MELBOURNE, Australia - AussieJournal -- A new survey of 326 US pet owners, conducted with students at Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois, has confirmed strong market validation for PawHealthAI's US expansion strategy.

The survey found that cost is the single biggest challenge pet owners face today, with 66% citing the cost of regular vet visits and diagnostic tests as their top concern, well ahead of any other issue raised. It also found that 63% of pet owners use no app or digital tool to manage their pet's health or wellness.

The findings point to a largely unaddressed gap in the US pet care market. Pet owners are not switching between competing apps; most have not adopted any digital solution for their pet's health at all. PawHealthAI, a Melbourne-based pet health platform, is positioning its consumer app to close that gap by combining veterinary records, an AI wellness companion, and a proprietary pet vitality trend score in one place.

The Gies engagement is part of a broader academic validation effort supporting PawHealthAI's US strategy. PawHealthAI plans to use the findings to guide its continued rollout across the US market, alongside its existing presence in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand.

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"This research confirms what we set out to test. Pet owners are worried about cost, and do not yet have a tool built for this problem," said Jim Schuman, Co-Founder and CEO of PawHealthAI.

The full survey results are available on request. http://www.pawhealthai.com.au

About PawHealthAI

PawHealthAI is on a mission to give pets, and the people who love them, a healthier, more connected life. The app consolidates the fragmented touchpoints of pet ownership, veterinary records, wellness tracking, reminders and more, into a single platform. PawHealthAI is live today in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

About Gies College of Business

Gies College of Business provides a world-class educational experience for the next generation of business leaders. For more than 100 years, the College has delivered on the promise of innovation in business education, with a commitment to cutting-edge curriculum design and delivery, exceptional experiential learning opportunities, and unparalleled academic excellence. Today, Gies faculty prepare more than 11,000 on-campus and online learners to be at the forefront of innovation and leadership in the global economy.