[Ellie May]

There is (as with any online forum) some unnecessary rudeness on YT. I trust that the administrator and moderators can and do take care of things of that nature. If you think something was uncalled for, report it.

I think sometimes insistence that one seeks the help of a professional is mistaken for rudeness. There is always talk about just answering the question and not giving our opinion. Here's the problem. Every single post on this forum is an opinion. Yes, we can give facts; however, in the end they are still just the opinions of laypeople because we do not know if we're even interpreting these facts correctly. And to just explain to somebody how to get their female through pregnancy with no lecture, well, I think that in itself is a disservice to the dog because that lecture may just get the OP to get the dog spayed. Nobody wants to hear that they should spay after breeding their girl, so IMO it doesn't matter how sweetly it is said. I also almost never answer medical questions to the best of my knowledge simply because I am not a vet and will not play one online even in the name of being kind and helping a dog. If somebody just doesn't have the money, I'm not going to tell them how to treat at home. I'm going to say very strongly that medical care is needed. Would it be better for the dog to lay at home and get sicker without care or us give the owner an answer that could get them through? Of course the dog would be better off if we gave an answer. However, ethically that is wrong.

There is a place to ask about mild medical issues. There is not a place to ask about life threatening, acute emergencies. ONLY a vet should be answering those questions. It is unfair to the dog AND to the people feeling forced to give an answer who are untrained to do so. If a dog gets hit by a car or the like, I'm not going to spend too much time trying to convince them to seek veterinary care. And for people who think some people here hide behind a forum and wouldn't word things this way in real life - I'd say not so. When one of my family members' pets is critically ill, they know they can call me anytime. They know I'll hold their hand through it. They know I'll help them in whatever way I can. They know I'll even talk to the vet for them. But they also know that I sure as heck am not going to stand by and watch their animal suffer without saying something - and no, it's not going to be what they want to hear. They get over it and do what needs to be done.

I'll say in the past some have thought I was too harsh. That's fine. I certainly don't try to be. At the same time, I'm okay being a little bit to the point sometimes. IMO, it is a better approach than trying to vet peoples' dogs without a license which does happen here.