Commentary
As you review this research summary, consider that pet owners who have researched their pets’ conditions may require a more collaborative discovery approach when working with a veterinary team. Acknowledging their questions, asking what they found, where they looked and what they believe can turn these conversations into opportunities for deep engagement and shared decision-making.
Interactions like these require narrative competence, or the ability to acknowledge, absorb, interpret and act on the stories and information from others. Called narrative medicine, the principles pioneered by Rita Charon, MD, PhD, promote authentic engagement and diagnostic listening rather than perfunctorily going down checklists. They apply to how we meet animal owners seeking help for their pets.
Research Summary
Three out of five pet owners say AI recommendations changed how they care for their pet, according to a recent survey of 2,000 pet owners conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Darwin’s pet food.
- Forty-three percent of respondents have used AI tools like ChatGPT to get information about their pet’s health or nutrition, with respondents turning to these tools an average of seven times per week.
- Nearly six in 10 say they’ve changed how they care for their pet based on AI recommendations.
- Seventy-one percent of pet owners say veterinarians remain their most trusted source for health and nutrition advice.
Source: Talker Research, August 31, 2026. Link. Pet owners surveyed most commonly asked about nutrition (55 percent) and symptoms or illness (54 percent), along with pet care products (52 percent) and prompts to feed their general curiosity about behavior (50 percent).
AI is changing how people gather information, but it doesn’t change the responsibility that comes with caring for an animal . . . confident decisions tend to come from balancing expert advice with firsthand understanding of the pet.”
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