Pet owners love their fur babies. An app called PetDesk, recently launched by Prairie Animal Health Centre, can help ensure everyone's pets get the care they need.

“This allows us to send a text message reminder, or a push notification reminder, or an email reminder to you about important health notifications like if your pet's due for vaccinations,” said Kristin Caldwell, Chief of Veterinary Operations with PAHC. “So this is a service that we were already using, but complementing, and so they have the option of using an app.”

She said when it is downloaded, PetDesk is linked into your PAHC profile, which allows you access to be able to see all your pets' vaccination reminders, prescriptions that they have on account, so you can request a refill.

She said one of the perks is more efficient communication between PAHC and pet owners.

“It also allows people that are juggling busy lives or working different hours than Prairie Animal Health Centre may be open, to request an appointment. That's how your appointment will come across, as a request saying this day works great between this time and it comes across our dashboard and then we'll send you back and say, that's confirmed or we'll offer you a different time if it doesn't work,” she explained.

Appointment bookings, prescription refills, and vaccinations notwithstanding, one particular perk of the app gives pet owners access to lab results that may come in handy in the case of an emergency.

“Say, for example, your pet just had a senior wellness profile or a pre-op blood profile, and now suddenly your pet is sick and maybe you're traveling with them or you need to go to an emergency practice and you may not be able to reach someone at PAHC to get those results, but now you have your app and those results will actually be in the app for you, so you'll be able to show the emergency veterinarian your lab results,” said Caldwell.

In fact, it can even assist in cases of waiting to pick up your fur baby after a procedure, without the risk of missing the phone call.

“Say your pet comes in for day surgery, we can send you a notification to your app that tells you your pet's ready to go home,” she said. “So there are lots of fun features with the app, that we encourage all our clients to download it.”

Caldwell noted to make sure your email address is on file with PAHC, so your pet's history can transfer over into the app.

“If they don't have an email at PAHC on their account, they can always just phone and update that with the girls, and then that way, your pet's profile will be linked in,” she said. “If you don't have your email address on file with PAHC, your pet's history won't transfer over into the app.”

She added anyone with questions can feel free to contact PAHC during regular business hours.