Pawprint looks to make its mark with EMR-based mobile app for pet owners

Pawprint founder Emily Dong

Pawprint founder Emily Dong knows what it's like to deal with pets' medical records. Dong has two dogs and has struggled in the past to access timely information about her animals. So Dong recently launched her company, which is rolling out a mobile app that houses a pet's electronic medical records (EMRs) and gives owners immediate access to timely health information.

San Francisco-based Pawprint works with pet owners by going to their vets and retrieving the relevant medical records. The company then puts the information into the app, which allows owners to access the data 24/7 and also keep tabs on the animal's vital signs. Pawprint does not charge owners for the service.

"A number of apps out there help you keep track of pets' records, but you have to input and maintain them yourself--you're asked to write everything in, and very few people are diligent enough to do that. It becomes tough to keep up," Dong said in a statement. "Pawprint is the only app that will go directly to the vet and get it for you--all we require is your signed permission."

Pawprint's mobile app integrates a pet's health records to give owners access to timely health information.--Courtesy of Pawprint

The company has big plans for the future. Pawprint is "selective with whom we work" but is considering promoting pet services and products in the app, Dong said. The company also wants to add premium features, Dong said, which could garner more users and advertisers.

Eventually, the app will provide a "complete snapshot" of the pet's health, Dong said, including health records and pictures that document the animal's everyday life.

Pawprint has already attracted the eye of investors. The company raised a family and friends round and also got funding from Y Combinator, one of the biggest global startup incubators. Y Combinator chose Pawprint along with 31 other companies from a pool of 6,600 to go through the first round of its YC Fellowship program.

Pawprint is not the only company developing a mobile app with pet's health records. Columbia, MD-based VitusVet recently raised $1 million in seed funding to build out a software program that stores pets' electronic health records (EHRs) on the cloud and shares them with owners and vets through a mobile app. "We think having access to this information will help your pets wherever you take them," VitusVet founder Mark Olcott said in an introductory video about the company.

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