Medical Review Policy
The Fox Red Labrador is a publication that provides education on Labrador health, genetics, nutrition and puppy development and prevention.
Medical review ensures that this information is accurate, responsibly worded and that it provides clear information about when a particular dog requires professional veterinary care.
This policy describes the pages that are subject to medical review, who is responsible for the review and what is involved in the review.
Purpose of Medical Review
We have a medical review process to ensure that readers are not exposed to misleading or outdated or unsafe information.
Veterinary review assists us:
- Use appropriate medical terminology
- Research and discuss health issues in a comprehensible way
- Do not make unsupported diagnoses and treatment claims.
- Identify urgent warning signs (where applicable)
- Refer to trusted veterinary information
- Make sure that the general education information is distinct from medical advice.
- Discuss uncertainty when evidence is limited
- Do not label coat colour with health issues unless there is evidence to support this.
Medical review will enhance the quality of an article, but it should not be a substitute for the reader’s own veterinarian’s examination.
Who Reviews Our Medical Content?
Medical content is reviewed by Dr. Rachel Kennedy, a 2022 veterinary medicine graduate of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, and a Cum Laude graduate.
Her professional interests are in preventive medicine, internal medicine, soft-tissue surgery, ultrasonography and ophthalmology.
Dr. Kennedy is a member of:
- American Veterinary Medical Association
- Texas Veterinary Medical Association
- Dallas County Veterinary Medical Association
- She is a Fear Free Certified dog and a RECOVER Certified BLS/ALS Rescuer.
She has a full professional profile on the Dr. Rachel Kennedy author page.
Which Articles Require Medical Review?
Articles on the following topics will be given special consideration for veterinary review:
• Labrador health conditions
• Symptoms and warning signs
• Inherited diseases
• Genetic health testing
• Puppy growth and development
• Nutrition and healthy weight
• Exercise limitations
• Preventive veterinary care
• Veterinary procedures
• Senior Labrador care
• Medications or treatment-related information
• Emergency or safety guidance
General pages of information on Labrador names, history, appearance or on how to use the website may not need medical review if they don’t include meaningful veterinary claims.
What Does The Medical Reviewer Check?
The reviewer evaluates the medical part of the article in the scope of the review.
This may include checking:
Medical Accuracy
Conditions, symptoms, risk factors and veterinary terms are evaluated for accurate and responsible presentation.
Source Quality
Medical claims must be backed up by appropriate veterinary organisations, peer-reviewed studies, veterinary colleges, health-testing databases or other sources of authority.
Safety Language
The reviewer assesses if the article provides an explanation for when routine veterinary care, prompt attention or emergency care may be necessary.
Diagnostic Limitations
The article should not imply that a reader can diagnose a dog based on general information from the internet.
Treatment Claims
Treatment plans and specific outcomes are eliminated or modified from unsupported remedies.
Breed And Colour Claims
Fox red colouring should not be blamed on health problems unless there is suitable evidence to support this.
The recognized health issues of the Labrador Retriever breed are typical for the fox red breed.
Our Medical Review Process
Research And Drafting
The writer reads the topic and writes the article using appropriate veterinary literature.
Editorial Assessment
An editor reviews the structure, clarity, sourcing and need for professional review.
Veterinary Review
The reviewer checks the medical content and suggests corrections, clarifications or context.
Revision
The author/editor responds to the recommendations of the reviewers.
Approval And Publication
The page can be published after the necessary revisions are made with the name of the reviewer and the date of the review.
The name of a medical reviewer should not be used in an article unless the reviewer has actually reviewed the content.
How Reviewed Articles Are Labelled
A medically reviewed article should have the following features:
• The author’s name
• The medical reviewer’s name
• The reviewer’s professional role
• The original publication date
• The medical review date
• The latest modification date, where relevant
• Links to the author and reviewer profiles
“Written by” and “medically reviewed by” describe different responsibilities and should not be used interchangeably.
What Medical Review Does Not Mean
Medical review does not mean that the reviewer has examined the reader’s dog.
There is no way an online article can cover the individual animal’s:
• Complete medical history
• Current symptoms
• Age and body condition
• Medications
• Laboratory results
• Allergies or previous reactions
• Other existing health conditions
The information published on The Fox Red Labrador is educational. It is not a diagnosis, prescription or individual treatment plan.
Editorial Independence
The medical reviewers should be able to make recommendations based on veterinary evidence and judgment.
Medical conclusions are beyond the control of advertisers, breeders, sponsors, and product manufacturers and affiliates.
If there is a potential conflict of interest, it should be disclosed, when relevant to the subject under review.
Approval is not guaranteed by payment for professional review. The reviewers might ask for changes to be made or suggest that the content be excluded from publication if it is not supported.
Medical Content Updates
Veterinary knowledge and professional advice may vary.
A medically reviewed page may be reassessed when:
• New evidence becomes available
• Veterinary guidance changes
• A cited source is revised or removed
• A reader reports a possible medical error
• A reviewer recommends additional clarification
• A meaningful section is added or rewritten
Minor spelling or formatting errors may not need another medical review. If the language is related to meaning, safety or treatment, it should be reviewed again.
If significant changes are made, the date of the review or modification should be changed.
Corrections To Medical Content
Confirmed medical inaccuracies are corrected immediately as practicable.
Material corrections may consist of a visible note indicating what was corrected. Spelling or formatting errors may be corrected without notice.
A page will not be different just because it is getting traffic or ranking higher.
A concern can be reported via our Contact page. Please provide the URL of the page, the statement and a reliable supporting source if available.
When To Contact A Veterinarian
Please do not use our content to postpone needed veterinary treatment.
If your dog is ill, injured, in pain, or exhibiting a significant change in behaviour, appetite, breathing, movement or normal bodily functions, seek veterinary advice.
Seek emergency veterinary help for signs such as:
• Difficulty breathing
• Collapse or loss of consciousness
• Repeated seizures
• Severe bleeding
• Suspected poisoning
• A swollen abdomen with distress
• Inability to urinate
• Serious injury
• Rapidly worsening symptoms
When you are uncertain about your dog’s condition, contacting a qualified veterinarian is the safest next step.