Editorial Standards
Fact-Checking Policy
By Allen Lee, Founder, Best Dog Insurance LLC, Last reviewed July 2026.
Every published article on GoldenRetrieverInsurance.com goes through the same review steps before publication, handled by Allen Lee as a one-editor operation. Health and financial information about a beloved family pet is a YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topic; we treat it accordingly.
Stage 1, Research and drafting
The assigned author compiles a research brief listing every factual claim with a primary source URL, publication date, and publisher. Secondary sources (e.g., another news outlet citing a study) are not accepted, claims must trace to the original publisher.
Step 2, Claim-by-claim source check
Before publishing, Allen goes back through the draft with the research brief open and aims to check each claim against its source, looking at source authority (peer-reviewed journal, government agency, or recognized industry body), source recency (data older than 5 years is flagged for replacement), accurate paraphrasing, numerical accuracy (every percentage, dollar figure, and rate re-verified), and coverage detail accuracy (matched word-for-word against the insurer's current sample policy).
Step 3, Final source audit
Before publishing, we aim to confirm the cited links are still live, that the citation list matches the in-text references, and that access dates are recorded. Anything that doesn't hold up goes back to step 1.
How often we revisit pages
Insurance pricing, policy terms, and veterinary research evolve. We aim to revisit published articles about every quarter, some sooner, some later. The "Last reviewed" date on each page reflects the most recent audit.
Reader-flagged claims
If a reader emails bestdoginsurance@gmail.com with a factual concern, the article is queued for re-verification within 2 business days. See our Corrections Policy for the full process.
How we verify pet insurance information
We aim to check each claim against a primary source before publication. We don't paraphrase other websites. We don't rely on carrier marketing pages. We aim to cross-reference at least two independent primary sources for quantitative claims, and when the two disagree we publish the discrepancy instead of silently picking one.
Pricing data verification
Premium ranges come from the NAPHIA State of the Industry Report (2025 edition, released February 2026). For state-level averages, we cross-reference with published rate filings from the relevant state insurance department. For carrier-specific quotes, we pull sample quotes quarterly using a standardized profile: 3-year-old Golden Retriever, $500 annual deductible, 80% reimbursement, no wellness rider, California ZIP code. When a carrier's public quoting tool disagrees with our archived quote by more than 8%, we re-quote and update the article the same week.
Coverage details verification
Coverage and exclusion language comes from each carrier's current sample policy document, the actual PDF, not the marketing landing page. We download and archive the current sample policy for most carriers every quarter and diff the new PDF against the previous one. If waiting periods, bilateral condition rules, annual caps, deductible structures, or reimbursement rates change, the change is logged and every article that references that provision is queued for review.
Veterinary cost data verification
Procedure and treatment costs come from four source classes in this order: (a) published fee guides from state veterinary medical associations, (b) published cost data from veterinary teaching hospitals (UC Davis, CSU, Purdue, Cornell), (c) peer-reviewed cost-of-care studies indexed in PubMed, and (d) NAPHIA aggregate claim data. Every dollar figure has a specific source and access date. When sources disagree by more than 25%, we publish the range, not the average.
Source hierarchy
Primary (preferred): NAPHIA, AVMA, OFA, AKC, ACVS, AVDC, ACVD, ACVIM, Morris Animal Foundation, peer-reviewed journals, state insurance department filings. Secondary (allowed with citation and primary cross-reference): New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNBC, veterinary school press releases. Tertiary (avoided): other affiliate sites, forums, Reddit threads, anonymous blog posts.
Review cadence and triggers
We aim for a roughly quarterly review, though it isn't always exact. Off-cycle reviews are triggered by NAPHIA publishing new data, a carrier changing pricing or exiting a state, a material regulatory change, a veterinary breakthrough that changes standard-of-care cost, or a reader-reported error. Reader-flagged claims are re-verified within two business days per our Corrections Policy.