Are vets necessary?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Of course they are. But when? Yearly checkups, vaccinations are a must in my opinion. But I do think there may be a tendency to rush to the vet with everything. If your dog is really bleeding or obviously injured, having difficulty breathing, or is unconscious or something like that  you should  head to the vet or canine ER immediately. For other things, If you are really worried perhaps you should go. But I think dogs are like children. Dogs can't tell you in words, but they can give you a lot of information by their behavior how they are feeling. Is your dog pacing, whimpering etc. Go to the vet.

Watchful waiting serves me well for many other minor ailments, along with a dollop of common sense and medical training. But you can do this too. People, though seem to go to the vet for some things for which they'd treat themselves or their kids. When it comes to minor cuts and scratches ,  I am comfortable cleaning the area up if need be, putting on some antibiotic cream and waiting. If the area heals great. If it looks worse, feels very hot, oozes anything, go to the vet.

You should get used to the smell of a healthy ear. If ears don't smell right, or look pretty grubby, clean them. I think you should do this every week or two as a matter of course.  If cleaning the ear once or twice doesn't solve the problem, or before that, if things get worse, go to the vet (GTTV).

The food group has lots of regimens for diarrhea. You don't go to the doctor every time you have diarrhea. Try chicken and rice, or pumpkin and if things don't get better in a few days go to the vet. Dogs vomit fairly frequently, it seems to me. Just an incidence or two of vomiting often is due to eating something that disagreed with them, or irritated thier stomach. If vomiting persists GTTV.

If your dogs urination habits change dramatically, you can try treating it but if I were you, I'd probably GTTV. Urinary tract infections are best caught early both for the dogs comfort and health.

There was a post the other night about a puppy ,who was thought to have swallowed a couple of marbles. It had not, an x-ray revealed. This is a toss-up. But I probably would have watched the pup overnight and made a decision about whether to go to the vet in the morning if the pup seemed OK overnight.

There is a site called Just Answer.com. There are vets online who will answer your questions for about $9. I used this service once when Luca had a sore above his eye, I think. The vet was great.

The disclaimer: This works for me. I don't in any way think you should use this other than as a guide line at most. This is what I would do if I were you. But you will be the person on the spot. You have to use your best judgment for your dog and your own peace of mind. Every situation is unique. No one knows your dog better than you, including your vet.

[ej]

http://www.amazon.com/Hound-Health-Handbook-Definitive-Keeping/dp/0...

This book was recommended by someone on another forum. We have a copy at home now, and it serves as a very good reference for us.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Julie. I ordered one for me and one for my daughter.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I take my dogs for their shots yearly and then just trust my gut - and often wait a bit before going to the vet. We have been taking our old guy lately more often because we are working to make his senior years as pain free as possible.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Ditto here ..... if in doubt I call the vet. She tells me whether or not I need to come in and if not, she tells me what to do. I think this is one of the key factors you need to look for in finding a good vet. If they make you come in for every little question, then IMO you need to look elsewhere.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I pretty much follow the same guideline. But, I think I have figured out more about WHEN to actually GTTV after having Taquito for quite a few years - he has had many issues. I am more relaxed and do not freak out like I used to.

[Natasha]

We call our vet and she tells us what to watch for and when to come in. She will also give us options like - if he doesn't have x,y, or z but he continues to show signs of a, then just bring us in a stool sample and we'll take it from there.

Saves all of us an office visit and reduces the fees.

She knows Rouser (she's a friend) so maybe it is easier for all of us to communicate about what is normal for him, what is something that will take care of itself with a little adjustment here and there (pumpkin and some yogurt for instance) and when we need to have a full visit to rule other, more serious things out.

[Linda Karell]

I thought this post was very helpful--thank you. I'm still a bit of a freaker-outer. I've had cats all my life and can usually tell right away what's going on, what to do, and when to go in. Chervil is my first dog, so I've been to the vet for some silly things ($42 for him to tell me the bump on her belly was one of her spay stitches working its way out)--but I just didn't know. Almost always, though, when I call they help me figure out whether to bring her in, watch her, or just chill. It's quite a learning curve, though.

[F, Calla & Luca]

IYou're welcome. It's an ongoing learning curve for all of us.