Multiple Cases Demonstrate the Central Role of the Voyce Health Monitor™ in Improving Treatment Outcomes for Obesity, Pain and Heart Disease
CHANTILLY, Va., Feb. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- i4C Innovations Inc., dba Voyce, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intersections Inc. (INTX) and the creators of the Voyce Health and Wellness Management System™, is pleased to share three case studies where implementation of the Voyce Pro Wellness Monitoring Program™ by veterinarians helped save or improve the lives of dogs suffering from, respectively, obesity, pain, and a serious heart condition.
Voyce Pro enables remote observation of canine patients' biometric data, including resting heart and respiratory rates, intensity of activity, quality of rest, and calories burned and more using the Voyce Health Monitor™. This data collected from a dog's home environment has never before been available to veterinarians and is used to drive better patient outcomes and practice health.
How the Program Works
Canine patients are enrolled in the Voyce Pro program based on a veterinary recommendation. The patient is provided a Voyce Health Monitor, worn comfortably around the dog's neck. Hospital staff have the ability to set customized data parameters for each patient, based on their individual conditions or needs, and the Voyce Pro Wellness Monitoring Program will alert the veterinarian if the key vital signs and wellness indicators move outside of those set parameters. Unprecedented biometric data collected from the Voyce Health Monitor will sync with the interactive and user-friendly Veterinary Dashboard – easily accessible from any web-enabled device – that provides access to information about each patient enrolled in the Voyce Pro program.
In the following three cases, veterinarians enlisted Voyce Pro to help monitor canine conditions and manage treatment plan effectiveness.
Obesity and Weight Loss
When Paris P. grew concerned about her Dalmatian TJ's weight gain following a leg injury, she was referred to Dr. Caroline Goulard at Paws on the Go in Laguna Woods, CA. At 94 pounds, TJ was close to 20 pounds overweight and had developed arthritis. TJ is one of the many dogs suffering from obesity, with 54% of dogs in the U.S. being reported as overweight or obese.1
Dr. Goulard and Paris decided on a target weight of 77 lbs., and a six-month treatment plan incorporating the Voyce Health Monitor to set weight loss goals, track progress, and help monitor activity and calories burned.
"Weight loss can be a daunting journey for the owner, their family and the pet," said Dr. Goulard. "I find that Voyce helps the veterinary team stay in contact with the owner, so they feel this continuous cheerleading effect, which in turn leads to more success. We are thankful to have had Voyce as a critical tool in TJ's weight loss treatment."
Halfway through the treatment, TJ had lost 12 pounds, and now, just past the six-month mark, his total weight loss is 14.4 pounds, with just 2.6 pounds to go. "With Voyce, I have been able to monitor not only TJ's daily calorie loss – but his daily activity level as well – which is extremely important in his journey towards better health. The monitor has been an integral part in helping us assist him with his weight loss," said Paris.
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Osteoarthritis & Pain Management
Pain is difficult to accurately assess in dogs, as the evolution of dogs' behaviors causes them to hide signs of both pain and discomfort. Osteoarthritis is a painful joint condition suffered by 20% of adult dogs and 80% of senior dogs.2
Kalin M., a vet tech with VCA Eads Animal Hospital in Tennessee, knew from her professional expertise that her eight-year-old dog Lady, diagnosed with osteoarthritis, was suffering from this painful condition. Dr. Brianna Letaw, also at VCA Eads, prescribed pain medication but also suggested using the Voyce Health Monitor to keep a closer eye on the German Shepherd's progress in a way that was objective and data driven.
A baseline of three days' worth of data was established, to begin pain medication and also capture heart rate and activity levels, both key indicators of a dog's comfort level, through the Voyce Wellness Management System. Kalin also recorded their observations of Lady at home.
Over the next few months, Dr. Letaw fine-tuned the pain medication, and through the data from Voyce and Kalin's subjective notes, they saw that Lady's heart rate had steadily decreased from 76 BPM to 68 – an 11% decrease – indicating a dramatic increase in her comfort level. As she started to feel better, Lady moved more often and with less effort, and boosted her activity, intensity of activity and distance traveled.
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"I would not have believed the medication was helping Lady as much as it did without the objective data provided by Voyce," said Kalin. "It truly is a way to communicate with your dog like never before."
Heart Disease
Approximately 10% of all dogs suffer from heart disease, with the incidence of heart disease increasing to over 60% in senior dogs.3 In 2014, a three-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Bayleigh received a heart disease diagnosis following examinations by veterinary cardiologist Dr. Sonya Gordon of the Texas A&M Cardiology Service in College Station. Bayleigh was so nervous during testing at the hospital, that Dr. Gordon was uncertain if the heart rate was accurate. To get a better picture, she ordered a 24-hour ECG (electrocardiogram) called a Holter.
In the 24-hour review, the Holter showed that Bayleigh's average heart rate was dangerously high at 120 BPM and also showed significant ventricular arrhythmias (abnormal rapid heart rhythms), which could result in sudden death.
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Dr. Gordon needed to monitor Bayleigh more closely, and therefore prescribed Bayleigh a Voyce Health Monitor that would help the veterinary team track trends and adjust medication accordingly.
At one point, the Voyce Pro System showed Dr. Gordon that Bayleigh's heart rate had spiked at a perilous 160 BPM. This data prompted a call from the clinic to see Bayleigh right away for testing and a medication adjustment. Following the new treatment, Voyce data showed that Bailey's average weekly heart rate was reduced to 75 BPM and the ventricular arrhythmias were improved.
"Having a dog in heart failure is extremely stressful," said Dr. Gordon. "The remote monitoring that Voyce allows can help alleviate some of an owner's anxiety."
Ree K., Bayleigh's owner, agrees. "I think Voyce made us more aware of information," she says. "When her heart rate elevated, I would think about what may have caused that to occur. That prompt helps me identify and better manage those triggers, before anything more serious happens."
To discuss Voyce Pro and the above case studies, please contact Shannon Stevens at Fetching Communications at 631.569.2285 or [email protected]. Product information and support for Voyce Pro is available at http://voycepro.com/.
About Voyce
Voyce is comprised of a diverse team of passionate individuals committed to building a suite of unique products and services for the companion animal market. As part of its comprehensive approach to pet wellness, Voyce brings a new era of personalized care to pets - where pet parents and veterinarians are empowered with unprecedented insights and tangible information about the health and wellbeing of each individual dog. I4C Innovations, dba Voyce, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Intersections Inc. and is headquartered in Chantilly, VA. For more information, please visit http://voyce.com/.
About Intersections
Intersections Inc. (Nasdaq: INTX) provides innovative, information based solutions that help consumers manage risks and make better informed life decisions. Under its IDENTITY GUARD® brand and other brands, the company helps consumers monitor, manage and protect against the risks associated with their identities and personal information. The company's subsidiary Habits at Work provides insurance and other services that help consumers manage risks and achieve personal goals. The company's i4C Innovations subsidiary provides VOYCE™, a groundbreaking pet wellness monitoring system for pet owners and veterinarians. Headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, the company was founded in 1996. To learn more, visit www.intersections.com.
| 1 http://www.petobesityprevention.org/ |
| 2 http://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1746-6148-8-162 |
| 3 Rush JE. Chronic valvular heart disease in dogs. Proceedings from: 26th Annual Waltham Diets/OSU Symposium for the Treatment of Small Animal Cardiology, October 19-20, 2002. |
SOURCE Intersections Inc.
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