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There’s an App for That: Top 6 iphone/ipad apps for pet people

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We are an Apple family. Between the iphone, the ipad, and the Mac, I’m constantly on the lookout for the next great app. I love Angry Birds as much as the next guy, but given my background I’m also always hunting down good pet-related products. They’ve been a little slow to come out compared to other categories, but I’m finally starting to see some quality apps on iTunes that I deem worthy of the bucks.

For Back to School Week Wednesday, we’re going high tech: Here are my top 6 iphone apps for pets (because I just couldn’t narrow it down to 5!)

Kibble Katch

Based on the popular website Free Kibble, Kibble Katch is a game that directly translates into free kibble in real life. For every 250 pieces you ‘catch’ in the game, FreeKibble.com will donate a meal to a pet in need. $2.99.

Millie Was Here

A cute, interactive duo of e-books perfect for the dog loving kid in your life. My daughter read both from end to end on a recent plane trip, then read them to her little brother. The first book is free. The second book costs $3.99, but if you buy by August 18th (tomorrow!) they will donate $1 of that to the Petfinder foundation.

Petfinder

Speaking of Petfinder, let’s not forget that Petfinder.com itself has an award winning free iphone application. Its intuitive interface and eye catching design make it easy for you to find your new best friend no matter where you are. I found 3 Boston terriers in my area while I was at the carwash, but don’t tell my husband.

Petoxins

The ASPCA Poison Control Hotline is the resource for poison control questions in domestic animals. This helpful app includes plants known to be poisonous to dogs and cats, along with images of the plants and what symptoms they cause when ingested. This is a great tool for planning your garden or just when you’re out and about with your pet. $2.99

Pet First Aid

I wasn’t sold on this app when it first came out. I thought there were a lot of holes in the information and the disease list for each symptom was way too short. The good news is, Jive Media has released several updates to make the app more informative and added pet profiles for you to track your pet’s vaccine history, meds, and veterinary information. It still won’t replace the advice of a live vet-especially in an emergency situation, and it shouldn’t be considered an exhaustive resource, but the information that is there is pretty solid. $3.99

Petcentric

There are lots of pet-friendly locators out on the market, but Purina’s Petcentric is the most comprehensive I’ve found. From restaurants to hotels and veterinarians, it’s like yelp for pets. Unlike other apps, it automatically detects your location to find businesses nearby, so you don’t need to remember what zip code you’re in. And best of all, it’s free.

I know at least a couple of these are also available for other smartphones, so hopefully you can get your pet on no matter what phone you have. Anyone have any fantastic pet apps I missed? Leave them in the comments!

Disclosure: These are all apps I researched and purchased on my own. No donations or review apps!

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Comments

  1. I don’t have any of the apple products, as I find them expensive. I have always wanted an iPhone though.
    What I would be interested in in getting an ipad and the app for cats. Its a light that runs around the screen of the ipad and your cat has to paw at it. There are a few videos up of cats playing with it, its quite funny. Maybe you cat could give it a try.

  2. I have Petfinder and have been trying to decide on a pet first aid app to download. I’m glad you’ve reviewed this one. I haven’t found one that I was convinced would be a real help to me yet, but I’m going to give Pet First Aid a try. I like that you can load your own pet health info. Petoxins and Petcentric are also going on my list! Thanks for the scoop, Dr V!

  3. “I found 3 Boston terriers in my area while I was at the carwash, but don’t tell my husband.” actually made me laugh out loud 🙂 Sounds like something I would do. Then you can “just happen” by one or two of those places this week!

    These are great … have to find out of they’re available for Android (and if they’re as good there)!

  4. I wish Petcentric was available for Android! Or maybe you can convince my husband to buy me an iPad since I am supposed to be supporting them a work lol.

  5. Pet First Aid is awesome. I use it to track our four cats’ weights (the little graph is really useful), and when my Abyssinian Jacoby had his escalator accident, having his weight handy saved them having to move him to weigh him for his emergency medications (pain relievers, mainly). So I can definitely vouch for Pet First Aid’s usefulness!

  7. I got an iPhone for my birthday a few weeks ago and I’m loving it. I have an app called MyDog that let’s you keep info about your dog at hand. I like to know it’s right there when I go places with her. It also gives you dog related places around you- parks, stores, vets, etc.
    I also enjoy Perfect Dog and iDogPedia. As a trainer, it’s nice to have breed stats at your fingertips.
    I find Petfinder to be addicting. But I love it!

  9. I have not yet joined the smartphone generation (not until my current phone dies, anyway) but I am a beginner knitter and your review of Petoxins reminded me of a popular thread devoted to toxic plants on a Ravelry discussion group dedicated to cat owners (aptly named “My Knitting Has Cat Hair In It”).

    The thread has lots tidbits of advice, reminders and links to resources, etc but absolutely no mention of this App. But I didn’t just want to mention Petoxins as something that sounds cool since I have no opportunity to try it myself, so I posted a link to this entry instead, encouraging people to have a look.

    I hope you don’t mind! While I was at it, I may have linked to one of your Pet Vet Barbie posts for a bit of fun in the hope that some more people will have a look at your blog and find it as enchanting as I do!

  12. Wow, these are really great suggestions. Personally my favorite iPad apps are the inteactive cat games. My cats can’t get enough of it.