Local veterinarians are using AI to treat your pets

    FORT MYERS, Florida (WBBH) -- Whether you like it or not, artificial intelligence is here, and it's already being used on our pets. Dr. Sharon Powell with Edison Park Animal Hospital uses an AI-powered microscope to read pet samples and detect medical conditions.

"It's something that's been very beneficial to our practice," Powell said.

Vet tech Nyah Castellon swabbed her dog's ear to show us how it works.

"It’s essentially just taking one giant picture of everything and then it will transfer over to the computer," Castellon said.

In just minutes, the machine provided her a full break-down of the swab. She says this is a huge time-saver, especially when it comes to cytology, which can detect cancer.

“We had the results back in under two hours. If I sent it the traditional way, she would not have had answers for probably five to seven days," Powell said.

The results are also more accurate. Take urine samples, for instance. Before AI, vet techs had to ship samples to a special lab on the East Coast. Now, this little machine can do all the work itself.

“It's one of the things that, if we send the urine to the outside lab, sometimes crystals will form because it's been sitting for so long and may not actually be medically relevant," Powell said.

As with any AI device, there's a fear that jobs are at risk. However, Powell said this machine is having the opposite effect. The efficiency is helping them keep up with a higher demand of patients.

"In fact, we just hired another technician who's going to be starting tomorrow, so it certainly hasn't slowed us down,” Powell said.