As the owner of a dog, I wonder why people ask questions here rather than going to their Vet?

Question

If your dog's health is in question, SEE YOUR VET!! If you don't like your Vet, find another one. If it is a training issue or behavioral problem, find a local training group\club to join. You can't train your dog over the internet, you need a real live expert. You also need to constantly, and consistantly train your dog. Even after the class is over. If you can't commit to these simple ideas, stop buying the dog because he\she is "cute". That's my $.02

Answer 1

I have been answering question here for some time and it really amazes me how ignorant people are. It is not stupidity it is just plain ignorance and kids asking dumb questions, "What should I name my Puppy?" "What kind of dog should I get?'' "How do you house train my puppy?" These questions are ask over and over and over again day in and day out. Four or five times a day.

The question that do require a Vet to answer are asked by people who don't want to dish out bucks to take care of their beloved pet. They'll dish out money for collars, leashes, food bowls, for the pet and they dish out money for cola's, tobacco, to eat out but they can't seem to let go of the money just for the dog.

To most of us our pets are part of the family and do not hesitate to take a pet to the Vet if there is something wrong. There are all kinds of things that one can do at home to take care of a sick dog but you need to know all about it before doing anything.

It is an expensive venture and Vet's know that we would do almost anything to get medical attention for our loved pets and are taking advantage of this. Their prices keep going up up up. Knowing we will pay. It is sad when it costs more to take a dog tho the Vet than it does for us to go to a Doctor.

Sorry, that was more than $.02.

Answer 2

I agree with you about seeing your vet or training your pet. I don't think people should post questions like that on yahoo! answers either. Most vets have an emergency number or there is a 24-hour animal hospital nearby that probably works in conjunction with your vet.

Some people don't want to train their pets, just make their behavior more manageable. All of my pets had bad habits when we got them, but we worked with them (not like 6 hours a day either....just whenever it came up) to teach them those things were undesirable actions. Now they behave the way we taught them, and they never attended a class or a group. It's all about human-dog interaction. I do concede, however, that some things you need help with....that's why classes and groups exist. Your pet doesn't need to always be extensively trained, but they should definitely listen to you. Always. If they listen and you teach them simple commands and alternate behaviors on your own, they will mostly be fine.

However, if you're asking a question about an "exotic" pet and your vet doesn't have a satisfactory answer and you want to ask others who have that sort of pet, I don't see a problem with that. For instance, I'm lucky to have gotten my baby bearded dragon from a friend who's a breeder, so I can ask her any questions I have. Some people get them as pets and info websites are just too general and don't cover all the behavior you may see in your pets. How would you even begin to look up "why does my bearded dragon crawl across her food instead of eating it?" She does eat a varied diet and drink well, so I'm not really worried, but I wondered if it was a quirk unique to my pet or there was something deeper to it that she needed to see a vet for.

Answer 3

Well I am one that doesn't think you need to run to the vet for every sniffle. You get in way when there is an emergency!! Just like those that use the human emergency room for your family physician.

Society is so conditioned to run for someone else for everything. What would you have done 100 years ago (yes only a hundred. ) when the nearest Dr/vet (they all took care of everything) was a hundred miles away. People and animals have innate survival skills yet somehow they have been lost in our reconditioning to depend on anything and everything but ourselves.

I am sick of the ignorant questions that are asked over and over. Especially when you ask a question it brings up similar questions already answered.

Another issue with your question. What do you think qualifies someone to be an expert trainer. I only know a couple and their sidekicks. No one at petsmart or petco could be considered an expert. I doubt if any of them have the slighted idea concerning reconditioning an animal. Make it sit stay roll over Oh OH neat trick.

I do agree that people need to stop buying dogs. And they definently need to stop throwing the words rescued and adopted. If you paid for more than the vetting done you did not rescue or adopt you purchased a life. Did you have them all lined up with collars and leashes to pick the property you wanted to buy.

And again the obvious answer is not always the vet, just as cause a dog has the sh*ts its not parvo. It would be best for some of you to depend on your own innate intuition before getting in the way at the vet with trivial mundane information you could have asked a three year old.

My babies - These are not fosters just mine don't they look so dreadfully deprived not going to the vet once a week.
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/slideshow_complete

Answer 4

I agree with you, really, nobody over the internet, vet or not, will know what's happening with your dog unless they can see EXACTLY what the symptoms are.

Some people can't afford obedience classes, and that's okay because I trained all of my dogs by myself and they are just as smart -if not smarter- then any dog that took that class.. (3 Pit Bulls, they wouldn't allow them in the class. My boxer had obedience training because they did it before I purchased him from the shelter, but he still needed some training.)

But really people, when in doubt see your vet. Especially if your dog is chewing it's own leg off or coughing up blood.

Answer 5

I so agree with you. Here is my $.02 worth..A lot of answers are coming from kids. Think twice before you take their advice. I would never put my dog in danger by asking question about health here on this forum. A lot copy a paste from what they find on the net. They can be given you good advice for the wrong thing. Something wrong with your dog, take him to the vet..Or I have called animal hospital at night just to talk to them. They are more than willing to help you out.

Answer 6

Well how do you know that the people who are on Yahoo are not professional vets and even if some people are not official vets, everyone is an expert to a certain degree through personal experience.

Check this article on how to cut your cost as a dog owner:
http://wehow.ehow.com/how_2028401_cut-costs-as-dog-owner.html

Answer 7

I frequently wonder about it myself. I wouldn't trust some random person offering medical or training advice online! Even if I say I'm a vet, I might not be. And, how can I diagnose something without ever seeing the animal? Crazy. Although some people also ask for medical advice for themselves on here...so who knows what people are thinking?

Answer 8

It's not only the dog section. In every section of Yahoo Answers, you get answers as fast as one minute. You get several answers within 5 minutes, or not at all. I don't think people are using Yahoo Answers instead of going to the vet, they ask in addition to going to the vet. People also ask questions about their own health in the health section.

Answer 9

While your point is valid, sometimes folks will ask for second opinions. An internet Q&A is a great place to get second opinions, but only if you are also capable of wading through the misinformation people give. Also, one must be completely aware that they can never be guaranteed of receiving information from a "qualified/licensed/reputable" type of person as anyone can lie and misrepresent themselves.

An internet Q&A allows a user to post questions and receive answers from a vast variety of sources. Using such a forum is akin to doing research in a library and can be very educational... if one remembers to take the advice offered with a grain of salt.

Answer 10

I am guessing:
to see if there is a simple solution and they might have been over reacting.
Cash flow
Give them an idea as to what to watch for and ask when calling the vet.