SNAP Update by Meg Smart DVM,PhD

I am happy to announce that my app – SNAP: Smart Nutritional Advice for Pets – will be available in the iTunes Store and on Google Play within a week!

SNAP allows the pet guardian, nutritionist or pet store owner to keep a concise dietary and health history for the lifetime of their furry friends or clients. SNAP helps to eliminate some the guess work associated with feeding our pets by providing:

·         A personalized profile for each pet – picture, birthdate, current and target body weight, current health status, activity level, vaccines, diet, etc.

·         A personalized diet analysis  and comparison to both the current industry minimum  and the ancestral nutrient requirements  for each pet based on their individual profile as well as nutritional calculations of the food and treats currently being fed.

·         A comprehensive and exportable dietary and health history to share with your veterinarian.

Understanding your pet’s dietary requirements and the impact on their health will be a SNAP with detailed nutritional analysis of the daily food and treats you are currently feeding. Using a simple kitchen scale and the details of their present diet (manufacturer, product name, cost, dietary goals, etc.) you will be able to create a personalized diet analysis that can be adapted for new health goals and changes in the food you are feeding.

Feedback from the user community is welcome; I invite you to send me your comments and suggestions so they can be incorporated in to future versions of the app.

Thank you for your continued support!

Meg Smart, DVM PHD

petnutritionbysmart.blogspot.com

petnutritionaladvice@hotmail.com

Read on for updated Blog version:

Main Features of SNAP (Smart Nutritional Advice for Pets) by Marion (Meg) Smart DVM, PhD                   (petnutritionbysmart.blogs.com):

With SNAP the pet guardian can keep concise dietary and health information for each individual pet over the pet’s life. If used properly, the pet guardians will not need to guess about what they are presently feeding or what they have fed in the past.

Equipment needed:

·         An Apple or an Android devise

·         A postal or kitchen scale that weighs  in both pounds and kilograms to weigh the daily amounts of food and treats

o   Using cups and the number of treats is not accurate enough actual weight in grams is needed

Input Data:

All numeric data is converted to metric units to make comparisons with the requirements consistent

·         Pet information (including a picture from achieves or current ):

o    Identification, Birth date, gender  (spayed or neutered), body weight (Actual Body Weight)

o   Activity level, Body Condition Score, health information, current vaccination status ( which vaccines given and when)and diet information including water sources

o   On a specific date new information can be added if the diet changes or new health issues arise This information is saved and can be updated as changes occur during the life time of the pet or as new pets are added.

·         Diet Information recorded for main diet and all treats:

o    Manufacturer, Product name, cost per unit per day,

o    Nutrient analysis based  primarily on the Guaranteed analysis or the nutrient % from the web site **Note Moisture % must always be put in even if 0% ,

o   Questions on the desirable and undesirable features of the diet and claims.

o    Kcal/1000g or /cup of diet.

o   SNAP users can put in as many diets and treats as they wish and then can select from that list the actual diet for their pets.

Output Data:

·         Each diet and treat   entered is given a letter(A,B,C,D,….F) rating based on its desirable and undesirable features

·         The pet’s Target Body Weight is calculated

·         Individual pet diet information: SNAP will calculate the daily energy requirements of the pet based on the Target Body Weight, activity level and life stage.

·         SNAP calculates the amount of a chosen food necessary to meet the caloric the pets daily caloric requirements and the cost to feed per day

·         The actual weight of the food and treats is used to calculate the total daily nutrient intakes and the total daily requirements based on the Industry Standards (AAFCO, NRC and European) or the Ancestral Standards are displayed for comparison. If your pet’s total nutrient intake falls below the industry standards or exceeds the ancestral standards check you input data for errors or contact a veterinary nutritionist. The daily nutrient intake is presented as g, mg or International units per day.

·         For each pet, a PDF summary sheet is generated from the current information put in on a particular date, this can be saved, emailed or taken to your veterinarian (for health concerns or a wellness check) or used to check the efficacy or client compliance when veterinary diets are used or when dietary changes occur (either vet recommended or client initiated).

A concise but comprehensive “Learn More” section guides and educates the user about SNAP and basic pet nutrition.

Other Potential Applications:

·         Using a generic pet, SNAP can compare diets and treats as to the cost and their contribution to the total daily nutrient intake. This may require some additional calculations by the user of SNAP.

·         Pet food companies, pet organizations and researchers can collect the summary sheets from SNAP users to develop a reasonable data base which can be used to statistically evaluate the efficacy, safety, and client compliance etc. of different diets. The impact on pet’s health of a single diet fed over the life time of a pet can be monitored. The data base can be used for long term retrospective studies of the impact of diet on the health of pets.