Help! My Pet is Sick

Veterinary Disease Information on the Web

While the Internet is a wonderful source of information, it will never be able to replace the hands-on examination of your pet by a Veterinarian. Anytime your pet is ill or "just not him/herself", a visit to the Veterinarian is in order. That said, the information available on the Internet is a excellent way to get additional information or to answer those 3am-on-a-weekend questions.

Often, when an owner hears the diagnosis for his/her sick pet in the exam room, the stunned feelings override everything else. It is only later that the 'real' questions come to mind. Other times, a missed phone call from the Veterinarian can leave an owner searching for more information after getting the message that the results are "positive" and the Veterinary office is now closed for the evening.

Whether your pet has already been diagnosed with a disease, or this is something new to deal with, it helps to read up on things. Personal accounts, what to expect, how to handle medications, and duration/prognostic factors are all important bits of information to make your care taking duties easier. More information also makes an owner a better observer to report anything new or odd to the attending Veterinarian.

Just because it is posted on the Internet doesn't mean the information is accurate. Where to start? The following is a list of a few of the places that typically offer veterinary medical information on the Internet.

Veterinary Schools
Veterinary colleges and schools vary in the amount of pet owner information offered online. Also, the ease of finding that information varies site to site. If your pet is in need of specialized or referral care, it is a good idea to contact the Veterinary school closest to you for help and advice.

Veterinary Clinics and Hospitals
Most of the clinics and hospitals online offer pet owner information, written by the staff Veterinarian(s). The information presented is usually written for the pet owner in mind, and cover common situations/diseases.

Personal Sites
Some owners, having experienced firsthand a disease with their pet, will put up a web site. The quality of information on these sites varies considerably. However, most put forth good information, working with their Veterinarian. Examples of this would be Meisha's Hope, a site dedicated to Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia in dogs, and the Feline CRF Information Center, a site dedicated to cats in kidney failure.

Commercial Sites
Online pet stores, like AcmePet, Friskies, and PetsSmart, offer pet owner information. This is usually a brief overview, but valuable in that pet owners are alerted what to watch for and when to call their Veterinarian. Veterinary vendors offer information sometimes too, although this is usually aimed at Veterinarians.

Of course the place to START your search on disease information is right here! A combination of the above medical sources (and others) are represented in the Diseases & Conditions section. You will also find an expanded Dog A - Z and Cat A to Z listing of diseases and conditions.This section will be experiencing continual growth and expansion.

Thanks for visiting...until next time!


Text: Copyright © Janet Tobiassen Crosby. All rights reserved.

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