Take a Bite out of Dog Obesity-iPhone App Released to Improve Dog Nutrition

Nov. 28, 2011 - PRLog -- Jacksonville, FL - In 15 years of private practice, Dr. Sheri Cone has seen the pet population become as overweight as the human population and suffer the same diseases associated with human obesity (arthritis, diabetes, etc.). Routinely, during office visits Dr. Cone speaks to clients about what their pets’ eat and has discovered many pet owners have no idea how much to feed their animals!

Doggie Dietician allows dog owners to answer these and other questions regarding their dogs’ nutrition: If my dog is over/underweight, pregnant or a puppy, how do I know how much to feed them when there are no calorie counts on dog food packaging? I love to give my dog treats but do they have too many calories? How do I know how much dry, canned food and treats to feed? What foods should I avoid that could make my dog sick? “Cross-sectional data suggest one in three dogs seen by U.S. veterinarians is overweight.”1

The FDA, which regulates the pet food industry, does not require calorie information to be posted on the packages of dog food diets or dog treats. Locating these dog nutrition facts can be extremely difficult.

After spending hours researching this information for her clients, Dr. Cone decided to make this information available to all dog owners and Vets though the Doggie Dietician app.

Doggie Dietician offers:
- An automatically updated database of hundreds of dog breeds and their target weight
- An automatically updated database of hundreds of dog foods, treats and common “people” food with their caloric content
- Client input of the dog’s activity level and pregnancy status
- Calculation of correct caloric needs
- Specific recommendations how to correct the diet
- A list of toxic foods to avoid
- Memory of your dog’s last diet
- Ability to track up to 100 animals
- Thoughtful, easy to follow design

The app also provides a feedback page so that if a dog food item or dog breed is not in the program, it will be updated with the requested information.

There are benefits for veterinarians as well. Doggie Dietician will help them save time and better educate their clients on dog diets. The program can easily be run by veterinarians’ support staff or clients can run the program at home on their own.

Dr. Cone is a 1996 graduate of the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine. She also holds a Masters degree in Veterinary Medicine and has a special interest in dog food nutrition. She plans to expand the Pet Dietician line to include Android phones and web browsers. The android version will be available in January, 2012. A Kitty Dietician product is planned as well.

Pricing & Availability
Doggie Dietician is available for purchase for $1.99 on the iPhone App Store at:
http://itunes.com/apps/DoggieDietician

Please visit us at:
http://petdieticiancom.ipage.com/Home/

Demo / How to use:
A YouTube video is available to show dog owners how to use the app at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WPfHXAz4Ms



Benefits:
A YouTube video is available to show dog owners the benefits of this application:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xhWMgZ8vcA

Please follow us on:
Doggie Dietician http://www.facebook.com/pages/Doggie-Dietician/180412702050467
Twitter @Doggie Dietician http://twitter.com/#!/DoggieDietician

Contact information:
Dr. Sheri Cone, DVM (904) 477-0077
Email: Dogfood41@comcast.net

1Byers, Wilson, et.al., “Obesity in dogs, Part 1: Exploring the causes and consequences of canine
obesity,” Veterinary Medicine 2011; 106: 184-190