Instead of choosing one topic to discuss this week, I thought I would share a very valuable resource with the pet owners out there. How many of you have left your veterinary office after a visit with your fur baby only to think of many more questions once you got home? Sure, you can call your veterinarian back and hope they are available to talk to you in between patients, but what if there was a REPUTABLE website out there that could not only help answer some of your questions, but maybe give you a better handle on what to expect with the treatment your pet has to undergo?
I'm not talking about "Dr. Google." Anyone can post anything online. That doesn't make the information complete or correct. I've run across many such sites and forums giving out advice to pet owners and the majority of them are filled with half truths and yes some complete falsehoods. When those sites start advising that you don't need a veterinarian to treat your pet, you should leave that site immediately. Too many owners and pets have suffered because of the false advice given out by these so called animal lovers. My office isn't the only one seeing these issues. It's
across the country in urban and rural practices. More and more people would rather have a "relationship" with an website than with a living, breathing medical professional who can work with you to figure out the best way to treat your pet. Does that mean you have to do every single test known to man or use every veterinary product out there? NO! But the discussions you have with your veterinarian can help you work together as a team to find the best treatment options available.
One site that I use often to print off handouts about different diseases and medications is
VeterinaryPartner.com. They have everything in a user friendly format and all in language that is easy to understand. Their articles are very helpful in creating dialogue between myself and my clients and are easy references for them to turn to later when I"m not available for them. Many of my clients are like me. As soon as they get home,they think of more questions or other members of their family start grilling them with questions that they can't answer. I do my best to return their calls, but I may not be able to break free at the moment they call. These articles and this website has helped tremendously. The site is affiliated with VIN: Veterinary Information Network which is another tool available to veterinarians around the world. Whereas VIN is strictly for veterinarians and veterinary staff, VeterinaryPartner is for the client/pet owner.
A few more websites that you will find helpful are listed below. These sites are meant to give you more tools to be able to work with your veterinarian to keep your fur babies around for a very long time.
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