How we research and check articles

Sources we rely on

Articles are written from veterinary reference sources: the Merck Veterinary Manual, university veterinary teaching hospitals and schools, specialist veterinary hospitals, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Kennel Club’s veterinary content, and animal poison control services such as the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. Every article lists its sources at the foot of the page, and every article cites at least two.

We avoid forums, product marketing and other blogs as sources. Numbers that matter (doses, normal ranges, timings) are taken from a primary veterinary source and checked against a second where possible.

How each article is structured

• A short answer first. Two to four sentences that tell you what the symptom most often means and whether to worry.
• Emergency signs next. If any of these apply, the article tells you to stop reading and call a vet.
• Then the detail: common causes, what you can safely do at home, what a vet will check and how it is usually treated.

How urgency is decided

When sources differ on how quickly to act, we use the more cautious guidance. A missed emergency costs far more than an unnecessary phone call, and most clinics would rather hear from you early. Red is used on this site only for emergency signs.

Tools

Calculators such as the chocolate toxicity calculator show every step of their arithmetic and list the reference values they use and where those values come from. Their results are estimates for judging urgency and never a reason not to call a vet.

Keeping pages current

Each page shows the date it was last reviewed. Pages are re-checked when guidance changes or a reader reports a problem, and the date is updated when they are.

Corrections

If you think something on Dog Health Atlas is wrong, please contact us with the page and, ideally, the source you are relying on. Confirmed errors are fixed promptly.