Editorial Policy

This policy explains how PawPulse researches, writes, edits, and reviews the content we publish. It applies to every article on the site, regardless of category.

1. Sources we use

Every article is built on primary and expert sources, in this priority:

• Peer-reviewed veterinary and animal-science journals.
• Guidance from the AVMA, AAHA, AKC, WSAVA, FDA CVM, and equivalent bodies.
• University veterinary schools and teaching hospitals.
• Named, credentialed veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and certified trainers (CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, IAABC).
• Reputable industry reporting (VIN, DVM 360, Veterinary Practice News).

Every claim of fact links back to a source in the article's "Sources" section.

2. How articles are created

PawPulse uses AI tools (large language models and image generation) to help research topics and draft first passes of articles. This is disclosed here and in our Disclaimer. The workflow is:

1. Research. Editors pick a topic based on veterinary news, seasonal relevance, or reader questions, and gather primary sources.
2. Drafting. An AI-assisted first draft is generated against a strict brief with the collected sources.
3. Human review & edit. A human editor reads, fact-checks against the cited sources, rewrites weak passages, and removes anything unverifiable.
4. Veterinary review. Health, nutrition, and medication articles are additionally read by our Veterinary Review Board, who can request changes or block publication.
5. Publish & monitor. Articles go live with a byline, review credit where applicable, publication date, and a last-updated date.

3. Fact-checking

Editors verify every clinical claim, statistic, dosage, and study reference against the original source before publication. If we cannot find a primary source, the claim is removed. Numerical claims are cross-checked against a second independent source whenever possible.

4. Veterinary review

Articles in Dog Health & Wellness and clinically-sensitive parts of Dog Nutrition are reviewed by a licensed veterinarian from our Veterinary Review Board before publication. Reviewer names appear on the article when the reviewer opts in.

5. Updates and evergreen maintenance

Guides on evolving topics (vaccines, food recalls, breed trends, medications) are revisited on a rolling schedule and updated when veterinary consensus, regulations, or product availability changes. Every article carries a visible Last Updated date.

6. Corrections

We correct errors quickly and transparently. See our Corrections Policy for the full process.

7. Independence & conflicts of interest

• PawPulse is independently owned. No pet-food company, veterinary chain, insurer, or breeder holds any ownership or editorial control.
• Editors and reviewers disclose any financial relationship with a brand or product they cover; if the conflict is material, they don't cover it.
• We never accept payment in exchange for editorial coverage, positive reviews, or link placement.

8. Advertising & affiliate links

PawPulse is supported by display advertising (Google AdSense and similar networks) and may occasionally use affiliate links to relevant products. Affiliate links are marked and never affect our editorial recommendations. Ads are labeled and kept visually distinct from articles.

9. AI-generated imagery

Some featured and inline images are generated with AI. These images are illustrative, never used to fabricate news events, and never used to depict a real, identifiable person, dog, brand, or place as though photographed.

10. What we do not publish

• Content that encourages animal cruelty, unsafe DIY treatments, or unproven "miracle cures."
• Breeder listings, buy/sell classifieds, or content designed to funnel readers to unlicensed breeders.
• Copy-paste content from other publications, spun articles, or AI output that hasn't been reviewed by a human editor.
• Medical advice pretending to substitute for a veterinarian.

Contact the editors

Email editorial@pawpulsedog.com for questions, feedback, source suggestions, or reviewer applications.