Almost everybody knows us at the veterinary practice where we go. And the veterinarians probably draw straws to see who will get stuck with my human. Just kidding. Sort of. Since the dawn of the internet, she has become every veterinarian's nightmare. Armed with the results of her latest internet search, she arrives ready with questions and "ideas." After she attended the last webinar, she visited the vet (when Einstein got his stitches out) and arrived with a printed handout about the session. She reviewed the notes with the vet - just in CASE the vet didn't have time to look at it at home.
The vet techs who work at our clinic are also awesome. They are so good at taking our blood - we usually don't even know it is happening! We haven't been to the groomer there - but we know her as well. Everyone who works there understands the critical bond that we animals have with our humans - and they work to make sure that our lives are long and healthy.
But getting back to the internet....while you should take the advice of your veterinarian, it is also important that you understand the health issues of your pet. The internet CAN be a good source of information - but you do so with caution. When looking at the internet, you need to consider the source. Anybody can post a video - or put up a website, but not all information out there is accurate or well researched. You need to look at the credentials of the person posting - AND the evidence about what that person is presenting. I hate to say this - but just as there are GREAT vets - there are probably some vets who may promote things that are not well founded in solid research and science. So credentials alone do not mean the advice is perfect. My human was reading a site by a fairly well-known veterinarian. And while SOME of the info was good - some of it was.....airy fairy. And to check this, one can Google the name of the person. If you see that the person is viewed as a bit of a quack in the veterinary field - well take that into consideration. You need to do your homework.
When looking for the "best" veterinary sites, my human found a couple of lists. You will see that some sites appear on both lists:
http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/10-websites-your-vet-wishes-you-knew-about
https://www.thesprucepets.com/top-websites-for-veterinary-advice-1118659
https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/resources/animal-owners
In addition to web sites, we also have YouTube sources. Now I have NOT looked at many of these - and some of them could be sketchy....but there may be some good info in some of these:
https://blog.feedspot.com/vet_youtube_channels/
I want to emphasize that you should follow your veterinarian's advice about your health care. BUT - it is also important for humans to be proactive about our care. You spend all your time with us - and the veterinarian only sees us for a few minutes during the appointment. Humans need to be thorough in describing our problem - because it may not be evident when we are in the office. You humans KNOW us - and you KNOW when something is not right. You have to be our spokesperson - because we can't do that ourselves. Although Einstein tries....
So cheers today to all in the veterinary field. Thanks so much for all you do!!!!
Have a good one. Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 24
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