{"id":522936,"date":"2026-07-03T07:32:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T07:32:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/522936\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T07:32:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T07:32:43","slug":"time-bomb-warning-issued-over-pet-owners-ai-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/522936\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2019Time bomb\u2019 warning issued over pet owners\u2019 AI use"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fears have been raised that the use of AI platforms could replace visits to the vet.<\/p>\n

\"author_img\"Share\"\u2019Time<\/p>\n

Image: LuckyStep\/ Adobe Stock<\/p>\n

An emerging trend of pet owners using AI tools to help care for their animals could represent a \u201cticking time bomb\u201d for welfare, the RSPCA has warned.<\/p>\n

Figures from the charity\u2019s Animal Kindness Index released today (29 June) indicate 10% of pet owners are now routinely turning to AI platforms for advice and support.<\/p>\n

But officials and clinicians fear the trend could lead to public complacency, leaving illnesses untreated and even exposing some owners to prosecution for failing to take appropriate action.<\/p>\n

Game changer<\/p>\n

Gemma Hope, the charity\u2019s assistant director of policy, advocacy and evidence, said: \u201cWhether we like it or not, AI is a game changer \u2013 including for animal welfare.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we\u2019re worried that, with so many pet owners now using large language models to check the symptoms of poorly pets, or query behavioural challenges, this could be an inadvertent ticking time bomb for animal welfare.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever good or clever AI may seem, if someone is in doubt about their pet\u2019s health or notices rapid changes, it\u2019s vital to reach out to a vet immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cost of care<\/p>\n

One factor driving the move towards AI may be the perceived cost of care, with 56% of the 5,619 index survey participants admitting they were worried about being able to afford veterinary bills.<\/p>\n

One in 10 participants also said they had reduced their care spending on financial grounds, while one in 20 said they were using AI chat bots for similar reasons.<\/p>\n

But clinical director at Pickles in London and TV clinician Rory Cowlam said the findings were potentially \u201ca major cause for concern\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2018Reach out to a professional\u2019<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cIn my own clinic, we use AI tools all the time. It can be brilliant for rapidly supporting investigations or lab work so we can treat our patients faster.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there is a massive difference between a vet using clinical AI to support an examination, and a pet owner using a text chatbot to skip one entirely.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen your animal is genuinely sick, a chatbot is not where you should be looking for advice. If in doubt, log out from AI and reach out to a professional.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fears have been raised that the use of AI platforms could replace visits to the vet. Share Image:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":522937,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[242,85,46,141],"class_list":["post-522936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522936\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}