Freshour announced on the 14th that it participated in CES 2025, held from January 7 to 10 (local time) in Las Vegas, USA. The company operates BARFDOG, an AI/big data-based pet healthcare dietary solution.

BARFDOG uses an algorithm built on approximately 1 million pet healthcare data points to analyze a pet’s health status, identify target diseases, and recommend personalized pet food subscriptions based on inputs such as breed, weight, activity level, diseases, and allergies. In 2024, the service commercialized its proprietary technology for diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, and skin conditions in dogs, offering tailored dietary solutions.

A Freshour representative explained, “These diseases have high prevalence rates and require ongoing post-treatment care, including prescription diets and medication, leading to significant medical costs. Conditions like intestinal disorders, obesity, and skin diseases in dogs are progressive and often lead to other illnesses if left untreated. Early detection and continuous management are crucial to prevent worsening or recurrence.”

The representative added, “With BARFDOG, pet owners can predict diseases through a simple questionnaire and accurately analyze the progression of diagnosed conditions. Our AI diagnostic model, powered by proprietary algorithms and microbial NGS data, assesses the pet’s current health status and links it to disease analysis.”

To ensure the reliability of disease diagnosis through questionnaires, securing a large volume of data is essential. BARFDOG has standardized: ▲ 1 million data points on pet breeds, weight, age, and activity levels, and ▲ 500,000 stool samples to correlate gut microbial NGS data with diseases. Using an Auto-encoder/SVM model, the service achieves a 92% diagnostic accuracy, supported by one of the largest and most advanced datasets globally.

The AI’s diagnostic results and dietary solutions are visualized through a dashboard. Freshour highlighted that its solution excels in high diagnostic accuracy and offers personalized recipe recommendations and subscription services with single-meal packaging tailored to each pet’s data. Subscriptions are delivered every two weeks, with daily calorie intake optimized based on big data algorithms.

Since its official launch in December 2022, BARFDOG has diagnosed approximately 120,000 pets, with over 70,000 dietary solutions subscribed to, maintaining an 86% subscription retention rate. The company is also conducting gut microbial NGS analysis on 5,000 pets as part of its “Pet Science Project,” the largest of its kind globally, to enhance disease diagnosis and develop scientifically prescribed pet food.

With annual revenues exceeding KRW 500 million (approximately USD 375,000), BARFDOG collaborates with major corporations to develop dietary solutions for high-engagement pet customers. Its big data-based dietary algorithm is supplied under an NDA to Thrive Pet Care, the largest animal hospital franchise in the U.S. Freshour has secured seed investments from Yoonmin Chang Investment Foundation, Chungbuk Creative Economy Center, and NP Partners, and is preparing for a Pre-A round in the first half of 2025.

Freshour has completed U.S. patent and PCT applications for its AI disease diagnosis and microbial NGS-based dietary algorithms and published papers in the Korean Journal of Animal Health Science (KCI), securing its technological superiority. The company aims to expand its diagnostic capabilities and develop prescription-based solutions, seeking approval as an ICT veterinary medical device from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency in 2025.

A Freshour representative stated, “Participating in CES 2025 allows us to understand global pet healthcare trends and establish overseas expansion strategies. We aim to build partnerships with remote pet healthcare providers, pet insurance companies, and pet health product distributors, advancing into the global market in 2025.”

CES, hosted by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), is the world’s largest IT exhibition, held annually in January in Las Vegas, showcasing the latest innovative technologies.