Obe Creates Smart Dog Bowl for Pet Wellness and Obesity Prevention

    By Kathleen Berger

    Obe’s smart dog bowl, the ProBowl, has a smart base that connects via WiFi to a smart phone app. Obe claimed the ProBowl works with any kind of food and water, and it prevents overeating and unknowingly overfeeding your pet.

    “There’s no more texts back and forth, ‘honey did you feed the dog?’ or asking your pet sitter if your pet has enough food, if they were fed, and if they have enough water. Now, you’ll know. And if they don’t, you can take action,” said Hilary Jensen, Obe Founder and CEO.

    Obe is an Internet of things startup that relocated to St. Louis after becoming a 2018 Arch Grants recipient. Jensen said her objective was to find a way to help people keep their pets happy and healthy.

    Jensen said the smart bowl is designed to prevent pet obesity and help dogs and cats living longer, healthier lives.

    “You set up the app by telling us a little bit about your dog, and we’ll have one for cats soon enough. Besides their name and their photo, you’ll tell us their activity level, age, weight and allergies they might have, and we make a feeding recommendation based on their personalized characteristics,” said Jensen.

    The technology is embedded in the base of the smart bowl. The base glows green when the bowl is filled with the right amount of food, based on Obe’s feeding algorithm.  The base turns red if the pet has been fed.

    Jensen described how the Obe ProBowl tracks eating and drinking habits, which is useful information for veterinarians.

    Jensen said her company is first to market in partnership with Amazon.

    “When you’re setting up the app, we also ask you what pet food you feed your pet,” said Jensen. “Because we know every time you feed your pet, we know exactly when the level of your dog food bag is getting low, so we automatically put in an order to Amazon and have it delivered to your doorstep. It’s a smart subscription. “

    Obe is also creating partnerships with companies in the pet industry.

    “The ProBowl is at the center of the relationship between the family and the pet,” Jensen said. “That makes us a window into the home for the pet industry. They’re interested in the data we collect for consumer insights. And they’re using it to create more personalized and targeted products and services.”

    More information about the smart bowl is on the company’s website, https://obedog.com.