A New Journal Focusing on Companion Animals—A Welcome Message from the Editor-in-Chief

More than half of US and European households own one or more pets. An increasing trend in pet ownership is also evident across the globe [1]. Pets provide companionship and emotional support, and pets, especially dogs, are used as guides and service animals and in sports competitions. Pets are often considered family members, and therefore, owners seek high-quality, evidence-based veterinary care. In line with this increase in pet ownership, over the last few decades, there has been a substantial increase in clinical and basic scientific studies published across either clinically highly specialized or broader multi-disciplinary journals. Yet it often remains challenging for veterinary clinicians and scientists to find a journal that welcomes veterinary submissions ranging from cutting-edge research to case reports as well as repeated studies and studies with negative findings that are assessed and reviewed by veterinary experts.

Our new journal, Pets (ISSN 2813-9372, https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pets, accessed on 17 March 2024), aims to be this platform. We are an international, open access journal and will provide a forum for high-quality scientific research as it relates to veterinary medicine with an exclusive focus on companion animals. Companion animals typically include dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, ferrets, birds, guinea pigs, small reptiles and fish. In countries where they may be kept legally and responsibly, domestic-bred farm animals can also be considered companions. We invite submissions including but not limited to their health and disease, veterinary care, nutrition, genetics and genomics, behavior, and welfare. We also welcome studies on human–animal relations that explore the social, emotional, and psychological bonds between pets and their owners.

Our editorial board members (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pets/editors, accessed on 17 March 2024) are all veterinarians with distinguished expertise in the various aspects of veterinary medicine with a focus on companion animals, and we aim to invite peer-reviewers with the required expertise in companion animals. We welcome all clinical studies as well as basic research on pets. Our journal aims to publish original research articles, reviews, case reports, conference reports, and letters to the editor that cover a range of topics related to pets. We also encourage authors to not only submit novel research findings but also to submit studies that aim to reproduce earlier research. This will allow us to increase the number of studies and sample sizes on specific topics, allowing future meta-analyses and, hence, the promotion of high-quality, evidence-based medicine for companion animals. We also welcome veterinary societies in the field of companion animal internal medicine or surgery and their subspecialties to make Pets their official society publication medium.

There is no restriction on the maximum length of the manuscripts or the number of figures and tables. Our editorial board members with veterinary backgrounds will ensure that all submitted papers will undergo a rigorous peer-review process. Once an editorial acceptance is issued, Pets will very rapidly publish papers within a couple of days after acceptance. This will enable veterinary clinicians and scientists to disseminate their knowledge more quickly into the various clinical areas to improve the health of our companion animals. Rapid publication will also benefit researchers and clinicians who publish and read the research, as this will allow for quicker distribution of data that can be used for calculating sample sizes for future studies, meta-analyses, background data for grant applications and fulfill other academic responsibilities.

The short- and long-term goals of our journal are to strengthen the veterinary care and well-being of beloved companion animals. I am confident that by bringing together an established editorial board and peer-reviewers with specific expertise, our journal will benefit all aspects of clinical and basic research in companion animals. Our aims for rigorous peer review coupled with rapid publication after acceptance, the publication of novel research as well as repeated findings and case reports, will make Pets a critical and much-needed instrument for the dissemination of new knowledge, hence improving the well-being of our pets.