Home · The Ember Score

A daily wellness number

Know how your dog is doing — at a glance.

The Ember Score is a live 0–100 number for your dog's daily wellness, computed every day from the logs you've been keeping. No AI, no guesswork — a deterministic formula that runs entirely on your iPhone.

Download on the App Store

What the Ember Score measures

Six inputs, each weighted by how strongly it correlates with day-to-day wellness. The components add to 100.

25 points

Medication adherence

Did the scheduled medications get logged on time? Chronic conditions need consistent dosing — this is weighted highest because consistency matters most.

20 points

Weight in range

Recent weight relative to the ideal range for your dog's breed and age. Trending up or down outside the range pulls points proportionally.

15 points

Stool score

Purina 1–5 fecal scoring. 2–3 is ideal — full points. Outside that range subtracts points based on how far off.

15 points

Skin condition

The 1–10 skin slider plus symptom chips. 7–10 (clear coat, no symptoms) = full points. Itching, redness, hot spots subtract.

15 points

Walk frequency

At least one walk logged today = full points. Walks are a proxy for activity, which is a proxy for "this dog is being looked after."

10 points

Feeding consistency

Were meals logged on schedule? Skipped or unusually late feedings — for medically-managed dogs especially — show up here.

What the bands mean

A number is just a number. The colour tells you whether to do anything about it.

80–100
Thriving

Keep doing what you're doing. Logs are current, weight is in range, meds are on time, walks are happening. The dashboard quietly hums.

55–79
A few things to watch

Something is off — maybe a missed med, a few days without a walk, or a stool score creeping out of range. Tap the score to see which component is pulling it down.

0–54
Consider calling your vet

Multiple inputs are concerning at once. This isn't a diagnosis — it's a nudge to look at the trends and decide whether a vet call is warranted.

The principles behind the score

A wellness score is only as useful as the trust you can put in it. Here's what's true about ours.

  • Deterministic. The same inputs always produce the same score. No randomness, no probabilistic weights that drift over time.
  • Not AI. The Ember Score is a formula, not a model. You can predict what your score will be without running the app.
  • On-device. The calculation runs locally on your iPhone against your dog's logs in your private database. The score is never sent to a server — EmberPaws has no servers.
  • Transparent. Tap the score on the dashboard to see each component's current value and contribution. Nothing is hidden behind a black-box "AI insights" panel.
  • Not a diagnostic tool. The Ember Score surfaces patterns in your logs, not medical diagnoses. Red is a nudge to your vet, not a substitute for one.
  • Tuned for dogs, not humans. The thresholds (weight ranges, stool scoring, skin scoring, walk frequency) reflect canine norms — Purina's stool scale, breed-specific weight ranges, walk durations appropriate for a dog rather than steps for a person.

Ember Score FAQ

How is the Ember Score calculated?
It's a deterministic formula — no AI, no machine learning, no surprise weights. Six inputs each contribute a fixed share: medication adherence (25 pts), weight in range (20 pts), stool score (15 pts), skin condition (15 pts), walk frequency (15 pts), feeding consistency (10 pts). The components add to 100. The more categories you log, the more accurate the score.
Is the Ember Score AI-powered?
No. It's a deterministic formula. The same inputs always produce the same score. There's no model running, no probabilistic guesswork, no opaque scoring. Tap the score on your dashboard to see exactly which component is contributing what.
Where is the Ember Score calculated?
Entirely on your device. The formula runs locally in EmberPaws against your dog's recent logs in your private database. The score is never sent to a server, because EmberPaws has no servers.
Can the Ember Score replace a vet visit?
No — the Ember Score is a tracking tool, not a diagnostic tool. It surfaces patterns in the day-to-day logs you've been keeping (which is information your vet would want anyway), but it doesn't diagnose conditions. Red is a nudge to schedule a vet call, not a substitute for one.
What if I don't log every category every day?
The score is calculated from the recent data you have. The more categories you log, the more accurate the score. Logging the basics — weight, walks, and any meds — covers about 60% of the score. Adding stool, skin, and feeding consistency fills in the rest.
Does the score change throughout the day?
Yes — it updates as you log. Give the morning dose of medication and the score nudges up. Skip the afternoon walk and it nudges down. The dashboard shows today's running number.
Can I share my Ember Score with my vet?
Yes — the Ember Score appears at the top of the Vet Report when you tap Share. Your vet sees the current score and the recent trend, which gives them a quick orientation before reading the detailed logs underneath.

See your dog's Ember Score today.

Free to download. No account. No subscription. Available on iPhone, iOS 17+.

Download on the App Store

The Ember Score is computed on your iPhone — never on a server.