Dogs are amazing, but oh so secretive about their health. Hoomanely, a startup out of Palo Alto, is trying to change that with an AI platform that uses a sensor-laden feeding station to gather vital data on your pet’s eating and drinking habits. The system, called the EverBowl, measures food and water consumption, eating speeds, and even records facial thermals and oral motions. If a dog’s eating or drinking patterns deviate significantly from their usual routine, the app alerts the owner.

The company’s co-founder and CEO, Sai Supriya Sharath, explains that appetite, hydration, and oral comfort are among the first things to be disrupted by pain, dental disease, tummy issues, and illness. 'Dogs are evolved to mask lethargy and limping. They are far less able to mask how they eat and drink,' she notes. The platform was tested on 80 dogs over 18 months, and during one test, it detected changes in a dog’s eating patterns that were linked to a chipped tooth starting to become infected.

While the platform shows promise, there are still some concerns. The company has only shipped about 50 devices and does not yet have independent sensitivity and specificity rates for clinical events. The startup is working on wearable devices and a hub to collect data from third-party devices, but for now, it’s a $29-per-month subscription service. The long-term plan is to eventually become an animal health data company, using the data to support research and serve nutrition and insurance companies.

Hoomanely has raised $1.8 million in pre-seed funding and is currently exploring a seed round. The platform could be a valuable tool for pet owners, but its effectiveness and reliability remain to be fully tested.