If you’ve got a pet, specifically a dog, you’re probably a little worried about what to do if something happens or tired of sitting on hold or making a guess when those little injuries come up. Maybe your dog got a bee sting and is itching too much, or maybe she got in a fight and has a swollen cheek.
Well, a trip to the vet can cost $100 just to walk in the door. Often, the problems are minor and easily taken care of yourself, if you just know how.
The idea behind the PetMD iPhone app “First Aid & Emergencies for Dogs” is to provide basic first aid information for your pets. It shows you how to do everything from treating minor scrapes and cuts to giving mouth-to-snout (doggy CPR).
Most of the time, the advice that PetMD gives boils down to “take your pet to the vet ASAP.” However, it’s the things it shows you to do to stabilize your pet before you go to the veterinary that could save your best friend’s life. Some minor things don’t require a vet and there’s no reason to spend money on one if you don’t need to.
The app is only $1.99, but has mixed reviews from those who’ve downloaded it so far from iTunes. At the time of this 
writing, three people have given it five stars, one gave it three, and four gave it only one.
My guess, from the comments they left, is that some were expecting a little much from this than is reasonable for an app of this nature. After all, PetMD isn’t a full-on veterinarian, it’s just a little iPhone app to show you how to take care of your pet’s simple first aid needs. No application can teach you to become a vet.
I found it to be useful for the simple things, as I’ve said, and worth the couple of bucks to buy and download it. The information is simple, has easy step-by-steps (where appropriate) to show you how to do it, and always ends with the caveat that you should take your pet to a vet if the situation is serious.
The app has a clean face that’s easy to use and understand and definitely built for the iPhone’s interface. This is a good compadre to the PetMD Pet Services Finder (free download) as well.
As long as you’re at iTunes to download PetMD First Aid and Emergencies for Dogs, you might as well grab Dog Whistler too. It’s free and fun and might be a great training tool supplement.
