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This is probably stupid as gently caress but is anyone else a pet hypochondriac? I constantly fret that something is wrong with my dog. The latest thing is that her stomach is looking a bit bigger and I can't tell if it looks swollen or if she's just getting pudgy. I'm guessing it's the latter since I've been feeding her wet food in addition to her normal meals to crate train her but I can't shake the worry that something is wrong. I guess it's because one of my cats died in a really awful way (cancer) a few years ago at a premature young age so that's why I worry a lot. Not to mention, I don't really have the savings to do any sort of heroic treatment if she got sick, so I guess that adds to it. If she got a serious illness, I guess I'd have to put her down. Still a net win since she was scheduled to be euth'd at the shelter a few days after I got her but emotionally of course that would be terrible. But anyway, how do you even determine when to take them in? Some people online act like if your dog has one loose stool or a scrape, you need to run to the e-vet. Even here on SA, any time people mention any medical issue, no matter how small with their pet, people say "go to the vet." Do you guys really run to the vet that often? Or are you just saying it because you don't want to feel guilty if they withheld treatment and their pet died or whatever? But on the opposite end, my parents won't take their pets in until they're practically dying and have been suffering for months. Clearly there has to be a middle ground but I can't find it. So basically I'm wondering if you have any tips for telling if a pet truly needs to be seen by a vet or not and also stories where you regret taking them in too soon or too late. Thanks.
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Aug 8, 2015 09:06
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I thought of one more thing in the shower. I've heard the rule that "if you'd take a human baby in for the same problem, bring in your pet, since they both can't talk." There are four problems I see for that though. 1. A human baby's life is worth more than a dog's. Only internet crazies would disagree with that. So it's better to not take any chances with a baby's life. 2. Human babies are underdeveloped when they come out of the womb so they're super fragile. Dogs aren't. 3. Human insurance is usually a lot better than pet insurance. It usually costs little or nothing in the developed world to take a baby to the doctor whereas a thorough exam at the vet costs like $150. 4. It can be hard to make the call of when to bring in a baby as well.
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Aug 8, 2015 09:25
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Topoisomerase posted:You are way overthinking this. I know a lot of people here (probably myself included...I'm awful at preventative care with my own animals honestly) don't really abide by this, but your pet should theoretically be seeing a vet maybe once every year or two for a physical exam and so the vet has a baseline for when things go wrong. This is how you try to catch the slow, insidious things. Also is good for if your pet needs vaccinations every few years or whatever. I don't work as a general practice veterinarian, so my POV is from the emergency/specialty side at this point, and for that it's usually pretty clear cut to know when to go. Even then we have people calling us on ER a lot to ask questions about if they should be seen or not. We have plenty of people who come in on ER for pretty minor things that really didn't need to, but that's kind of part of the triage we do. That's not really the problem I have. I guess it's just about the stuff like "my dog is a bit mopey lately. She seems to sleep a bit more." = GO TO THE VET SHE MIGHT HAVE A HEALTH PROBLEM. "My dog has a runny nose. What's going on?" "MIGHT BE X RARE VIRUS. E-VET. "My cat puked and didn't finish her dinner. What should I do?" VET. WHAT IF SHE ATE POISON? "My puppy chewed a hole in my wall. What should I do?" FIRST OFF, VET FOR A LIKELY OBSTRUCTION. SECONDLY, BEHAVIORIST ASAP. I dunno, maybe I should just spend less time online and more time using my own common sense. But it can be hard since I had horrible role models for pets growing up.
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Aug 8, 2015 23:17
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The clinic attached to the shelter I got my dog from was pretty good about letting me know when to come in. I was worried about her spay incision but they said it didn't sound like a problem and gave me some signs to look out for. I'm glad I didn't take her in for that. Sadly you can only call them in a brief window after you get your dog since they aren't open to the public. They just take care of the shelter dogs. Her main vet basically straight up said, "Don't call if you have a problem. Always come in." so I'm kind of eh about that.
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Aug 9, 2015 22:58
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