10 Best Apps for Pet Parents in 2024: Care, Health, & More! 

With today’s technology, caring for your pet has never been easier. We live in a busy world, and some pet parents are gone more than they’d like from their furry companions. Luckily, there are plenty of apps for pet parents that help with the organization of pet records, reminders for administering medications, GPS trackers in case your pet gets lost, training techniques, and more. With one simple click, you can have all the information at your fingertips, but how do you find the right app for you and your pet?

In this guide, we’ll list the 10 best apps for pet parents based on user reviews so that you have the information needed to find the best app that fits your specific needs. Whether you have a dog, cat, or some other type of pet, we’ve got you covered. Read on to learn more.

The 10 Best Apps for Pet Parents

1. Petcube – Best Overall

Petcube offers a few camera and treat dispenser options that range from inexpensive to pricey. You have access to online vet help 24/7, and you can talk to your pet when you’re away via the built-in two-way speaker and watch your pet on the 1080p HD camera.

Some of the camera and treat dispenser devices even have a laser pointer, allowing you to play with your pet when you can’t be there in person. Simply fill the treat dispenser with treats before you leave, and with the app, you can give your pet a treat for good behavior.

This app and camera are an excellent option for those with pets that suffer from separation anxiety, and you can find a camera to fit your budget.

Some consumers report that the speaker may not be loud enough for your pet to hear you, and the camera may not work well in night vision. Still, for the pricing options, this app is the best overall pet parent app to date.

2. 11Pets – Best Value

11Pets offers over 50 features to help you stay on track with your pet. The app is free and does not require an internet connection to work once you’ve downloaded the app. This app works great for those with multiple pets because you can store medical records and set reminders for vaccines, medications, and more.

This app stores all information via the Cloud, with continual backups. For just $58 a year, you can purchase a subscription, but you have to purchase the subscription to gain access to all 50 features.

The monthly subscription might be a little steep for some, but the upgraded paid subscription gains you access to many neat features, making it the best app for pet parents for the money

3. PupPod – Premium Choice

The PupPod Training and & Gaming System Positive Reinforcement Puzzle Toy Dog Feeder & Mobile App is a neat way to check in on your pup while you’re away via the app. The app is free to download and allows you to see your pup with the 1080p camera built into the machine. This system is more than just an app; it is an interactive gaming system that will keep your dog mentally stimulated.

Through the app, you can select game settings and challenges, as well as turn the game off when you’re away. You can see how many treats your dog was able to get, along with the amount of time your dog played the game.

This app and gaming system is expensive, but it’s a terrific way to keep your dog from being bored while you are away. This gaming system is based on operant conditioning and uses clicker training, which makes it intuitive for your dog. Place this machine in your dog’s kennel and set the challenge levels, all from the app.

This system is only for dogs, and as we’ve stated, it’s not cheap. It also is only compatible with Androids. However, if you have a high-energy breed, this app will come in handy time and time again.

4. Puddle and Pile – Best for Puppies

The Puppy and Pile app is an excellent tool to have downloaded onto your iPhone or Android to aid in the puppy training process. The app is available for both iOS and Android users. This interactive tool allows you to monitor when your puppy needs to potty to help avoid accidents. Simply record when your pup goes potty, and the app will track it to devise a schedule to remind you of when your puppy needs to go out. It will track your puppy’s potty history to give you an idea of a potty schedule, and it sends reminders and tips so you don’t forget.

Users are pleased with the interface and customization of the app, and it’s user-friendly. A downfall is that the app isn’t free, and some state the history isn’t accurate.

5. Puppr

The Puppr app is for those going through the dog training process. The download is free with two free lessons, but to gain total access to its over 100 lessons taught by celebrity Sara Carson and the Super Collies, you’ll need to purchase the premium subscription for a mid-range annual price.

This app features step-by-step videos that teach basic commands, such as sit and stay. You’ll receive leash training from experts, live chats with world-class trainers, built-in clickers, reminders for potty schedules, track your dog’s progress, trick tips, and more. It’s easy to use with a simple interface.

The app may be too pricey for some, but it receives stellar reviews, and if it fits your budget, it’s worth trying.

6. Pet First Aid

The Pet First Aid app was developed by the American Red Cross and is a must-have for pet parents. This free app features videos, interactive quizzes, and step-by-step advice. It’s easy to toggle between dogs and cats, and it gives you emergency advice when you need it. It offers behavioral help, advice on when to provide medications, and how to act during a disaster situation. You can locate nearby pet-friendly hotels and emergency vet hospitals, and it even gives you a tutorial for CPR techniques.

Even though the app was designed for dogs and cats, it seems it’s geared more toward dogs. It also may give dangerous advice, especially with the CPR tutorial. That said, this app is better suited for non-emergency situations, even though it’s advertised as such.

7. Rover

The Rover Dog Sitters and Walkers app allows you to meet local dog sitters and walkers near you. You can also find boarding facilities, and the pet sitters and walkers are screened before suggesting them to you to ensure you are getting a trusted recommendation. This app is excellent for those who work long hours and can’t always be available to walk their dog or find a pet sitter that can keep their dog company while away.

You can view a map of the walk the dog walker takes and receive personalized notes from the walker. Once you’ve found a sitter, you can pay easily straight from the app. A drawback is the app doesn’t save your settings in your profile, and you can only set one person as the dog owner.   

8. Cat Alone

Cat Alone is an app designed to keep your cat entertained while you’re away. This app is free and will provide your cat with interactive play. It comes with eight stages: red light, spider, feather, mouse, dandelion weeds, water drop, fish, and firefly. Cats get lonely too, and this app can be an excellent form of entertainment when you can’t be home. As long as you have a screen protector on your phone, it’s worth trying for your cat.

Some cats may have no interest in this game, and if you download it, ensure you have a screen protector on your phone to protect from scratches your kitty cat may make.

9. Whistle

A pet getting lost is a pet parent’s worst nightmare, but if you have the Whistle app, you have an excellent chance of finding your pet. This app uses a GPS tracker that is placed onto your pet’s collar so that you can locate your pet if it goes missing. While this is an important feature, the app also offers much more, such as tracking your pet’s health trends and wellness scores, escape alerts via texts and email, activity tracking that allows you to record your pet’s calories burned and distance traveled, and more. You can also customize “safe places” for your pet within your home and get a notification when your pet wanders from that location.

Whistle offers four devices: Health and GPS (Switch), Health and GPS (Go Explore), Whistle Go, and Whistle Health (Fit). You do have to purchase one of these devices for the app to work, and some users state the tracker is not 100% accurate. The customer service could be better, too.

10. Vitus Vet

The Vitus Vet app allows you to store your pet’s medical records, pet insurance info, service reminders, microchip info, refill requests, and more. No more keeping up with paper records—you can store that info right into the app for quick access and convenience. You can also request vet appointments through this app instead of having to call.

However, in order to use this feature, your veterinary practice must be registered with the app. You can also check out useful blog posts and infographics for educational purposes.

You can submit claims from the app to your pet insurance company, but a downside is there is no way of tracking the status of the claim. Some users also claim that the app gets hung up often when trying to access information.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Pick the Best App as a Pet Parent

As you can see, many pet apps are available at your fingertips. Still, you may have questions about what to look for. Read on to learn what you should look for to get the most out of a pet app.

Features

Different apps offer different features, and this is where you’ll need to research the app to determine if it’s right for you. For example, some apps only offer dog-sitting services, while others offer health advice, trick tips, and training videos. The app that’s right for you will depend on your needs.

Free vs. Paying

Most apps allow you to download the app for free from the app store, but you may encounter having to upgrade to a premium service to gain access to all the features it offers, and that means paying for a subscription. Some are more expensive than others, and you’ll need to decide if the features are worth paying for. Keep in mind that plenty of free apps will do the job, but some will work better if you upgrade to premium.

Compatibility

To ensure an app will work, download the app from the app store on your device. Most are compatible with both iOS and Androids, but it’s best to avoid disappointment because the perfect app you’ve found does not work with your specific device.

Ease of Use

As we’ve mentioned, most allow free downloads, which is a nice feature because you can check it out before buying the app; this allows you to see if you like the app and if it’s easy to navigate and use. You certainly don’t want an app that’s confusing and hard to understand.

Reviews

Reading user reviews is an excellent way to get a feel for the app. Needless to say, if an app has more negative reviews than positive ones, you may want to move on and find a different one. Some apps may crash often, so be sure to read through the reviews to see if a particular app you’re interested in does not have this issue.

Conclusion

We hope our reviews of the top 10 pet parent apps we’ve listed help you in your search. To recap, Petcube offers camera options, a two-way speaker, and treat dispensers for the best overall pet parent app. For the best value, 11Pets offers over 50 features and is inexpensive for an annual subscription.

Today’s technology allows us to be with our pets when we can’t be there in person, and we wish you luck finding the perfect pet parent app that suits your and your pet’s needs.

See also:Are Dog Walking Apps Safe? Should They Be Trusted?

Featured Image Credit: Ivan Babydov, Pexels