The worrying rise of the ‘DIY vet’
Rachel Mulheron, Director, helpucover
A recent survey revealed that in today’s age of ‘Doctor Google’, it is estimated 40 percent of pet owners search the internet for advice before taking their pet to the vet. This might seem to eliminate the need for ‘inconvenient’ journeys to the vet for minor ailments, and allow pet owners to make short-term, financial savings, but there can be real dangers to trying to diagnose your pet’s illness or injury over the Internet.
Prolonging emergency care
Illnesses that start with simple symptoms can quickly develop into something more serious. What begins as something seemingly minor, such as mild nausea and vomiting could be because your pet has eaten something disagreeable or too much food, too fast. However, these symptoms can also indicate something more serious. Your pet may have swallowed a toxic substance, or be suffering from a condition that requires immediate medical attention such as a gastrointestinal disorder.
The time spent diagnosing these symptoms on the Internet could be completely redundant if from an unreliable source and if it does turn out to be an emergency situation, you could have wasted valuable time, which would have been put to better use at the vet’s.
Would you really want to be held responsible for minimising your pet’s chances of survival, because you’d taken a chance and chosen to follow unreliable online advice instead?
Finding the correct cause
A range of abnormal behaviours, often have multiple, possible diagnoses, unless you’re a trained vet, you’ll soon find yourself lost in all the possibilities of your pet’s condition.
For example, a cat drinking too much water could be put down to:
- Chronic kidney disease
- Diabetes mellitus
- Hyperthyroidism
- Urinary tract disease
These are all serious conditions, but in reality, increased water consumption may be down to crunchier than normal food, or even wanting a reason to be in the same room as their owner!
A quick urine test by a vet would be able to show if there was glucose present in the urine, and diagnose what was wrong with the cat – something the internet certainly could not do.
You can, consult directly with a vet online, via a video link. Perhaps with improved virtual reality developments in the future, this may become more helpful, but it’s an area of technology in its infancy and in reality, it’s still impossible to make a full diagnosis without carrying out a physical examination of an animal.
Buying from online pet pharmacies
It can often be more cost effective for owners to buy their pet’s regular medication from reputable online sites and this can also keep insurance claims for medicine down. However,, as with any potentially lucrative business, there are always a few unscrupulous companies and individuals out there who will try their hardest to cash in on the concerns of anxious pet owners.
If you are thinking of buying medicine online, it is essential to follow these guidelines to minimise the possibility of having your credit card details stolen, your money taken with no intention to supply, or fake or dangerous products administered to your pet:
- Watch for red flags, such as if the online pharmacy doesn’t require a prescription.
- Check the site for accreditation, such as inclusion on Veterinary Medicines Directorate
- Report suspicious pharmacies if you see any red flags.
When is it acceptable for owners to ‘take charge’?
Sometimes a vet will not be available. In these cases, a well-informed owner can rapidly ease the discomfort and distress of a pet, and potentially save a pet’s life. Some of the situations where this could be necessary include airway obstruction, bleeding, poisoning, heat stroke and difficulty whelping, where it’s a matter of life and death.
First aid courses for pet owners are now widely available across the country, and if you’re a dedicated pet owner, they’re well worth considering.
There are also small tasks owners can do at home, if they feel confident in their own ability and know their pet will behave better for them than it would for their vet. Such tasks can include:
- Nail trimming
- Hairball management
- Therapeutic bathing
- Ear cleaning
The age of free, instant, information has changed the way pet owners interact with veterinary science. You still can’t become a qualified vet, without the necessary years of study, but with care and professional guidance, you can easily become a highly skilled and knowledgeable pet owner.
I’ve seen people ask advice about their cats medical conditions on Facebook groups and timelines too. Often the responses have quite obviously been “Get them to the vet asap!”. It’s very scary!
You echoed the comment I was going to make. Seeing a photo of a baby in obvious distress brings tears to my eyes! Just go to the vet, please!
It’s heart wrenching, isn’t it. ?
Yep… people often ask me as well and while I’m happy to give advice for basic things my bottom line is always always take them to the vet!
Excellent advice.
Thanks 🙂
Thanks for that article! I didn’t know you could do a video consult with a V-E-T. I have seen my vet often over the years, ’cause he monitors my Polycystic Kidney Disease and provides my dental care. A DIY vet couldn’t do that!! Mom also doesn’t hesitate to take me in if she suspects I’m not feeling or acting myself.
That’s very good of your mum. :). Btw if you ever fancy doing a guest story let us know. 😀
I think it is very important to do some research and get informed before taking pets to the vet. Some pets have such a high level of stress, that taking them to the vet when it really is nothing is just not worth it. I wish I would have never asked how they get urine out of female cats. No wonder cats are so unhappy having a needle through their abdomen.
When we adopted our cats I called 5 different vets to see if I could get them seen because I suspected ringworm (thanks to Google and all the pictures that people have posted of ringworm). ALL five offices said that they were pretty sure it was NOT ringworm because it is so uncommon. When I finally got a vet to see the cats the vet still didn’t think it was ringworm, even while he was examining them. Then I mentioned it was in their toes and he finally started to take my Google diagnosis serious.
I think one of the best ways to take care of a cat is to know it’s routine and behaviors. Since they can’t talk it is important to know if something has changed. And having a good trustworthy vet is important. I’ve experienced vets that just want to get you to open your wallet and pay out. So being well informed is important, I think.
Unfortunately we had an experience of a vet that only wanted money as well… Oliver was poorly and our vet was closed as it was a Sunday so we had to go to an emergency vet who wanted to cut him open as he believed he had swallowed something that was stuck in his intestine.
We didn’t believe that and decided to take him to our regular vet the day after and it turned out that it was only his anal glands and our vet was shocked that the emergency vet didn’t recognise that! 🙁
I am so glad that you followed your instinct. Poor Oliver.
So is Oli I would imagine. 🙂