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9,796 Posts
I've been reading message boards for many years and I feel it's important to address an issue you seldom see posted. Some of you may agree with me, some of you may disagree - that's what makes the world go 'round and I'm sure you'll voice your opinions pro or con.
IMHO some people can handle caring for an ultra sick dog at home and some people can't.
One very important thing the home caretaker must realize is when it's time to call the vet, when it's time to take the animal to the vet or ER, and when it's okay to continue to seek and get advice on the internet over an extended period of time.
Of course most often you see the best of both worlds where the poster takes the animal to the vet when necessary and continues to ask questions and share information on the message boards. But that doesn't always happen. Sometimes it's obvious there's an emergency situation, sometimes it's not - it's not always easy to tell when you have an emergency and when a problem can wait. Personally I'm paranoid and always try to err on the side of caution but that's just me.
However, when a dog has obvious symptoms of a medical problem that can get progressively worse over a short time frame, it's important that it get immediate medical attention and hours spent seeking advice over the internet can be contrary to the animal's welfare and subsequent recovery.
On another note, while I agree it's not a great scenario that a dog be left overnight at a hospital that's not staffed 24/7, it's often better than the dog not receiving the proper nursing care at home. I'm not a big fan of this, but if an owner is unable to care for an animal at home, and either doesn't want to leave it at an unstaffed hospital or it needs critical care throughout the night, there's always the option of transporting the dog to the ER when the regular vet hospital closes and then transporting it back to the hospital the next day.
IMHO some people can handle caring for an ultra sick dog at home and some people can't.
One very important thing the home caretaker must realize is when it's time to call the vet, when it's time to take the animal to the vet or ER, and when it's okay to continue to seek and get advice on the internet over an extended period of time.
Of course most often you see the best of both worlds where the poster takes the animal to the vet when necessary and continues to ask questions and share information on the message boards. But that doesn't always happen. Sometimes it's obvious there's an emergency situation, sometimes it's not - it's not always easy to tell when you have an emergency and when a problem can wait. Personally I'm paranoid and always try to err on the side of caution but that's just me.
However, when a dog has obvious symptoms of a medical problem that can get progressively worse over a short time frame, it's important that it get immediate medical attention and hours spent seeking advice over the internet can be contrary to the animal's welfare and subsequent recovery.
On another note, while I agree it's not a great scenario that a dog be left overnight at a hospital that's not staffed 24/7, it's often better than the dog not receiving the proper nursing care at home. I'm not a big fan of this, but if an owner is unable to care for an animal at home, and either doesn't want to leave it at an unstaffed hospital or it needs critical care throughout the night, there's always the option of transporting the dog to the ER when the regular vet hospital closes and then transporting it back to the hospital the next day.