Smart Collar Clinical Relevance
Expanded Reference

Monitoring Heart Failure Using Tracking Collars - What to Know

Published on: December 5, 2025

Reviewed on: February 24, 2026

Author: Dave Evans MA VetMB PgC(SADI) PgC(SAC) MRCVS

Recently we have seen a huge variety of tracking collars being released on the market for dogs and cats. They variously claim that they can track GPS position, activity, breathing rates, heart rates, drinking levels, itching levels, and sleep.

This all has huge potential benefit for our cardiac patients. It makes me very excited to see these options appearing. However, its going to take a while for information about which ones are great and which ones less effective.

So I'm hoping to keep this page roughly updated as information appears and new devices get developed

Clinical note: This summary emphasises published validation where available and practical clinical relevance for monitoring congestive heart failure (CHF). Most consumer devices are adjuncts for trend detection and should never replace diagnostic testing (echo, radiographs, ECG, Holters) or veterinary advice.

GPS note: Many collars are being developed now with GPS tracking ability. However this relies extensively on local phone/data signal stregth, satellite connections, and comes with big battery drains. If you want a collar for this purpose and not health tracking then you are probably better looking at other reviews and make sure they are checking compatibility with where you live.
For example, it appears that the Invoxia collar doesn't work well in the UK yet.

Master Summary

Interpretation key: RR = respiratory rate; HR = heart rate; HRV = heart rate variability. "Validated" means at least one published peer-reviewed or conference validation that compares the device metric to a ground-truth (manual count, ECG, or equivalent) - note that many validations are done in healthy or controlled cohorts rather than in sick/cardic patients.

Device	RR	HR	HRV	Validated?	Best Use Case	CHF Monitoring Score*
Maven Smart Collar	✔️ accelerometer (published RR validation)	✔️ accelerometer (publication pending)	✖️	✔️ (RR validation 2024)	Daily SRR trends; early relapse detection	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Invoxia BioTracker	✔️ Large dataset. Uses radar sensors + seismocardiography (tiny vibrations)	✔️ seismocardiography (tiny vibrations)	✔️ (reported) Can detect atrial fibrillation with 92% accuracy.	✔️ (large cohort dataset; limited gold-standard comparison)	Research, population baselines, long-term trending	⭐⭐⭐ (limited geographical availability)
PetPace	✔️ (acoustic / accelerometer)	✔️ (acoustic / accelerometer)	✔️	Partial - some in-clinic / company-backed validation	Multi-parameter wellbeing and trend context	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tractive	✔️ (accelerometer) - 'beta feature'	✔️ (accelerometer) - 'beta feature'	✖️	No published physiologic validation	GPS + activity; lost-dog prevention	⭐⭐
FitBark	✖️	✖️	✖️	Activity validation only	Rehab, weight, owner engagement	⭐
Kippy	✖️	✖️	✖️	Activity validation only	GPS + activity; lost-dog prevention	⭐
PitPat	✖️	✖️	✖️	Activity validation only	GPS + activity; lost-dog prevention	⭐
PawFit	✖️	✖️	✖️	Activity validation only	GPS + activity; lost-dog prevention	⭐

*CHF Monitoring Score: clinician-oriented heuristic (⭐ = low relevance; ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = high clinical relevance for CHF trend monitoring). This is a qualitative guide - always interpret device output in clinical context.

1. Maven Smart Collar - Full Review Here

Category	Details
Measurements	Resting respiratory rate (RR) accelerometer based, resting heart rate (optical/PPG based), activity, sleep/restlessness, posture.
Cat Friendly?	Yes.Marketed and designed for use in cats (and dogs). Customer reviews specifically mention success with cats for RR, HR, and sleep monitoring.
Validation Status	Peer-reviewed resting RR validation study (published 2024) demonstrating small bias vs manual visual counting in apparently healthy dogs.
Study Summary	Shows strong agreement for resting RR under home/rest conditions; HR reported is algorithmic (not ECG). Study context: healthy dogs or controlled home conditions; disease cohorts underrepresented.
Strengths	Best current consumer validation specifically for RR (clinically the most relevant metric for CHF). User-friendly app and visual trend reports. Good for daily automated trend detection and alerting.
Limitations	No published validation in dogs with active cardiac or respiratory disease (CHF cohorts). Heart rate is optically measured ie pulse based (not ECG-derived) and should be interpreted cautiously. Accuracy depends on collar fit/placement and quiet/resting conditions.
Clinical Relevance	High - most useful for resting RR trend monitoring in dogs at risk of CHF or post-CHF where relapse detection matters.
Best Use Case	Daily SRR trend surveillance in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease or prior CHF episode; owner engagement and early-warning monitoring.

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2. Invoxia BioTracker (Minitailz / AI-Collar)

Important Note: Invoxia collar is not available in the UK currently.

Category	Details
Measurements	Resting heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), HRV, and HeartPrint™ (Lorenz/Poincaré plots for arrhythmia detection). Uses seismocardiography (SCG) to measure mechanical vibrations. GPS, activity, and sleep tracking.
Cat Friendly?	No/Uncertain. While lightweight (~37g), the form factor and software remain optimized for dogs. Suitability for cats is not yet clinically validated.
Validation Status	Validated (2025). The "AI-COLLAR" study published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science established 99.6% accuracy for HR and 98.6% for RR compared to gold-standard ECG/manual counting in a 700+ dog cohort.
Study Summary	Demonstrated that heart rate increases can precede RR spikes by up to 60 days in dogs with cardiac disease, providing a massive early-warning window for Stage B2 to Stage C transition. Established nocturnal baselines across breeds and seasons.
Strengths	AFib Detection: 92.1% sensitivity in identifying Atrial Fibrillation via HeartPrint™ analysis. Fur-Proof: SCG technology works through thick double coats without requiring shaving or direct skin contact. Long Battery: 10-14 days per charge, superior to most clinical monitors. Large global baseline dataset for breed-specific comparison.
Limitations	Limited Availability in many countries, for example not available in the UK Subscription-dependent (cellular/cloud processing required). Not currently classified as a "medical device" for primary diagnosis (though highly valid for monitoring). Form factor can be bulky on very small toy breeds.
Clinical Relevance	High (Predictive). Highly valuable for detecting the "pre-edema" phase of CHF. The ability to monitor AFib and HR trends weeks before RR changes makes it a superior early-warning tool.
Best Use Case	Early detection of CHF relapse; monitoring Stage B2 dogs for decompensation; long-term arrhythmia surveillance in breeds prone to AFib or DCM.

3. PetPace Smart Collar (Health 2.0)

Category	Details
Measurements	Resting Heart Rate (HR), Respiratory Rate (RR), continuous HRV (VLF, LF, HF), temperature, posture, activity, and sleep. Includes a proprietary Pain & Wellness Index.
Cat Friendly?	Yes. One of the few devices with dedicated cat-specific sizing and academic studies specifically focusing on feline welfare and posture monitoring.
Validation Status	Clinically Validated. Recent 2024-2025 independent studies (NC State and others) have shown high correlation between PetPace’s acoustic-based pulse detection and ECG gold-standards in resting patients.
Study Summary	Demonstrates high reliability for Heart Rate Variability (HRV), which is increasingly used by specialists to assess autonomic nervous system tone and stress in cardiac and chronic pain patients.
Strengths	Acoustic/Seismic Technology: Unlike optical sensors, it is not hindered by thick fur or dark skin pigment. Clinical Depth: Provides detailed HRV frequency analysis (LF/HF ratios), useful for research-grade monitoring. Cat-Specific Data: Validated metrics for feline patients, which is a major gap in the market.
Limitations	Requires a snug fit to the skin (acoustic coupling) to maintain data quality. Battery life is shorter than GPS-only collars due to high-frequency physiological sampling (typically 2-4 days depending on settings). Device can be somewhat bulky for very small (under 3kg) patients.
Clinical Relevance	High (Specialist/Welfare). Exceptional for specialist-led monitoring where HRV and multi-parameter context (e.g., pain + cardiac rate) are required.
Best Use Case	Feline cardiology; research settings; monitoring complex patients where autonomic balance (HRV) or pain management is as critical as SRR.

4. Tractive GPS / Tractive Health

Category	Details
Measurements	GPS location, activity, basic sleep summary,, respiratory rate and heart rate detection (depending on firmware/feature set).
Cat Friendly?	Yes (GPS/Activity only). The CAT Mini is lightweight and comes with a safety release collar, but currently focuses on GPS/Activity tracking, not physiological RR/HR monitoring.
Validation Status	No published physiological validation for HR/RR. Product documentation shows health features but independent clinical validation is absent.
Strengths	Excellent GPS and location features; good owner engagement for exercise tracking and lost-dog prevention.
Limitations	Not designed or validated for physiological monitoring of heart or respiratory function. Any HR/RR-like claims should be treated cautiously, currently still considered a 'beta' feature.
Clinical Relevance	Low for CHF physiologic monitoring. Useful for activity/exercise context only.
Best Use Case	Location/GPS + general activity monitoring; owners interested primarily in safety and exercise tracking.

5. Whistle (Go / Health) - Discontinued late 2025 as company bought out by Tractive

6. FitBark (and Fitbit-style integrations)

Category	Details
Measurements	Accelerometry-based activity, sleep duration, restlessness; step-like metrics.
Cat Friendly?	Yes. The lightweight form factor is suitable for cats for activity and sleep tracking.
Validation Status	Activity tracking comparable to human Fitbit accelerometers in some multi-species studies. No cardiac/respiratory validation.
Strengths	Lightweight, long battery life, simple datasets for activity and sleep; useful for weight management and rehabilitation tracking.
Limitations	No HR or RR data; activity signals are coarse and easily confounded by household routines or changes in owner behaviour.
Clinical Relevance	Very low for direct CHF monitoring; can provide contextual information regarding activity trends.
Best Use Case	Weight management, rehab monitoring, owner engagement programs.

7. Kippy

Category	Details
Measurements	GPS location. Accelerometry-based steps, sleep, distance, rest, sleep.
Cat Friendly?	Yes
Validation Status	No cardiac/respiratory validation.

8. PitPat

Category	Details
Measurements	Activity (Walking, runnings, playing, resting, calories.
Cat Friendly?	No
Validation Status	No cardiac/respiratory validation.

9. Pawfit

Category	Details
Measurements	GPS Location, Activity (steps, calories, distance, active time), basic sleep.
Cat Friendly?	Yes, includes safety collar
Validation Status	No cardiac/respiratory validation.

Pricing of Devices

Wearable technology in 2026 is almost exclusively a subscription-based model. Owners must be prepared for both the upfront hardware cost and the ongoing "service fee" which pays for the cellular connectivity and AI cloud processing.

Approximate costings:

(Prices in USD, subject to frequent change and inaccuracies)

Device	Hardware Cost	Monthly Service Fee	Annual Total (Year 1)
Tractive Dog 6	$69	$10 - $12	~$190
Invoxia Biotracker	$99	$8.30	~$200
Maven Pet	$0 (Trial)	~$25	~$300
PetPace V3.0	$349	$15 - $25	~$530 - $650
Halo Collar 4	$599	$10	~$720

Practical Takeaways

Key points when interpreting recommending collars (for veterinarians):

Look at trends, not absolute numbers. Collars are most useful for showing direction of change over days/weeks. They get lots of data, this then needs sensible interpretation and filtering out the 'noise'.
SRR remains the single most useful owner-generated metric. The SRR has been proven time and again to be the best thing to monitor to gauge onset of CHF and effectiveness of diuresis. Devices that offer validated SRR are the most clinically relevant. Meanwhile mean heart rate is also useful but so far only reliably detected using an ambulatory ECG. It is unlikely to be accurately measured on a collar mounted device.
Limitations: validation in healthy dogs does not translate to validation in cardiac disease. Collars are adjuncts only. Studies may be coming but so far we only have anecdotal evidence for their use.
For high-risk or arrhythmic patients, medical-grade monitoring (ECG/Holter, clinic belt monitors) remains necessary. These devices only only detect heart movement, not the actual electrical activity in the heart. So an arrhythmia can't be detected reliably.
When recommending devices to owners, include clear user guidance: consistent placement, baseline period (1-2 weeks), and when to call a vet.