About Us
Expertise for animal health – digital, understandable, reliable.
Dear pet owners,
All our work, products, and services are designed to improve the health and well-being of dogs and cats. We know the needs of dogs and cats and always keep them in mind.
Our aim is to provide important and up-to-date health information for dogs and cats. We offer a broad spectrum and want to support you with our content in maintaining the health of your animals.
Our online services help make first-class veterinary care for your animals affordable by helping you avoid unnecessary vet visits, but allowing you to choose the best when there is an actual need.
Our special expertise allows you to have confidence in the health information offered.
The Founders
Founder & veterinary expertise
Dr. med. vet. Gisa Löwe
Specialist Veterinarian for Small Animals
- Founder and former owner of the Veterinary Hospital for Small Animals Berlin (1990-2019)
- Author and sole responsible editor of all veterinary content on PetsVetCheck
- Many years of experience in internal medicine and clinical diagnostics as well as intensive care and emergency care for dogs and cats.
- Expertise in imaging procedures such as computed tomography, cardiac ultrasound, and endoscopy in dogs and cats.
Veterinary Hospital for Small Animals, Berlin
Founder, technical development & AI research
Professor Dr. rer. nat. Welf Löwe
Chairholder Department of Computer Science, Linnaeus University, Sweden
• Specialist in Artificial Intelligence, data-driven diagnostics, and software architecture
• Responsible for the conception and continuous further development of the PetsVetCheck Symptom Checker
• Head of software development and integration of the LLM-based chatbot, which supports owners of cats and dogs in natural language and provides answers to frequently asked questions about keeping dogs and cats healthy.
Linnaeus University Sweden
Our Goal
Our goal is to prepare complex veterinary knowledge in such a way that it becomes understandable and helpful for pet owners – enabling them to make informed decisions and provide the best possible care for their animals.
Under the “New Knowledge” section, we select from the diverse information presented at conferences, in specialist literature, and political information those that we believe might be of interest to the general public of dog and cat owners.
The medical information is regularly reviewed for accuracy and, if necessary, revised according to the latest state of knowledge. We provide you with the last revision date. In some cases, we provide external links to specific sources.
Our Partners
Veterinary Hospital for Small Animals
Märkische Allee 258, 12679 Berlin
Linnaeus University Växjö
Department of Computer Science and Media Technology, Prof. Welf Löwe
Växjö Linnaeus Science Park
Växjö Linnaeus Science Park, 559329-4605 Framtidsvägen 14, 352 22 Växjö, Sweden
Softwerk AB
Reveljgränd 5, 35236 Växjö, Sweden
Mewigo
Bänschstraße 37, 10247 Berlin
Health Information
The PetsVetCheck website helps pet owners obtain the necessary information quickly and effectively in one place to keep an eye on the health and well-being of their pets. The website includes a knowledge base and an innovative, AI-based Symptom Checker.
User-friendliness and Navigation
The website features a clear and user-friendly design that allows even less tech-savvy users to find their way around easily. With clear navigation, pet owners can quickly find the information they need – whether it’s about symptoms they observe in their animals that worry them, or about diseases, emergencies, and poisonings.
Extensive Knowledge Base
PetsVetCheck offers a wide range of knowledge on diseases and disorders in dogs and cats. Approximately 550 Diseases in Dogs and 570 Diseases in Cats are described in detail, structured, and according to the current state of knowledge. Tedious research on the internet can be avoided. This is particularly important in times when many people value fast and uncomplicated solutions.
Reliable Content and Trust
Another advantage of the site is that the entire extensive information section, with its articles and guides on various topics related to the health of dogs and cats, was formulated exclusively by independent, qualified veterinarians. This not only promotes the knowledge of pet owners but also fosters trust in the content.
List of fundamentally used literature sources for evidence-based content (veterinary medicine/general medicine).
- Secondary literature (“overview”) — systematic reviews & meta-analyses
- Primary literature (original data) – randomized controlled trials (RCTs), diagnostic studies, cohort and case-control studies
- Standard works and reference systems (for basics + consolidated knowledge)
- Peer-reviewed textbooks/handbooks (pathophysiology, internal medicine, surgery, reproduction, anesthesia, infectiology)
- Databases for systematic literature research: PubMed/MEDLINE CAB Abstracts/VetMed Resource
Article in the Swedish daily newspaper Smaland-Post about our project PetsVetCheck
Artificial Intelligence AI
In some cases, we use AI techniques. This applies in particular to the development of the Symptom Checker. Only with the help of these technologies is it possible to develop such an offering. It should be noted that errors and misinformation can occur when using AI.
Consider the results critically. If you are unsure, contact your veterinarian.
- Intuitive Symptom Checker for fast help
- LLM-based chatbot
Publications and Validation of the Symptom Checker
You can find our publications (books, digital products, apps) on the topics covered on the website https://petsvetcheck.de under “Digital Products” as e-books, downloadable apps, or PDFs.
Article on the topic: Digital triage as a new access to veterinary care: opportunities, risks, and governance of LLM-based systems
Validation of the Symptom Checker by PetsVetCheck
As part of a doctoral thesis (Nils Gundermann) in the field of computer science at Linnaeus University, Sweden, the validation and quality assurance of chatbots based on AI language models, such as the PetsVetCheck Symptom Checker, were carried out. The answers met the requirements regarding correctness and completeness.
The technical validation is completed and published here:
https://rdcu.be/fkyHI
Print and E-books
Publication of the technical validation:
A light-weight symptom checker and its methodological validation
Veterinary Research Communications (2026) 50:344 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-026-11263-8
Welf Löwe Welf.Lowe@lnu.se and Gisa Löwe loewe@tierklinik-in-berlin.de
SPRINGER NATURE
Our contribution to the topic:
Technical validation
Prof. Dr. Welf Löwe
Linnaeus University, Department of Computer Science, 351 06 Växjö, Sweden
Cats
- Total number of cat diseases: 571
- Number of cat diseases per location:
- General/Whole body 195
- Skin/Fur 54
- Head/Neck 123
- Back/Tail 13
- Chest 84
- Abdomen/Pelvis 150
- Legs 34
- Minimum number of cat symptoms per disease: 3
- Maximum number of cat symptoms per disease: 27
- Number of unique cat symptoms: 1062
- Mean symptoms per disease: μ=9.60, σ=4.13
Dogs
- Total number of dog diseases: 543
- Number of dog diseases per location:
- General/Whole body 145
- Skin/Fur 46
- Head/Neck 133
- Back/Tail 16
- Chest 76
- Abdomen/Pelvis 143
- Legs 26
- Minimum number of dog symptoms per disease: 2
- Maximum number of dog symptoms per disease: 27
- Number of unique dog symptoms: 1060
Correct Cat and Dog Convergence
Medical Validation
Digital health tools such as symptom checkers are already well established in human medicine and are increasingly being used by pet owners and veterinarians. They are intended to help improve the quality of healthcare. Symptom Checker for Dogs and Cats are special developments that provide pet owners with possible causes of illness for the symptoms observed in their animals and give a recommendation as to whether and how urgently professional veterinary care is necessary. The accuracy of the answers and recommendations is of paramount importance and is often evaluated using case vignettes (short descriptions of real or fictional patients), with various metrics considered as endpoints.
Using a mixed-methods design*, we utilized a model that explains how veterinary laypeople can make triage decisions with technical support. This model also explains why high-performance symptom checkers improve pet owners’ decisions and more frequently lead to decisions against professional veterinary help for trivial problems.
The test setup allows for higher generalization by including environmental stimuli and real users in the experimental design. It thus forms the basis for high internal and external validity.
Since the context in which people interact with technology can influence the results, it was ensured that only technical support was allowed to be given.
* Mixed-methods design combines qualitative and quantitative research to gain a comprehensive understanding of the user experience and the effectiveness of the Symptom Checker. The quantitative part analyzes symptoms, usage data, and test results, while the qualitative part explores the reasons, motivations, and opinions of users through questions directed at them. This combination provides good insights, as quantitative data reveal general patterns and qualitative data explain these patterns.
Legal
- We are pleased to be able to provide you with some of our health information from this website in printed form for personal or non-commercial use. You can find them under “Digital Products” or as “downloadable PDFs”, new knowledge, and in the newsletter, which you can subscribe to.
- The provisions of copyright apply to reprints and the use of our content on websites. Approval is required and must be obtained in advance by contacting kontakt@petsvetcheck.de.
- Changes to the content used (shortening, additions, or other changes in the text, title, or illustrations) are not permitted. Our site must be clearly named as the source, in direct connection with the content.
- The following format applies (example):
- Reprint from the petsvetcheck article “Emergencies in Dogs and Cats – A Veterinary Guide, Causes, Symptoms, First Aid”
- Source: petsvetcheck.de
- Guidelines for Websites Linking to www.petsvetcheck.de
- We welcome links from sites that serve the well-being and health maintenance of dogs and cats.
- Please note that content and page structure may change due to revisions. The integration of content and reposting on other websites (framing) is not permitted.
- Licensable Content
- If you wish to embed (host) content from our website on your website, licensing is possible. Please contact us (kontakt@petsvetcheck.de) for this.
- Our licensable content (Content As A Service) can be used in any environment (websites, apps, social media).
- Licensable content can be provided via API. Licensable content includes:
- Excerpts from “Emergencies and First Aid”
- Excerpts from “Poisonings”
- Diseases and Disorders in Dogs
- Diseases and Disorders in Cats
- Dog Symptoms A-Z
- Cat Symptoms A-Z
- Definitions of symptoms and links to corresponding diseases in dogs
- Definitions of symptoms and links to corresponding diseases in cats
- Symptom Checker
(The algorithm is available online as an embedded, modularized application under the petsvetcheck Symptom Checker.)
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