Your pet product buying guide for Australian dogs and cats

Ten plain guides to food, health, gear and life stages. Each pet product buying guide shows what matters, what to check on the label and when to ask your vet.

The newsletter is free, and every guide stays open to read with no sign-up.

Open any guide and the structure is the same, so you always know where to look, even with a puppy chewing your shoelaces.

The few things that make the biggest difference for your pet, such as life stage, size, coat type or sleep style, set out before any product talk.

Where to look on the label or packaging, what the wording means in plain words, and which details to compare between two options.

The slip-ups that catch owners out, like using a dog product on a cat, guessing a bed size or switching food too fast.

The point where reading stops and your vet starts. We never give doses or diagnose, and we always send health worries to your own vet.

We read product labels and the maker's published information. We check Australian government and veterinary sources, such as the RSPCA Australia knowledgebase, the Australian Veterinary Association and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority. Then we look at each option on the same points.

We say plainly when we have not used a product ourselves, and we do not rank products or hand out winner badges. For recalls, we point you to Product Safety Australia. When we find a mistake, we correct it.

Pet insurance Australia explained in plain words: what it is, the main kinds of cover and the documents to read. General information only.

How to compare pet insurance: the points to check in each policy document, set out side by side. General information only, no rankings.

Types of pet insurance explained: accident, illness and comprehensive cover, what each generally includes and what to check in the policy.

Pet insurance waiting periods, exclusions and pre-existing conditions explained, with questions to answer from the insurer's documents.

How pet insurance claims work, from vet visit to payment, plus excess, benefit percentage and limits in plain words. General information only.

Dog food guide Australia, with cat food too: life stage, size, complete and balanced labels and switching food safely. Know what to check.