A reference library for people responsible for animals

An animal cannot choose its home, its diet, its enclosure or its veterinary care. Every one of those decisions is made by a person, usually under time pressure and often on the basis of whatever came up first in a search. Petarium is an attempt to make the better answer the easiest one to find.

The library currently holds 41 species profiles, 94 dog and cat breed profiles and 58 guides and articles covering care, health, nutrition, behaviour, training, grooming, welfare, travel, adoption and equipment.

What we do

• Structure information the same way for every animal, so comparisons are honest.
• Say plainly when an animal is difficult to keep well, even when that is unpopular.
• Name the author of every entry and the reviewer of every health entry.
• Send people to a veterinarian when that is the correct answer.
• Cover species that are widely kept and widely kept badly, including exotics.

What we don't do

• Diagnose, prescribe or replace veterinary examination.
• Accept payment for inclusion, rankings or favourable coverage.
• Recommend animals as gifts, accessories or impulse purchases.
• Present breed stereotypes as guarantees about an individual animal.

Guidance changes. Where practice differs between countries — legality of certain species, vaccination schedules, parasite risk — we say so rather than pretending one national standard applies everywhere. Read our editorial policy for how entries are researched, reviewed and corrected.