Fit Fido: 10 Apps To Keep Pets Healthy
Pet owners can now choose from an array of apps and gadgets including doggy Fitbits, meal-tracking and training apps, and scheduling tools to care for critters.
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt69509c9116440be8/blt5fb62dd1c2d8d371/64cb57fd18d646d67952f83c/cat-app.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Americans love pets: 68% of American households have an animal in the family. We also love our smartphones: 58% of us own one of these gadgets. Now, thanks to device makers and app developers, we can use those smartphones to help care for our beloved pets.
App developers seem to have noticed that we spend a lot of money to keep those pets healthy and happy. In 2013, consumers spent $55.7 billion on pets, according to the American Pet Products Association. This year, people will spend an estimated $15.25 billion on veterinary care alone, up from $14.37 billion in 2013.
Animal lovers also can access free or inexpensive health information via hundreds of apps related to pet care. Although not designed to replace veterinarians, some apps supply basic medical advice, such as treating burns and cuts or applying bandages. Others include searchable databases to alert owners to poisonous plants or substances.
Research suggests pet ownership improves humans' health. From encouraging people to exercise to reducing stress and blood pressure, a growing number of physician and animal advocacy groups tout the benefits of adopting a pet. Pet owners are also responsible for ensuring the health of their new family member, and mobile health technologies can help four- and two-legged creatures stay in shape and eat well.
Sometimes pet fitness devices serve dual purposes. GPS-equipped collars that track a dog's steps not only tell owners how much he's moved on a given day, but also help locate the animal if he escapes a house or enclosed yard. Cameras installed to help watch pets while an owner is at work also track sitters to make sure they show up as promised.
Some adoption shelters use cameras to provide pets with exercise, increase adoptions, and amuse cats. With iPetCompanion, organizations such as the Welland & District SPCA, the Animal Rescue Site, and Palmetto Lifeline allow users to play with cats using an assortment of remotely operated toys.
Like their owners, however, many pets today are overweight and need more exercise. Several apps track pets' diets (including table scraps) to help owners discover hidden calories and avoid duplicate feedings. Other apps monitor exercise to ensure dogs, in particular, get enough running and walking in their day. There are even apps that replace traditional training tools like whistles and clickers -- although you'll still want to bring along an old tennis ball or Frisbee, unless your dog's mastered your smartphone.
Not everyone owns a dog or cat, and developers offer apps for aquarium and fish owners, horses and goats, and exotic pets such as guinea pigs and ferrets. With suggestions on how to clean tanks or when to get a chinchilla's teeth ground, these apps provide a first round of guidance to pet owners.
Unfortunately, some animal lovers cannot own a pet. With a plethora of pet-ownership games available for iOS and Android, there's no reason not to get a virtual dog, cat, or hamster.
Check out our collection of apps for pet owners. Did we miss your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
Who could resist a fitness tracker designed for pets?
The Whistle Activity Monitor -- available online and at stores including Petsmart and Brookstone -- retails for $129.99 and includes an app for tracking, monitoring, and analyzing your pet's activities. The waterproof device, which clips to a collar, uses WiFi and Bluetooth and includes a 10-day rechargeable battery. Owners can remotely track their dogs' activity and rest, which could be useful when the owner is at work or while their pooch is under the care of a dog-walker or kennel.
If your dog or cat disappears, fear not if his collar is equipped with Tagg (or a similar) pet-tracking system and complementary app for iOS and Android.
Tagg, which is designed for wearing day and night, includes an activity monitor and location tracking feature, turning the pet's collar into a GPS device. The $99.95 system includes one tracker, docking station, collar clip assembly, and power system, and two months of service. Family plans for up to nine pets are available.
(Source: Whistle Activity Monitor)
Does your cat jump on the counters? Or your dog ignore your called commands? Well, you no longer have to carry an old-fashioned gym teacher-style whistle around your neck.
Thanks to an array of dog-whistle apps like iWhistler, Mobezio, and Dog Whistle, pet owners can command pets from their Apple or Android smartphones.
A Plus Communications' iWhistler, for example, gives you whistle choices such as English police, wolf, or Western. Apps typically offer various decibels, some of which are inaudible to humans, and durations.
(Source: iWhistler)
Is your furry friend acting differently today? Before calling the vet, you may want to consult one of several apps that offer medical guidance.
Jive Media's Pet First Aid for iOS and Android includes videos and step-by-step instructions for coping with emergencies like bleeding, poisoning, stings, bites, fractures, strains, burns, and drowning. It also provides directions for CPR, drowning treatment, giving medication, muzzling, and disaster preparedness.
The American Red Cross has a pet-focused app for iOS and Android. The 99-cent software has content for cats and dogs, with step-by-step directions for coping with emergencies, information about how to administer medications, advice about euthanasia, behavioral help, plus first-aid steps for 25 common situations. The app allows users to locate nearby emergency animal clinics and vets, find how-to videos, and set vet appointments.
(Source: American Red Cross)
America's humans are not the only ones battling their weight. Vets report many household pets are overweight these days, fattened up by too much food, too many table scraps, and not enough exercise. Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine developed CUPetHealth so pet owners can track exactly what their cats or dogs are eating.
Available on iTunes, the $3.99 app alerts owners when they're overfeeding their pets. It also tracks the animals' vaccinations.
(Source: Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine)
Without the correct maintenance, aquariums can quickly become cloudy or house disease-ridden fish. Apps, like AquaPlanner for saltwater tanks and Freshwater Aquarium Fish for non-saltwater tanks, or Aquarimate and Fishlore for both types, help aquarium owners keep fish and habitat healthy and attractive.
To avoid placing poisonous plants within reach (or nibble) of pets, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) developed Petoxins, a searchable database of plants that are harmful to cats, dogs, and horses (and presumably other pets, too). The app also includes symptoms and suggestions on how to act if an animal ingests a poisonous plant, and iPhone users have one-touch dialing to the ASPCA's Poison Control Center. In addition, 35% of the $2.99 cost goes to support the ASPCA, according to developer Treviso Media.
Pet Poison Helpline for iOS was designed by a 24/7 animal poison control center which shares a lot of information on the $1.99 app. The software includes one-touch access to the center; a searchable database of more than 250 toxic plants, foods, medications, and other items, with pictures; descriptions of poisons' effects on pets; and advice on how to respond if your dog or cat is exposed to a poison.
(Source: Pet Poison Helpline)
Tracking vet appointments can be challenging, especially when some immunizations and medications require updates only every two, three, or five years, and many vets still rely on paper-postcard reminders that may not reach mailboxes' of people who move during that time.
Apps like Pet Phone allow pet parents to create pet calendars for vets, grooming, and kennels, and also to record pet food and sitter preferences, allergies, weight, height, and other important details as their puppy, kitten, or other pet grows older.
(Source: Pet Phone)
Prefer clicking to whistling? Once again, there's no need to buy a separate device to command your pet. Simply turn your smartphone into a clicker with apps like Clicker Training.
The 99-cent iPhone app includes training tips; an animated clicker with sound; videos of training sessions; a training log to track progress; and advanced training tips.
Doggy Clicker, which is free, is designed to act just like a mechanical clicker, according to developer NooBizz.
(Source: NooBizz)
People who prefer exotic animals such as chinchillas, hedgehogs, degus, and ferrets can also get health help via their smartphone or tablet.
Designed more for veterinary students than consumers but still accessible to many regular people, Exotic Pet Vet has answers to common questions (such as how long a rabbit is pregnant and the normal temperature of a chinchilla), as well as common conditions and symptoms.
At $12.54 on iTunes, it's not inexpensive for an app -- but still cheaper than a vet visit if your guinea pig isn't really sick.
(Source: M N Rowland)
ReptileScan allows snake collectors to track their reptiles, using their smartphone and the developer's app, available for iOS or Android.
The $24.95 app includes a QR code generator and database for reptile maintenance to record the frequency of breeding and feeding of these animals. Other features include registration of notes, clutch, and cleaning, as well as scale marking and a list of all reptiles, including QR code and picture.
(Source: ReptileScan)
ReptileScan allows snake collectors to track their reptiles, using their smartphone and the developer's app, available for iOS or Android.
The $24.95 app includes a QR code generator and database for reptile maintenance to record the frequency of breeding and feeding of these animals. Other features include registration of notes, clutch, and cleaning, as well as scale marking and a list of all reptiles, including QR code and picture.
(Source: ReptileScan)
-
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like