Educational Resources

Beware of Dr. Google

It has become commonplace in human medicine for people to attempt self-diagnosis of symptoms they may be experiencing by searching on the internet's major search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo! and Bing). As has been cautioned many times in the press and on major media outlets, such reliance on potentially inexact, conflicting and incomplete information can be dangerous and even deadly.

Unfortunately, this issue is widespread in veterinary medicine too, potentially with catastrophic consequences. It is important to remember that symptom identification is much more difficult in animals given their inability to communicate. Therefore, one's ability to properly assess what may be ailing an animal is nearly impossible for the untrained person. Therefore, we urge extreme caution when it comes to using the internet to understand what may be affecting a sick pet and urge all pet owners to rely on their experience and expertise of their regular veterinarian, especially if it seems as though your dog or cat is in any pain.

If you have any questions at all regarding your own pet's health, our entire clinical team here at Calusa is ready and able to provide care and assistance in whatever way possible.