Vets need to be consulted

I seldom crosspost, but I am doing so this time because I have seen the same
problem over-and-over-again on each of the "cats" newsgroups I read. That
is, someone will post a message to us asking, "What is the problem?" - or
possibly - "What can I do?"

These are good forums for general information and advice, but we are *not*
veterinarians. Moreover, many of the questions relate to problems that even
a professional could not solve without an on-site examination. Worse, some
of the problems have either been neglected for a long time or involve issues
that clearly call for immediate medical care.

Please, folks, use your brains (and your compassion)! Call a vet ASAP when
you detect a problem, in the same way that you would want medical care for
yourself. You are not only causing additional pain/discomfort for your cat
when you delay and wait for unknown people on a newsgroup to respond, but
the irony is that you often cause additional expense for yourself. Many
problems that can be easily and inexpensively remedied can quickly become
much more serious and more expensive when treatment is delayed.

MaryL

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e

On Nov 11, 6:58 pm, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
I seldom crosspost, but I am doing so this time because I have seen the same
problem over-and-over-again on each of the "cats" newsgroups I read. That
is, someone will post a message to us asking, "What is the problem?" - or
possibly - "What can I do?"

These are good forums for general information and advice, but we are *not*
veterinarians. Moreover, many of the questions relate to problems that even
a professional could not solve without an on-site examination. Worse, some
of the problems have either been neglected for a long time or involve issues
that clearly call for immediate medical care.

Please, folks, use your brains (and your compassion)! Call a vet ASAP when
you detect a problem, in the same way that you would want medical care for
yourself. You are not only causing additional pain/discomfort for your cat
when you delay and wait for unknown people on a newsgroup to respond, but
the irony is that you often cause additional expense for yourself. Many
problems that can be easily and inexpensively remedied can quickly become
much more serious and more expensive when treatment is delayed.

MaryL

Absolutely. Just as personal anecdotal evidence; *every time* I have
delayed or put
off a trip to the vet the problem only grew worse, and cost the cat
more suffering
and a higher vet bill in the long run. Like everybody else, I hate
putting them through
the trauma of the vet trip, and of course, like many others, I am on a
tight budget.
Most recent was Bosley's chin acne, usually a minor thing. If I'd
taken proper care
of him at the beginning of the outbreak, it wouldn't have turned into
a huge, swollen,
infected abscess.

Sherry

When you think a veterinarian needs to be consulted, you can simply
reply stating that opinion.




"MaryL" stancole1 yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:

I seldom crosspost, but I am doing so this time because I have seen the same
problem over-and-over-again on each of the "cats" newsgroups I read. That
is, someone will post a message to us asking, "What is the problem?" - or
possibly - "What can I do?"

These are good forums for general information and advice, but we are *not*
veterinarians. Moreover, many of the questions relate to problems that even
a professional could not solve without an on-site examination. Worse, some
of the problems have either been neglected for a long time or involve issues
that clearly call for immediate medical care.

Please, folks, use your brains (and your compassion)! Call a vet ASAP when
you detect a problem, in the same way that you would want medical care for
yourself. You are not only causing additional pain/discomfort for your cat
when you delay and wait for unknown people on a newsgroup to respond, but
the irony is that you often cause additional expense for yourself. Many
problems that can be easily and inexpensively remedied can quickly become
much more serious and more expensive when treatment is delayed.

MaryL

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e




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From: "MaryL" stancole1 yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER
Newsgroups: alt.cats,alt.pets.cats,rec.pets.cats.anecdotes,rec .pets.cats.health+behav
Subject: Vets need to be consulted
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:58:06 -0600
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"John Doe" wrote in message
. net...

When you think a veterinarian needs to be consulted, you can simply
reply stating that opinion.



Of course. And I have done that, many times -- and so have many others.
The point is, that really shouldn't be necessary, at least not in many
cases. It should be common sense to consult a vet under the types of
conditions that I have seen posted -- again, numerous times. This is not
directed at one person in particular. People need to *think.*

MaryL

"MaryL" stancole1 yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:

"John Doe" jdoe usenetlove.invalid wrote in message
news:MzOZi.68190$YL5.20590 newssvr29.news.prodigy.net...

When you think a veterinarian needs to be consulted, you can simply
reply stating that opinion.

It should be common sense to consult a vet under the types of
conditions that I have seen posted -- again, numerous times.
People need to *think.*

Why are there so many stray cats suffering and dying young in the
not-so-great outdoors? Why do animals eat each other alive out
there?

Why spend $10,000 at a veterinarian clinic on two pet cats (and then
post about it here) when instead dozens of stray cats could have
been saved from being slaughtered?

It depends on the circumstance, and that's where the advice belongs,
in my opinion.

Have fun.











MaryL




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From: "MaryL" stancole1 yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER
Newsgroups: alt.cats,alt.pets.cats,rec.pets.cats.anecdotes,rec .pets.cats.health+behav
References: 4737a515$0$5284$bbae4d71 news.suddenlink.net MzOZi.68190$YL5.20590 newssvr29.news.prodigy.net
Subject: Vets need to be consulted
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:38:58 -0600
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"John Doe" wrote in message
et...
"MaryL" stancole1 yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:

"John Doe" jdoe usenetlove.invalid wrote in message
news:MzOZi.68190$YL5.20590 newssvr29.news.prodigy.net...

When you think a veterinarian needs to be consulted, you can simply
reply stating that opinion.

It should be common sense to consult a vet under the types of
conditions that I have seen posted -- again, numerous times.
People need to *think.*

Why are there so many stray cats suffering and dying young in the
not-so-great outdoors? Why do animals eat each other alive out
there?

Why spend $10,000 at a veterinarian clinic on two pet cats (and then
post about it here) when instead dozens of stray cats could have
been saved from being slaughtered?

It depends on the circumstance, and that's where the advice belongs,
in my opinion.

Have fun.




MaryL




And what does this have to do with the message I posted?

MaryL

On Nov 11, 11:08 pm, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
"John Doe" wrote in message

et...





"MaryL" stancole1 yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:

"John Doe" jdoe usenetlove.invalid wrote in message
news:MzOZi.68190$YL5.20590 newssvr29.news.prodigy.net...

When you think a veterinarian needs to be consulted, you can simply
reply stating that opinion.

It should be common sense to consult a vet under the types of
conditions that I have seen posted -- again, numerous times.
People need to *think.*

Why are there so many stray cats suffering and dying young in the
not-so-great outdoors? Why do animals eat each other alive out
there?

Why spend $10,000 at a veterinarian clinic on two pet cats (and then
post about it here) when instead dozens of stray cats could have
been saved from being slaughtered?

It depends on the circumstance, and that's where the advice belongs,
in my opinion.

Have fun.

MaryL

And what does this have to do with the message I posted?

MaryL- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Mary I agree 100%. Its almost like there should be some kinda list
like

if you see your cat with a nose bleed - take it to the vet
if you see your cat sneezing, coughing & congested - take it to a vet
if you see your cat hasen't eaten in a few days - take it to a vet

get the picture?

On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:38:58 -0600, "MaryL"
-OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:


"John Doe" wrote in message
.net...

When you think a veterinarian needs to be consulted, you can simply
reply stating that opinion.



Of course. And I have done that, many times -- and so have many others.
The point is, that really shouldn't be necessary, at least not in many
cases. It should be common sense to consult a vet under the types of
conditions that I have seen posted -- again, numerous times. This is not
directed at one person in particular. People need to *think.*



I think the majority of these posts are people that are just too cheap
to go to the vet, and they hope we will solve their problem for free.
Many of them claim to not have enough money to go, but they have money
for other things.

I know what it is like to be tight with money. I have paid other bills
late (and thus incurred late fees) to make sure my cats got the care
they required. I have also gotten a short term loan, sold items, and
borrowed money. I don't regret it. My cats and dogs are worth it to
me.

Unfortunately, a lot of people don't feel the same way. They won't go
to the vet if they think it can be solved by a free online question.
Or they won't go to the overnight vet because it costs too much. Or
worse, they won't even call the vet because they think it takes too
long to look up phone numbers. Gee, if they had a regular vet, they
wouldn't need to look up the phone number, and the vet wold be happy
to assist a regular customer.

But hey, according to them, we are the true bad guys because all we do
is suggest they go to the vet, the one thing they don't want to hear.

"Meghan Noecker" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:38:58 -0600, "MaryL"
-OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:


"John Doe" wrote in message
y.net...

When you think a veterinarian needs to be consulted, you can simply
reply stating that opinion.



Of course. And I have done that, many times -- and so have many others.
The point is, that really shouldn't be necessary, at least not in many
cases. It should be common sense to consult a vet under the types of
conditions that I have seen posted -- again, numerous times. This is not
directed at one person in particular. People need to *think.*



I think the majority of these posts are people that are just too cheap
to go to the vet, and they hope we will solve their problem for free.
Many of them claim to not have enough money to go, but they have money
for other things.

I know what it is like to be tight with money. I have paid other bills
late (and thus incurred late fees) to make sure my cats got the care
they required. I have also gotten a short term loan, sold items, and
borrowed money. I don't regret it. My cats and dogs are worth it to
me.

Unfortunately, a lot of people don't feel the same way. They won't go
to the vet if they think it can be solved by a free online question.
Or they won't go to the overnight vet because it costs too much. Or
worse, they won't even call the vet because they think it takes too
long to look up phone numbers. Gee, if they had a regular vet, they
wouldn't need to look up the phone number, and the vet wold be happy
to assist a regular customer.

But hey, according to them, we are the true bad guys because all we do
is suggest they go to the vet, the one thing they don't want to hear.


Unfortunately, I think you are correct. There are some occasions when I
think it is a newbie who really doesn't know what to do, but that is a
rarity. Like you, I went through periods when I borrowed money to take care
of my cats (actually, one cat at a time). I got my first cat when I was in
graduate school, and my cat needed emergency surgery. I slowly paid the
bill off, and it was paid in full after about three years -- but I made
arrangements for it, and it was done. And it was well worth it! He was
less than a year old at that time, but he lived to be just a little less
than 20 years old. He was wonderful!

MaryL

Meghan Noecker wrote:

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:

Of course. And I have done that, many times -- and so have many others.
The point is, that really shouldn't be necessary, at least not in many
cases. It should be common sense to consult a vet under the types of
conditions that I have seen posted -- again, numerous times. This is not
directed at one person in particular. People need to *think.*

Not everyone who reads and posts to these newsgroups has been
reading them a long time, so not everyone is going to know that this
is the standard answer, or that it's the best advice.

Also, there is nothing common about so-called common sense. If you
were taught to think sensibly, be grateful rather than judgemental of
those who weren't so lucky.

Unfortunately, a lot of people don't feel the same way. They won't go
to the vet if they think it can be solved by a free online question.
Or they won't go to the overnight vet because it costs too much. Or
worse, they won't even call the vet because they think it takes too
long to look up phone numbers. Gee, if they had a regular vet, they
wouldn't need to look up the phone number, and the vet wold be happy
to assist a regular customer.

But hey, according to them, we are the true bad guys because all we do
is suggest they go to the vet, the one thing they don't want to hear.

Why make a big moral issue out of something that could simply be an
innocent, or perhaps ignorant, but not "cheap" or "neglectful" question.
I know that assuming someone means well isn't as much fun as getting
on a moral high horse, I sure as hell get sick of the halo displays.

Yeah, that person should take their cat to a vet. Maybe they didn't
realize this. Now, hopefully, they do. (If not, then that's the time
to yell at them...)