Pet First Aid: Customer Service

I’m a retired “people” surgeon. I think the advice is pretty good; the veterinarians criticizing it seem mainly and perhaps appropriately concerned that owners will use it as a substitute for professional veterinary care. Hopefully, owners that download it love their pets and will seek the best care available, as soon as possible. Sometimes, however, you have no choice, due to time or distance, and you need to step up. If there are specific bits of advice that should be changed, the naysayers would do more good by enumerating those concerns here, or better yet by suggesting changes to the app developer, or by suggesting another app. Simply encouraging ignorance is not helpful.

Not to be used in place of veterinarian care, this guide provides a number of guidelines to help diagnose and provide care to your pet before deciding whether or not they need emergency care. I was so unbelievably relieved when I ran across this application, it's given me proper numbers to look for in terms of proper temperatures and heart rates as well as what signs to look for that might give me an idea as to whats wrong with my pet. Sometimes having this information handy prior to a vet visit or emergency pet clinic visit can help speed up the process in providing your pet with the care that they need. For me as a woman I've always lacked all maternal instincts, except for when it comes to my dog... he's the most important thing in this world to me and it's no question that I believe he deserves all of my attentive care at all times but most especially when he's showing signs of unusual behaviors. This app has not only given me an informative guide to care but it's given me peace of mind for that if and when my dog might act a certain way or if anything were to happen I would know immediately where to look to find out what my next steps should be in giving my dog the utmost of proper care. Love your pet enough to get this application. It has proven to be invaluable to me and I know you're going to feel better having had it when it's time to need it.

*Disclaimer this app is meant to help buy a little extra time in emergencies. It should not be used as a replacement to veterinarian care only as an addition to professional clinic medical care. Anyways, I love how simple it is to switch between Dog and Cat First Aid information, and the emergency section is super handy for any urgent issues that might come up. The pet records I've set up are always at my fingertips, thanks to having them stored on my phone. The vet hospital and hotel finders are excellent resources for pet owners on the go. All in all, I highly recommend downloading this app for anyone who travels with pets.

Red Cross knows how to do first aid training and this app is a good example. All pet owners should have an app and this is the best — a good app -- amongst a pretty lousy bunch. Needs a bit of attention the fine detail but the medical content is sound. Recommended app.

If you love your cats and dogs, you need this. It is amazing. There is so much information on health and well-being, as well as information I can attest would be life-saving in more circumstances than one can imagine. The app teaches one as well as offering information. It will help you find emergency medical help for your animals, as well as help you figure out if you need an emergency Vetrinary hospital at all. Truly, this is one of the most useful apps I have ever seen. Bravo, Red Cross!

When my son lost his dog to bloat and torsion it was something we knew very very little about. In fact, it was just in passing by a friend that we heard about it before our Bella passed! We love our dogs (with my children’s and my dog) we have a total of dogs. So, being the mom that I just wanted to learn all I could to ever help them if I can. They are our family too! It’s been a blessing to learn things I didn’t know! Thank You!

I had this app downloaded but hardly browsed to see how much information has been made available on it. When my dog woke me up at night gagging and pacing with a bloated stomach, I used this app and got to ease her suffering within a few hours of the onset of symptoms. Thanks for such a great app!

Very useful information to get you thru until you can get to a vet. Would like to see some info on diarrhea. What to do, how long before taking to vet etc..

This app is a great source of info. You can learn which foods (and other substances) are poisonous to your dog or cat. You can learn First Aid techniques for your pet. You can even find pet-friendly hotels in the app.

It’s been my go-to app since getting my dog almost 4 years ago. The one feature I’d love to see is ‘foods to avoid’ for both dogs and cats.

Good advice for the person on hand. I get the veterinary complaints but as a first responder it is my duty to care for the pet till we can reach a vet. That is what will make this app of great value to me.

Thank you for the app. Please update for both iPhone and iPad.

Everything is fine but I’d be happy to see a option that shows local vets.

Our dog was recently diagnosed with bloat, a life threatening illness that requires immediate attention. I used the app to quickly verify the symptoms for the condition and get him help quickly.

Please fix

Great app. Well organized and informative. Videos would be better if they can be viewed horizontally in full screen when iPhone is rotated. What about other animals? I have a pet rabbit and would like info for her too. It would be great to learn how to help other animals too.

Great guide to help in making decisions about when to seek vet care.

In addition to the American Red Cross First Aid App, this one is equally as important. Very helpful and informative, while having a clean interface that is easy to navigate. There is a lot of information that comes in handy to read about before, during and after an emergency. One thing that I would like is that there are summer and winter tips with additional information, but I cannot access whichever season it isn't. Right now it says summer tips, but it is winter. Would be nice if both were displayed. 🐶🐺🐩🐈🐾

I am really enjoying this app. I appreciate how easy it is to toggle between Dog/Cat First Aid information and that there is an emergency section that I can quickly refer to in case I have any immediate concerns. The records I've created for each of my Pets is an easily accessible tool that I have with me at all times, due to the convenience of keeping these records on my phone. The vet hospital and hotel locators are great tools for anyone who travels with their pets. Overall I think this app is well worth a download, for any dog or cat owner.

This is an absolutely brilliant app! It is very user friendly! Also very informative! This is is a must have for any pet owner! We love the way it makes it so easy to find information weather it be a pet emergency, or just useful information.

As a pet professional (trainer) who has had pet first aid training, this app is full of important info every dog or cat owner should have at their finger tips. If it had more pics and videos I would have given it 5 stars. Well worth the $1.

This app has a lot of great information. Being a first time pet owner, I feel a little bit more prepared now in case of an emergency. It had tons of valuable information about different topics that every pet owner should know.

This app is great! It has a ton of helpful information. I was kind of blown away when I opened it because I didn't realize it covered so many topics! It is good for emergencies, but I'm having fun just reading articles when I'm bored.

Best App for pets I ever read! It is a must for all people with pets Written in easy understandable format. Has everything you need to know about pet medical / emergency conditions and First Aid prior to going to the Vet. Even where to go if traveling and pet in trouble.

Glad I purchased. Did notice that garlic is missing from the toxic substances in the cat section. Garlic is very toxic to cats and I'd hate to see someone rely on the app as a tell-all and their pet not be seen by a vet right away.

This is a MUST have for all dog and cat owners!! In the first few minutes I learned a couple of new things. This app has vital information for a variety of different situations. If you are a pet owner this app is well worth the $1.

I love how comprehensive this app is, and to make it better it's free! I can rest assured now that I have the information I need to keep my cat safe and healthy. The list of toxins is a huge benefit!

Love this app!!!, it helps me to know what to look out for and is very clear on when to contact a vet. Setting up my vets number is also great to call when I need to.

Would love to see videos on how to bandage a dog's paw for pad injuries. Would also love to see information about bug bites especially ticks and a video on how to remove them from a pet.

As both a dog and cat owner I absolutely love the app! I used the early warning signs tool when I noticed a change in behavior in my dog and the app helped identify the problem and eased the situation.

This app is so helpful. Last night my dog are a bunch o grapes and I used this app to find an open clinic. It all worked out ok and he is fine but this app was so helpful.

This is a good basic resource and can help you improve your skills. I wish it offered an easy way to share pet and vet info with family members (besides emailing).

This is a great app to always have on hand when you have dogs and/or cats. Thanks for making an app for furbabies!

This app is a life saver! My dog got into our pantry- thankfully I had downloaded this app and went to the toxic substances part. I feel so much more prepared with this app!

Its a must download for anyone with a cat or dog. It has all the basic information you need in case of an animal emergency, plus its well made/designed.

This is an amazingly helpful app for anyone who has a dog or cat. I got it after a friends dog choked on a bone. It's easy to use and has a lot of cool functions.

Am pleased with the information set forth through the app, and feel this could be useful with very basic concerns or questions related to my pet's health. Would love to see it include at least one category dedicated to pet fever (aside from the area dedicated to heat stroke), which can have a variety of causes, and require a number of emergency interventions.

It would. have been nice for this app to be like most, if not all of the Red cross apps, that are ipad friendly, and can be used in landscape mode. This app isnt. I hope they will fix this.

Decent and well running app, sadly there’s only information for dogs and cats. Being a hedgehog owner, this is not helpful.

The instructions assume all pets are dogs! And there’s nowhere to chose between cats, dogs, iguanas for that matter!

This app name is misleading all the content in the app is about dog. I have a cat, this app is totally useless So disappointing

Every time I have needed this it would recommend seeing a vet. Duh!! If Icould see a vet I wouldn’t need to refer to this app.

Awful app, zero credibility

Has advice for first aid treatment of dogs and cats, with frequent reminders that all of this is just to buy time until you can get to the vet. My main complaint is that the app reverts to the "dog" section each time it is reopened, and dog/cat selection is made separately for each tab. In the heat of an emergency, I'm not certain I'd remember to switch. Would appreciate separate apps for cat vs dog. The classification of emergencies is also not quite as clear as in the human first aid app; for example, whereas the human app has an unambiguous section for how to inspect and treat an unconscious victim, advice for an unconscious pet might be found under any of 8-10 different categories, depending on the root cause of the unconsciousness (which the caretaker may or may not know).

80% of the functionality of the app is a good idea, just not the first aid section (which is unfortunate for an app titled "Pet First Aid"). The two stars are for this 80%; the "Learn" section gets none. Having been a licensed veterinarian for more than 20 years, the last 11 of which dedicated solely to emergency practice, I feel qualified to comment on the information provided. The "Learn" section has faults on virtually every condition it addresses, leading potentially to owner injury and furthering the injury to an affected pet/animal. CPR on a "high-rise syndrome"? Many of these dogs and cats sustain rib fractures, and need immediate veterinary attention, not owner CPR! The last reviewer was upset that there is no "vomiting" section. There are hundreds of causes of vomiting, including intestinal obstruction. Pets need immediate veterinary care, not owners treating from the advice in an app. Please, please read the disclaimer carefully! Michael LoSasso, DVM Texas A&M University '93

I agree with Dr. LoSasso's review " Dangerous advice!" anyone who uses this app must take precaution to the advice the app provides. People, PLEASE remember you cannot replace years of medical training with an app; if so everyone would be a doctor. Use common sense, if your pet his sick, do the right thing and take him or her to a qualified doctor who can provide proper treatment. I give this one star for the individuals who do not have the common sense to seek proper medical attention for their pets and rely on sub-par advice in medical apps and self diagnose on websites.

I'm a little disappointed in this app because the one problem many dogs share is itching in their ears. There isn't a section devoted to this practically universal problem, much less a mention. My other gripe is that there is no "index" to quickly reference a problem. This app may have much needed information, but to me, it does not live up to the rave review I read in the paper.

Much of the information in this app shouldn't be followed. The Pet Info section is lacking. Much of the info about your pet that you may want enter, you can't. You can only enter your pets age by year, not weeks or months. You can't even enter when they were born. Can't enter the breed of dog. The PetFirstAid app by Jive Media allowed you to enter a lot more info about your dog than this app does. Too bad it was removed from the app store.

Looked at listing of vets in our area. Serious errors in distances. Sometimes off by 3x. Not acceptable in emergency situations ! Also fails to list our recognized Emergency 24/7 Animal Hospital. (Been there three times during middle of night). Only 24/7 hospital in area. So I have to question the reliability of medical advice. Since I'm a human medical professional, I'll verify their advice if possible.

I like how it has cats and dogs but I don't just have them I also have sheep goats I work at pleases that have horses, chickens , cows, etc and it has nothing so if my animals need help right know it would take 20 minutes for them to get to my farm so u might want to add more to this