API Coder
Spectra Puppy Vaccine Tracker
Follow along to learn how to build this application.
This application's goal is to help at home dog owners and breeders track and manage their puppy’s vaccination history without relying on veterinary systems or paperwork. By focusing specifically on Spectra canine vaccines, the app provides a simple and trustworthy way to record when each vaccine was given, understand what protections it provides, and clearly see what is due next based on the puppy’s age. The goal is to remove guesswork, reduce missed doses by adding convenient reminders, and giving owners peace of mind during the critical first months of a puppy’s life.
Designed for real world use in homes and kennels, the app prioritizes clarity, simplicity, and accessibility over clinical complexity. It serves as a personal vaccination record that can be easily shared with buyers, boarding facilities, or trainers, while remaining easy enough for any pet owner to use. By empowering owners with accurate timelines and clear records, the application helps ensure healthier puppies and smoother transitions from breeder to family.
Core features
What the first shippable version will include.
- Puppy profiles with date of birth and basic details
- Spectra vaccine dose entry by date
- Automatic puppy vaccine timeline based on age
- Clear view of completed, due, and overdue vaccines
- SMS reminders for upcoming and missed doses
- Shareable or exportable vaccination records
Roles
Designed for individual owners managing one or more puppies.
- Owner: create and manage puppy profiles
- Owner: record and edit vaccine doses
- Owner: view vaccine history and upcoming due dates
- Owner: export or share vaccination records
Data model
Stored in MySQL with a simple, owner focused schema.
- Owner accounts and puppy profiles
- Spectra vaccine products and dose records
- Age based vaccine schedule derived from date of birth
- Reminder tracking for upcoming and overdue vaccines
BUILD PLAN
This is the step by step plan from idea to pilot. Each phase produces a working deliverable. The timeline is realistic for a solo developer building nights and weekends.
Scope and workflows
- Define puppy profile fields with date of birth as the scheduling anchor
- Lock supported Spectra puppy vaccines and coverage rules
- Design owner to puppy data model for single and multi puppy households
- Define vaccine dose record fields and validation rules
- Map core MVP workflows: add puppy, record vaccine, view timeline
- Establish age based schedule logic for due and overdue vaccines
Design considerations and open questions
- How strict vaccine date validation should be versus user flexibility
- Handling early or late vaccines in the puppy schedule
- How to display mixed Spectra products in a single timeline
- Reminder timing and notification preferences
- What data is required versus optional
Design rules
- Application is designed for at home owners and breeders only, not clinics or staff workflows
- Each vaccine event represents exactly one Spectra package, no multi dose entries
- Date of birth is the authoritative anchor for all scheduling and timelines
- One vaccine dose satisfies one schedule checkpoint
- Only supported Spectra products and KC3 may be recorded
- Vaccine history belongs to the puppy and persists through ownership transfer
- System must favor clarity and simplicity over clinical precision
- Users may correct data, but all changes must be intentional and explicit
Foundation
- Lightsail staging site and SSL
- MySQL schema and migrations
- Amazon Cognito integration
MVP build
- Dog and owner CRUD
- Visit entry and dose recording
- History view and search
- Audit logging
Reminders
- Due date engine for upcoming doses
- Email reminder templates
- Reminder sent history and retry handling
Pilot and hardening
- Run with real dogs and real entries
- Validation, duplicates, edge cases
- Speed improvements for fast entry
Launch ready
- Backups, least privilege, logging
- Documentation and onboarding notes
- Demo script for stakeholders