Jim Hanzo Reporting

Technology has reached your pet in the form of a new collar.  It looks like a regular collar, but it acts as a health monitor that can read your pet’s vital signs.

It’s called “PetPace,” and it works like this: you put the collar on your pet’s neck, it reads their vital signs, and sends that information to the base unit, which attaches to the Internet. The data are then compared against norms for its breed.

Dr. Siegfried Mayer, veterinarian and partner at Metairie Small Animal Hospital, says it could have benefits.

“I think as long as it’s targeted and you have a pet with a health issue, it’s going to be most beneficial that way,” Dr. Mayer said.  “My concern is that if you put it on every pet out there, there are going to be some irregularities that happen during the day that are going to trigger this thing off.”

Dr. Mayer says the collar may be especially helpful in sick pets.

“Sick patient or a patient that has heart issues or breathing issues because a lot of times people come in and they tell me that these animals are presenting certain symptoms that they see that are not presented when they bring their pet to me in the exam room,” noted Dr. Mayer.

Any information a veterinarian can will be beneficial for the pet, and Dr. Mayer said he’s all for that.

The collar does not diagnose, nor does it replace, taking your pet on regular visits to a veterinarian.http://www.wwl.com/pages/19250102.php?contentType=4&contentId=15423195