Your cat’s been diagnosed with diabetes...or your dog with Addison’s disease. As much as your veterinarian explains the situation, issues handouts and takes your wigged out phone calls, there’s only so much you can glean from any one mind. You need more.
That’s when you take to the surf, cavorting about the waves of websites chock full of information. But how do you know the information you’ve just splashed headlong into is the kind you should consider authoritative and responsible?
In the best of cases, you’ve happened across incredibly useful and complete information that provides a sound and well-reasoned platform from which to ask your vet more questions and help your pet live more comfortably. In the worst, you’ve just entered a maze of circular logic that dishes salacious details and erroneous advice that only serves to question your veterinarian’s sanity and helps your pet not at all.
Both extremes exist. After all, the Web does not discriminate between good and bad. It’s the ultimate democracy, one where human fallibility is showcased daily in websites that expound on the glories of homemade shock collars and the newest veterinary snake oil concoction.
From most veterinarians’ point of view, even the best information is suspect once you’ve downloaded it from the Web. They’re likely to question Dr. Google even more than they would Dr. Breeder or Dr. Mother-in-Law. We’ve seen it all. And most of it is not to our liking.
But the reality is that there’s a lot of great info out there. You just need to know where to find it. And whether it’s truly the right stuff once you do. To that end, here’s my list of Web do’s and don’ts:
Do...ask your veterinarian to recommend some websites. We’ll know at least a handful of responsible places to research any given disease.
Don’t...assume that a website written by a veterinarian is perfectly authoritative.
Do...look for websites sponsored by veterinary colleges, specialty boards, major veterinary organizations. They may not be exciting but they won’t steer you wrong. Research their links, too. They’re almost always ratified by the sponsor, too.
Don’t...take everything you read as gospel. If you’re interested in something you’ve read, research it some more. If you can’t find anything else about it except on some random message boards, consider it highly suspect.
Do...look for sites whose information is encyclopedic on a large variety of veterinary issues. These sites usually have a reputation to protect and tend to have multiple veterinary editors. Sure, even Wikipedia gets it all wrong sometimes, but it’s often a great starting point and may provide interesting links.
Don’t...fall prey to sites that sell unregulated products. Much of the information contained in many of these sites is heavily biased against the veterinary establishment and is often erroneous and irresponsible. Google the product or company for a more complete representation of what they’re offering.
Do...look up smaller websites on a service like Technorati’s. The “authority level” lets you know whether these sites have been in operation for a long time (a good sign) and clues you in to how many other sites find their information reliable enough to link to.
Don’t...get stuck in small sites where the individual(s) writing the material are not easily identifiable. If the “About Us” section doesn’t exist, you might not want to stick around. After all, accountability and authority is crucial to any responsible brick-and-mortar enterprise. Why not for websites?
I know you’ve got more do’s and dont’s. Give ‘em up...
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Do.... be aware that there may be useful veterinary journal articles out there on the subject you're interested in. The abstracts for them pop up fairly frequently on Google, but the full articles are usually hidden behind big fees to access them. I have had a vet suggest I compile a list of interesting articles and then visit a college library to read them. As it happened, I didn't have to do that to get access, so I didn't get a chance to visit the ethics of using a college library when you aren't a student there. However, I was able to network and find someone who had access and got me copies of the articles. The articles tend to be dry and grim compared to some of what I consider reputable web sites, since they are not written with pet parents in mind, but they can often provide very clear information. I was able to use vet journal articles to educate my vet about some things that he was cautious to believe when he heard I had initially read them in what he considered less-trustworthy sources on the web.
Feline February 6th, 2009 09:47:30 AM
Feline--I'm a university librarian and we generally have no problem with members of the general public coming in to consult our materials on-site. Pretty much all public university or college libraries will have at least a few computers where the public can access their subscription databases (though you may not be able to print) for online articles, as well as copiers that anyone can use for those from bound journals. Even most private schools welcome the public to some extent--check your local academic library's website or give them a call at the Reference desk.
Patty--I found the blog through the Weblog Awards and have really been enjoying it. Keep up the great work!
Maren February 6th, 2009 11:06:46 AM
I went to a private law school but, like many, it gets funding from public and other sources. It houses a Government Documents collection so is mandatorily open to the public. They're snooty about it but then their just generally snooty. I'll trot into any library that has what I need to read. I've found that the reference librarians are usually a pretty good bunch but the students often manning the front desk are frequently clueless. Many state/countries fund public access to medical databases. I wish the U.S. did! I've been known to ask a friend abroad to pull an article and send it to me via email because they could get it when I couldn't and it was from a U.S. journal.
PJBoosinger February 6th, 2009 11:19:49 AM
Lots of vets are not up on the latest and greatest approaches for dealing with common chronic diseases, especially the older ones. I highly recommend joining disease-specific (and if possible, species-specific, too) online communities of pet owners when your pet is diaganosed with a chronic disease. (Esp those with large membership). Once there, pay lots of attention to the old timers in the group. This is like having access to 100s of veterinary second opinions by proxy, because you can see what other vets/people are doing for treatment. Ask for references to studies, etc. -- usually people have them.
Two communities I highly recommend for cat people are the The Feline Diabetes Message Board (which Dr. K also apparently likes) and the Yahoo group for Feline Chronic Renal Failure. Yahoo also has some pretty large, supportive groups for Canine Cancer and even lymphoma, etc. Just remember, the smaller and newer the group, the less likely there is to be reliable advice -- it's much better on the forums where leaders have been there for years and seen protocols come and go.
IMHO, this is an EXCELLENT way to make sure that you are armed with the best information about treatments for your pets disease.
Stefani February 6th, 2009 12:24:55 PM
I think this piece of Christie's from 2007 offers some pretty good advice.
Gina Spadafori February 6th, 2009 12:41:35 PM
Thomas Edison once said he never failed at creating an invention--he just found 10,000 ways that wouldn't work.
Sometimes the web seems no less formidable.
Evet February 6th, 2009 04:28:24 PM
After all, accountability and authority is crucial to any responsible brick-and-mortar enterprise. Why not for websites?
Freedom of Press
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers"
That includes _____ (insert nomenclature of choice) who have no real experience or success at anything being able to rant and rave unchecked on the web.
Evet February 6th, 2009 04:53:24 PM
I agree totally with Stefani on the online communities. There are several excellent Yahoo groups for Canine Addison's ( since you brought up Addison's Dr K., AddisonDogs and K9 Addison's. These groups have about 5000 members between them and there is a wealth of knowledge there. The leaders in these Groups gave me good accurate info all backed up with studies that I was able to give to my vet and that has actually changed the way my Vet's cinic now treats dogs with Addison's. I agree there is a ton of garbage out there for example, "Michael Dole" and his CURE for "Insert Disease here" book. He claims to be able to cure parvo and Addison's 100% of the time. But there is also some great info if you are careful and know where to look so we cannot discount all the info or we will loose out. My dog would NOT be as healthy today if I had not found the AddisonDogs Group. But with Vets being brought info from the internet like Michael Dole puts out there no wonder Vets roll their eyes when they see the info come out..
Elizabeth - From Nova Scotia February 6th, 2009 07:23:39 PM
I can kind of understand some of the eye-rolling, and I suspect it's not all due to the laughably bad information that's floating around.
I've perused a few online communities that acquaintances have recommended, and while many appeared to offer useful information (some of which I may have incorporated into my personal philosophies regarding the boys' care), I was a little dismayed with some of the negativistic attitudes about vets that seemed to predominate within some of them. (Not to mention the ANYTHING BUT RAW/HOME-COOKED/INSERT PERSONAL BRAND OF CHOICE IS GOING TO KILL YOUR CATS!!!!1111!1!!! mentalities one always seems to encounter online. ;)
If I were a vet, I suspect I would probably approach such sources from a cautionary standpoint as well. Humans are imperfect creatures, and veterinarians are certainly no exception. I sympathize with those who have had negative experiences. I really do. I nearly lost my best friend to shoddy vet care when I was twelve. It definitely took me a while to develop a trusting relationship with our new vet. I get it.
But, from a vet's perspective, were I a vet, I suspect I would be concerned about the impact a negativistic community could potentially have on my relationship with a client. Perhaps most concerning: would the client begin making changes to the pet's treatment regime based on the urging of group members and neglect to discuss it with me because s/he has become convinced that I will be unaccepting or unreasonable?
I am fortunate to have a vet whom I adore, trust implicitly, and feel comfortable talking openly with about all aspects of my pet's care. She is truly a blessing. I understand that everyone is not so fortunate. And, let's face it.. a little healthy skepticism is always a good thing! Reasoned disagreement with a treatment modality is one thing, as is sharing a negative personal experience.. but when I approach a health-related message board or group and spy messages making blanket statements maligning the ethics or capabilities of the entire veterinary profession or advising that a poster leave their vet out of the equation, I'm out.
(I'm not accusing all, most, or even many groups out there of this.. but it is something I've run across on occasion. And I would imagine that it doesn't tend to endear vets to internet sources.)
Just my two cents.
Ramen Connoisseur February 7th, 2009 01:01:46 AM
Ramen, All too many are far too trusting to start with. If someone so betrays your fundamental trust, no matter how misplaced it was, you fell like you've been shoved off a cliff. IMO, it's a form of PTSD and most of society is so fragmented now that few have the support network they need to bounce back from PTSD before it "sets". To top that off, it seems to be human nature that anger motivates people more than positivism. Anger gets that adrenaline streaming and that gives one energy; far more difficult to keep the energy level up plodding along rationally. :) The other obstical is that people much prefer to live in a deluded place where things aren't "that bad". Doing this allows one to dismiss the claims of others easily because, if they're right about how horrendous their experience was (with a Vet, a lawyer, a doctor, the legal system,...), then one might feel the need to do something about it lest it also cave their world in. Who's got time to do that (in a world where we virtually mandate being "happy" and spending our free time toward that end rather than community service [which is, gasp, work])? Live in denial until it's YOU has been the primary philosophy of recent years.
PJBoosinger February 7th, 2009 06:06:24 AM
I think one of the big problems with people going to the internet for information is that they often purposefully seek out information that tells them what they want to hear- and with the internet, it's not hard to find someone, somewhere, on a message board or with a blog that's telling you what you want to hear. It gets particularly tough in situations where someone is looking for hope, like for a cure for their dog's cancer. It's so easy to dupe people or give false hope, and so hard to be the one that has to tell them what the real statistics are.
Megan February 7th, 2009 08:34:16 AM
This is what's known as "information literacy" - the ability to understand the reliability AND content of the plethora of information that's available out there. My top paired Do and Don't:
Do: Start at Wikipedia.
Don't: End there.
Wikipedia is a great place to start your research, and it can get you good keywords and point you towards other more reliable websites, however Wikipedia itself is not entirely reliable, as was evidenced when an astronomy student of mine used Wikipedia as their main resource on a paper on the Moon, and wrote that craters on the Moon were caused by lightning. (In case you missed it, there's no air on the Moon, so there can't be any weather or lightning.) At the time that this student was writing the paper, the Wikipedia page on the Moon really did say this.
zandperl February 7th, 2009 10:02:46 AM
I think this is a great post. A good idea for some clinics might be to make a list of Dos and Don'ts like this one, put it on a handout, and give it to new clients. You can include some links to reliable websites that your clinic trusts as well, and have a little blurb on being careful about what you read and how your doctors are willing to discuss any questions you have about online sources or information. That way, clients know that they can take any issues or questions to their doctor, rather than relying on some random person on a forum. It'll help build a good, trusting relationship between doctor and client, too.
Tara M. February 7th, 2009 10:03:56 AM
Tara M.: That's a GREAT idea. For any vet who hates the Internet (and I hear it often) I always say, 'if you can't beat 'em, start a blog.' But your idea is fabulous!
Dr. Patty Khuly February 7th, 2009 11:22:21 AM
When they initially thought one of my cats had asthma, the emergency clinic provided me with a packet of information printed off the internet and a list of reliable online resources.
I was surprised.. and appreciative. Honestly, by the time I got home (at four in the morning) I'd already forgotten much of what was discussed, between the stress and sleep deprivation. (I'm sure that under the circumstances, I probably hadn't asked the best questions to begin with.)
I suspect it's probably beneficial to both parties.. it definitely spared them having to field any calls from me that afternoon.
Ramen Connoisseur February 7th, 2009 11:49:42 AM
for pets
dr.anoop February 8th, 2009 08:13:38 AM
Thanks for this post! Some of the questions you raise are exactly why we set up Jerry's three legged dog blog and the Tripawd Discussion Forums, where people can share expereinces and results from their own amputation recovery and canine cancer treatment plans at ... http://www.tripawds.com
Jim February 8th, 2009 11:54:29 AM
Jim: LOVE Tripawds!! I can't imagine anyone hating the Internet when sites like yours exist. It's where I send all my clients who face this decision. Keep up the great work!
Dr. Patty Khuly February 8th, 2009 12:06:00 PM
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