AS MUCH AS 40 per cent of dog owners are putting their pet's life at risk by using online search engines to diagnose their dog’s condition before visiting a vet.
According to research by pawclub.com.au, a dog care website developed by Pfizer Animal Health and aimed at prospective and current dog owners, nine out of ten dog owners incorrectly diagnosed their dog’s condition when using online information.
Some had jumped to the worst case scenario using irrelevant international medical information, and others even used cat care information.
Leading vet and media personality, Dr Michael Archinal says using online search tools can be a very dangerous way to diagnose your dog’s condition.
“Using online search engines to diagnose your dog is potentially more dangerous than diagnosing human symptoms, simply because your dog cannot tell you what’s wrong.
"I have been involved in cases at my hospital where on a list of possible diagnoses the client has researched the conditions online jumped to the wrong conclusion and assumed the worst case scenario.
"In some instances dog owners use US based pet websites and apply it to their dog.
"They are often not aware that Australia sometimes has more advanced medications and treatment options available in comparison to the rest of the world.”
