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This is probably stupid as gently caress but is anyone else a pet hypochondriac? I constantly fret that something is wrong with my dog. The latest thing is that her stomach is looking a bit bigger and I can't tell if it looks swollen or if she's just getting pudgy. I'm guessing it's the latter since I've been feeding her wet food in addition to her normal meals to crate train her but I can't shake the worry that something is wrong. I guess it's because one of my cats died in a really awful way (cancer) a few years ago at a premature young age so that's why I worry a lot. Not to mention, I don't really have the savings to do any sort of heroic treatment if she got sick, so I guess that adds to it. If she got a serious illness, I guess I'd have to put her down. Still a net win since she was scheduled to be euth'd at the shelter a few days after I got her but emotionally of course that would be terrible. But anyway, how do you even determine when to take them in? Some people online act like if your dog has one loose stool or a scrape, you need to run to the e-vet. Even here on SA, any time people mention any medical issue, no matter how small with their pet, people say "go to the vet." Do you guys really run to the vet that often? Or are you just saying it because you don't want to feel guilty if they withheld treatment and their pet died or whatever? But on the opposite end, my parents won't take their pets in until they're practically dying and have been suffering for months. Clearly there has to be a middle ground but I can't find it. So basically I'm wondering if you have any tips for telling if a pet truly needs to be seen by a vet or not and also stories where you regret taking them in too soon or too late. Thanks.
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Aug 8, 2015 09:06
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 16:41 |
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I thought of one more thing in the shower. I've heard the rule that "if you'd take a human baby in for the same problem, bring in your pet, since they both can't talk." There are four problems I see for that though. 1. A human baby's life is worth more than a dog's. Only internet crazies would disagree with that. So it's better to not take any chances with a baby's life. 2. Human babies are underdeveloped when they come out of the womb so they're super fragile. Dogs aren't. 3. Human insurance is usually a lot better than pet insurance. It usually costs little or nothing in the developed world to take a baby to the doctor whereas a thorough exam at the vet costs like $150. 4. It can be hard to make the call of when to bring in a baby as well.
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Aug 8, 2015 09:25
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I really do take my dog to the vet fairly often (we're there probably every 4-6 months for something or other) but my dog is a trainwreck and I'm sort of a paranoid dog owner because of it. I have never regretted taking the dog in for something that worried me, a $40 exam is worth the peace of mind. I also own livestock though and that has made me pretty good at triaging animal issues and determining if things are really worth a vet appointment. I think people in PI tell folks to go to the vet early and often because we can't be there to see whats going on and no one wants to tell someone its probably fine and have the animal die or something. Better safe than sorry! Part of deciding when a vet appt is necessary is knowing your pet. My dog occasionally barfs in the morning and also eats weird things sometimes so a few days of morning puke is something I would just watch. Endless barfing, not being able to keep down water, a fever, lethargy, looking bloated or not eating in addition to puking would send me running to the vet. My dog gets in scraps with the sheep and runs through the underbrush and gets small cuts, those I would just clean and watch. When he nearly pulled a toe off and I could see his foot tendons he went to the vet right away. My dog has a history of random massive facial infections so any facial swelling gets a day of benedryl then a vet visit just in case. My dog pees on things sometimes because of his meds so an accident here or there wouldn't bother me but for any other dog might warrant a pee test for a UTI. For the pudgy belly what I would do is cut back on food a little/increase exercise a bit and see if it goes away. I would watch for any other symptoms or if it gets bigger but I wouldn't be going nuts about it yet. If the dog has an annual exam coming up or if she hasn't had an exam in a while I might do one of those and just mention it then if it was really concerning me.
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Aug 8, 2015 15:40
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You are way overthinking this. I know a lot of people here (probably myself included...I'm awful at preventative care with my own animals honestly) don't really abide by this, but your pet should theoretically be seeing a vet maybe once every year or two for a physical exam and so the vet has a baseline for when things go wrong. This is how you try to catch the slow, insidious things. Also is good for if your pet needs vaccinations every few years or whatever. I don't work as a general practice veterinarian, so my POV is from the emergency/specialty side at this point, and for that it's usually pretty clear cut to know when to go. Even then we have people calling us on ER a lot to ask questions about if they should be seen or not. We have plenty of people who come in on ER for pretty minor things that really didn't need to, but that's kind of part of the triage we do.
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Aug 8, 2015 19:06
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Topoisomerase posted:You are way overthinking this. I know a lot of people here (probably myself included...I'm awful at preventative care with my own animals honestly) don't really abide by this, but your pet should theoretically be seeing a vet maybe once every year or two for a physical exam and so the vet has a baseline for when things go wrong. This is how you try to catch the slow, insidious things. Also is good for if your pet needs vaccinations every few years or whatever. I don't work as a general practice veterinarian, so my POV is from the emergency/specialty side at this point, and for that it's usually pretty clear cut to know when to go. Even then we have people calling us on ER a lot to ask questions about if they should be seen or not. We have plenty of people who come in on ER for pretty minor things that really didn't need to, but that's kind of part of the triage we do. That's not really the problem I have. I guess it's just about the stuff like "my dog is a bit mopey lately. She seems to sleep a bit more." = GO TO THE VET SHE MIGHT HAVE A HEALTH PROBLEM. "My dog has a runny nose. What's going on?" "MIGHT BE X RARE VIRUS. E-VET. "My cat puked and didn't finish her dinner. What should I do?" VET. WHAT IF SHE ATE POISON? "My puppy chewed a hole in my wall. What should I do?" FIRST OFF, VET FOR A LIKELY OBSTRUCTION. SECONDLY, BEHAVIORIST ASAP. I dunno, maybe I should just spend less time online and more time using my own common sense. But it can be hard since I had horrible role models for pets growing up.
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Aug 8, 2015 23:17
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Personally I take them to the vet if they have an acute problem that lasts 24+ hours or if it's something I would go to a doctor about if it were happening to me. For example if they're pukey I won't call the vet on the first puke but if they're puking for 24 hours then it's vet time. However if they're simultaneously puking and making GBS threads and looking terrible they go to the vet ASAP. For other not super urgent stuff if it's obviously bothering them I bring them in whenever fits in my schedule, like when one of mine had an old scar that suddenly got super itchy and he was clearly not happy about it so I took him in to see what I could do to help his itchiness. If your dog's stomach is just looking bigger I'd try a diet plus more exercise first and if there's no change after a few weeks then I'd ask a vet. If he's acting otherwise normal I wouldn't worry about it. My dogs both get a full checkup when they get their annual vaccines, and one of them goes in monthly for arthritis injections so if something questionable but not urgent pops up (like his itchy scar) I just wait till his next injection appointment to ask about it.
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Aug 9, 2015 04:53
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I'm on the same page as Aquatic. If it's something I would take myself to the doctor for, then we go. If it's a small symptom or hasn't been ongoing - don't worry too much. Outside of a check-up every 2 years (most vets I've had recommend yearly, but my animals are adult aged and have no ongoing health issues to keep track of). But as they enter their senior years I'll likely step it up to yearly. I pack up to the vet if there is: multiple vomits in a 24-hour period, limping or swelling that doesn't go away in a few hours, pain (that they won't let me touch it), extreme changes in behaviour (aggression, lethargic, hiding, etc), obvious breathing issues, or obvious injury like laceration of some kind. You can generally call your vets office and ask too. If the desk staff sucks just ask to speak with a tech or someone more knowledgeable. Typically they will ask how long the symptom has been going and how severe the change is.
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Aug 9, 2015 17:09
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Unagi posted:You can generally call your vets office and ask too. If the desk staff sucks just ask to speak with a tech or someone more knowledgeable. Typically they will ask how long the symptom has been going and how severe the change is. Every time I've tried this they always tell me to bring him in regardless of the severity of the issue just from a covering their asses point of view, because there's always the chance it could actually be something really bad and if the vet tells someone to not bring their dog in and then it dies they're possibly liable for it and could get sued.
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Aug 9, 2015 21:53
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I never take myself to the doctor for anything short of needing things to be sewn back together. The dog goes much more often than that. Any of those things you listed I would just give 24 hours to see if they escalated. If you think its a long term issue keep notes and see if it really is a consistent problem or if you are just looking for bad things. I get being really anxious and convincing yourself that an animal is having an emergency when they aren't really but in general I think you can trust yourself to recognize what a real emergency is.
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Aug 9, 2015 22:39
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Every time I've tried this they always tell me to bring him in regardless of the severity of the issue just from a covering their asses point of view, because there's always the chance it could actually be something really bad and if the vet tells someone to not bring their dog in and then it dies they're possibly liable for it and could get sued. Yeeeeeep. I work in EMS and a ton of our ambulance calls start out with something along the lines of "Well, I called the Ask A Nurse hotline about my 5 year old daughter throwing up twice with a fever of 100.2 and they said to call an ambulance."
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Aug 9, 2015 22:51
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The clinic attached to the shelter I got my dog from was pretty good about letting me know when to come in. I was worried about her spay incision but they said it didn't sound like a problem and gave me some signs to look out for. I'm glad I didn't take her in for that. Sadly you can only call them in a brief window after you get your dog since they aren't open to the public. They just take care of the shelter dogs. Her main vet basically straight up said, "Don't call if you have a problem. Always come in." so I'm kind of eh about that.
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Aug 9, 2015 22:58
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Mathematics posted:Her main vet basically straight up said, "Don't call if you have a problem. Always come in." so I'm kind of eh about that. I can sort of understand that. For me it's like a car. When my car is making a funny noise, I call my mechanic. They ask what's wrong and I'm like "Um. It's making a weird noise. Sort of a squeaky squeally noise? Kind of like *makes awkward squeaky sound*?" and then they're like "Just come in and let me listen to it" because I obviously have no idea what the gently caress I'm talking about and "something ain't quite right" isn't really diagnostic material. Something like "My dog's stomach is a little bigger, maybe it might be swollen or maybe she's just a little fatter...?" seems like it would be the same kind of deal. Khizan fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Aug 10, 2015 |
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Aug 10, 2015 01:01
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Khizan posted:I can sort of understand that. For me it's like a car. When my car is making a funny noise, I call my mechanic. They ask what's wrong and I'm like "Um. It's making a weird noise. Sort of a squeaky squeally noise? Kind of like *makes awkward squeaky sound*?" and then they're like "Just come in and let me listen to it" because I obviously have no idea what the gently caress I'm talking about and "something ain't quite right" isn't really diagnostic material. Pretty much this. If it's not something your vet already knows about, and it's been going on for more than 24/48 hours - it's worth the trip. If it's a chronic issue your vet already knows about, call and see what they recommend you keep an eye out for. If it's an acute symptom that doesn't go away quickly (24/48 hours) then take them in.
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Aug 12, 2015 06:51
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My elderly shiba inu slipped on some sand earlier today and wouldn't stop crying. She hardly ever barks and NEVER cries, so I immediately knew something was wrong. Turns out she dislocated her hip, so I'm glad I took her to the vet right away. If your pet is a frequent flier at the vet and ineligible for pet insurance (like mine), you might like to give the Banfield monthly pet plan a try. It's saved me a fortune in vet bills.
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Sep 4, 2015 03:03
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I used to take my dogs to the vet a lot sooner, and found that most of the time, the solution to the issue was waiting anyway, and then I had a bill for going to the vet. Now, I do as other people have suggested, I wait about 24 hours.
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Sep 5, 2015 00:51
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Often the best way to get a pet to immediately start feeling better is to make them a vet appointment. My dog was having entirely liquid shits for three days so I made him an appointment and when I let him out before I took him to his appointment he miraculously had a normal solid poo poo so I had to call the vet and be like "uh nevermind..."
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Sep 5, 2015 17:48
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Often the best way to get a pet to immediately start feeling better is to make them a vet appointment. My dog was having entirely liquid shits for three days so I made him an appointment and when I let him out before I took him to his appointment he miraculously had a normal solid poo poo so I had to call the vet and be like "uh nevermind..." I can attest to this. It happens daily that appointments are cancelled last minute because the pet miraculously got better after being ill or lame for days, or the worried owner comes in anyway because they want to pay me to tell them the dog is indeed fine now. As long as the pet gets better, I don't mind if the universe steals my thunder once in awhile.
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Sep 6, 2015 15:19
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Have you been tracking your dogs weight? If she's small enough you could weigh yourself while holding her and weigh without her and take the difference. Otherwise stopping in to the vet to do a weight check only takes a second and they'll usually keep record of the weight without charge. Our cats haven't been in a couple years because nothing comes up with them. The dog unfortunately has had to go a few times in the past year for getting a hot spot, getting bad bug bites on his face, and having a UTI. Otherwise as others have said, if your dog is eating and drinking fine and hasn't had any personality or affect changes you should be ok. I've found calling the e-vet gave me more accurate answers when I called them in a panic a few times. My dog ate a whole bag of birch bark chocolate and I was just to wait and see if he improved. While I was shaving mats out of my cat I cut some of his skin, just told me to glue it back together.
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Sep 11, 2015 12:21
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when it's obvious something is wrong with them? lethargy, rejecting food, obvious swelling, carrying a limb or limping? i know my two dogs general behaviour so basically if they're not acting as they normally would, I'd monitor it for 24-48 hours and if they are the same or worse, I'd take them straight to a vet.
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Sep 16, 2015 02:27
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 16:41 |
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I have 5 dogs (3 pets, 2 working) and I also have a lot of livestock, which, like Instant Jellyfish said, means you learn to triage things and you eventually get real clear on what needs a vet appointment and what just needs watching. My newest LGD puppy came with a host of skin issues and is always at the vet. loving always. Forever. I have some other dogs who haven't been to the vet in years for anything but vaccines. One of my pet dogs gets horrible diarrhea if he looks at any food other than one type of kibble. That's normal for him, I just watch and would only take him to the vet if it persisted for a long time or if he also became lethargic/started vomiting/etc. One of my other pet dogs has weird personality quirks that would look like health issues if I didn't know he was just a huge shitlord. He goes to the vet if he stops eating and that's about it, otherwise the "lethargy" is just him being a poo poo and sulking over insert-idiot-baby-issue-here. One of my dogs won't eat if he hears the sound of metal touching metal. Seriously. I vetted the poo poo out of one of my dogs years ago because he stopped eating before realizing that the sound of his tags touching his food bowl was VERY PROBLEMATIC to him and removed them. I have a goat who will stop eating if I don't milk her in the exact method she finds appealing. I have a pig who will lay in a pile and wait to die if he doesn't have access to one of my dogs who is his BFF. Etc etc, you learn what's normal for your animals and their idiosyncrasies and vet accordingly.
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Sep 16, 2015 03:11
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