New Study Finds Scientists Can Predict Disease Outbreaks in Humans Before It Happens By Using Pet Insurance Data

NEW YORK, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Fetch Pet Insurance ("Fetch"), the most complete pet insurance in North America, supported new research published in Nature's Scientific Reports, which found that pet insurance data, tracking dog illness, can predict disease outbreak in humans one year before it happens.

The lead author, Dr. Janice O'Brien, a veterinary researcher at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, studied Fetch Pet Insurance claims from 2008 to 2022 in the United States and compared them to data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about human cases of Lyme disease, giardia, and Valley Fever.

The research team, which also included Fetch Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Aliya McCullough and SpryFox data scientist, Dr. Christian Debes, found that data from dogs made it possible to predict human giardia and valley fever disease outbreaks one year before they occurred in human populations. There are also six states, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and South Carolina, where Lyme disease is increasing in dogs but not yet detected in humans. This warning can help public health agencies plan and act to prevent disease outbreaks, and hopefully, minimize them.

Dr. Audrey Ruple, co-author of the study, veterinary epidemiologist and chair of the Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board says, "Pet insurance data could help us predict disease outbreaks earlier, impacting both dog and human health. This will allow us to warn public health officials in both human and pet fields sooner."

This research underscores the importance of One Health — how the well-being of people, animals and the environment is all connected. By looking at data on all three, scientists can better understand and stop disease outbreaks in the future.

About Fetch Pet Insurance

Fetch is a leading pet insurance provider dedicated to helping pet parents give their cats and dogs a longer, healthier life by offering the most comprehensive pet insurance coverage in the U.S. and Canada. That's why we support life-saving animal adoption shelters and programs like Project Street Vet – a non-profit that provides free veterinary care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness. Find Fetch on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. For more information about Fetch, visit https://www.fetchpet.com/ or call (866) 509-0163.

Media Contact

Joshua Rosen
Prosek on behalf of Fetch
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SOURCE Fetch Pet Insurance