Veterinary disclaimer

The short version: this is education for dog owners, not veterinary advice. I'm not a veterinarian. Your vet can examine your dog and I can't. Talk to them before you change anything.

What this site is

I research the diseases that shorten dogs' lives, and what the research actually shows about treating them and write up what I find, in plain English, because a lot of what owners are handed is either too thin to act on or too technical to read. My background is a BS in Medical Technology, which means I can read a study properly. It does not make me a veterinarian.

The point of this site is to help you walk into the exam room knowing what to ask.

What this site is not

It isn't veterinary advice, and it isn't a diagnosis.

I can't examine your dog. I don't know their history, their breed risks, their bloodwork, what else they're taking, or how they presented this morning. Symptoms that look identical in writing can be several different things in an animal, and telling them apart is exactly the job you pay a vet for.

Nothing here creates a veterinarian-client-patient relationship. In most places that relationship is a legal requirement before anyone can advise on your specific animal, and this site does not and cannot meet it.

Please don't do this

Don't start, stop, or change a medication, a dose, a supplement, or a treatment because of something you read here. Human medications in particular can kill a dog at doses that seem harmless, and correct dosing is by weight, species, and health status, never by analogy to people.

If something here disagrees with your veterinarian, ask them about it rather than acting on it. They can see your dog.

If it's urgent

If your dog is in distress, collapsed, bleeding, struggling to breathe, seizing, bloated, or you think they've eaten something toxic, stop reading and call your veterinarian or the nearest emergency animal hospital now.

In the United States, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is (888) 426-4435, and the Pet Poison Helpline is (855) 764-7661. Both charge a consultation fee, both are open all night, and both are worth it.

Where the research comes from

I cite what I'm drawing on and link to it where I can, so you can check the reasoning instead of trusting me. Veterinary research moves, and some of what's here will age. When I find something I've written that's been overturned, I fix it.

If you spot something wrong or out of date, write to me at [email protected]. I'd rather know.

Last updated 2026-08-08.