WHY do people who are very obviously NOT vets?

Question

claim to be? I mean, if my vet had the spelling, grammar, and general lack of knowledge so glaringly apparent in the posts of some of these folks claiming they are veterinarians, I'd be looking for a new one NOW! And can they ethically be reported as impersonators on educated suspicion?

Vet Deanna-I would like to say this is not aimed at you. I have one person in specific in mind. They gave a totally inappropriate answer that could kill the animal in question. Haven't seen you do that.

Is THIS and answer you'd expect from your vet?

EMERGENCY CLINIC NOW!! That sounds like it may be deadly without treatment, possibly even with so get of the computer, call a emergency clinic (or the emergency number of your vet) and GO! Please your dog can't save it's own life! think about how it feels put yourself in it's place, you would want to live RIGHT? please, just take it

Source(s):

EXTREME DOG LOVER AND VETERINARIAN!

Joh, yes that's one of them...reptile expert too, wasn't it?

The dog lady- not that I am aware of.

dbsantos77- Yes, I have heard that especially in Brazil there are people performing plastic surgery with NO medical training! That's terrifying.

Animal artwork- Had to laugh at that. You have NO idea how many vets and vet techs don't know my blue merle shelties are purebreds, or that a shaded sable sheltie is NOT a tri-color! I can relate! If it heps, I DO know aobut the bisquit color in sammies and eskies.

Lorelei- Wow! I didn't know it was that bad on the rodent board too. So sad.

Gringo- I don't mind them not KNOWING what color my breed is, or even that certain thyroid values that appear to be "normal" for dogs in general are acutally indicative of hypothyroidisim in shelties, but when they ARGUE with me about the color or refuse to accept that I might know something about my breed that differs slightly from the species in general, they are GONE. One of the first things my fave professor in college taught me is there are times when experienced owners (ie farmers and experienced breeders) will have a better idea of what you need to look for than you do.

Oh, and yes, I DO know aoubt the dapple vs the merle, and about the tricolor and piebald...thanks to reputable breeders. And we DID have a lesson on ID'ing breeds that we were tested on in college.

Answer 1

yeah your 500% right.i believe that the "impersonators" should be penalized for such crime even if it is on yahoo! answers.most of the people who say that they're professional know very little on their so-called "profession"i say report the fools.its the same thing if they called themselves professional right on the street.

EDIT:its like most medical personnel these days.well not so much in the united states,but in most 3rd-world countries,doctors claim to be professional and even PERFORM some procedures such as removing root canals,and sometimes even surgery.its horrible,i dont think they get it that they can actually kill someone if something bad happens.you got to be careful nowadays

EDIT:and you never know when a so-called "veterenarian" can be breeding animals and performing procedures on pets in their backyard,its really sickening.Jennifer T all i know is that if my dog is having a seizure right before my eyes on the floor,i wouldnt jump on my pc and logon to yahoo! answers asking "why is my dog having a seizure?he was fine last night"come on people common sense.

EDIT:in response to cowgirl's answer:first off i would think that a professional vet will be able to spell decently,second of all i wouldnt take advice from a person who is not certified.why would you in the first place?thats so irresponsible its like getting your car fixed by your neighbor instead of taking it to a "certified" dealer.will you risk haveing the car damaged even more by the neighbor?or spend a little more cash and take it to someplace where they WILL fix it?catch my drift?..good

EDIT:yes ESPECIALLY in countries liek brazil,el salvador,ecuador,and guatemala.its horrible.but then again the goverment doesnt lift a finger so its really a shame

EDIT:oh yeah and "vet" deanna is a perfect example of one of those impersonators Jennifer T was talking about.just look at "shanna"'s answer.its people like deanna that make me SICK.

Answer 2

I don't care if a person is a licensed Veterinarian or not, one cannot diagnose with any accuracy on a forum such as this, or even in a phone call. I don't know of a Veterinarian that would even attempt to.

If animals' illnesses could be diagnosed and treatment recommended, sight unseen, then people could certainly save a lot of money and just have a computer do the diagnosis and recommended treatments, you could then contact your Veterinarian telling him/her what you needed prescribed and then drop by the office and pick up your prescription. Of course we would still need the human Veterinarian to do the surgical procedures. Computers cannot freely do that at this time.

Regarding a Veterinarian not knowing the name given to the variations of coloring in that person's Shetland Sheepdog, I would like to remind that person that a Veterinarian goes to school and learns how to treat your dog, cat, horse, iquana, bird...etc. The 'names' of colors and patterns that each breed has for all the variations that occur in their breed is not something a Veterinarian is required to learn. It has nothing to do with the health of your dog other than merle being a physical indication of the cause blindness or deafness in a dog. I guess I would have to ask you what is the merle coloration called in a Dachshund? What is the coloration called on a Dachshund if it is marked like a Beagle/Basset? Let me clear that up for you, in the Dachshund breed the merle coloring on a dog is called Dapple, and the Dachshund marked and colored like a Beagle is called a Piebald. In a Great Dane the merle is called a Harlequin. So do you really expect the Vets to know all the odd names each breed description gives to...often the same coloration on three different breeds but called three different names for the description???? Give your Vet a break, if he/she knows what is ailing your dog and can 'fix' it, that is what he/she went to school for, not to determine colors.

I don't mean to rant but I feel there are legitimate complaints about Vets and there are the time wasting, petty, nonsense complaints that carry no validity.

Answer 3

Hi!

Now granted some Drs are notorious for bad handwriting and spelling, etc. But yeah it would make me wonder and seriously question their ability and knowledge as a VET. I would definately run and find a new one! And if you suspect someone practicing V/M w/out a license. I sure would report them. That's no different than a "people" Dr. practicing medicine w/out a license.

Jennifer,I have a Blue Merle Sheltie and you wouldn't believe the dumb questions I get about what she is mixed with! Someone even asked if she was part wolf,LOL Now granted I didn't even know there was such a thing myself. I grew up seeing the traditional sable colored. That is until we got Macie. Now the B/M is my favorite color! Since getting Macie I have been educating myself on this beautiful breed and looking to get one of each color. I am looking to oneday show/breed. Also, I have to say this is the BEST breed for children. I have 4 children and Macie who is about 7 1/2 months herself knows the difference between the bigger 2- ages 10 and 8- Where she rough houses and plays HARD, because they love it.And then with my 3 yr old and 21 month old she is gentle as a lamb. Never jumping or licking or going crazy. She just lays down and then my little girl lays down with her or vice versa. Absolutely adorable!

Answer 4

It's a shame people have to pretend to be things they are not. Some of the answers I've seen on here are just plain rediculous and down right false. And I've seen these types of answers that are supposedly coming from a "vet" or "vet tech".
Now I'm neither of those things, but when I answer questions they are usually ones I have experience with or have had to deal with whatever they are asking.
I think the bad points for yahoo answers, is that any idiiot can "claim" to be whatever they want and give any type of answer.......true or false answers. It is a forum that has only limitied moderation. And it is up to the asker to determine which advice is accurate. I just hope most of the askers of those really important questions can pick those people out. With some of the answers I've seen, I would hate to think someone actually followed their advice.
Thankfully, from years of working with rescue, having friends who are vets techs and owning many pets over the years, I can spot the ones who are dishing out the BS and claiming to be something they are not.

Answer 5

I know exactly what you mean. Unfortunately, some people also pick these as best answers which makes me cringe in horror.
I've rescued, owned and bred a multitude of rodents for over 13 years. I've also read as many books as I could get my hands on regarding rodents. I'd like to think that I am pretty knowledgeable when it comes to that subject.
Often I go to the rodent section of Yahoo and answer questions in the hopes that it could prevent a pet from getting improper care. This often happens to "pocket pets" as most of them are purchased on a whim without the proper research beforehand.
Some of the advice given there makes me wonder about some people's intelligence. Why do they answer if they know nothing about the subject in question?
I've seen people say it is perfectly fine to keep Syrian hamsters together (Syrians are solitary and will kill another of their own kind), that fathers need to be removed after the birth of babies (not true at all in mice, gerbils, rats, dwarf hamsters, etc. In some situations, the father even turns out to be the better parent! Only true with Syrian hamsters which should be separated anyways), rodents should be fed a strict diet of sunflower seeds (my head spun on this one!), that a mouse who was supposedly suffering from nerve/brain damage after eating fruit sprayed with pesticides should NOT be given vet treatment as the only option was a brain operation which a mouse could not survive anyways (the asker actually picked this as best answer as the answerer claimed that they had many veterinarians in their family...ya sure!), etc. I could probably write all day about some of the ridiculous answers I have seen.
It really upsets me as I know if anyone was to follow the advice given then the only one who suffers is the animal. As I said before, I like to think I am pretty knowledgeable on the subject of rodents. But, even I double-check any answers I give by quoting sources that back me up. I would hate to think that I would be responsible for any mistreatment of an animal. I think more people should consider that before answering.
I hope my opinion helped you some and good luck!
P.S. I also thank you for bringing up such a great question that needs to be addressed!

Answer 6

I have thought of that many times. It wasn't too long ago that a 14 year old girl said she was a vet.

I would think Yahoo would want them to be reported. Someone might take their advice and end up hurting their animal. I have left notes with my answers saying that I didn't think "so and so" was a vet. I think I will start reporting them.

EDIT NOTE TO VET DIANNA: We are speaking of the idiots that cannot spell and answer questions with answers that my dogs could answer better. It is very obvious they are brain dead or just stupid. It makes me angry that people impersonate others in a capacity that could injure someones animal. Please don't be offended. We appreciate all the correct answers we can get.

And forever said something about the quality of the answers you receive on this site, you have to have the brains to know what you should use and what not to. If you can't decide, then maybe you should not be here.

Answer 7

I couldn't agree more. I'm no tech and i'm no vet...wanted to be but ya know wish in one hand and......in the other. which one is fuller.

I have asked med Q but it was before i took my dog to the vet the next day....it was something i had not seen and not deadly in the 15 hours (i knew that much.) and wanted more insight...but would NEVER take someones word on the net for my pets health. fake vet/ tech or real vet/ tech(i will take what u say jen)....but my critter will still go to the vet...duh! and if its life or death....my butt will be nowhere near my pc...ya know

Shanna---- Vet Deanna... she is gone????? I never read anything she posted..to my memory. hmmmm....17 huh?

I'm truthful...and i think a few others are i mean how can one keep the lies straight?...guess thats why they get caught huh?

Answer 8

Whoa! Deanna, I don't think she's targeting the real vets. You sound like a real vet to me. Everyone here really, really appreciates the advice the real vets offer.

Jennifer (the asker) is a vet tech and I really value her advice on medical questions. I also really value the opinion and feedback of the real vets here, including yourself (though I don't recall seeing many of your answers).

There's a lot of people running around here calling themselves vets or vet techs that it's pretty obvious they have no clue what they're talking about. As a vet yourself, I'm sure you can appreciate the seriousness of these false claims.


Personally, thinking about what might bring myself to call myself a vet... I think it would have to be if I feel like nobody is taking my advice seriously... which sounds like a kid who really wants to contribute something valuable but doesn't have enough knowledge and/or experience to contribute much valuable. So they make up credentials so maybe someone will think their advice is good (or the best answer). Pitiful.

ADD: Lol. Good one Shanna. Way to do your homework. Guess that just proves that some pseudo-vets CAN spell! Guess I'll leave my nice comments to the pseudo-vet...

Does this mean we can report her? Should we call the police?

Answer 9

They get on here and try to offer advice (poor though it may be) because it makes them feel better about themselves.

VetDeanna: Nice to meet you, it'll be a refreshing change from some of the garbage we see.

As a side note: Amongst all professions there are the good and not so good.. that includes vets and vet techs. Our responsibility as pet owners is to educate ourselves and advocate for our dogs. Not long ago I was at a vet's office and the vet tech commented to me that my Samoyed mix was well-behaved. When I told her that he was not a mix she spent 5 minutes going on and on about how a purebred Samoyed could not be his color as they are all pure white (he is bisquit and white).. Considering both his parents are champions and he's already won a Best of Breed.. I'm pretty certain he's purebred. I asked her to take the time to look up the breed standard before she judged what quality my dog is. I received a phone call the next day apologizing... people can learn. Its one of the very few reasons I stay on here answering questions.

Answer 10

Are you talking about the fashion advisor/vet by any chance? :-) Some of the answers from people claiming to be professionals are really quite scary and (I agree Jennifer)dangerous. I know that many people don't agree with my choice to feed my animals raw meat, offal and bones but some of the claims made in regard to this are outrageous and downright untrue.

Spelling may not be someone's strong point but I'm sure to get through a veterinary degree some form of written communication is needed so that argument doesn't wash either.