SNAP (Smart Nutritional Advise for Pets) Soon to be released for Apple and Android Devises

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 guardian 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 phone

·         A postal or kitchen scale that weighs  in both pounds and kilograms

Input Data:

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

·         Pet information (including a picture):

o    Identification, Birth date, gender, body weight (Actual Body weight, a calculated estimate of Target Body Weight),

o   Activity level, body condition score, health information, current vaccination status and diet information

o   On a specific date new information can be added if 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 on primarily 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

o    Kcal/1000g or /cup of diet.

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

Output Data:

·         Each diet and treat   entered is given a rating based on 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 stag

o    This is used to calculate the daily nutrient requirements in g, mg, or international units per day.

·         From the actual weight of the food fed per day (g or kg ) and treats ( g), SNAP calculates the actual total Kcal intake per day from both the diet and treats and uses this information to calculate the total daily nutrient intake in g, mg, or International unit per day

·         SNAP then compares the total daily caloric and nutrient intakes to either the modified industry minimum requirements (AAFCO, NRC and European) or to the ancestral diet requirements or both. SNAP user’s preference.

·         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 (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 (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 the contribution to the total daily nutrient intake. This may require some additional calculations by the user of SNAP.

·         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 diet on the health of pets.