Narrated by: Joe Willie Gamble
My name is Joe Willie and when I’m not napping, I’m usually causing some sort of trouble, which often entails eating something I shouldn’t. Luckily for my Mom (that’s her in the picture), the Red Cross just released its Pet First Aid app and it covers all of my recent escapades:
1. I’m slightly allergic to my vaccinations. My mouth and eyes puff up a little bit every time I get them. A frantic call to the vet always ensues. Now Mom can direct dial our vet right from the app and learn what to do until we get there.
2. I’m curious. I like to stick my nose in flowers and holes in the ground. One time a bee came out and got me. Not cool, bees. The app is cool, though, because it shows you what to do about bees.
3. I love snacks. All the snacks. I once got into a box of fiber bars and ate five of them. It was a bad 24 hours for Mom and Dad. We don’t speak of it any more in my house. But the app will let you know how to deal with chocolate and other stuff we’re not supposed to eat.
4. I have a “sister” (insert air quotes here), who is a cat. I aggravate. She takes swipes at me. Sometimes my nose gets caught in her claws. How is she not amused by me?
Sometimes afterwards my nose looks like this:
When she’s not coughing up hair balls, she looks like this:
There’s info on more than 25 common pet emergencies and tips on what is normal for your pet and what isn’t. The cat portion of the app will even tell you that hair balls and that humorless look are perfectly normal.
You can check out the rest of the features below or go to redcross.org/mobileapps.
About the author: Joe Willie is a 5 year old Miniature Dachshund who lives with a cat that simply tolerates him. His mom (and apparent publicist) works for the Red Cross. When he’s not getting into trouble or narrating blog posts, he enjoys wearing sports jerseys, loves to watch Alabama football and is, indeed, named after the great Joe Namath.