The Review
Tidy Cats with Glade Clear Springs Review: A Clinical Look at the 35-lb Multi-Cat Pail
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 9 min read
Dr Murphies — The Pet Health ReviewVeterinary-reviewed reporting on dog, cat and small-animal healthEst. 2004 · Twenty-two years in continuous publication
Featured reviews
The Review
Is Dial A Vet the Top Choice for Online Vet Care?
A global team of more than 250 veterinarians and vet technicians over Zoom in under fifteen minutes, a free AI triage chat, and flat-fee pricing that undercuts most clinic visits. We tested Dial A Vet to see whether telehealth can feel like the real thing.
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 10 min read
The Review
Is Spot & Tango the Best Kibble Alternative?
Fresh trays, dehydrated UnKibble and a vet-formulated promise. We assessed Spot & Tango on formulation, feeding trials, cost and the practical realities of a freezer full of dog dinners.
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 12 min read
The Review
Lemonade Pet Insurance Review: Cheap, Fast — But Is It Enough Cover?
Lemonade sells the lowest premiums in the category and pays some claims in minutes. We read the policy wording line by line to find out what that price actually buys — and what it quietly excludes.
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 11 min read
Dogs
Canine medicine, from orthopaedics to endocrine disease.
The 2026 List
The 15 Best Dog Breeds of 2026
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 14 min read
Orthopaedics
Canine Hip Dysplasia: The Early Signs Most Owners Miss
By Dr Ingrid Sorensen, BVSc, DipACVB · 4 min read
Respiratory
Kennel Cough Explained: Contagion, Course and Care
By Dr Eleanor Murphy, BVSc · 4 min read
Dermatology
Why Dogs Get Ear Infections — and How to Break the Cycle
By Dr Mariana Oliveira, DVM, DACVN · 4 min read
Cats
Feline health, written for a species that hides everything.
The Review
Tidy Cats with Glade Clear Springs Review: A Clinical Look at the 35-lb Multi-Cat Pail
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 9 min read
The 2026 List
The 15 Best Cat Breeds of 2026
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 14 min read
Urology
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease: A Blocked Cat Is an Emergency
By Dr Callum Wright, BVSc, MANZCVS · 4 min read
Nephrology
Chronic Kidney Disease in Cats: The Long Game
By Dr Aisha Bello, BVetMed · 4 min read
Nutrition
Evidence over marketing, bowl by bowl.
The Review
Is Spot & Tango the Best Kibble Alternative?
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 12 min read
The Review
Meow Mix Tender Centers Review: An Honest Look at a Budget Two-Texture Kibble
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 9 min read
The Review
Pedigree Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak & Vegetable Review: What the 40-lb Value Bag Actually Delivers
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 10 min read
The Review
Purina Beneful Originals with Farm-Raised Beef Review: What the 14-lb Bag Actually Delivers
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 9 min read
Our process
Meet the Veterinary Review Board
Every article is examined by registered veterinarians for medical accuracy before it is published — and again whenever consensus guidance shifts.
Dr Eleanor Murphy, BVSc
Small-animal internal medicine
Dr Priya Raghunathan, BVMS
Emergency and critical care
Dr Mariana Oliveira, DACVN
Clinical nutrition
Dr Ingrid Sorensen, DipACVB
Veterinary behaviour
Most read this week
- 1The ReviewEmbark Breed + Health Dog DNA Test Review: Genuinely Useful, or Expensive Trivia?
- 2The ReviewPedigree Dentastix Fresh Review: Does a Daily Chew Actually Reduce Tartar in a Large Dog?
- 3The ReviewRachael Ray Nutrish Soup Bones Review: What an 11-Count Bag of Chicken and Veggie Chews Actually Delivers
- 4The ComparisonDreamBone vs Dentastix vs Soup Bones: Three Rawhide-Free Chews, One Clear Winner for Each Dog
- 5The 2026 ListThe 15 Best Dog Breeds of 2026
- 6The 2026 ListThe 15 Best Cat Breeds of 2026
Editors’ Picks
The Review
Is Dial A Vet the Top Choice for Online Vet Care?
A global team of more than 250 veterinarians and vet technicians over Zoom in under fifteen minutes, a free AI triage chat, and flat-fee pricing that undercuts most clinic visits. We tested Dial A Vet to see whether telehealth can feel like the real thing.
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 10 min read
The Review
Is Spot & Tango the Best Kibble Alternative?
Fresh trays, dehydrated UnKibble and a vet-formulated promise. We assessed Spot & Tango on formulation, feeding trials, cost and the practical realities of a freezer full of dog dinners.
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 12 min read
The Review
Lemonade Pet Insurance Review: Cheap, Fast — But Is It Enough Cover?
Lemonade sells the lowest premiums in the category and pays some claims in minutes. We read the policy wording line by line to find out what that price actually buys — and what it quietly excludes.
By Dr Elise Murphy, BVSc (Hons) · 11 min read
Reader forum
Top questions this week
Real owners asking the practical questions that come up after a product review. Each thread ends with a veterinary response.
YETI Boomer 4 Dog Bowl
Ninety dollars for a dog bowl. Talk me out of it or into it.
spent_too_much_already · 11,200 views · 3 answers
Clinically, the case for stainless over plastic is straightforward: non-porous surfaces resist biofilm and are associated with fewer chin acne presentations, particularly in cats and short-coated dogs. Beyond that, you are paying for build quality and stability, which matters for bowl-tippers and for dogs that eat too fast. Check the four-cup capacity against your dog's ration before ordering.
Read the vet answer →
Purina Beneful Originals
Is grain in dog food a problem or is grain free the actual risk now?
confused_by_bags · 10,430 views · 2 answers
Grains are digestible energy sources and are not fillers. Regulatory attention over the past decade has focused on diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating grain-free, legume-heavy formulas, with the mechanism still not fully established. Unless there is a diagnosed grain allergy, which is uncommon, a grain-inclusive diet from an established manufacturer is a defensible choice.
Read the vet answer →
Lemonade Pet Insurance
Is the 'claims paid in minutes' thing real or marketing?
sausagedog_sam · 9,880 views · 2 answers
Both experiences are accurate. Low-value, well-documented claims are settled by automated assessment, while anything involving surgery, chronic disease or a new diagnosis goes to a human assessor. Submit the itemised invoice plus that day's clinical notes together and you will avoid the most common cause of delay, which is a request for records.
Read the vet answer →
Purina Beneful Originals
Are the coloured bits in this stuff actually bad for dogs or does it just look cheap?
reads_ingredient_lists · 9,240 views · 3 answers
Permitted colourants have no established toxicity at inclusion levels used in pet food, and they exist for the purchaser rather than the pet. The more useful question is whether the diet meets AAFCO or FEDIAF profiles, who formulated it and whether feeding trials were conducted. Judge the food on those criteria, not on appearance.
Read the vet answer →
Spot & Tango
What are people actually paying per day, honestly?
receipts_please · 8,890 views · 3 answers
Cost scales with metabolic body weight, so small-dog households see fresh feeding as an affordable upgrade while large-breed households often cannot sustain it. A split feeding plan is nutritionally sound provided both products are complete and balanced and total daily calories are calculated once, not per meal. Price the second delivery, not the trial.
Read the vet answer →
Meow Mix Tender Centers
Vet said dry food contributes to urinary problems in male cats. True?
blocked_once_never_again · 8,420 views · 2 answers
Cats evolved from desert species and drink poorly, so a dry-only diet tends to produce more concentrated urine, which is a recognised contributing factor in feline lower urinary tract disease. For a male cat with any obstruction history, increasing dietary moisture is a first-line change alongside stress reduction and adequate litter provision. Urethral obstruction is a life-threatening emergency and needs same-day care.
Read the vet answer →
Explore more from Dr Murphies
Preventive Care24 articles
The unglamorous work that prevents the emergency.
Behaviour20 articles
Training and welfare, grounded in learning science.
Emergency20 articles
What to do in the first ten minutes.
Senior Pets15 articles
Ageing well, and ending well.
Small Pets15 articles
Rabbits, rodents, reptiles, birds and fish.
From the archive
Twenty-two years on the same beat
Dr Murphies has published continuously since 2004, revising older reporting whenever veterinary consensus moves. Nothing is deleted, only corrected and dated.
2004
First issue
Founded above a Melbourne small-animal clinic as a printed quarterly for clients.
2011
Online edition
The archive moves to the web, and the Veterinary Review Board is formalised.
2018
Corrections ledger
Every substantive change to an article is logged publicly and dated.
2026
Today
More than 150 standing articles, each re-read by a registered veterinarian.
170+
Standing articles
22
Years in print and online
10,029+
Reader reviews
48
Corrections issued
The Weekly Consult