# Sticky  Canine Medical Emergencies and DogForums.com



## RonE

Look, I get it. It's very disappointing to register on a dog forum because you have a canine health concern, only to have your your thread locked by a moderator. Here's why we do that.

This forum is made up of thousands of dog-owners (and a few who don't own dogs.) Experience ranges from absolute novice to those who have watched too many episodes of Dog Whisperer to some very experienced professionals. You have no idea, especially if you're new here, which is which. 

Well-meaning members may give you very bad advice, or good advice which doesn't actually apply to your dog. Nobody here has ever seen your dog. Very few here are veterinarians. Bad training advice, ("Just rub his nose in it.") can potentially harm your dog, but bad medical advice could kill your dog or make a condition much worse. 

Inappropriate advice puts your dog at risk. Because of liability concerns, it also puts the forum at risk. 

Even a seemingly innocent question like, "Should I be concerned?" will not be allowed. If someone says, "I wouldn't worry about it." and your dog has a serious condition, nobody wins. If you're concerned-enough to register on a dog forum and post the question, it's time to call the vet. 

We hear all sorts of reasons why someone posts a question here instead of at least calling the vet. "It's the weekend. My vet is closed." If you have a dog, you need an emergency plan. We use the only vet in the area that's actually on call for off-hours, and then it's only for existing clients. Despite that, I've made the 50-mile drive to the nearest emergency vet and spent $800, just to be told, "She'll probably be okay. Call us if it gets worse."

Or, "I can't really afford a vet right now." Again, if you have a dog, you need an emergency plan, whether it's Care Credit or insurance or a dedicated credit card that you only use for emergency vet care or an understanding relative that will loan you some money. Also, phone calls are usually free and you can get a professional opinion instead of very questionable ones from a bunch of strangers on the Internet. 

We've heard, "I don't really trust our vet." You need to find a different vet.

But, still, you're disappointed in the forum and really upset with the moderator who locked your thread. You might feel like reposting your question on another thread and maybe throw in a little dig at the moderator that closed your first one. Or maybe you want to argue via private messaging. Don't do either. At best, you'll be ignored. At worst, you'll be banned from any future participation. Even those well-meaning members who offer medical advice might find themselves in a brief time-out. 

If you're concerned, call your vet. If your thread gets closed, understand it's not subject to review. It's not debatable. This is not a democracy.


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## Shell

Well said and well detailed as to the reasons behind the rules. 

Personally, I look at the health forum for advice regarding peoples' experiences with various treatment options or such for something that I already have been to the vet for. Like when Chester tore his CCL, getting ideas about various surgery techniques was very useful and I would encourage such conversation as mentioned in the rules header. 

I think it is worth noting though in case someone looks back on threads and says "Hey, you gave advice here!" that *very*rare exceptions have been made for people in geographical locations that truly do not have vet access. Not like 50 mile drive but like 50 mile walk in the desert or once every 3 weeks bus kinda thing.


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## TGKvr

This seems like a good cross-post sticky on the Introduction/New Members forum.


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## CptJack

Can I also use this place to advise people that having an ongoing relationship with your vet can really mitigate a lot of these issues? Yes, also a credit card, pet insurance, or savings account, but a relationship with your vet matters. Build one. Take your pet in, get routine vet care, pay your bills on time and in full, and when there are financial considerations for the love of god TELL THEM. TELL THEM how much money you have to work with, *before* you start on a course of treatment. 

Work with them. Be up front, be honest, be responsible, be considerate, have a relationship and you might just discover they'll work with you. Calling a random vet that you've never seen - not so much. Develop. That. Relationship.


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## TGKvr

^^^ THIS SO MUCH. I really love our vet, and trust him implicitly. I know that if I encountered some difficulty in funding something <insert weird situation here>, he'd likely work with me and ensure we still get the best care possible. Great advice!


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## CptJack

TGKvr said:


> <insert weird situation here>


I have one dog who has had three e-vet visits with surgery and overnight stays, 2 sets of biopsy sent off to pathology, and all the blood work that is available (literally, all of it) done in less than a month. Oh and medication. We still don't have clear answers. 

Thank god there's an established relationship there.


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## RonE

We are seeing a dramatic up-tick in the number of posts requesting diagnosis or treatment for canine medical problems. This is expressly forbidden by forum rules for the reasons detailed in the first post of this thread. These threads will be closed and, if you persist, you will be banned.

We recognize that these are very difficult times. Many vets, my own included, aren't allowing owners into the clinic because of social distancing orders. We are encouraged to do a phone consult (which itself would be more productive than posting your question on an Internet forum.) If the vet feels the dog needs to be seen, we call them from the parking lot, they come and get the dog, and then return him when the exam is completed.

It's not ideal but - again - it's WAY better than consulting a bunch of strangers on a forum who don't know your dog and, for the most part, are not veterinary professionals. 

It's also disturbing to me personally that most members who register specifically to ask a medical question post once and are never seen again. This forum has a lot to offer other than medical advice. I've had dogs for most of the past 63 years (gulp!) and I learn something nearly every day on this forum. 

We also recognize that most of the people who need to read this will never see it.


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## lokkenika

I think that all pet owners should be aware of the diseases that animals are susceptible to. Few people know that dogs can also suffer from pneumonia, cancer of internal organs, they can also have cataracts, and so on. My friend's dog had cataracts for many years, and they didn't know about it because their pet was moving around by sniffing things. When their dog got older, she lost her sense of smell and started tripping over objects and bumping into walls. I believe that long-term pet insurance is needed for safety of your pet. It's better to do this and take the pet to the vet every six months than to make the pet suffer.


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## DaySleepers

@lokkenika Discussing diagnosed conditions or talking about diseases in dogs in general is absolutely allowed here! What we cannot allow, for the safety of the animal(s) involved, is posts asking for or offering guesses as to what's medically wrong with a dog who has not seen a veterinary professional. So you can absolutely post saying that your dog has cataracts, and ask for support or experiences other members have had with dogs with vision problems, but a post like "why is my dog bumping into walls?" will only be told that the dog needs to see a vet for a professional examination.


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