BY: SAMANTHA BARTLETT, DVM

Mari Delaney, a veterinarian in Elmira, NY, has created an app to help pet owners determine if a food or drug is safe for their pet. The app is called Bad Human, No! and provides a database of human foods, prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs along with the possible toxicity and average vet bill of treating the toxicity.

Dr. Delaney came up with the idea for the app after treating a canine patient that had become ill when its owner treated it with Aleve. Delaney says she created the app, not as medical advice, but as a preventive tool to keep your pet, and your wallet, safe. The app bypasses all of the conflicting information found in a Google search and lets you know what is and isn’t safe for your pet. The database includes many over the counter and prescription drugs as well as foods that are not safe for pets. The app also includes symptoms associated with that drug or food and an estimate of the cost to treat those symptoms at the vet. For example, if you ask the app what will happen if you feed grapes to your cat, it will give a result of kidney failure with a vet bill rage of $300-$8,000

Dr. Delaney, a 1992 graduate of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, says she hopes owners can benefit from her 25 years of experience. Her goal in developing the app is to help prevent tragedies when well-meaning owners give their pets the wrong thing that can lead to unaffordable vet bills or worse. 

The app can be downloaded for a small fee from the Apple store or Google. Just click the button below to get the app.