers that notifies you when your dog steps outside a certain boundary.
If you have a mischievous cat, then the Tabcat tracker comes to your rescue. How? It tells you the location of your cat through radio frequency waves within a range of 122 m. Not to forget, you can ask them to come home by sending a beep on their collar. This will help train your pet so that whenever they hear a beep, they instantly know that it’s time to go home.
Radio Frequency Identification
Radio Frequency Identification or the RIFD facilitates animal care workers, vets, and caregivers at animal shelters to identify, determine, contact, and monitor pet health. These come in the form of tags, that can be fixed to your pet’s collar or implanted under their skin as well. How? The procedure is very simple as the vet injects the chip into the skin without the need for any anesthetic remedies.
The tag also unlocks another door to let you relax that your pet is safe and returning to you despite misplacing their collar.
Sensors
If you want to grab a good sensor, then they are widely available in the relevant market. They join hands with RIFD tags or GPS trackers to amaze you with their functions. How? The sensors make the lives of pet owners easier by detecting the temperatures your pet feels, making it cardinal to gather maximum information on whether the pet is fine or needs your attention. Hence, sensors play a vital role in updating the owners concerning the health of their pets.
Mounted Camera
Copious companies have introduced their versions of innovative straps that can mount a Go Pro on your pet. The mounted camera helps the pet parents to see the visuals of their pet in real-time whether they are behaving well or becoming a troublemaker in their owner’s absence.
Apart from monitoring the pet’s behavior, the camera-fitted gadgets have features that allow pet owners to talk to their pets via video calls irrespective of the time or day. And the owner can see what their pets are doing. If they behave well, then some have the option of treat dispensers too, which you can fill with your dog’s favorite treats.
Example: A pet wearable company, Garmin, is recognized as a big name in the fitness industry. They have emerged with their Garmin Delta Smart. What is that? It is a tracker and a training system that teams up with Garmin Canine. The Delta Smart is manufactured with features that condition your pet’s behaviors by encouraging actions you want from your pet and discouraging the movements that you dislike.
In the case of cats, the Eyenimal Cat Videocam can be attached to their collars and you can see what your cat has been up to throughout the night.
Pet Emotion Sensors
Have you ever wished your furry companion could express their emotions to you in a way that transcends barks, purrs, and tail wags? While the idea of pets talking like humans may still be a distant dream, advancements in technology are bringing us closer to understanding our pets’ emotions in a whole new way. Meet the Inupathy collar – a groundbreaking innovation that uses your pet’s heart rate to gauge their emotional state and changes color accordingly.
Currently in the developmental stages, the Inupathy collar represents a leap forward in our understanding of animal emotions. By analyzing subtle changes in heart rate, the collar can detect signs of happiness, excitement, anxiety, and more, providing valuable insights into your pet’s emotional well-being. With the Inupathy collar, you’ll be able to better understand your pet’s moods and respond accordingly, strengthening the bond between you and your furry friend.
Pet-to-Human Translators
You will be surprised to know that many pet-to-human translators are still in their initial stages. They claimed to create a lasting impression by translating your dog’s bark into human language. However, the technology failed to enter the market.
Example: A Japanese invention, the BowLingual came up with the guarantee of using technology that can translate dog’s barking or their brainwaves into human language. While the BowLingual generated significant excitement upon its release, its effectiveness and accuracy were met with skepticism by some experts in the field of animal behavior.
Activity Monitor
Several dog collars have the feature of monitoring your dog’s activity. They let you know how much activity or exercise your does and get, and how well the dog sleeps. The companies that have made the targets easier are FitBark and PitPat.
In addition to dedicated activity monitors, there are also a variety of smartphone applications available that allow you to track and control your pet’s activity remotely. These apps offer features such as GPS tracking, virtual fences, and real-time activity monitoring, giving you peace of mind knowing that your pet is safe and active even when you’re not around.
The Benefits of Pet Wearable Technology
It’s high time you become one of the owners of pet wearable technology because of the amount of benefits the innovation brings along. They are as follows:
Medical Diagnosis and Treatment
Just like humans, pets can benefit from health monitoring devices integrated into wearables.
They are able to track the vitals of the pet, maintain health-related information, record the medical history of the pet, alert the owners regarding vaccinations, and align records of past treatments and procedures that it went through. Other than that the pet wearable device reads the pet’s pulse, respiration, temperature, their eating and drinking patterns.
FitBark’s wearable tool does the honor of monitoring the regular routine of the dog: when it sleeps or plays, notifies the owners regarding pet movement, skin issues, and anxiety if present.
On the other hand, PitPat comes in handy in offering customized training advice and tips to owners, who want to compare their pet’s activity. Healthier dogs may qualify for lower pet insurance premiums, incentivizing owners to prioritize their pet’s well-being and activity levels.
Some applications send alerts to owners prompting them to schedule veterinary appointments or seek treatment for their pet’s health issues. The data collected by pet wearable devices can be shared with veterinarians to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of health problems, helping to restore pets to optimal health.
Tracking The Location
Tracking the location of pets is indeed one of the primary benefits of pet wearable technology, providing peace of mind for owners and enhancing the safety of their furry companions. With GPS-attached collars, pet owners can bid farewell to the stress and anxiety of sleepless nights spent worrying about their pet’s whereabouts.
Once equipped with a GPS collar, pets become easier to locate, reducing the risk of them getting lost or disappearing unexpectedly. This feature is particularly valuable for pets with a tendency to wander or escape from their surroundings and explore.
Automatic Feeding
Another benefit of the device is that the new ones are manufactured with treat and water dispensers. It means that it is not necessary for the owner to be around any longer to feed the furry member. Particularly when they are gone to work or traveling to some other place. Therefore you can fill their bowls with water and their meal and schedule the timing to feed them. The companies understand that pet owners can be occupied with their work, but have to feed their pets too, so the caring has become super convenient.
Peace Of Mind
The pet owners can finally take a breath of relief as the all-rounder pet wearable device updates them regarding the pet’s health, location, and sense of comfort. With real-time updates on their pet’s health status, including vital signs and activity levels, owners can rest assured knowing that any potential health issues will be promptly detected and addressed. Similarly, the ability to track their pet’s location at any given time alleviates the fear and anxiety associated with the possibility of their furry friend getting lost or wandering off.
Conclusion
Pet wearable technology has become a game-changer for pet owners, offering a simple solution to track their pet’s location and health. With these devices, worries about losing pets or their well-being are significantly reduced. Moreover, as the market for pet wearables continues to grow, we can expect even more user-friendly and effective solutions in the future. Overall, pet owners can look forward to easier pet care and greater peace of mind thanks to wearable technology.
