Questão 43 - UVV Demais Cursos 2025

Could AI save your pet's life?

 

"She's my world," said Anthea Slade, as she clutched her seven-year-old cat Blossom in the waiting room at Royston Veterinary Centre. It is a sentiment felt by many pet owners, but Ms Slade just came very close to losing her companion to an aggressive cancer and is convinced artificial intelligence (AI) played a big role in saving her.

"She had a runny nose. I thought it was a bit of a cold, but then it started bleeding and I knew I had to get help, so I brought her here," she said.

"Within hours, they knew what it was, they operated, and Blossom's still here."

The surgery on the Hertfordshire/Cambridgeshire border is one of a growing number of veterinary practices which use AI to speed up the diagnosis of illnesses in animals.

Ms Slade, who lives in Royston, said: "The technology saved her life, I'm sure it did.

"They said any longer and her chances of survival would have been very slim."

The centre's clinical director Dr David White believes the technology also makes the diagnosis more accurate.

"Yesterday I saw a dog with a nasty tumour," he said.

"Without AI I'd have had to remove the tumour and possibly part of the dog's toe, but the AI allowed me to see it was a tumour that will get better by itself, so it saved the stress and expense of surgery.

"Traditionally it was a lot of trial and error- 'We'll try this treatment and if it doesn't work we'll scratch our heads again'.

"AI means I can diagnose and treat with confidence and so it's no more expensive to the pet owner because we're more likely to get it right first time."

Disponível em: www.bbc.com. Acesso em: 05/07/2024.

The word nasty is underlined in the text. Circle the synonym of it