WASHINGTON – It had to happen eventually. Man’s best friend is getting on board with big data.

An accelerometer and a cellphone app will allow pet owners to track a pooch’s daily activity and habits, which could help veterinarians diagnose and treat dog’s health problems, reports Yahoo Finance.

One device, called Whistle, will be available for Apple devices this summer. The device and related app could help pets live longer and also cut costs at the vet’s office.

Whistle’s CEO Ben Jacobs told Yahoo that veterinarians lack data about the normal habits and activity levels of different breeds at different ages and weights. The company wants to collect that information from its users to create a database.

The accelerometer attaches to dog collars and sends the data to cellphones. The gizmo senses motion and speed allowing dog owners to see how much their pets run, walk or rest. The fitness tracker will cost about $100 and can be ordered online.

Pet owners will eventually be able to chart their pet’s activity online and the company plans to release an Android version of their product later this year.

How Whistle works:

Vet talks about pet health problems:

WTOP’s Veronica Robinson contributed to this report. Follow @VRobWTOP, @WTOP and @WTOPliving on Twitter.