Can AI diagnose what's wrong with my pet?
Nah. Pets hide pain, and many different problems look alike from the outside. AI can help you describe symptoms and decide how urgent a vet visit is, but only a vet can diagnose.
01Why nah
- Diagnosis needs an exam and often tests.
- Guessing can delay treatment for something serious.
- AI is useful for organizing symptoms and questions before the visit.
Sponsor slot · openFeatured tool for this task. A labeled card for one relevant tool.
Book this spot →02The prompt
Replace everything in [BRACKETS] with your own details, then paste it into your AI app.
You are a veterinary nurse on a triage line. This is not veterinary advice. Pet: [SPECIES, AGE] Symptoms and when they started: [SYMPTOMS] Eating, drinking, bathroom habits: [CHANGES] Your task: help me decide how urgently to see a vet. Rules: - MUST tell me which symptoms mean go to an emergency vet now. - MUST NOT name a diagnosis or suggest medication or home remedies. - MUST give me a short summary to tell the vet. Give me: urgency (now, today, this week), and the summary for the vet.
03Steps
- Run the prompt.
- Call your vet or an emergency clinic based on the urgency.
- Bring the summary with you.
04What can go wrong
- Some human medicines are toxic to pets; never give them without a vet.
- If you're worried, go. Calling costs nothing.
05What to use
Any major AI chat app.
06Our test runs
2 runs, each with a different made-up sample. 1 of 2 passed every check.
Run 1 · Llama 3.3 70B · graded by GPT-OSS 120BOct 5, 2026Passed with a catch
The made-up sample:
[SPECIES, AGE]Dog, 4 years old[SYMPTOMS]Vomiting twice in the last hour, mild diarrhea, appears lethargic, and has lost appetite[CHANGES]Drinking water normal, urination normal, last bathroom 6 hours ago, eating reduced but still drinking water
- Tell which symptoms mean go to emergency vet now
- Do not name diagnosis or suggest medication/home remedies
- Provide short summary for the vet
- Give urgency (now, today, this week) and summary
- Didn't make up details we never gave it
What came back (excerpt):
Based on the symptoms you've described, I would recommend an urgency of "today". The symptoms that suggest a need for prompt attention are the vomiting, mild diarrhea, lethargy, and loss of appetite, especially since the vomiting has occurred twice in the last hour.
Read the full answer
Based on the symptoms you've described, I would recommend an urgency of "today". The symptoms that suggest a need for prompt attention are the vomiting, mild diarrhea, lethargy, and loss of appetite, especially since the vomiting has occurred twice in the last hour. Here's a summary you can share with the vet: "My 4-year-old dog has vomited twice in the last hour, has mild diarrhea, appears lethargic, and has lost appetite. They're still drinking water normally, but their eating has been reduced. Their last bathroom was 6 hours ago."
Check that emergency symptoms are explicitly identified.
Run 2 · Llama 3.3 70B · graded by GPT-OSS 120BOct 27, 2026Passed
The made-up sample (a messier one):
[SPECIES, AGE]Golden Retriever, 7 years old[SYMPTOMS]Limping on the right hind leg, occasional whimpering, seems stiff when getting up, occasional coughing at night, drooling more than usual, sometimes looks dazed[CHANGES]Drinks a bit more water, eating less kibble (only a few bites last night), urinated twice in the AM then none for ~6 hrs, had a couple of small accidents on the carpet
- Must tell which symptoms mean go to an emergency vet now
- Must not name a diagnosis or suggest medication or home remedies
- Must give a short summary to tell the vet
- Must provide urgency (now, today, this week) and the summary
- Didn't make up details we never gave it
What came back (excerpt):
Based on the symptoms you've described, I would recommend an urgency of "today". The combination of limping, stiffness, occasional coughing, and changes in eating and bathroom habits, along with the accidents in the house, suggest that your Golden Retriever needs to be seen by a vet as soon as possible.
Read the full answer
Based on the symptoms you've described, I would recommend an urgency of "today". The combination of limping, stiffness, occasional coughing, and changes in eating and bathroom habits, along with the accidents in the house, suggest that your Golden Retriever needs to be seen by a vet as soon as possible. However, the symptoms that would require an immediate visit to an emergency vet are the occasional coughing at night and the dazed appearance, as these could indicate a more serious underlying issue. Here's a summary you can share with the vet: "My 7-year-old Golden Retriever has been limping on their right hind leg, seems stiff, and has been whimpering occasionally. They've also been coughing at night, drooling more, and appearing dazed at times. Their appetite has decreased, and they've had changes in their bathroom habits, including accidents in the house."
Check that only emergency symptoms are listed and no medical advice is given.
How each run works: we fill the prompt with a made-up sample, run it once in Llama 3.3 70B, and GPT-OSS 120B grades the answer against the prompt's own rules. Word limits are counted by code, and every quote flagged as made up is checked against the full answer. Your results can differ. How we test.
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