I love my iPhone and frequently say that it changed my life. And of course, I love my pets. So naturally, I am always looking for cool iPhone apps related to pets and designed to help out the busy pet parents. Here is a rundown of some of the apps I've tried out:
CU Pet Health
This app was created by the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine to help pet parents track health related information. I've probably read about dozens of these "pet health apps," some of which will be discussed below, and most of them have pretty much the same features. You can track your pet's vaccine records / due dates, medications, reminders for vet appointments, medical conditions, etc. You can either input information about your vet or link to your phone's contacts. But what sets this one apart (and why I purchased it even though I already had some of the other apps on my phone) is the "Daily Diet" feature. A little green button on the front page that says "Cal" takes you to an info page about your pet's daily diet. From there, you insert information about what your pet eats on a daily basis, including the serving size and calorie content of each item. In addition to typical dog food items (some of which is preprogrammed), you can add information about treats your dog eats, "human food," etc. Since Mumble eats a combination of organic wet food, commercial dry food, "human foods" including pumpkin and sweet potatoes, and sometimes additional foods to address his digestive issues, I find this feature very useful. Online, I've only ever been able to locate tools that calculate recommended portions based on a single item and its calorie content, so to be able to have a combination of items and see what is recommended, and what the overall calorie intake is from what I'm already feeding him, is amazingly helpful, especially in light of those four pounds Mumble is supposed to be losing.
Natural Pet Health
If you've read this blog before, you probably know that I LOVE Dr. Shawn Messonnier's book The Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats because it is such a great resource regarding supplements, holistic and homeopathic treatments, etc, which is such a critical part of keeping a dog like Mumble healthy. Dr. Shawn's Natural Pet Therapies app is like a mini-version of his resource guides, providing information about various pet health topics and remedies. Although it is obviously much less comprehensive than his books (or other resources available), and won't meet your needs if you are looking for in-depth information, it is great for quick on-the-go information at your fingertips. For each health "topic" listed, there is a page with an overview of the health issue, and another page with descriptions of common treatments for that ailment.
Care.com
Care.com is a great online website that provides a directory of available providers for pet care, child care, etc. I've used this to find dog walkers / pet sitters and found it to be very user friendly. The iPhone app is complimentary to the website, and provides on-the-go information. From the app, you can search for providers, check your messages, send messages to possible providers, post a job listing, and other things you could also do online.
OffLeash
The Off Leash Dog Parks app is a park locator that utilizes the iPhone's map / GPS features. This is a brilliantly simple, user friendly app with no unnecessary frills. Simply click on the app, and it will first locate you, and then list out the nearby dog parks in your community. If you click on one of the choices, you will be taken to the iPhone's map application, where you can get directions to that particular park. This would be great for people traveling with their pets or in a new city. (Note: There are other apps that do the same thing, such as - Dog Park Finder Plus and the Eukanuba Dog Park app).
Pet First Aid
This is a great app! Although I don't use it often (thank goodness), I have perused it so that I would be familiar with it should I ever need it. It has quick, useful information about all kinds of pet emergency situations, instructions for first aid and quick treatment, and embedded links between pages for further in-depth reading. You also have the ability to input vital health information about your pets right into the app, so you could use this as a pet health tracker as well.
PetMD Finder
This app allows you to locate veterinary offices and clinics nearby, which would be a great resource to have in an emergency when you need to know the quickest place to take your pet. In addition to locating nearby emergency clinics and vets, you can also use it to find groomers, dog walkers, and other professionals. My only problem with this app is that it doesn't seem to be that thorough / comprehensive, and I'm not sure if all of the available options are really included in what it will show you. Still, it is comforting to know that you can find someone quickly when you need to. PetMD has other available apps, which I haven't yet tried out, including apps with explanations of pet health symptoms and apps with first aid information. There is even one that claims to put "veterinary terminology" at your fingertips.
Pet Dossier
Pet Dossier lives up to its claim to be a "lifestyle information organizer for your pets." In the age when pet owners are busy, but no less caring, and people in general turn more and more to their mobile phones to organize their lives, this is a great app for pet parents. After trying out various pet info organizers on my iPhone, this is the one I've settled on as being the best fit for my needs. I can input separate pages for Rascal and for Mumble. For each pet, you can input general information like microchip and license numbers, health related information, medications, notes, and descriptions related to your pet's lifestyle. Additionally, one of the things I like best is that you can access your iPhone's existing contacts and input them into various contacts categories in the app, like "Boarding," "Pet Sitting," "Training," "Vet," etc. This is a time saver, because really why should you have to retype everyone's contact information again and again? The app has the ability to set reminders for you for vaccines, medications, flea drops, and vet appointments. It then uses "push notifications" (like many other types of apps) to alert you of these reminders. And, of course, you can also upload one of those adorable pictures you took on your phone for each pet's page!
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