DVM 360: The Zoundz of Music

In honor of National App Day on December 11, 2021, dvm360® recently sat down with the chief executive officer and founder for Zoundz Music For Pets Derrick L. Garrett, to learn how this application can help alleviate the anxiety many pets experience through music.

Several factors can cause veterinary patients to feel anxious whether it's trips to the vet, being left alone, loud storms or fireworks, meeting new people, and much more. After learning about the many anxieties pets face both at home and in clinics, Derrick L. Garrett, founder, and chief executive officer of Zoundz, decided to delve into the veterinary industry by creating Zoundz—an app that plays calming music for dogs and cats.

During an interview with dvm360®, Geller revealed that the inspiration behind developing Zoundz stemmed from a conversation he had when his neighbor—who happens to be a veterinarian—revealed the amount of anxiety his patients were experiencing.

“I have a friend [and neighbor] who is a veterinarian. We were having a conversation about 2 and a half years ago, and he was really stressed and sharing with me some of the challenges that he was having as a veterinarian,” disclosed Garrett.

“He was [explaining] how it was becoming more and more difficult to exam and care for dogs and cats as a whole because their anxieties were getting worse and worse. In some cases, they [were] becoming aggressive when they became anxious,” he continued.

This conversation ended up striking a chord with Garrett since he is an audio engineer, thus leading him to investigate the benefits of music for cats and dogs. He eventually found studies on the parameters of music that can positively affect canines and felines.

To offer Zoundz users a wide variety of music to choose from, Garrett has enlisted multiple different composers to help address specific pet needs. After creating the music, he reached out to a local shelter in his area to test the product. Garrett credits this to the birth of Zoundz.

As of now, Zoundz has expanded to multiple tracks for pet owners to utilize ranging from treat time and car trips to tracks veterinary professionals can play within their clinics and shelters. The app is available on Google applications as well as in the App stores for both android and iPhone users.

To learn more about Zoundz, how it works, and its charity 'The Harmony Project,' check out the full interview below.