PetPace Collar Enables Intensive Health Monitoring with Minimal Handling

A recent case study revealed how the PetPace smart collar, a wearable IoT for pets assisted a Chihuahua in making a full recovery following an attack by a larger dog in a classic case of a BDLD attack.

Burlington, MA (PRWEB) July 29, 2015

PetPace, the provider of a patented, smart pet collar for real-time monitoring of health vital signs, announced today the results of a case study involving the intensive care and eventual recovery of Miguel, a 9-pound, 11-month old, male Chihuahua mix.

Miguel was seriously injured in what veterinarians commonly refer to as a BDLD, or Big Dog/Little Dog fight. In such a situation, the smaller canine usually gets the worst of it, suffering not only painful, infected puncture wounds and lacerations, but running the risk of internal injury from being shaken by the larger animal.

The initial post-fight examination of Miguel revealed deep bite wounds to his neck and left elbow. He was also knuckling over, unable to put weight on his left fore-leg, which raised the concern of a nerve injury in this limb.

To further assess the extent of his injuries, treat his wounds and ease his considerable pain, Miguel was hospitalized for three days in intensive care. After that, he returned to the hospital periodically for further treatment, including a second surgery to his injured left front leg. As part of the overall care plan, a PetPace smart collar was placed on Miguel to help monitor his vital signs and pain level.

Through the PetPace collar and its professional web application, close, minute-by-minute monitoring of vital signs, activity, body positions and HRV (Heart Rate Variability) were delivered in real time to Miguel's caretakers. All of this information was collected automatically and remotely, without the need to handle or restrain Miguel. With continued care and rest, Miguel's condition slowly improved until finally, he achieved full healing and a complete recovery.

The entire process of Miguel's recovery was documented by the PetPace collar. One feature, the body position detection algorithm, clearly showed Miguel's progress with his left leg. Collected data initially revealed that Miguel was spending very little time lying on his left side. But, a week after the fight, the collar recorded him resting on his left side for more than four hours, suggesting a dramatic increase in comfort level while in this position.

"This case is a classic example of how the PetPace collar is supporting a revolution in veterinary care," said Dr. Asaf Dagan, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Canine and Feline practice), and PetPace's Chief Veterinarian. "For the first time in veterinary medicine, it is possible to receive streaming health data on patients without subjecting them to excessive handling. Even better, these objectives can be realized while simultaneously freeing up medical staff for other important tasks."

Continued Dr. Dagan, "It is not uncommon in veterinary medicine to be faced with a dilemma – how to balance the necessary measuring of vitals with the patient's need for rest. If the patient is painful, anxious or fractious, collecting such measurements can be very stressful for both the medical staff and the patient. It could even place the patient at further risk. But the PetPace collar resolves the issue, enabling both intensive monitoring and minimal handling."

Compared to existing telemetry monitors, PetPace collars are inexpensive, easy to use and involve no wires or clips that attach to the patient. The collars also provide a wide range of health indications, including temperature, pulse, respiration, activity, positions, calories burned, heart rate variability, and more. A big additional advantage is that the data can be conveniently and immediately accessed from any mobile device anytime, anywhere.

"Using the PetPace collar on Miguel was a great relief all around—for him, his owner and our medical staff," said Sue-Ann Gentry, the hospital administrator of Paw Creek Veterinary Hospital, NC, where Miguel was treated. "Like many BDLD cases, this poor young dog suffered serious painful injuries and had to undergo more than one surgery. The collar enabled us to always keep a close eye on his condition but, at the same time, allowed him to rest and avoid the frequent handling often associated with intensive monitoring."

About PetPace

PetPace was founded in 2012 to bring peace of mind to pet owners and prevent unnecessary pain and suffering for dogs and cats through improved pet health and quality of life. PetPace specializes in the remote monitoring of pet vital signs by utilizing advanced analytical methods and alerting models. The company's low power, wireless collar is fitted with an array of sensors that report abnormal vital signs within established physiological and behavioral parameters. Once an abnormal sign or behavior is detected, a sophisticated Cloud-based analytical engine evaluates the signs and, if needed, sends an immediate alert regarding any suspected condition. This allows the owner or the vet to take preemptive action to protect the pet's health. For more information about PetPace real-time pet health monitoring, visit http://petpace.com/

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/PetPace-Smart-Collar/Veterinary-BDLD/prweb12872980.htm