Dr. Google is Not Your Friend

When some clients call the ER vet, they expect an over the phone diagnosis. We, of course, cannot give any diagnosis without a doctor seeing the patient first.

In the digital age, why pay to see a licensed doctor when you can see Dr. Google for free??



Dr. Google is a long running joke we've had and continue to have at the clinic.

During national vet tech week, the techs and assistants will play a week long version of Bingo.
You get points for something typical to happen at the vet such as:
-Giving a lost client directions
-Got peed on by a patient
-Your computer crashed
-A client references Dr. Google over the phone

Anytime, somebody says "Well, I looked up this on the Google and it says so and so" that means they've been to see Dr. Google.

Dr. Google can also be used as a debate tool for combating clients. "Well Google said I could give Aspirin to my pet, so why can't I give Aspirin?"



As mentioned previously in the last blog, Aspirin tends to cause more harm than good for your pets and can cause problems such as stomach ulcers... But hey if Dr. Google said it was okay!!

A client called a couple months ago with concern because their pet had gotten into their poppy seed cake.

The client wanted to know how badly this would affect her pet and what she should do.

We recommended calling poison control if she was concerned about the severity of toxicity or coming in to be seen. This did not gel well with the client

"I just looked this up, I know it's toxic, it says so right here, your doctors should know this. Just tell me how to induce vomiting at home, I'm not wasting money with poison control."

The client was put on hold and we talked about it with a doctor. The doctor basically said to just monitor for stomach upset for the next few days and that it really wasn't a cause for concern.



When we told the client this, she was speechless. Dr. Google had made her so certain that poppy seed cake was toxic to her pet when instead it was just an accidental dessert.

Dr. Google is an amalgamation of information and not one medical professional's opinion.

If you believe you're pet is not feeling well or may have something serious going on, contact your vet.

You're not doing yourself or your pet any favors by leaving their health in the hands of a search engine.

Save Dr. Google for your cat videos.

Enjoy!