Stronger pet bonds are shaping veterinary tech adoption

The latest signal from the veterinary technology market is less about novelty than about relationships. In a January 6, 2026, dvm360 Vet Blast podcast episode, representatives from the Human Animal Bond Research Institute, or HABRI, and Chewy Health pointed to new survey data showing that the stronger the bond between pet parents and their animals, the more likely those clients are to embrace digital tools that help them access, manage, and pay for care. The underlying study, based on a nationally representative sample of more than 2,000 U.S. dog and cat pet parents, found the average human-animal bond score reached 60 out of 70, which HABRI described as the highest level it has recorded. (dvm360.com)

That finding lands in a market already pushing hard toward connected care. Chewy has been expanding its health footprint for several years, including telehealth through Connect with a Vet and company-operated Chewy Vet Care clinics, which it says are powered by a custom-built technology platform for pet parents and care teams. At the same time, veterinary organizations have been trying to separate practical digital adoption from buzz, with AAHA and AVMA telehealth guidance emphasizing that connected care should enhance veterinarian-client relationships, not sidestep them. And across the broader industry, that connected-care idea is showing up in increasingly specific forms: teleconsulting for anesthesia support, teletriage and telementorship for general practice teams, virtual assistants handling administrative work, and AI-native practice software aimed at modernizing client and staff workflows. (sec.gov)

The survey itself helps explain why that framing matters. According to HABRI’s 2025 impact report and related coverage, 82% of pet parents said they face challenges understanding their pet’s health. The study also identified seven core challenge areas, including veterinary and health care, affordability, behavior, pet-inclusive housing, travel, quality of life, and the emotional toll of leaving pets alone. Among the clearest findings, willingness to adopt technology rose from 24% among pet parents in the “strong bond” group to more than 50% among those in the “strongest bonds” group. Interest was highest for tools that help with affording, finding, and managing veterinary care. (habri.org)

The demographic pattern is just as important. Younger pet parents, especially Gen Z, reported the highest care-related stress and were the heaviest users of digital support, averaging 3.6 pet health tools. Lower-income households and multi-pet households were also more likely to cite veterinary costs as a major concern. In other words, the clients most open to technology are often the same ones feeling the most friction in the current care system. That makes tech adoption less a story about convenience alone and more a story about access, reassurance, and decision support. (habri.org)

Recent veterinary media coverage helps put those use cases into focus. On dvm360’s Vet Blast podcast, Safe Pet Anesthesia founder Dr. Gianluca Bini described an anesthesia teleconsulting model in which a board-certified anesthesiologist follows cases remotely by video from induction through recovery, using a custom platform that lets clinics upload records, receive protocols, and start live support from a phone, tablet, laptop, or OR camera. In a separate Vet Blast episode, Vet Triage chief medical officer Dr. Shadi Arefij discussed teletriage and telementorship as ways to help practices extend access and build confidence for general practitioners taking on common but sometimes deferred procedures. Another episode with Kelly Cronin highlighted veterinary virtual assistants as a growing option for handling tasks that can be done remotely, while Veterinary Innovation Podcast guest Sebastian Gabor described AI’s rapid evolution and its integration into practice management systems such as Digitail. Together, those examples reinforce the same point as the HABRI-Chewy data: digital adoption in veterinary medicine is increasingly about extending expertise, communication, and capacity, not just adding consumer-facing convenience. (dvm360.com)

Industry reaction has leaned in that direction. Chewy Health president Mita Malhotra said the research creates opportunities for veterinary teams to connect more deeply with pet parents, while HABRI president Steven Feldman said strong veterinary-client relationships, enhanced by technology, can serve as the foundation for successful pet care. HABRI and Chewy Health have also released a companion guide, The Bond Factor, aimed at helping practices translate the survey findings into client communication and service strategies. Those statements are promotional, but they’re consistent with the broader message in the dataset: pet parents don’t appear to be asking for less veterinary involvement, they’re asking for easier ways to stay connected to it. (veterinarypracticenews.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is a useful corrective to the idea that technology adoption is mainly vendor-driven. The survey suggests adoption is being pulled by client expectations that are rooted in the human-animal bond itself. Pet parents who are more emotionally invested are more likely to seek information, spend on care, visit more often, and try digital tools. That creates an opening for practices to use texting, asynchronous follow-up, teletriage, payment support, educational content, remote monitoring, and specialist teleconsulting in ways that reduce confusion and increase adherence. It also creates room for operational tools—such as virtual assistants and AI-enabled practice management features—to reduce front-desk strain and improve responsiveness. But it also raises a practical challenge: practices need to choose tools that strengthen trust and continuity, rather than creating fragmented communication or unrealistic expectations around virtual care. (dvm360.com)

There’s also a business and workforce angle. AVMA’s 2025 report on the profession found practice management systems are now common, while telehealth remains among the least-used technologies in practices surveyed. That gap suggests many clinics may still be early in translating digital interest into operational workflows. At the same time, some companies are betting that veterinary medicine will increasingly adopt human-grade innovation and infrastructure, from AI software to longer-acting therapeutics intended to reduce treatment burden. On the Veterinary Innovation Podcast, Akston CEO Todd Zion described the company’s move into animal health around long-acting insulin for dogs and cats, framing it as an effort to bring easier-to-manage, human-derived biotech advances into companion animal care. As practices weigh new tools, the strongest near-term use cases may still be the least glamorous ones: clearer communication, better recordkeeping, easier scheduling, more consistent follow-up, and improved navigation around cost and care options. (ebusiness.avma.org)

What to watch: The next phase will likely center on whether technology companies and veterinary practices can prove that these tools improve real outcomes, not just engagement. Watch for more partnerships built around telehealth, AI-assisted communication, remote monitoring, teleconsulting, telementorship, and integrated clinic platforms, but also for continued scrutiny around regulation, documentation, and where the line sits between support and medical decision-making. (sec.gov)