Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is helping pet owners in South Korea detect the diseases of their furry friends, allowing them to seek treatment early and extend the life of the animals.
In one of the countries with the lowest birth rates in the world, the number of pet owners has exceeded 15 million, accounting for nearly 30 percent of its total population. As a result, the pet health industry in South Korea is seeing rapid growth.
Yoo Jae-eun once spent a small fortune on the treatment of her Bichon Frise's skin disease and vomiting symptoms. Now, a pet health management software helps her make preliminary judgments and handle the illness just at home.
The application can analyze possible diseases within one minute after recognizing the photos and videos of a pet's mouth, eyes, skin and gait uploaded by users through AI, then provide corresponding treatment suggestions.
"It enables me to identify problems as early as possible and give timely treatment. In terms of cost, it does help me save expenses," said Yoo.
By analyzing over 2 million images of pet symptoms and case data, the software can promptly detect minor changes in pet health conditions and identify disease risks with a diagnostic accuracy rate of up to 92 percent.
"For instance, glaucoma treatment is a race against time. With the help of relevant data, veterinarians can make differential diagnoses of various diseases in advance, which is very helpful for diagnosis and treatment," said Lee Ha-eun, a veterinarian.
Industry insiders pointed out that in recent years, South Korea's pet care industry has become increasingly specialized and segmented. According to data released by the Seoul-headquartered KB Kookmin Bank, the average medical expenses for pets for pet-keeping households in the Asian country is currently about 787,000 won per year, or about 561.7 U.S. dollars.
"My little dog was diagnosed with intervertebral disc disease and came to the hospital for systematic treatment. The effect is very obvious. Although it still has some ailments, I hope that it will be less sick in the future and stay with me for longer," said a Seoul resident.
Data released by the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs indicate that the current pet-related market size in the country has reached 8 trillion won, (approximately 5.7 billion U.S. dollars), and is growing at an average annual rate of 9.5 percent.
However, industry insiders also signaled that problems such as the lack of standardization in pet medical charges still exist in South Korea, and relevant regulations and laws need to be further improved.
AI assists pet disease diagnosis in South Korea
