The RSPCA has issued a warning about the growing trend of pet owners using artificial intelligence chatbots for veterinary advice instead of consulting trained professionals. According to the animal charity, approximately 10% of pet owners across the UK now rely on AI sources such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok for pet care guidance, with the highest usage in the South East of England at 9%.
Rising concern over AI-driven pet care
The RSPCA's new animal kindness index highlights that the most common queries to AI tools involve checking symptoms for unwell pets, followed by questions about behavior and body language. While acknowledging that chatbots can be useful for general tips like enrichment ideas, the charity fears that using AI as a substitute for professional veterinary care could become a 'ticking time bomb' for animal welfare.
TV vet Rory Cowlam, known for his CBBC series, admitted he uses AI tools in his clinic to support investigations or lab work, but stressed the difference between clinical AI and owner misuse. 'There is a massive difference between a vet using clinical AI to support an examination, and a pet owner using a text chatbot to skip one entirely,' he said. 'Animals are hardwired to hide their pain, and AI on our smartphone screens can't feel a bloated stomach, test failing kidneys, or spot the subtle signs of suffering.'
Financial pressures driving AI use
The trend is partly driven by the high cost of veterinary visits, with around 55% of pet owners concerned about affording vet bills. The RSPCA fears that reliance on chatbot answers could lead to complacency and even unknowingly breaking the law if owners fail to seek treatment for a sick or suffering pet. Gemma Hope, RSPCA assistant director of policy, said: 'Whether we like it or not, AI is a game changer – including for animal welfare. But we're worried that, with so many pet owners now using large language models to check the symptoms of poorly pets, this could be an inadvertent ticking time bomb for animal welfare.'
AI and animal cruelty content
AI use has also been linked to animal cruelty content online. Of the 27% of people who saw animal abuse material in the past year, 13% suspected it was AI-generated, raising further concerns about the technology's impact on animal welfare. Cowlam advised: 'If in doubt, log out from AI and reach out to a professional.'
