Pet parents often want to know more about their pets’ illness or condition before taking them to their veterinarian and will spend time researching symptoms online.
Veterinarians are learning to adjust to two important changes produced by our clients’ increased thirst for information.
Firstly, pet owners now regularly come to an appointment with a list of very specific opinions and questions about their pets’ medical condition and pages in hand of information they’ve downloaded. This can lead to a more satisfying, in-depth discussion and rewarding outcome for a pet if the information owners have uncovered is accurate and complete (sadly, often it isn’t).
Secondly, veterinarians sometimes blame “Dr. Google” (i.e., information pet owners find via web searches) for causing a delay in pet owners’ decision to seek medical care for their pets. Sadly, this can mean a pet’s condition is more advanced and often more costly to treat by the time they see the vet. The decision to delay seeking medical care can lead to an outcome no one is happy about.
Sites you can trust
Here are two excellent internet sites that offer quality content written by veterinarians you can trust:
The sidebar on our Articles page lists several additional pet medical sites.