New Delhi, June 10 -- A few weeks ago, a pet parent walked into my clinic carrying a printed list titled: "Most likely causes of vomiting in a middle-aged Labrador". It had been generated by AI and, to be fair, was not entirely wrong. Dietary indiscretion, gastritis and pancreatitis featured on the list, but so did stress from "changes in home energy", while the actual problem turned out to be a foreign body lodged in the intestines that required surgery.

Artificial intelligence has entered pet parenting whether veterinarians like it or not. Many owners are already using it to upload blood reports, understand unusual behaviour, generate home-cooked meal plans, troubleshoot training problems or seek reassurance late at night when their pe...