This Quiz Gave Me
In-Depth, Personalized Health Predictions
For My Dog
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When it comes to health, whether it be for myself or my dog, I’m a big fan of being over-informed. I want to know about all the possibilities, all the potential causes and all the available treatments. Being armed with knowledge is basically my overarching approach to life.
Now that my miniature Australian shepherd, Chicken, is approaching her eighth year, I’m even more aware of making sure her health is top of mind. I’m doing everything possible to ensure she lives the best, most comfortable existence — essentially, I’m ensuring she will live forever.
With all that in mind, I was very excited (and super curious) when Chicken’s insurance, Fetch, released the Fetch Health Forecast — it’s a first-of-its-kind predictive AI health tool personalized for your dog, no DNA required. The Fetch Health Forecast helps you recognize the signs and symptoms of the most likely injuries and illnesses for your specific dog and gives you advice on how to prevent them from happening. Plus, it breaks down the average cost of care associated with those injuries and illnesses throughout your dog’s life.
Keep reading to find out what the Forecast foretold for Chicken, and learn about the ins and outs of why it’s such a useful tool for all pet parents.
In order to get a comprehensive understanding of your dog, the Forecast asks a series of questions about their overall health, behavior and past issues. Beyond the basics like age and breed, the questions get pretty in-depth. You’ll see a page that has a list of 12 category dropdowns (think: brain and nerves, endocrine system, skin, internal organs, and bones and joints). Click into the dropdown and you’ll get more granular. For example, for Chicken, I clicked on the category “Stomach and Intestines,” which gave me a number of options to check off, like anal gland disorders, inflammatory bowel disease (which Chicken has), Giardia and more. Once I checked off all the applicable boxes for Chicken’s pre-existing issues, there were a few more sections where I was able to give more information about Chicken’s behavior, activity level, vaccination status and general frequency of vet visits. Overall, I was surprised and impressed by the level of detail that was being collected by the Forecast so far — and how easy it was to use.
Any stomach or intestinal issues?
The Fetch Health Forecast AI is based on 180 million data points, 500+ dog breeds, 800,000 dogs, 1,000+ illnesses and 17 years of findings.
Where to begin?! The amount of information the Forecast gave for Chicken was honestly astounding. It kicks off with some basic preventative-care tips, such as taking up trick training and puzzle games to keep Chicken’s active mind sharp, along with some additional tips from the Fetch vet team. Then, we get into the nitty gritty stuff.
My favorite section was a breakdown of the top issues that Chicken can expect to encounter. Not only does this section explain each issue from a high level, but it also provides detailed descriptions about causes, signs, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cost of care. It truly leaves no stone (or should I say, stick) unturned.
Another helpful section dives into your dog’s known ailments based on the initial questionnaire, highlighting what treatment might look like after your dog has experienced the injury or illness and ways from preventing them from happening again. There’s a section that shows a graph of the 41 most common injuries and illnesses, with your dog’s likelihood of developing each in the next three years. This is put in the context of how they measure up to the average U.S. or Canadian dog. Long story short, it helps you know what to keep an eye out for in your dog.
And on a practical level, there’s a section that details the average cost of care for dogs like your pup, broken out by life stage. Your budget calculator will thank you.
First things first: questions.
It doesn’t just tell you what might happen, but also discusses how to identify the warning signs before they arise, how to prevent them from happening and many of the potential diagnoses that come with each issue. I feel like I’m now much more prepared for whatever comes Chicken’s way, and I’ll be better equipped to talk through any hiccups with my vet — and hopefully save my credit card from racking up more bills from said beloved vet. And that also goes for helping me advocate for Chicken when we’re at the vet; having the downloaded forecast right on my phone makes it easy for me to talk to my vet about any specifics it called out in real time. All in all, it’s a great guide to help pet parents better understand and advocate for their dogs. Money well spent.
What impressed me the most about the results of the Fetch Health Forecast was the breadth of knowledge
it gives.
Have there been any heart or lung problems?
Any injuries to the bones or joints?
Are there
any behavioral issues?
Have you found any bumps, lumps or cancer?
Purchase your pet’s Fetch Health Forecast
Visual Designer: Rebecca Hoskins
Top Issues Chicken Is Most Likely to Face
23.75%
likelihood
Dogs can develop masses for various reasons throughout their lives, like injury, allergic reactions or internal diseases, and it becomes more common as dogs age.
Back
Mass Lesions
Vomiting & Diarrhea
Periodontal Disease
Gait Abnormality
15.26%
likelihood
Back
Vomiting and diarrhea happens, and there are many reasons why dogs can throw up or have soft stool. It could be anything from diet to stress to internal parasites.
14.84%
likelihood
Back
Periodontal disease is one of the most common health issues dogs can face. They can experience pain in their mouth, have trouble eating or even lose teeth.
7.95%
likelihood
Back
This can be any change in the usual way your dog walks, runs, trots, hops or generally gets around. It can have many possible causes, most of which are associated with some level of discomfort.
By Aviel Kanter
This Quiz Gave Me
In-Depth, Personalized Health Predictions
For My Dog
Use the code VOX20 to get 20 percent off your Health Forecast.
