New iPhone app launched to monitor calorie intake, weight of pets

An iPhone app from Cornell University is designed to keep pets from piling on the pounds. / Photo courtesy www.vet.cornell.edu

A new iPhone app was launched by Cornell University to help consumers monitor their pet's calorie intake.
The US$3.99 app, called CUPetHealth, was developed by seven computer science students at Cornell as part of a class project and examined by university veterinary experts for accuracy. Consumers enter their pet's daily diet and several lifestyle factors into the app, which determines the appropriate number of calories each day by responding with "overfeeding," "underfeeding" or "appropriate." The app also keeps track of medication, vaccine and flea control information.
"Nutrition is an ever-growing concern for pets," said Joe Wakshlag, assistant professor at Cornell's Vet College. "The Centers for Disease Control says that America has become 'obesogenic,' meaning that we live in a world that promotes increased food intake, unhealthy food choices and reduced physical activity. Our pets live in the same world and are suffering the same consequences of obesity."

Stella & Chewy's founder featured on Inc. magazine cover

Marie Moody, president and founder of Stella & Chewy’s, appeared on the cover of Inc. magazine's October issue in an article discussing why she founded her petfood company.
The cover article, entitled “How to Launch Your Dream Company,” recounts the careers of five entrepreneurs from different industries who built successful enterprises based on what they love to do. In the article, Moody explains that she had no intention of launching a natural petfood line in 1998 when she was was nursing Chewy, a seriously sick dog she rescued from an animal shelter, back to health. Upon a veterinarian’s advice, she put the dog on a natural, raw diet to help him recover. With the help of veterinarian nutritionists, Moody then created her line of petfood and treats, and opened her production plant in 2007 in Muskego, Wis., USA.
“Chewy’s dramatic recovery inspired me to learn more about the benefits of less processed, natural petfoods,” Moody said in the article.

Fatwa leads to ban of pet ads in Iranian media

The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has released a statement banning all Iranian media from publishing any advertisements about pets or pet-related products in response to a fatwa issued by Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi.
According to Advertisement and Information Dissemination Office Director Alireza Karimi, publishing any ad about keeping, buying or selling pets is now forbidden. In addition, ads promoting petfood and shops selling pet accessories, especially for cats and dogs, have been banned. Shirazi has declared dogs to be "unclean" based on shariah, a Koran-derived law.