Our four-legged friends are getting much-needed help from one Maltese scientist, who has developed cutting edge artificial intelligence that could help vets quickly identify chronic illnesses in dogs that cause crippling pain.

Leading a team of researchers at the University of Surrey, Dr Michaela Spiteri’s technology has so far been used with Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dogs. The breed was chosen as they are predisposed to deformities of the skull, the neck, and in extreme cases, the spinal cord.

In her paper published by the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Spiteri detailed how they have been able to use completely automated image mapping method to discover patterns in MRI scans that could lead to the chronic pain.

“The success of our technique suggests machine learning can be developed as a diagnostic tool to help treat Cavalier King Charles Spaniel’s that are suffering from this enigmatic and terrible disease. We believe that AI can be a useful tool for veterinarians caring for our four-legged family members,” Spiteri explained.

Spiteri’s research is already inspiring other studies that are contributing to a better diagnosis for our four-legged friends.

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