Health & Care
Plain-English guides to everyday dog health, built on peer-reviewed research with the papers cited.
These guides are for understanding and planning: what is worth noticing at home, what the research does and does not show, and what to talk through with your vet. Each one says where the evidence is limited.
If you are worried about your dog right now
Please contact your vet practice rather than reading on. If your dog collapses, is struggling to breathe, has pale or blue gums or is bleeding heavily, contact a vet immediately; if your practice is closed, use the out-of-hours emergency service it directs you to. This is general safety advice, not a finding from a particular study.
Our health guides
Start with preventive care, then pick the topic you need.
Preventive care: check-ups, vaccines and parasites
How regular check-ups, core and non-core vaccines and parasite control fit together, and why the right plan depends on your dog's age, lifestyle and where you live. Includes what to bring to a check-up.
Healthy weight and body condition
How to check your dog's shape at home by looking and feeling, why every treat and chew counts, and why any weight loss should be gradual and planned with your vet.
Dental care
Why daily brushing helps control plaque, how to build it up gently with rewards, and which signs, such as bleeding gums, a broken tooth or difficulty eating, need a vet rather than harder brushing.
Itchy skin and ears
What to notice when your dog scratches, licks or shakes their head, why the same itch can have very different causes, and safe first steps, including why nothing should go into the ear canal.
Dogs and fireworks
Recognising noise fear, making noisy evenings easier and gentle training on quiet days.
How long do dogs live?
What large UK lifespan studies can and cannot tell you about an individual dog.
How these guides are written
- Built on peer-reviewed research and current published guidelines, cited in full at the end of each guide so you can read the sources yourself.
- Each guide makes clear what kind of evidence a point rests on, such as a trial, a survey, a study of veterinary records or a guideline, and does not present associations as proof of cause.
- Each guide shows the date its evidence was checked.
- No medicine doses, home remedies or product recommendations, and no affiliate links anywhere in Health & Care.
- The authors of the papers we cite have not reviewed or endorsed our guides.
General information only, not a substitute for veterinary advice. These guides cannot examine your dog, diagnose a problem or tell you which treatment, vaccine or parasite product your dog needs. Your vet can.