As a pet parent, you understand the necessity of caring for your pet’s health. This means regular vet visit, feeing your fur baby a heathy diet, making sure they have plenty of exercise, and more. Even so, there will be times when your fur baby isn’t feeling very well. When that happens, what do you do? It may depend on the situation. If you need information fast, then you may hop onto the Internet to see if you can take care of your pet’s health issue at home, or if he needs to see the vet. Other times, you may have a diagnosis from the vet, but would like to read more about your pet’s condition.
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And where do you go when you need information on potty training, behavioral issues and more? Again, there’s a lot of general information available online, but not all sites offer accurate information. The Internet is a wonderful tool for pet parents for these and many more reasons. However, it’s necessary to be careful with information online. There are plenty of sites filled with misinformation that could be harmful to us and our pets. It’s our responsibility to ensure we use only those sites that provide science-based, truthful information.
Search for reputable sites online can be an exercise in frustration, so we’ve done the research and created a list of the best sites that provide the best health and medical information for your pet. Let’s get started!
Veterinary Medicine Online Resources
We’ll start out with those online resources that are most used by vets and pet parents. These are some of the best sites that are based on facts and scientific research.
1). Merck Veterinary Manual
The Merck Veterinary Manual is one of the best online resources for information on everything to do with your fur baby. This site has material that’s written for vets by vets, and it includes information for pet parents in a separate section. This way, you won’t need to sift through articles that are written for medical professionals. The site makes it easy to find the layperson’s information on pet health.
You’ll find this site covers all aspects of pet health, along with news, and there are infographics for pet parents, along with case studies for vets. All of the information on this site is kept up to date and accurate. All the facts are based on scientific research.
One more note, Merck’s Vet Manual is also available as a download on mobile devices! It’s rather large, so make sure there’s enough space free on the device. It will take several minutes to download the entire app, but then you’ll have information at your fingertips! Even when you don’t have access to the Internet! This is a free app on both Android and iOS!
2). VCA Pet Health Information
VCA Pet Health Information is another online resource that’s written by veterinarians. It actually offers an entire library of information on pets. Here, you’ll find all kinds of articles about your pet’s health. Articles include information on traditional medical treatment options, as well as alternative therapies.
Each article is written by a veterinary professional and checked to make sure the information is accurate.
In addition, the site can help you find a VCA animal clinic near you, and if you’re ready to adopt a new pet, you’ll find they also have partnerships with shelters around the country. And they offer videos on YouTube that can also be helpful for pet parents. Best of all, all the information is easy to understand!
Pet Health Information Center
When it comes finding sites that offer a quick review of health and other types of pet information, there are many sources available online. However, there are two that stand out; these are great resources, but if you need in-depth medical information, then please choose one of the options in the first section of this article.
3). WebMD for Pets
On this site, you’ll find information that is comprehensive and reputable. However, do keep in mind that most of the health information on this site is more of an overview, rather than an in-depth resource. Still the information here is also science-based.
This site covers all aspects of pet health. You’ll find information on diet & nutrition, tips for feeding picky eaters, and information on vaccines that your pay needs, and even advice on house training puppies. It’s all here and freely available online.
The site also offers tools such as a health checker, find a vet, find dentists, find lowest drug prices and more. You’ll also find a section on news and more. They also have apps available for iOS and Android—these are free!
4). PetMD
This is another site that offers health and other information for a wide variety of pets. You’ll find information for dogs, cats, birds, horses, fish, and more! All articles are written and reviewed by veterinarians. While this doesn’t offer the same level of comprehensive information as the previous sites, it is still a very helpful resource. In fact, this is another site to use when you need to have an overview of any topic related to your pet. It’s best to use this in conjunction with the first two resources in this article, especially when you need more in-depth information.
On the site, you’ll find information on pet diseases, a dictionary of veterinary terms, and more. There’s even a section on all types of emergencies, information on current recalls, a section on toxins and poison, and much more.
In the news section, they offer topics such as care & safety, health & science, lifestyle and more. You’ll find all the information easy to read and accurate. The site even provides information specific breeds for horses, dogs, cats, reptiles and amphibians. One more section—if you’re having trouble finding a name for your pet, they offer a tool to help choose dog or cat names, along with a symptom checker.
5). ASPCA
The ASPCA is another site that is a source of general information on pets. They offer information about healthcare and pet safety, rather than specific information health issues. The site is especially great for those who are new to being pet parents.
On the site, you’ll find they offer a section on the latest news. The news may include stories about rescued pets, tips for keeping pets engaged and happy at home, and much more. Their other section is all pet care articles, which look to mostly be geared toward dogs, cats, and horses.
You can find grooming information, safety tips, how to keep costs down for pet care, and even information on disaster preparedness. These are found in the general pet care section. You’ll find more specific information in separate sections for dogs, cats, and horses.
Dog Health Information
If you’re a pet parent of a canine companion, then we’ve found some sites where you can find information that’s all about dogs!
6). Whole Dog Journal
This is a resource that’s especially geared toward holistic and natural medicine for dogs. If you’re into alternative and natural therapies, then this site is a great option for you. The site offers articles that cover a wide range of topics for dogs, and all are very well-researched. The articles are written by those who are pet healthcare professionals and it’s more than just natural therapies. You’ll also find articles that cover training, food & diet, puppies and more.
The site also offers their currently monthly digital magazine as a free download. They also have a subscription option available. The subscription is $20 a year, and can be delivered to your home, or delivered as a digital download to your smartphone or other mobile device.
7). The Bark
This is an extremely popular site for pet parents who have dogs! Bark offers information on the most recent studies, events and more. They are available online, but also offer a print magazine if you’d like it delivered to your home.
Here, you’ll find all types of information available about your canine companion. There are articles on wellness, dog culture, news, food (even recipes if you make treats or homemade dog food), activities and even dog stories. The people who write the articles are scientific researchers, animal behaviorists, veterinarians and more. All are professionals who specialize in dogs.
8). Dogster
As you can tell from the name, this is another site that covers everything about dogs! The site covers all types of topics—from health care to behavioral issues and more. The site is easy to navigate, in fact, you’ll find each section/topic of the site listed at the top of the homepage. In addition, they offer a bookstore, a free newsletter, and even a shopping guide.
This is another site that doesn’t provide in-depth information on doggie issues, but you can definitely use it together with the first two pet health sites in the first section. Their writing team is comprised of pet parents, a dog trainer, a professional dog trainer, pet health and safety coach, a counselor, veterinarians.
Dogster also has a magazine subscription you can sign up for. The subscription for 1 year (digital) subscription is $14.95 for 6 issues, while the print subscription is $19.95 for 1 year (6 issues).
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Ask a Vet Live NowCat Health Information
For those of you who are the proud pet parents of one or more cats, then we’ve found a couple of the best cat sites for you!
9). CatFriendly
This is a great site that offers information on all things to do with cats. You’ll find information on cat care, how to keep your feline fur baby healthy, and information on diseases that are specific to cats. The articles are written by veterinarians who specialize in cat healthcare. In fact, this site was created by the American Association of Feline Practitioners. All information is science-based.
The site also offers a tool that helps you to find a veterinarian near you, and they offer a monthly newsletter for free.
10). Little Big Cat
If you are interested in holistic healthcare for your feline fur baby, then be sure to check out this site. The material is written by a vet and a cat behaviorist, and they provide all kinds of information on natural and alternative health care for cats.
You’ll find information on cat health, nutrition, behavior and more. The day this article was written, they even featured articles on hemp oil and CBD for cats, along with supplements for cats.
There is a lot of information available for pet parents online, but it pays to use only those resources that are truly based on scientific fact and are written by pet healthcare professionals. We hope this article has been able to point you to some of the most useful online sources for your pet!
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Kim
Kim is a talented author, who loves animals especially dogs. She engaged in writing books and articles relating to animals a decade ago. Kim resides in Chicago with her husband and son. The family is the proud owner of a dog and a parrot (Jack and Lily). Kim wanted more than these two pets, but her husband put his foot down... She often visits elementary schools to talk to the kids about what she learned about pets and how they could learn from them.
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