Pluto Pets

However, rather than simply despair at the way people take the words they read online as gospel, Dr Olivia, who owns a dalmatian Mango, and a cross breed Dala, decided to fight back.

The Fife native set about producing an app full of evidence-based tips and activities designed to ensure your dog’s health is maintained throughout its life.

“More often than not the foolish advice dished out on the internet can be very harmful for your dog,” said Dr Olivia.

“It is quite annoying to know there are well intentioned people out there reading this information and treating it as gospel, so I wanted to ensure they had the ability to get the correct information in their hands just as easily.

“That’s the main reason I decided to launch Pluto Pets. I want this app to be the place you can go if you are unsure about any aspect of your dog’s health and know you are getting quality advice.

“It is a trustworthy resource and provides users with a one stop shop for all their dog’s needs.” 
Pluto Pets is available now on Google Play and Apple’s app store. It allows users to save information about their dog including their weight and medical history. 

It also provides expert diet advice approved by leading UK small animal nutritionists and behaviour guidance ‘Behavet’ from an expert team of veterinarian animal behaviourists.

Users will also find helpful topics like travelling with your pet, pet insurance and even support groups you can contact. 

While Dr Olivia invested her own money in the project to get the prototype off the ground, she soon realised she would need a loan to deliver the final build and was guided in the direction of the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme.

Dr Olivia said: “I borrowed £15,000 from the Start Up Loans programme and I would really recommend it to anyone.

“It was organised through Enterprise NI. The team were incredibly easy to work with, they were very quick to respond and took the time to ask questions to really get to know my business and offer support where they could.

“Throughout the entire process I only spoke with two people. One person to discuss the application and the other for the entire application process.”

While she will be satisfied if the minimum the app achieves is to give her clients, and others, a resource to help them look after their dogs, Dr Olivia remains eager to see the app grow.

“Pluto Pets is very much my side business. I started it for me and while I’m happy to have got this far, I’m delighted with the number of businesses that are already supporting the app.

“We have introduced a points system that you can use to reduce the price of products you buy from retailers including Hause of Hank, Spotty Paws NI and Woof Box. 

“It is essentially a reward for ensuring your dog’s health is maintained. There are different tiers of discount, and you can treat your dog as a reward for keeping on top of their health needs.”

Enterprise NI CEO, Michael McQuillan said the organisation is delighted to be supporting Pluto Pets and will help Dr. Clark on every step of her entrepreneurial journey.