Emergency questions posted on YA?

Question

Why do people ask medical emergency questions on YA? If I have a true emergency I am not likely to take some stranger on the internets advice but would call my own vet or the vet service that calls redirect to after office hours. I don't understand how people can run to their pc and YA to ask whether their dog bleeding to death on the floor is a bad thing or an emergency. Behavior, training or even general shared advice I can understand but.....

Would you trust answers from anyone on the internet to offer life and death advice?

Answer 1

I have to hope that a lot of the serious questions here are posted by bored people or to get a rise out of others. Reality is that not everyone has common sense, it isn't quite as common as the phrase implies.

I would never take anything here or anywhere else on the internet as a definative answer for anything important. It is a good format for suggestions, been there done that... this is how I fixed it or what I tried type questions. Its a great sounding board for ideas you may not have thought of and even at times for things to ask your vet about but it is not a replacement for a vet. In a real emergency coming here is a waste of valuable time. Even having to search for the number for poison control on the net when you need it shows a lack of planning. Emergency numbers should always be right by the phone, in a real emergency you don't have time to remember where you left the list or hunt for it.

No one is immune to emergencies but we can be as prepared as possible and logging in isn't doing that. I would always call my vet first. Always. Even a vet needs to SEE a patient and possibly run tests and get a background to treat. If a vet won't diagnose over the phone why would you expect anyone else to be able to? The person who posts may or may not be offering honest advice, if they are its still only a best guess since they can not evaluate. On the internet you can be anyone you want as long as someone is willing to believe you, I'd rather not trust my pets life to strangers who have nothing to loose.

Answer 2

The reason is people are cheap and lazy.
I would never trust advice from a bunch of strangers where my dog's health and life is concerned. When I have an emergency with my dogs my first thought is not, let me look on YA and see if there is some home remedy to cure my dog's ailment. You know I can understand people having financial troubles but they can call a vet and ask their questions when it pertains to their pet's health, the call is free and they would be getting solid and factual advice and that is much better than some of the home remedies given here on YA.
Welcome to YA. You must be new here because your question is always asked by new members that just do not understand how people can play with their animals lives like they do here. Seeing how some people care for their pets can be a rude awakening.

Answer 3

In a true emergency, I would not be typing...I would be driving to an emergency vet or on the phone with my vet.

However, there are people who don't have a vet or don't know when to recognize a true medical problem in their animals. Although I wish those types of people didn't exist, I feel like if I can help them get their dog some help, then I should.
It really bothers me when people belittle them or treat it as a joke - some of these people really need education about when to seek treatment for their animals, and I always suggest seeking a vet's advice as well as a possible explanation in my answer.

Answer 4

I always consault my vet BEFORE asking questions on here like when I rushed a puppy to the vet last sunday morning at 1am I posted a question the next day... I didn't post one that minut like......Help my puppy has only two legs what do I do or anything stupid like that! (he didn't have two legs he has 4 perfect legs...just an e.g.) When I do ask medical questions about my dogs or horses it's uaually to ease my curiosity and to see what suggestions etc I can throw my vets way when I go back there next!

I posted one last week Why did my B itch attack her puppy?
I got some good feedback although none of what was suggested was the reason I still got on the phone to my vet again and asked him if she could have had eclampsia, mastitis etc. I was very aware of these conditions but I took her in the next day anyway had her checked over and she had an infection in her uterus, she had hidden being ill VERY well even the vet thought I was wasting his time when we walked through the door (she's a bull terrier) he said she is quite bad and could have had a psycotic episode and attacked baby by accident!
If the guys on here had not screamed at me to call the vet I probibly wouldn't have bothered until last Wednesday when they had their check up!

Thanks to all those who helped! xx

Answer 5

In the time they took to type their question (or even wait for a few answers), they could have already had their vet called and found out if it was an emergency or been in route to a vet.

Any question regarding a pets health should be directed to their vet.

Answer 6

I think you may confuse emergancy questions sometimes with people who are in a crisis looking for other people PERSONAL experiance to see or compare too. I posted a question about my dog having a seizure and OF COURSE I called my ve, but what I was looking was to see if anyone has gone through the same. I understand when people blatenly ask med questions or the age old 'am i pregnant' questions.

Answer 7

No, I would not because some people just put any answer for the 2 points. For emergency, I will call my mentor and my vet. For others, I may take it as consideration.

Answer 8

Sadly people get pets they can not afford. They would rather be told that it will go away and the vet die then they can blame the people on YA rather than paying for a vet or being responsible for their own pet's death. I am only 22 and I have a credit card reserved for my pets. I don't understand how someone can take in a pet and not afford it. We see this all the time in pet food. they get a dog can't afford good food, feed it Purina and then the dog gets sick. well don't get a pet if you can't afford it.

Answer 9

Mhm exactly,
I too have my vet and my doctor on speed dial.
Some people are really cheap to go to the vet, If you can't pay for vaccines, checkups, and emergency bills than you shouldn't be owning a pet. There's responsible pet owner and then there's not so responsible pet owner, the two are VERY different.

Answer 10

No I certainly would not. I have my vets phone number on speed dial just in case of an emergency. some people sont have a clue what a emergency really is. So they come here only to be told, YES it an emergency.

No common sence at all!