The number of myths about pets, and especially about dog food, are remarkable. Raw dog food is better for pets. Milk and cereals containing gluten are bad for dogs. Processed dog food contains carcinogens. Regulatory systems are abused by big corporations to feed dogs and cats junk which makes them sick and shortens their lives. The latest pet medications have serious side effects that are killing thousands of dogs and cats every year. Over-vaccinating pets makes them ill: the main aim of the veterinary profession is to generate income for vets, and if that means that more pets have poor health along the way, so be it.

False science is believed by many online readers

There’s one big problem with all of these statements: they are entirely untrue. Yet if you search on the internet for these topics, you will find what may seem like overwhelming support for them. Fake news and false science are beginning to dominate the online world of pet care.

In the pre-internet era, ideas used to spread slowly. There were controls in place with television, radio and print. Facts had to be checked. Journalists had to comply with codes of conduct.

The internet has changed this: ideas, true and false, now spread fast. There are no mandatory codes of conduct for writers on the internet, and fact-checking is an option rather than a necessity.