Joii Pet Care and Zoetis have partnered up to test an app tool that measures Quality of Life in Dogs and see how it impacts conversations between owners and their vet in real life scenarios. We will be evaluating VetMetrica™, a health-related quality of life (HRQL) assessment tool for dogs. The tool is built into the VetMetrica specifically designed App named Animal Research Tool (ART) This tool produces a quality of life score and an alert message if the score is below a certain level. All dogs taking part need to be seen in person by their regular vet for a health check, where the results produced by the tool will be discussed.

We invite you to participate in the study and help other owners, as well as veterinarians to identify signs of a lower quality of life from an early stage, and therefore help to treat your beloved pet much earlier. This information sheet provides key details about the study so that you can make an informed decision about your participation.

Please read this carefully and we’d be grateful to hear from you if you would like to discuss anything in more detail. Please only agree to take part if you really want to. And if you decide not to take part, that’s fine too. It will not affect your relationship with Joii Pet Care in any way. 

Purpose of the Study

The aim of this study is to evaluate how VetMetrica™ scores, which measure your dog’s quality of life, relate to their health status as determined by a veterinary clinical examination in real-life scenarios. This research will also gather insights from dog owners and veterinarians about their experience using the VetMetrica™ tool (ART) and explore whether it improves communication and promotes discussion during veterinary consultations.

Eligibility Criteria – Inclusion

– Dogs aged 2 to 10 years.

– The owner’s first language is English.

– Owner comfortable using a smartphone and apps.

– Owner available to attend the vet visit and complete all surveys (same owner must complete all steps).

Eligibility Criteria – Exclusion

– Dogs diagnosed with chronic conditions (illnesses that require continuous medication to control the symptoms)

– Dogs on long-term medication prescribed by their vet (excluding routine parasite control and other preventatives).

What Does Participation Involve?

If you are interested in taking part, these are the steps you will need to complete:

1. Review this document, the Study Participation Agreement, before completing the screening questionnaire.
2. Eligibility call with the Joii team: You will have an online screening call with a Joii vet or nurse to ensure your dog meets the study criteria.
3. Book your in-person vet appointment and give consent to sharing your dog’s clinical history with the study team. We will review the history and inform your practice of what the study involves. If they agree to take part with you and you and your dog pass the history review, you are good to go!
4. Review this information sheet and provide your informed consent.  Informed consent is important to us so we will run you through the study’s terms and conditions one by one to make sure you are aware of and understand them, before accepting to take part.
5. Download the study app: You will download the Animal Research Tool (ART) App, which is the name given to the VetMetrica tool and input the date of your in-person appointment. At least 6 days before your appointment, you should complete the QOL questionnaire about your dog. Don’t worry, we will send you reminders so you do it at the right time.
6. In-person appointment with your Vet: Your dog will attend a routine health check at your registered veterinary practice. We will send them your dog’s report ahead of your appointment. During the visit, the vet will examine your dog and complete a health assessment and an osteoarthritis (OA) checklist. If you are happy and if possible, we ask that this questionnaire is completed by the vet on your phone.
7. Feedback questionnaire: After the vet visit, you will be invited to complete a brief survey about your experience using the app and the Quality-of-Life Questionnaire.
8. Telephone Interview: Some participants will be randomly selected for a one-to-one interview to share their experience in more detail. The aim of this interview is to gain further insight into your experience of using the tool and for you to provide your honest feedback. You can opt out of this step if you want.

Alert vs No Alert Report

After you complete the QOL questionnaire in the ART app, you will be shown a screen at the end with your dog’s results.

If your dog scores below the threshold, you will be sent an alert message.

If you receive this message, please do not worry. Just make sure you discuss the results with your vet during your in person consultation. We will send them your dog’s report and they should be aware of them scoring below the threshold. The results should help direct your conversation with your vet so they can assess any areas of concern you may have. 

Should you want to discuss your results with a vet or understand better what they might mean, but you can’t get to your vet sooner than the appointment date you have, you can contact our Joii vets to discuss the concerns and determine if you need to be seen as an emergency at your vet practice. Please use the Support Card to access our Joii Vets for free.

If your dog scores above the threshold, you will not receive an alert message however, 

even if your dog scores above the threshold, you still need to discuss the results with your vet. Your vet should still complete the in-person questionnaire in your Joii app on your phone or via the links we provide to them.

Benefits of Participation

There are several:

• Contributing to Science: Your participation will help improve quality of life assessment tools and potentially advance early disease detection and treatment in veterinary medicine.
• Free Quality of Life Assessment: Gain insights into your dog’s quality of life through scientifically validated tools.
• Study reward: Participants who complete the study, including all surveys, will receive a £110 Amazon voucher as a thank-you for taking part. 

What If I Want to Withdraw?

Participation is voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time without providing a reason. To withdraw, simply email the study team at [email protected]. We will notify your veterinary practice and ensure your data is no longer used in the study. 

Any information you have given can be removed from accessible files but any clinical information from assessments will be kept in the database for a period of 5 years. If you prefer that your data is deleted from the study and not shared with our partner Zoetis, please make sure to tell us that in your communication with us.

Withdrawing from the study means that you will no longer be eligible for the reward but it will not affect your relationship or any treatments with your veterinary practice or Joii.

Data Collection and Confidentiality

– All data will be stored securely on Vet-AI (the people behind the Joii app) and Zoetis (the brains behind the ART app) servers and used only for research purposes.

– Your personal information will remain confidential and will not be shared outside the research team.

– Video recordings from the Joii vet screening call will be stored securely and not shared with Zoetis.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about the study, please contact us by email on

 [email protected]

Thank you for your interest in taking part in this study. Your contribution is invaluable in helping us enhance the health and welfare of dogs everywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why are you running this study? 

The purpose of this study is to see if there’s a connection between scores from a tool that evaluated Quality of Life (QOL) and how healthy a dog is during their normal vet check-up, and understand what vets and pet owners think about the QOL tool through surveys and chats as well as to understand if using the QOL tool helps vets and pet owners communicate better.

• Why will you ask me questions? 

We need to ask questions to have some background information about your pet and their health in order to understand as much as we can about them and make sure they are eligible for the study. We will do this through Joii app questionnaires, during the video assessments with the vet or vet nurse. We will also ask you questions via the Animal Research Tool app and via a telephone interview. 

• Do I have to pay? 

You do not have to pay to take part in the study. Both the Joii and the ART apps are free to download and to use. Your eligibility call with the Joii team will be free of charge. However, the study does require that your dog is seen in practice by your vet. This should be for a reason unrelated to the study. Your vet practice will ask you to pay for their services as per their price list. Some practices may ask you to book a double appointment if they feel appropriate. Costs related to the vet visit will not be paid for by the study. We hope the study reward of £110 will support you on any extra expenses you may incur with your practice due to your participation in the study. 

• What will happen to the results of the study? 

We expect the results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals. All answers to the questions will be kept strictly confidential and anonymised. Results from the study may be printed in veterinary journals and also in the non-veterinary press, but you and your pet will not be identifiable from any published work. 

• Do I have to be a Joii customer to participate? 

Yes, you’ll need to have the Joii app downloaded and your pet registered. 

• Will a vet be able to give me advice on my pet’s health? 

The study calls are mainly to assess your pet’s suitability for the study. If our Joii clinical team come to the conclusion that your pet would require further support/treatment, you will be directed to your vet in practice for a physical examination and treatment. If you notice your pet declining in health during the study period or if the results from the QOL questionnaire in the ART app give you reason for concern, please do contact one of our vets via the study support card in the Joii App. Extra support consultations are free during the study period. 

• My pet is under treatment for a health issue, is this a problem? 

We are looking for healthy dogs for this study, as deemed by their owners. If your dog is on continuous treatment with prescription medications for a health condition, they will not be suitable to take part in the study. If your dog is on supplements, for example, probiotics, skin supplements or joint supplements but not on medication that you can only get from your vet or obtain from elsewhere without a prescription, then they may be able to take part, but this will be reviewed and decided by the study coordinator after all the information is collected. Your dog is allowed to receive anti-parasitic treatments that are prescribed by a vet and other preventative treatments and still take part.

• What if my pet starts a new medication or develops a new condition?

If your pet starts a new medication or develops a new health condition during the study period, we ask you to inform us as soon as possible. The best way to do this is to notify us in the Joii app, via the study support card. We will ask you a few questions and direct you to a vet call. Our vets will assess your pet and a decision will be made if they can remain in the study or not. 

• What happens if my pet becomes pregnant or needs to feed puppies with her milk? 

If your dog becomes pregnant or is feeding puppies, please notify us as unfortunately they will be have to be withdrawn from the study. 

• What happens if my pet’s health declines during the study period? 

If your pet’s skin health declines to the point where they require prescription medication we would ask you to inform us as soon as possible. It may no longer be appropriate for your pet to stay in the study. Please contact us via the study support card in your Joii App. 

• What happens if I don’t download the ART app?

The questionnaire that needs to be filled out in the ART app is essential for taking part in the study. Without that information, no other steps can be completed. Therefore, if you don’t complete that step, we can’t progress you in the study and you will not be able to receive the study reward.

• What happens if I or my Vet forget to fill out the questionnaire during the in-person consultation?

The questionnaire that needs to be filled during the in-person consultation is another of the essential steps of this study. Without this step being completed, we cannot complete the study effectively and will mean that you are not eligible for the reward.

• What happens if I don’t have mobile data, or signal at the practice or if I have technical difficulties and my vet cannot fill out the questionnaire on my phone?

If any of the above situations happen during the in-person consultation, please ask your vet to complete the questionnaire via the link provided to them on the study materials. Should this still be a problem, please contact our study team via [email protected] to report what happened and let us know as to how you left the situation with your vet. This is important so we can understand the problem and aim to provide an alternative so that you are still able to participate. 

• Is there a risk to my pet? 

We are not testing a product, only finding out information about your pet and having a vet to check them. As you should be already going to the vet practice for a reason other than the study, we don’t anticipate  that the study will create issues for your pet or put them under unnecessary stress. Should you become worried because of the results given to you once you complete the QOL questionnaire in the ART app, and if you do not want to wait to discuss those concerns with your vet in practice, please use the Support card under your pet’s profile in the Joii app to access a Joii Vet and discuss the study and any concerns. 

• What happens if my pet passes away or needs to be euthanised during the study period? 

In the unfortunate and very sad event that your pet dies or is put to sleep during the study period we ask that you inform us as soon as possible. The best way to do this is to notify us in the Joii app, via the study support card. 

• When do I need to contact you outside the scheduled video calls and app questionnaires? How do I do this? 

We ask that you contact us via the study support card in your messages in the Joii app or via email ([email protected]) in the following circumstances: 

• Your dog becomes unwell 
• Your dog has had an accident
• You don’t want to take part anymore 
• You are having technical difficulties downloading the ART app
• You are concerned about your pet’s health 
• You have cancelled your vet appointment because you no longer need to go to the vets
• You have changed the date of your in person appointment
• You had trouble filling out the questionnaires in either of the apps
• You had trouble with the in-person questionnaire during your in person appointment
• Your QOL report has given you reason for concern about your dog and you would like to discuss this with a vet
• Any concerns you may have about the study, your dog or your participation.

• Will you share my data with anyone? 

If you give us your express consent to being contacted by the external company who will be running the interviews, and if you are one of the 10 selected to go through this step, we will share your contact details (name, pet’s name, phone number and email address) with Social Value Lab. If you do not wish to take part in the interviews, this will not affect your involvement in the study or your use of Joii. 

We will share your pet’s study data with our partner, Zoetis in pseudo-anonymous form, meaning they will NOT receive any personal or identifying information of yours (name, pet name, address). Only the Study Coordinator will be able to link your data in the Joii database and the Zoetis database.

• How will the data be stored? 

Videos and clinical information obtained during the study may be retained for at least 5 years and possibly used in future research projects, and for training and education purposes. All data will be stored in a secure database only accessible by people working on the study. Please note that any video assessment taken in your home will be visible to us. If you are unhappy with this you can request to have your video removed and permanently deleted without penalty to yourself; although please note that we are legally required to keep clinical notes for at least 5 years. 

The data collected via the ART app (Animal Research Tool app; Google Play App Store) will be stored within Zoetis secure serves. The ART app that is needed to answer the QOL questionnaire before the in-person consultation, has Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies that you need to accept on registering on the app. The app will ask you for your name, email address, your pet’s name, age and breed. All data will be stored in a secure database only accessible by people working on the study. You can have your data removed and permanently deleted without penalty should you wish so. 

Study Participation Agreement – Consent to Participate

We invite you to participate in a study sponsored by Zoetis in collaboration with Vet-AI. This study aims to improve our understanding of dogs’ health and quality of life using the VetMetrica™ Animal Research Tool.

Your participation is voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time. Below are the key points for your review and agreement.

1. How the Study Works

I understand that participation involves:

• Registering interest via the Joii App.
• A screening call with a Joii vet.
• If eligible, booking an in-person vet appointment and sharing my dog’s medical history.
• Completing a quality-of-life questionnaire in the ART App before the vet visit.
• Providing feedback through a post-visit survey.
• Possibly being invited to an optional interview.

2. Use of Apps

 I understand that:

• I will need to download and use the Joii App (operated by Vet-AI) and the ART App (operated by Zoetis).
• we are not responsible for any software malfunctions or incompatibility with my device.
• I may delete either or both of the apps at any time.

3. Data Collection

 I consent to the collection of the following information:

• My name, email, address and phone number.
• My dog’s details (name, breed, sex, date of birth, weight, vet clinic, consultation date).
• Responses to quality-of-life questionnaires and an osteoarthritis checklist.

4. How My Data Will Be Used

 I understand that:

• My data will be used for research, scientific publications, and conferences.
• All findings will be anonymised (no personal identifiers will be included).
• Data collected by Vet-AI will be stored in a UK data centre in compliance with GDPR. 
• Data collected by Zoetis will be stored in an EU data centre in compliance with GDPR.
• Data might be transfer to other entities within the Zoetis Group or third parties, including entities located outside the EU.
• Processing of my personal data may be performed within a maximum of 5 years after issuing of this consent unless longer terms are requested by law.
• Anonymised data may be used for other research studies but will not be combined to identify me.

5. Who Will Access and Process My Data?

 I acknowledge that:

• Zoetis* and Vet-AI employees will access my data for study management and analysis.
• The ART App’s service provider may access data for technical support.
• Anonymised research findings may be shared publicly.

*Zoetis UK Limited, with its business address at First floor, Birchwood Building, Springfield Drive, Leatherhead KT22 7LP

6. Optional Interview Participation

At the end of the study, I acknowledge that I may be randomly selected to participate in a telephone interview.

☐ I agree to be contacted for an optional telephone interview by an independent third-party company appointed by Zoetis. 

☐ I do not wish to participate in an interview.

7. My Rights

I understand that I can:

• Request access, correction, or deletion of my personal data.
• Restrict or object to data processing.
• Contact Zoetis at [email protected] for data-related inquiries.
• Contact Vet-AI at [email protected] for any study related inquiries, including data.
• Lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority.

By signing below, I confirm my voluntary participation and agreement to the above terms and therefore, formally consent to participating in the study.

Full Name: __________________________
Signature: __________________________
Date: _______________

For any questions regarding your dog’s care, please consult your vet. For study-related questions, email [email protected].