Vet Appidemic: Pet Poison Helpline and Compendium of Vet Products
Another double shot of apps is on the way. This time we’re covering two very useful reference apps. Meet Pet Poison Helpline’s app for poison ingestions and the North American Compendium’s CVP app. Keep the suggestions coming!
New to this? Check out the Veterinary Appidemic intro post »
Pet Poison Helpline
As noted in our Top 15 Veterinary Websites, the Pet Poison Helpline has burst onto the scene as a reliable and innovative tool for veterinary medicine.
Besides offering 24-hour poison ingestion advice to pet owners and veterinarians, the fine folks at Pet Poison Helpline have developed a techy and portable toxin reference in app form.
Released in 2012, the Pet Poison Helpline app is available only for the iPhone (at the moment). At the app’s heart is a long list of animal poisons or poison categories.
The app has a modern interface and lists information in a way that is accessible to both pet owners and veterinary professionals.
The toxin list is impressive and covers both common and uncommon poisons, including an extensive listing of poisonous plants. Each poison has sections on symptoms to watch for, species affected, and a description. The description section is where veterinary professionals can find pertinent reference information.
The app is not a substitute for our professional veterinary advice and does not provide in-depth toxin information such as treatment advice or dosing information. For that, you’ll have to push the “Call Now” button.
Don’t have an iPhone? Never fear: create a home screen shortcut on your device that links to the mobile-optimized www.petpoisonhelpline.com.
Price: $1.99
Conclusion: A terrific app to both promote to your clients and to have as a quick reference for you and your medical team. An Android version would be welcomed for off-line browsing but the mobile-optimized website is an acceptable temporary substitute. At $1.99 it’s hard to complain!
Download & Further Information : App Website, available on iOS only.
Compendium of Veterinary Products (CVP)
Many are familiar with this handy book (old school, with actual pages) which is sponsored by Bayer Animal Health in the US and Pfizer (Zoetis) in Canada. Did you know it is also available for FREE on your mobile device in convenient app form?
What is it? The Compendium of Veterinary Products can be thought of as the bible of veterinary product guides. In other words, it is a reference that houses all veterinary product labels.
SEE ALSO: Top 15 Techy Veterinary Pharmacology Resources »
The fine folks at the North American Compendiums publish it and have taken an open-source approach to this guide (not charging companies to list products) with a goal of maintaining the most complete and unbiased list of all animal health pharmaceuticals, biologics, pesticides, diagnostics, and medicated feeds. The newest edition also includes nutraceuticals sold exclusively by veterinary professionals.
They have done a good job meeting their goal. The US version contains over 5000 products and the species covered are extensive, making this reference useful for all types of veterinary professionals.
The app supercharges this handy reference by allowing you to search for products in a number of ways: alphabetically or by manufacturer, indication, species, chemical ingredients, or product category. At quick glance, you can find all products manufactured by Bayer Animal Health or all products labeled for feline allergic dermatitis and quickly link to the various product labels.
Not to be missed: Withdrawal Time Charts, Parasiticide Index, and the Biologic (think vaccines) Index. Also, dig deeper into the “Other Information” section and head to Reference Charts where you can find a handy guide to abbreviations used in veterinary medicine, a weight/measurement conversion table, body, and surface area charts.
Price: Free!
Conclusion: One of those few apps that span our diverse profession and should be in the pocket of every veterinarian. And thanks to Bayer, it’s free. How could you go wrong?
Download & Further Information: USA App Website, Canadian Version, French Version. Available on iOS, Android, and BlackBerry.
