Top 5 Essential iPhone Apps for Dog Owners

So far, this has been a great year. I finally got an iPhone after years of using other smartphones, and the switch has been amazing in terms of personal and business efficiency. I also got a second dog named Treasure to keep dog number one, Kirov, company. During the process of researching dogs and acclimating Treasure to our home. I found 5 cool apps that are worth adding to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Have fun exploring! Here go 5 essential  iPhone apps for dog owners.

iKibble ($0.99)

Knowing what you can and can’t feed your dog can be downright confusing, especially if you like giving foods from your kitchen as treats or meals. Well, look no further—iKibble s here. It provides a thorough overview of which foods are okay to feed your dog {e.g., carrots) and which foods may cause seri­ous health issues {e.g., garlic). Foods are categorized by major groups, including meat, fruits, dairy, vegetables, and grains. Each item is accompanied by a health rating of 1 to 5 bones.

As someone who gets annoyed by seeing un­ruly, barking dogs attached to oblivious own­ers, there is nothing more refreshing than meeting a well-behaved dog.

Dog Training is a series of short videos demonstrating basic commands like sit down, stay, heel, watch, and come. Each video comes complete with a transcript. Other issues addressed include barking, jump­ing, and teaching a puppy to walk on a leash. I especially like the videos on puppy massage and caring for geriatric dogs.

 Perfect Dog helps you pick the right dog for your lifestyle and living space. More than 200 popular and rare breeds are listed in alpha­betical order, each accompanied by photos and a description. You enter preferences for size, training dif­ficulty, exercise demands, disposition, shedding, and affinity towards children. Cosmetic features like pointy vs. floppy ears and types of coat are also available. The result is a list of dogs expressed in categories such as Pretty Good Matches, So-So Matches, and Probably Not for You. I especially like that Perfect Dog helps future and existing dog owners learn about the joys and challenges of different breeds before adding furry friends to their home. Every year, thousands of dogs are given to shelters and ultimately euthanized in part because humans get dogs that they cannot handle. Be responsible and do your research!

We all know that the first few minutes of any medical emergency are critical and that accu­rate information equals power. Pet First Aid is a godsend for anyone with a dog or cat. It pro­vides effective ways to respond in emergency situations such as bleeding, choking, and shock.

The app also covers issues ranging from bites and stings to heatstroke. Other topics include giving medication, recognizing illness, and creating a pet first aid kit. Additionally, there are videos on muzzling and performing CPR.

With the addition of a second dog, I wanted to know what my little ones were doing during the day and how they were getting along. So, I decided to set up a pet cam using my computer and iPhone. With iCam, you can watch video in real time from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. I check on Kirby and Treasure several times during the day from my iPhone. Most of the time, they are napping or playing with toys. To use iCam, you will need to downl­oad the free iCam Source software. I own a Logitech c510 web camera, but the software works with most web cameras supported by Windows XR Vista, or OS X 10.4 (Tiger} and later versions.