Surfing the Internet is one of the easiest and most popular ways to gather information these days. However, the quality of the information on the Internet is sometimes questionable, as anyone can post information and it doesn’t necessarily have to be true. At The Stock Doc Veterinary Services, we feel that we need to put as much information into your hands as possible to help you understand how to keep your pet healthy with preventative care, and also how to help him when he is sick. If we aren’t able to answer all of your questions in the exam room, due to time constraints or simply that you would rather have notes in your hands to read later, we want to direct you to reputable sites. So, here are four that should be able to answer all your questions!
Pethealthnetwork.com is a website run by Idexx, the laboratory we use for send-out testing. This site has very current articles on interesting health subjects, and behavior advice from Dr. Sophia Yin, who is at the top of her field. On the home page you can find lots of stuff to read up on, but if you have a specific condition you need more information on, you simply type it into the search box in the upper right hand corner and it will give you a lot of articles to choose from that are from reputable sources. This should help answer your questions, remind you of things we discussed in the exam room, and help develop other discussions to have with us at your next visit.
Another great website for small animal information is vetstreet.com. This one is a little more user friendly, because you can navigate from tabs, and not have to look up conditions through the search as often. It has articles by Dr. Marty Becker (known as America’s Veterinarian) on all sorts of things that are interesting. Toward the top of home page the five major tabs help you:
FIND your vet
LEARN about pet wellness
CARE – different pet conditions explained
TRAIN and understand your pets behavior
SHOP supplies from your local veterinarian that you can trust
The website we recommend for horsepeople is thehorse.com. This site is overseen by AAEP (The American Association of Equine Practitioners), and specialists in equine medicine review all articles to make sure the information in them is correct and up to date. You can learn about specific health conditions and emerging medical technology. There are industry reports and information on outbreaks of infectious disease across the country. You can find fun interviews with industry leaders, and news on wild horses, as well as how-to videos on a ton of interesting topics. The Ask the Vet section is very popular.
Don’t forget to check out our own website too! Rivertonvet.com has information on the things we can help your pet with. You can find special tips on bringing your pet home, and how to make trips to the vet easier for him. You can find photos and biographies on each of our team members, and see the upcoming events we have planned for the clinic and the shelter. Check it out!
We love it when our clients are able to learn all they need to keep their pets healthy and happy. We are very upset when our clients gather questionable and often harmful information from non-vetted websites. We hope the information on these sites will help you nurture the bond you have with your pet, and help him live the longest, healthiest, happiest life possible.