Of Concern: *Dr Google**

[gemy]

I know that we all have our own opinions about the efficacy of Google, there are some very very good sites out there, but they are far outweighed by trash information.


What brought this to the forefront of my mind, I was in at my pet store, buying duck feet treats, and some supplements, and a lady came to the counter and was asking the young gal clerk about the new food she was buying her pup. She bought two small bags of Acana kibble different formulations.


She explained that recently her mix, beagle, jack russel, shistu mix, had begun to chew paws and had some nasty rash on his tummy that he scratched and licked a lot.....


I could not keep my mouth shut. I said has your vet recommended a diet change? She responded that she was feeding Benefull and that her vet was Dr. Google. Where she learnt that these problems could be caused by poor food. She asked me what I thought about Benefull, now mind you I do home-cooking- raw with some small amount of kibble. I said from what I understand that kibble is well pretty well crap food. How-ever some dogs do do well on it.


I said the issue here is this dog really needs to see a vet, the combination of things from mild to serious that it could be is quite vast. Dr Google is not a vet, and save the money from this second bag and get your dog to the vet for an examination. Oh and the helpful clerk spoke up and said well if he doesn't like the food we will take back an open bag of food for refund. I knew I had lost the customer then.


She looked at me as if I was an idiot, she said well thanks but, I will try the food change out first. sigh.......


We have wonderfull articles here in the library and the top of each forum, that talk about what constitutes an emergency, but while some health conditions do not appear to be an immediate emergency they do show some serious concerns that warrant vet attention.


Now if I remember correctly there are skin conditions associated with shistus (sp?) and jack russels as well. But it is a vague memory, and neither breed is one I own or breed so.....

[Lovetodream88]

Got to love dr.Google! People don't get that food allergy's are pretty rare and even if it is a food allergy there's probably a skin infection and the poor dog is still itching to death and hurting from it. Ugh just ugh! Also they were saying awhile back that beneful had been linked to some dog deaths.

[TxVicki]

LOL But Gemy, don't you know that people can get a Medical degree on Google and then think they can tell people what to do. LOL

I do hope this lady does take her baby to the Vet.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Trouble is Dr. Google never went to vet school, passed any exams, got no diploma, cannot physically examine her dog, run or evaluate any tests, make any definitive diagnoses, dispense any medications and will not help his misery right now or help him sleep any better tonight as a real vet could.

Nothing drives me crazier faster than hearing that a dog is suffering and the owner is too tight to get the little thing some real help. If people cannot afford to vet their dogs when they are having medical problems, they should have the kindness of heart to surrender them to someone who does.

[chachi]

I\have heard of so many wild things concocted by Dr Google that it doesnt even make me blink an eye anymore. It is crazy the internet induced home remedies people will try in their efforts to avoid a vet bill.

[yorkiemom76]

As someone who works in a veterinary clinic, I can tell you this one of our doctor's biggest pet peeves. We've even had people that argue with the doctor (who went to school for 8 years for their degrees) because google said something different!

[KazzyK810]

I find it annoying as hell! So many people, google junk sites and share the info it like its gospel. Nothing but junk knowledge and old wives tales, and then they act like they are doing fellow pet owners a favour. Bad information isn't helpful to anyone.

And the thing is there are good sites out there, where you can educate yourself and be more informed for when you discuss concerns with your vet. I regularly consult AVMA and JAVMA, and then discus any concerns with ZoE's vet, whose medical expertise I have come to value.

The absolute killer for me is those who utilize Dr. Google INSTEAD of a veterinarian consult.

[SirTeddykins]

It doesn't help that actual MD's use google as reference points.


I went in for a doctors appointment and said to the doctor that I didn't trust google so wanted his expert advice.


He recommended I search google for info/pics of my condition and advised me that this was how he ruled out the condition and suggested this should put my mind at ease.


I know there was an article, recently, which claimed that over 80% of medical doctors use google as reference for diagnoses.


Therefore, I'm afraid the quest for knowledge has taken a sordid turn.

[Maximo]

There are good sources and bad sources of information online. Many professionals including doctors used to consult books, and now much of that information is online. My father is a lawyer and his office's physical law library was obsolete as far back as the 90s. Everything was already online.

I research online and I write to my knowledgeable friends before a vet visit, but I don't do it instead of going to the vet.

Gail, kibble isn't crap food. I have read many problems associated with Beneful, so I think the person was wise to change the food, but she definitely should take her pup to the vet.

[gemy]

Originally Posted by Maximo

There are good sources and bad sources of information online. Many professionals including doctors used to consult books, and now much of that information is online. My father is a lawyer and his office's physical law library was obsolete as far back as the 90s. Everything was already online.

I research online and I write to my knowledgeable friends before a vet visit, but I don't do it instead of going to the vet.

Gail, kibble isn't crap food. I have read many problems associated with Beneful, so I think the person was wise to change the food, but she definitely should take her pup to the vet.

Well actually I never said *kibble* was crap food. I said Benefull was, and did not say all kibble in general.


In fact I do feed my dogs some small amount of kibble every day.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by gemy

Well actually I never said *kibble* was crap food. I said Benefull was, and did not say all kibble in general.


In fact I do feed my dogs some small amount of kibble every day.

I see now that I mis-read. You did write THAT kibble. My apologies.

[MaWilliams3]

Originally Posted by SirTeddykins

It doesn't help that actual MD's use google as reference points.


I went in for a doctors appointment and said to the doctor that I didn't trust google so wanted his expert advice.


He recommended I search google for info/pics of my condition and advised me that this was how he ruled out the condition and suggested this should put my mind at ease.


I know there was an article, recently, which claimed that over 80% of medical doctors use google as reference for diagnoses.


Therefore, I'm afraid the quest for knowledge has taken a sordid turn.

The D.O.N. at the facility I work for PRN. Smdh. I'm telling him about a skin change. I tell him I have seen this issue before, and I asked his opinion. His reply, "I don't know, I Googled my way through nursing school"
YIKES! Glad there are plenty of well educated nurses that actually give hands on patient care.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by SirTeddykins

It doesn't help that actual MD's use google as reference points.


I went in for a doctors appointment and said to the doctor that I didn't trust google so wanted his expert advice.


He recommended I search google for info/pics of my condition and advised me that this was how he ruled out the condition and suggested this should put my mind at ease.


I know there was an article, recently, which claimed that over 80% of medical doctors use google as reference for diagnoses.


Therefore, I'm afraid the quest for knowledge has taken a sordid turn.

I think your example of a doctor recommending a patient he's treating using Google to help fully flesh-out the particulars of a professionally examined, diagnosed and possibly already treated medical condition as just one more teaching tool by a singular physician in an attempt to fully educate his patient, though in the process perhaps also providing them far more information than he or she would ever care to know - so, yeah, that is a bit sordid of Doc! hehe But I doubt your doctor would recommend you self-diagnose and self-treat your medical condition using Google only!

So your Doc's recommendations of having his already diagnosed patient learn all about his or her medical condition feels far different from that of a person using the internet as a pitiful substitute for real veterinary care for their best friend, trying to self-diagnose their own poor, little dog, rather than getting that sweet baby in to see a vet for a professional work-up, opinion and actual treatment of his condition, in order to save money. I sure do feel for that little dog, probably still miserable and itching tonight.

[SirTeddykins]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

I think your example of a doctor recommending a patient he's treating using Google to help fully flesh-out the particulars of a professionally examined, diagnosed and possibly already treated medical condition as just one more teaching tool by a singular physician in an attempt to fully educate his patient, though in the process perhaps also providing them far more information than he or she would ever care to know - so, yeah, that is a bit sordid of Doc! hehe But I doubt your doctor would recommend you self-diagnose and self-treat your medical condition using Google only!

So your Doc's recommendations of having his already diagnosed patient learn all about his or her medical condition feels far different from that of a person using the internet as a pitiful substitute for real veterinary care for their best friend, trying to self-diagnose their own poor, little dog, rather than getting that sweet baby in to see a vet for a professional work-up, opinion and actual treatment of his condition, in order to save money. I sure do feel for that little dog, probably still miserable and itching tonight.

He did actually say that all I needed to do was use google to compare my symptoms. My symptoms were pictorial so I don't know if that influenced what he said. I believe if this happens to me, it happens to others.


Anyway, my point is that drs (indeed, any expert in any discipline) can make informed decisions using the "PROMPT" process whereby they can make a decision on the source, provenance, timeliness etc of the information they are reading compared with and in addition to their knowledge. However, lay people are not all trained with this methodology so it is dangerous for some to use the internet for diagnostic guidelines and it is useful for others. I am not saying my doctor did anything wrong but I think I would have been in error had I relied solely on the internet instead of going to my doctor - despite his assurances. I think he would have been better to say, I am confident, this is why, you could tell in this way, good job for coming to me to check...etc.


Had I not been educated to see what he was doing, I may have thought that his advice, or indeed any professional advice, was without merit which is what I think happened in gemy's example.


That is what I mean by knowledge taking a sordid turn. You can be aware but not necessarily knowledgeable. I know about black holes but I'm not a physicist, therefore, I would not use the internet to make assertions on the basis of google.


Etc.


The fact that people do not take their animals to the vet when they should riles me to the point of no return! I should probably avoid threads like this in the future. It messes with my Zen.