Dog Wellness Watch

The Mission

Our mission is to extend and enrich the lives of dogs through preventive care, education, and compassionate action. We believe that no dog should suffer or die from a lack of awareness, neglect, or missed connections between pet owners and veterinarians. By fostering a culture of proactive veterinary partnership, we aim to transform loss into learning, and grief into guardianship. Every tail deserves a longer wag—and together, we can make that possible.

Dedicated to Rex, for the loyal friend who gave love freely, but left too soon. This site is built in your memory—to ensure other dogs live longer, happier lives, and that their humans never have to wonder what more could have been done. You are missed. You are honored.

Why This Site

I was there when my family friend passed. Words can never meet my sadness, yet I know that other dog owners will face the same anguish through preventable mistakes. It is very rare that I receive a 'best practices' document from vets who I have seen over the years. Why is it that we receive a list of general recommendations from our people doctors on annual visits, but not from our animal doctors? People doctors give handouts about smoking, weight management, and diet yet a similar do and do not document is so often not passed to pet owners.

The hope is that animal care providers can come together and create a one-page handout / printout for general dog care for us as clients. Perhaps we will tape it to our refrigerator or keep it close at hand. A simple document would greatly help us and appears to be an overdue necessity. More on the reason for the site here.

The Wellness Sheet

A foundational resource for veterinary practices, the DogWellnessWatch.com Wellness Sheet is a simple, customizable document designed to support proactive care and clear communication between veterinarians and dog owners.

Veterinarians are encouraged to tailor the sheet to match their specific practice guidelines, patient demographics, or breed-specific needs. Whether you prefer a version with references or a streamlined layout without them, the baseline document is flexible and designed with you in mind.

Imagine how impactful your feedback could be—refining this resource into an even more effective tool for wellness and prevention. Would you consider customizing the sheet for your most-seen breeds or health situations?

Our recommendation:
The Wellness Sheet should be offered during every annual checkup—or at the very least—made available at the front desk. While two-sided formats are welcome, all information should fit comfortably on a single printed page.

Together, we can transform routine care into life-saving insight. Let's start with one sheet, one dog, one more healthy year.

The Net Vet Benefit

When dogs live longer, everyone’s life is better. The dog enjoys a healthier, fuller life. The owners experience more joy, more companionship—and they remain loyal clients. With increased longevity, families may welcome more dogs into their lives, even at once.

As dog owners, we depend on you. We aren’t the experts, and we never intend harm to our beloved companions—but often, we don’t know what we don’t know. Too many of us turn to inconsistent or misleading online advice, simply trying to do our best. What we truly need is a clear, trusted baseline document—developed and distributed on a thoughtful cadence—with your contact information ready for follow-up and ongoing guidance.

Some might say that when we make mistakes due to misinformation, the blame often falls on veterinary professionals. But rather than react in crisis mode, why not reduce the number of those moments altogether?

Pets require more care as they age. That’s inevitable. But we can prevent emergency interventions and heartbreak by building an active, informed partnership with our veterinarians. We need tools to spark good questions, guidance to follow between visits, and reminders that support consistent wellness throughout the year.

Core Categories of the Wellness Sheet:

You’ll find recommendations on:

🦴 Diet

🐕 Exercise

✂️ Grooming

💊 Medicine

🎾 Play & Toys

Let’s turn annual appointments into conversations that save lives—and empower every caregiver to keep tails wagging for years to come.

Are you a veterinarian? Please help to make a canine preventative help handout and to work with other vets. Please email: david@dogwellnesswatch.com to learn more.