Quick answers about EmberPaws

What is EmberPaws?

EmberPaws is a private, on-device daily care app for dogs. It tracks weight, stool, skin, feeding, walks, vaccinations, flea & tick, medications, and appointments — and gives you a live "Ember Score" of your dog's overall wellness from 0–100.

Is EmberPaws for cats too?

No — EmberPaws is dogs only. The Health Hub categories, Ember Score formula, and stool scale (Purina 1–5) are all calibrated for canine health. Building it for one species lets us do it well.

Do I need an account?

No. There is no sign-up, no email, no password. Open the app, add your dog, and you're going.

Who built EmberPaws?

An independent dog owner in Nova Scotia, Canada. The app is named after Ember, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. There are no investors, no analytics team, no marketing department. Read the about page for the full story.

How is the Ember Score calculated?

It's a 0–100 daily wellness score derived from your recent logs: weight trend, medication compliance, stool scores, skin condition, walk frequency, and feeding regularity. The more categories you log, the more accurate it gets.

Green (≈ 75–100) means thriving. Amber (≈ 50–74) means a few things to watch. Red (below 50) means consider calling your vet.

What's the Purina Fecal Scoring System?

A standardized 1–5 scale used by vets to assess stool consistency. 1 is very hard (pellet-like), 5 is very soft or liquid. Ideal range is 2–3. EmberPaws uses this scale so the data you share with your vet is immediately meaningful.

How do I add a second dog?

Settings → Manage Dogs → tap the + button in the top right. You can switch between dogs from the Manage Dogs screen or directly from the dashboard.

How do I share a Vet Report?

From the dashboard, tap "Vet Report" in Quick Actions. EmberPaws composes a clean summary of recent readings and opens the iOS share sheet — choose Mail, Messages, AirDrop, or any compatible app.

Medications are never included in vet reports — that's intentional and can't be changed.

What reminders does EmberPaws send?

Day-before and day-of alerts for vet appointments. Auto-calculated due dates for flea & tick. 30-day expiry warnings for vaccinations. Day-of and day-before for your dog's birthday. All scheduled locally — no server is involved.

Can I switch between lbs and kg?

Yes. Settings → Units. All existing weight entries convert automatically.

Where is my data stored?

On your device only. EmberPaws uses Apple's SwiftData framework to store everything locally on your iPhone. Nothing is uploaded, synced, or transmitted automatically.

Does EmberPaws use analytics or tracking?

No. There are no analytics SDKs, no crash reporters, no advertising identifiers, and no third-party SDKs that touch user data. We don't know how you use the app.

Why are medications always private?

Medication history is sensitive. We've decided not to ship a "share medications" toggle — even an opt-in one — to make the privacy guarantee unambiguous. Medications never appear in vet reports, never sync, never leave your device.

What happens if I delete the app?

All locally-stored data is deleted with it. iCloud sync is on the roadmap but not in v1. For now, treat the app like a paper notebook: keep it installed.

Can I export my data?

Yes — the Vet Report is the simplest export. A more complete data export (JSON / CSV) is on the roadmap. Email us if you'd like to be notified when it ships.

How much does EmberPaws cost?

Free to download. No subscription. No in-app purchases. No "premium tier." All features are included.

How is it sustainable then?

EmberPaws is built independently, not as a venture-backed business. Costs are intentionally low — no servers to run, no analytics infrastructure, no marketing spend. If the app grows, we may add an optional one-time supporter purchase. We will never gate existing features behind a paywall.

Are there ads?

No. There never will be.

What devices does EmberPaws support?

iPhone running iOS 17 or newer. iPad and Mac (via Apple Silicon) compatibility may follow — for now we're focused on the iPhone experience.

Is there an Android version?

Not currently. EmberPaws is built natively in SwiftUI for the iPhone. We have no plans for Android in the foreseeable future.

Is there an Apple Watch app?

Not yet — it's on the Phase 2 roadmap. The plan is a glanceable companion for quickly logging walks and seeing today's Ember Score.

What is the Litter Network?

A Phase 2 feature for connecting with your dog's littermates from the same breeder. Compare growth charts, spot shared health patterns early, and schedule walks together. Opt-in, of course.

What is the Walking Club?

Coming alongside Phase 2 — organize walks with friends and other dog owners, RSVP to events, and share a meeting point. Built on Apple's CloudKit so the only data shared is what you choose to share for that walk.

Will iCloud sync ever be added?

Yes — optional iCloud sync is planned, so the same dog's records can be on your iPhone and iPad (and survive a phone upgrade). It will always be opt-in. The default will continue to be on-device only.

How do I suggest a feature?

Email [email protected]. The roadmap is shaped by real owners — most current features started as someone else's idea.