Do you think it could be potentially dangerous.....?

Question

that no one really knows who is who on here? I mean, those of us who have been here a while have a good idea of who's full of sh!t and who knows what they're talking about, but for the new people?

How many kids are on here taking the advice that sounds the easiest but isn't necessarily the best because they don't know any better?

I think it's scary. Don't you? (Especially when the questions are about sick or injured dogs.)

Good point Karina.

Answer 1

I would like to think they read through the answers they recieve and chose the most logical. I would also like to think that they do not use YA as their only source of info. I am probably wrong and what is sad is that it really is not surprising.

Answer 2

You know, YA is a good place to start and get some ideas of what you are dealing with (assuming it isn't life threatening). In non serious situations, they can maybe go to their vet with a few ideas that maybe the vet wouldn't think of. Vets are great, but lets face it, sometimes they get stumped just like MDs do.

What worries me is that a lot of people won't go to the vet to ask the same questions, that they will take the advice here and trust when someone says "I'm a vet tech and so I know what I'm talking about." I know there are some techs here, but there is NO WAY to verify that and people should not just be following that advice.

Some things are simple fixes, like the other day someone asked about a bleeding toe nail cut too short. My vet is the one who told me to just keep cornstarch handy and use that to encourage the clotting, should it ever happen. But I still hope that the person I suggested that to AT LEAST called THEIR vet to verify it was acceptable!

Answer 3

I am a "Newbie" - just started today. Just remember it was your choice to accept an answer from this site, so you do so at your own risk. I would like to think that kids wouldn't do this but we all know better, don't we? Kids will usually speak a bit differently to adults, so that may be one way to determine whether you are accepting advice from them. Hopefully most kids on this site have been installed with a few extra brain cells by parents who actually care about what their children are up to but once again, you never can be sure. Good luck in determining what is best for your situation.

Answer 4

This is no different than asking people anywhere. People are great for giving their opinion. In the real world everyone must sort through what they believe to be credible and false. The biggest problem is most people pay attention only to the opinions that most reflect what they already want to hear. I have seen several people give correct answers to a questions and one idiot that didn't have a clue. But, because the questioner wanted to hear what they had to say they picked that answer. Yes it is dangerous. and very unfortunate for the dogs as well.

Answer 5

Scary? A bit. I have read some advice on Answers that was totally WRONG---not something I disagreed with, stuff that was 100 percent inaccurate.

There is 1 person I know of who is flat out mis-representing herself here. She promotes herself as a trainer with a dog who has many titles and she is lying. How do I know she is lying? What she claims is physically impossible.

I see her giving advice and I am tempted to call her on her alleged expertise but so far I haven't seen her say anything horrific---of course I am not here every day, so who knows?

I think this leads me to my own question....

Answer 6

I hate it when someone gives advice and it is, at best, a wild guess. If you know nothing about the topic, keep your mouth shut. I am sure it gets hard to find the good answer, when you have so many wrong ones.

Maybe its the instant expert syndrome. Someone owns a dog, and they think they know everything about dogs. Kinda like the guy who fixes the lawnmower, once, and then thinks he is Mr. Handyman, as he goes around breaking sh**.

Answer 7

I agree. When it comes to my dog's health or animal emergencies I try to get a hold of my vet or if it's too late (if my vet is closed for the night) I rather pay the higher fee and take her to the emergency vet. I rather be safe than sorry. Some of these questions are a bit scary though.
As for tips and suggestions about training or something like that, then....

Answer 8

Yeah, isn't it? Hopefully people use their common sense and think for themselves, maybe using the answers here as mere suggestions. Overall, I think it's pretty safe because most of the answers to questions involving sick or injured dogs consist of "[blah blah blah]. But you should take your pet to a vet." Who knows. I'll be interested to see when the first lawsuit gets filed.

Answer 9

Your right...I'm new and I think it's scarry when you put it that way. I hope that ppl who are taking advice for their pets health realize that they should also seek the advice of a trusted professional or someone that they know personally. Before I would DO anything with or to any of my pets I'd double check it with the vet or a real life friend. Common sense is the key here.

Answer 10

I appreciate your concern for the newer, and younger members, but I can't think of any way to protect them, outside of their respective parents. If the parents are truly concerned then they should be monitoring their children. Sometimes the questions seem to be about the parents who are not that concerned about the child, or children. In this case, it can only be hoped that the advice given is the best possible, and that it will be helpful to the questioner.