Editorial policy
Care guidance should be clear about what is known, what is not, and when professional help matters.
This policy explains how we develop, present, review and maintain pet-care information on this site.
Last reviewed
Editorial principles
Useful before persuasive
Our guides exist to help you understand a care need and make a clearer decision. We do not write guidance simply to create a reason to recommend a product.
Context matters
Care decisions are rarely one-size-fits-all. Species, breed or crossbreed, life stage, coat, environment and individual circumstances can all change what is appropriate.
Uncertainty stays visible
When the available information does not support a confident conclusion, we say so rather than present an assumption as fact.
Professional boundaries stay clear
We provide general pet-care information and decision support. We do not diagnose medical conditions or replace veterinary diagnosis, treatment or professional advice.
Sources and evidence
We base factual care claims on identifiable, relevant sources rather than unsupported statements.
Depending on the topic, sources may include veterinary organisations, professional or regulatory guidance, peer-reviewed research, recognised animal-welfare organisations, manufacturer documentation for factual product characteristics, and other appropriate primary or authoritative materials.
The strength and relevance of available evidence varies. Where evidence is limited, uncertain or dependent on an individual animal's circumstances, our guidance says so.
Species and individual context
Dog guidance is not automatically treated as cat guidance, and cat guidance is not automatically treated as dog guidance.
Where species, breed or crossbreed, coat, age, life stage, environment or another characteristic materially changes a care consideration, we make that distinction visible rather than hide it inside generic advice.
Guidance that genuinely applies across species may be shared, but only where the underlying care principles support doing so.
Commercial independence
We may earn revenue from selected commercial relationships, including affiliate arrangements.
Commercial factors do not make a product appear more suitable for an animal than the available care context supports. Paid relationships, commissions and commercial availability are not evidence that something is a better care choice.
Where a commercial relationship is relevant to content or a recommendation, we disclose it clearly.
Use of AI
AI tools may assist with research organisation, drafting, editing, classification and other parts of the content workflow.
Every care guide is read and approved by a person before it is published.
Human review does not automatically mean veterinary or professional review. Where a guide has received professional review, that will be identified separately.
AI output is not treated as evidence on its own. Factual claims must be supported by appropriate underlying sources, and uncertainty is not concealed simply because an automated system produced a confident answer.
Conversational assistance on this site follows the same boundaries around veterinary diagnosis, treatment and situations that may need urgent professional care.
Review, updates and corrections
Pet-care information changes as evidence, professional guidance, products and accepted practices change.
We review and update content when material new information becomes available, or when an error, ambiguity or outdated statement is identified.
Each published guide carries a visible last-reviewed date so readers can see when its content was most recently checked.
We welcome reports of factual errors, unclear wording, outdated guidance, broken references or anything else that may affect the usefulness or safety of a guide.
Veterinary care boundary
We provide general pet-care information and decision support. We do not provide veterinary diagnosis, and nothing on this site replaces veterinary treatment or professional advice.
If an animal is unwell, injured, in significant pain, deteriorating rapidly or may need urgent attention, contact an appropriate veterinary professional.