About this site
A short, honest account of what this site is, what it is not, and how to read it.
What this site is for
Housemate is a reference library for people who live with animals. It is organised the way problems actually arrive — by what part of the animal's life you are worried about — rather than by species first.
The intended reader is an ordinary owner with a phone in their hand, looking something up because something has changed. So every page is written to be scanned, has a section index, and puts the urgent information where it can be found quickly.
How the guidance is written and reviewed
- Guidance is drawn from published veterinary consensus and professional association guidance, not from anecdote or a single practitioner's preference.
- Where the evidence is genuinely unsettled, the page says so rather than picking a side for readability.
- Every page carries a review date. Guidance that has not been reviewed within the year is re-checked or removed.
- Regional differences — disease prevalence, legal vaccination requirements, available medication — are flagged rather than flattened.
- Nothing on this site is sponsored, and no page recommends a specific brand.
How we handle affiliate links
Some pages link to equipment through affiliate programmes. If you buy through one of those links, this site earns a small commission and you pay exactly the same price. That is the only way the site makes money.
The rules we hold ourselves to, so the money does not bend the advice:
- The advice is written first. A product is only linked where the page already told you to own the thing — a tick hook, a kitchen scale, a toothbrush. Nothing is added to the editorial to create a slot.
- We describe what to look for rather than which brand to buy, so the guidance still works if you buy elsewhere or already own one.
- Every affiliate link is marked, sits inside a labelled block with the disclosure attached, and carries rel="sponsored nofollow".
- Pages carrying affiliate links say so at the top.
- No manufacturer pays for placement, sends free product, or sees a page before it is published.
- Nothing that treats, diagnoses or medicates is linked. Those decisions belong with your vet, not with a checkout.
What this site will not do
You will also not find dosages for medications, instructions for procedures that should be done under supervision, or encouragement to delay a consultation in favour of a home remedy. Nor will you find affiliate links to supplements, remedies or anything else sold as a substitute for veterinary care.
Corrections and contact
If something here is wrong, out of date, or unclear, we want to know. Corrections are made with a visible note of what changed and when. Include the page and the specific line.
administrator@this site’s domain