Last updated: September 28, 2026
Petwise publishes practical guides for everyday pet owners. This page explains who writes them, where the information comes from, how health and safety topics are handled, and how articles are checked, corrected and updated.
Who writes Petwise
Articles are researched, written and edited by the Petwise Editorial Team. We are pet care writers, not veterinarians. Our guides are general education: they explain established guidance in plain language and help owners understand what to watch for and what to ask their vet. They are not a diagnosis, a treatment plan or a substitute for an examination.
How we choose topics
Each guide starts from a specific question owners ask, such as how often to feed a guinea pig or what a change in a bird’s droppings might mean. We aim for one clear answer per article and link related guides together, rather than repeating the same advice across many pages.
How we research and select sources
We build every guide from published information and compare several sources where advice differs. We give the most weight to:
- Veterinary references such as the Merck Veterinary Manual
- Professional veterinary bodies, including the AVMA, AAHA and the Association of Avian Veterinarians
- University veterinary schools and hospitals, such as Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Royal Veterinary College
- Veterinary hospital groups and charities with vet-written advice, such as VCA Animal Hospitals and PDSA
- Animal welfare organizations, including the ASPCA, RSPCA and Blue Cross
- Government and public health agencies, such as the CDC for diseases that can pass between animals and people
Retailer or manufacturer pages may be used for practical, non-medical details, but never as the only support for a health or safety claim. When sources disagree or evidence is limited, we say so and give a range rather than picking the most confident-sounding answer. We do not invent statistics, studies, experts or quotes.
Many guides, including most of our health and safety articles, list their main sources at the end under “Sources and further reading” so you can check the original information yourself.
How we handle health and safety topics
Health, poisoning, injury and nutrition topics can influence decisions about an animal’s care, so we hold them to stricter rules:
- We describe common causes and warning signs, but we do not diagnose or suggest that a sign has only one explanation.
- We do not give medication doses, and we do not recommend giving pets human medicines, home remedies or treatments that should come from a vet.
- Emergency signs are named clearly, and we tell readers when a situation needs a vet straight away rather than waiting to see.
- Where species, age or health status change the advice, we say so, and we point readers to a vet with experience of their type of pet.
Our Pet Health Disclaimer applies to all content on the site.
How articles are checked
Before an article is published, its facts are checked against the sources it is based on, and its safety advice is read again with one question in mind: could anything here delay a pet getting the veterinary care it needs? Published articles are also re-checked, with health and safety guides reviewed first. Our most recent review of these guides was completed in September 2026.
Veterinary review
Petwise articles are not currently reviewed by veterinarians, and we do not describe them as vet-approved. If a qualified professional reviews an article in the future, that article will show a “Reviewed by” line with the reviewer’s name, qualification and the date of the review, linked to a profile describing their background. We will only show a reviewer who has genuinely reviewed that article.
Updates
Pet care guidance changes as research improves. We update guides when we learn of new guidance, when readers point out problems, and during regular reviews of older articles. When we make a meaningful change to an article, its date is updated.
Corrections
If you think something in an article is wrong, unclear or out of date, please tell us through our contact page. Include the article link and what you noticed. We check every correction request against our sources, and if we agree, we fix the article promptly.
Advertising and independence
Petwise may be supported by advertising. Advertisers do not choose our topics, see articles before publication or influence what we recommend. If we ever publish sponsored content or use affiliate links, we will label them clearly on the page where they appear.