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Veterinarian Kate Echeverria describes using AI-related tools to organize pet health information and argues that veterinarians should help shape how the technology is used. She also warns that pet owners may find misleading advice online, and says tools should support veterinary care rather than replace it.
Veterinarian Kate Echeverria says AI could help veterinary teams organize pet health records and support client education, but argues that veterinarians should help develop and evaluate the tools used in animal care. In a report for Veterinary Practice News, she also describes an owner who became alarmed by an online search about a horse’s medications, illustrating the risk of relying on advice that may not reflect an individual animal’s case.
Echeverria, a veterinarian specializing in large-animal internal medicine, writes that AI has begun appearing in veterinary work through tools such as transcription services, clinical scribes and radiographic readings. She says practices should investigate how these tools are developed and decide individually which are appropriate for their work. Her central argument is that veterinary professionals should have a role in shaping the technology and the information it gives clients.
She recounts a case involving a mare prescribed two medications for separate diagnoses. Echeverria says she discussed the combination and possible side effects with the owner, and also reviewed the plan with the horse’s regular veterinarian, who agreed. After the owner searched online following the first joint dose, she sent worried messages to both veterinarians. Echeverria says the search results overstated the danger in the horse’s specific circumstances; after further discussion, the owner accepted the veterinary guidance.
For records, Echeverria sees potential in tools that collect and organize medical histories, laboratory results and vaccination records, making information easier to share with a new clinic, an emergency hospital or a veterinarian treating a traveling competition horse. Some applications also let owners record changes they observe over time. She presents these uses as support for veterinary consultations, not a substitute for professional care.
Keeping Veterinary Care in the Loop
The report addresses a practical problem for pet owners and veterinary teams: people increasingly search online when they have questions about symptoms, medications or care, but general search results may not account for an animal’s diagnoses, treatment history or the veterinarian’s plan. Echeverria says these searches can leave owners frightened and prompt urgent messages that could have been avoided with reliable, case-appropriate information.
Better-organized records could also help clinicians who do not already know an animal, particularly during emergency visits or while an animal is traveling. That benefit depends on the information being accurate, current and accessible to the treating veterinarian. Echeverria’s broader point is that AI tools need veterinary input and should help owners ask informed questions while keeping clinical decisions with veterinary professionals.
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AI Tools Enter Veterinary Practice
Echeverria says she was initially skeptical about AI, then explored its possible uses with help from advisers. She notes that veterinary organizations including the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine have AI task forces studying the technology and helping practitioners learn about it.
She also points to the September 2026 edition of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, which is scheduled to focus on artificial intelligence in small-animal veterinary medicine. According to Echeverria, its articles will cover how veterinary professionals can evaluate, adopt and contribute to AI tools. Her report emphasizes that contribution should include client-facing pet-health resources, not only software used inside clinics.
“The goal should be not to replace veterinarians, but to empower pet owners to be more proactive”
— Kate Echeverria
Questions About Accuracy and Oversight
Echeverria’s report does not identify or independently evaluate the specific pet-health resource she recommended to the horse’s owner. It also gives no comparative data on the accuracy, safety or clinical outcomes of AI products used in veterinary settings. The account of the medication search is her description of one case, not a systematic assessment of online health information.
It remains unclear which tools will meet veterinary standards, how their information will be checked and updated, and how records shared across services will be kept accurate and secure. The report also does not specify what level of oversight or regulation should apply to client-facing AI advice.
Veterinarians Weigh Tools and Guidance
Echeverria urges veterinary professionals to learn how available products work and decide whether they fit their practices, while contributing to the development of both clinical and client-facing tools. The veterinary organizations she names are examining AI use through their task forces; their work may help practitioners assess emerging products.
The September 2026 journal issue is a scheduled opportunity for further discussion of evaluation, adoption and professional contribution. For now, Echeverria’s report offers an individual veterinarian’s perspective rather than a formal set of practice standards. Readers should consult their veterinarian about an animal’s care, rather than rely on an online search or AI answer as a diagnosis or treatment decision.
Key Questions
What does Echeverria say AI can do in veterinary practice?
She describes possible uses including transcription, clinical scribing, radiographic readings and organizing health records so veterinary teams can review information more easily.
Does the report recommend replacing veterinarians with AI?
No. Echeverria says the goal should be to support informed, proactive pet owners and veterinary care, not replace veterinarians.
What happened in the horse medication case?
Echeverria says a horse needed two medications for separate diagnoses after she discussed the plan with the owner and the regular veterinarian. The owner later searched online and became worried about possible interactions; Echeverria says further discussion resolved the concern.
What remains unknown about the AI tools discussed?
The report does not provide independent accuracy or safety data for specific products, identify the client resource Echeverria recommended, or set out standards for checking and updating AI-generated information.
Source: rss
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