Interview with Julieta Acuña, CEO of AcuPet Health: “The support from CDTI Innovación has been crucial in enabling us to develop our technology and transform the way we care for our dogs”
AcuPet Health is developing a solution based on artificial intelligence and biometric sensing to anticipate diseases in dogs from the home environment. Its technology, supported by the Neotec initiative of CDTI Innovación, aims to promote a more preventive, personalized, and accessible model of veterinary medicine.
More and more households consider dogs as part of the family, which has increased concern for their long-term well-being. However, many health issues in animals go unnoticed until symptoms become evident. In response to this, veterinary medicine is undergoing a transformation driven by digitalization, artificial intelligence, and data analysis, leading to new tools capable of anticipating health alterations before they become clinically apparent.
In this context, AcuPet Health was founded—a tech startup entirely established by women that develops solutions based on biometric sensing, artificial intelligence, and predictive mathematical models for monitoring canine health.
Julieta Acuña, the company’s CEO, explains that the idea for the company arose from a deeply personal motivation shared by its founders: “AcuPet Health was born out of the love the founders have for our dogs and the importance we place on giving them the best possible quality of life.”
This emotional bond was precisely what led the founding team to reflect on how technology could help better understand dogs’ health, since, as Acuña notes, “It’s not always easy to understand how they are or how they feel, and for us, their well-being is what matters most.”
For this reason, the company’s mission is to develop tools that make it possible to anticipate health problems and move toward a more preventive model of veterinary medicine. “At AcuPet Health, we aim to understand their health, contribute to their well-being, and prevent diseases from being treated only when they are already at an advanced stage, opening new possibilities for preventive medicine in animal health,” Acuña explains.
Detect earlier to care better
One of the main challenges in veterinary medicine is the early detection of diseases. In many cases, conditions in dogs are only identified when symptoms are already evident, limiting the chances of early intervention.
According to Acuña, “Conventional systems focus, on the one hand, on observing the dog’s behavior, activity, or visible symptoms and, on the other hand, apply universal thresholds to all dogs without considering their individual characteristics.”
This approach can be insufficient to detect subtle physiological changes that precede the appearance of clinical symptoms. To overcome these limitations, AcuPet Health, with the support of CDTI Innovación, has developed technology that continuously analyzes different physiological variables of the animal. “Our technology makes it possible to identify subtle physiological changes before symptoms become clinically evident,” she explains.
In addition, according to the CEO, “the system is designed to adapt to each dog’s particular characteristics, relying on the analysis of complex physiological patterns such as respiration, temperature, and activity.”
This multivariate analysis approach makes it possible to identify potential warning signs that might go unnoticed using conventional methods.
A smart harness to monitor canine health
At the core of the project is the development of a smart harness equipped with non-invasive biometric sensors that monitors various physiological parameters of the dog in its daily life. This device collects key information about the animal’s condition while it goes about its normal activities, generating data that are later analyzed using advanced algorithms.
Moreover, combining biometric sensing with data analysis technologies provides a more comprehensive view of the animal’s health status.
As Acuña explains, “By implementing advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, predictive models, and multivariate analysis of the physiological data we collect, we can interpret these patterns much more accurately.”
Artificial intelligence that identifies disease patterns
The data collected by the smart harness are analyzed using predictive mathematical models and neural networks capable of detecting complex patterns in large volumes of information. These algorithms make it possible to identify deviations from each dog’s normal physiological pattern, which could indicate the onset of health problems before symptoms become evident.
Artificial intelligence also improves the system’s accuracy as more data are collected. The multivariate analysis of different physiological variables facilitates the identification of complex patterns that could not be detected through isolated observation of each parameter.
This approach opens the door to new applications in preventive veterinary medicine, where continuous monitoring of the animal’s physiological state can provide valuable information for early disease detection.
Preventive alerts from home
Another key objective of the technology developed by AcuPet Health is to enable monitoring of a dog’s health directly from home.
The smart harness connects to a mobile application designed so that pet owners can easily check their pet’s health status.
According to Acuña, the system has been designed so that anyone can understand the information it provides. “Our goal has always been to make information about our dogs’ health easy to understand for those without veterinary training,” she says.
Through the app, users can continuously monitor the animal’s well-being and receive alerts if the system detects potential abnormalities. “In the app, you can track your dog’s health and receive notifications with actions you should take to ensure their well-being,” she explains.
Among these recommendations, the system guides users on how to act in response to potential issues. According to Acuña, “this includes knowing when you should consult your veterinarian.”
Support from CDTI Innovación, key to the development of AcuPet Health’s technology
This project has received support from CDTI Innovación through Neotec, an initiative aimed at fostering the creation and consolidation of innovative technology companies.
For the company, receiving this support has been a decisive boost in advancing the development of its technology. “This support has been crucial for us to continue our development and transform the way we care for our dogs from home,” the CEO explains.
“The funding has helped reinforce our goal of improving the health and well-being of companion animals through new technological tools,” she adds.
Toward a new era of preventive veterinary medicine
Looking ahead, the company aims to play a significant role in the evolution of veterinary medicine. For Acuña, the development of AI-based technologies will mark a turning point in how diseases in companion animals are researched and diagnosed. “Without a doubt, AcuPet Health will transform the way preventive medicine in dogs is researched, diagnosed, and defined,” she states.
In a context where companion animals play an increasingly important role in people’s lives, advances like this pave the way for a more conscious, closer, and preventive approach to caring for their health.
CDTI Innovación
The Centre for the Development of Technology and Innovation (CDTI E.P.E.) is the innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, whose objective is to promote technological innovation in the business sector. Its mission is to ensure that the Spanish business ecosystem generates and transforms scientific and technical knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable, and inclusive growth. In 2025, within the framework of its 2024–2027 Strategic Plan, CDTI provided more than €2 billion in support to Spanish companies and startups.
Image: Part of the AcuPet Health team alongside one of the dogs involved in testing, advancing innovation applied to animal health
More info:
Web: www.cdti.es
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/29815
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