If you are used to living off your smartphone, then you ought to check out these apps for people who live with and love dogs and cats. With so many dogs and cats across our country, they deserve to have as much fun as the rest of us. However, you might find the array of possibilities daunting. Whether you’re looking for a tablet game for your cat, apps for logging your dog walks, weight loss or first aid apps for your pet, there’s going to be something here for you and your furry friends Most are free to download and available for iPhone & Android users.
Despite being one of the easiest conditions to diagnose, obesity in dogs remains one of the most difficult to treat. More than half of North American dogs are overweight which means many also face life threatening weight-related diseases. The latest tool in combating obesity in dogs and helping dog owners to determine how much food to feed a dog to maintain a healthy weight is actually an app that can be downloaded to your iPhone or iPad. It is only one of a number of new technologies helping pet owners and the veterinarians in Richmond measure and track healthy weight.
Utilizing information such as your dog’s weight, age, gender, intact status and body condition score the app generates a profile. It will even automatically enroll the dog in the weight loss program if already overweight. Next, you have the ability to select from 1,700 different available foods found either at the pet food store or at veterinary clinics. IF your brand doesn’t happen to be on the list you can enter the information from the nutritional label. Lastly you are then prompted to enter the total kilocalories of treats given. You don’t need to nix treats altogether. Just be realistic — if you or your family likes to give them, make sure they are included when you enter your information for you to succeed. The veterinarians in Richmond Hill recommend choosing healthy alternatives, such as veggies or rice cakes, and decide at the beginning of each day exactly how many the dog is allowed; put this amount in a bowl, and when they’re gone, they’re gone.
The app will now indicate how much food your dog should be eating in cups. If your dog is supposed to be loosing weight it will display how much your dog is expected to loose every two weeks and even remind you of weight-ins on a weekly (for weight loss), and monthly (for maintenance) basis. Anytime there is an adjustment in portion size the app automatically does a protein check by comparing the grams of protein it is receiving to the amount that your dog requires and will issue a warning if it isn’t enough.
The PetCare app is an extension of your veterinary clinic in Richmond Hill. It allows you to keep your pet healthy by reminding you to administer and refill your pet’s medication. Available for iOS and Android you can track your pet’s current medications, get reminders to help keep your pet healthy and keep track of your pet’s medication history.
Tractiv’s Dog Walk app (Android, iOS) is a free exercise tracker for your dog walks, using your phone’s GPS sensors to record your dog walking route and display it on a map, complete with distance and time. Users can also take and save pictures from 
within the app, and they can log where their dog heeds nature’s call along the way. Users can view a record of their dog walk routes, share them with friends and family, or use them to record activities — that last option being particularly appealing for dog walkers.
Other mobile apps include the Animal Poison Control Center app (Android, iOS), a handy guide to common household items, drugs, hazards and plants that can be toxic or dangerous for dogs, cats, birds or horses. Users can search for a particular substance or plant or filter by species. They can also get a color coded risk assessment, a list of expected symptoms and suggested actions, poison calculators for things like chocolate or rat poison and —most importantly — a one-touch dial to the ASPCA’s poison control hotline. Please remember though this does not replace contacting your veterinarian in Richmond Hill for a proper evaluation as delay of treatment could be lethal.
Lastly we have Friskies’ Cat Fishing (Android, iOS) and JitterBug (Android, iOS) are both representative of most cat games on the market, with bright graphics and rapid movements to get your kitty’s attention. In the case of Cat Fishing, it’s a virtual pond stocked with fish, while JitterBug shows a variety of bugs and critters that furry paws can reach out and squash.
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Sincerely,
Julia Lohasz
Practice Manager
Bayview Seven Animal Hospital
“Your healthy companion is our pride & joy”
Bayview Seven Animal Hospital, a veterinary clinic located on Hwy.7, one block West of Yonge, serving all pets in Markham, Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Vaughan and North York since 1988. We are your family vets for dogs, cats, rabbits, pocket pets and birds.
Disclaimer: No part of this website constitutes medical advice. Readers are advised to consult with their veterinarian in Richmond Hill.
