Ask A Vet Online: Second Opinion At Your Fingertips

As technology evolves, there is more and more your veterinarian can do for your dog without your dog’s physical presence.

One day, you might just have your smartphone collect vital data and transmit the information to your vet for assessment without the need for an office visit for most things.

We are not that far yet but there is veterinary advice available at your fingertips today already.

Ask A Vet Online: Second Opinion At Your Fingertips

Don’t you just love the internet?

There aren’t so many things you cannot do over the internet. Learn, shop, bank, run a business, watch movies, socialize … and talk to a vet.

Ask a vet online

Why would you want to talk to a vet online?

Maybe you have an urgent question and your vet’s office is closed. Maybe you want to get a second opinion on your dog’s diagnosis or treatment.

I can tell you that a month doesn’t go by without me consulting an online vet about one thing or another. Having such an option available at your fingertips is a great blessing.

Our story

Just the other day I was happy to have this option when I was worried whether Jasmine might have had a dangerous overdose of her thyroid medication.

Hubby was working late. To keep this important medication on the schedule, I gave Jasmine her pill. 

Hubby is the main “pillinator” though. He and Jasmine got it all figured out, while for me it’s a struggle. (She won’t take it with food, it has to be shoved down her throat and she is extraordinarily good at cheeking and spitting them out later.)

Because I hate doing that to her and I’m not very good at it, we decided that he will give her the rest of her pills (supplements that are not so time-sensitive) when he comes home.

He came home three hours later and gave her the pills.

It happened so fast, that when I noticed he was indeed giving her the thyroid medication also before I could have said anything it was already down.

Now what?

It’s a tiny little pill. But just because it’s small it doesn’t mean that it’s not potent. And given Jasmine’s history, I have the right to be very paranoid.

What should we do? Will she be ok with the one-time double-dose? Should we try to make her throw it up?

It was 11 PM, who do you ask?

Given the combined dose and her size, the online vet reassured me that she will be fine, just might get a little hyper. My heart could have returned from my throat back into my chest.

She indeed was perfectly fine, it didn’t have any visible effect on her whatsoever.

I first discovered online vet advice almost three years ago, when I was desperately researching options for treatment of Jasmine’s busted ACL.

What I’ve learned had ultimately led us to our new awesome vet and stem cell therapy.

I’ve been using online vet advice ever since.

In the summer of the last year, a great veterinarian and a friend of mine, Dr. Laci Schaible, and her husband Dr. Jed Schaible, also a veterinarian, started their own online vet advice service – VetLive.

If your dog gets sick, how do you know for sure you’re making the best decision for them?

Second opinions

A second opinion is often invaluable in the decision process. Back in my country, we have a saying: “More brains – more wisdom”. VetLive was founded to make a second opinion easily accessible to everybody. And then, of course, are always the urgent questions that need to be answered.

I always preach about the importance of finding the right vet for your dog. 

Well, the same rule applies whether you’re going to see your vet in person or whether you’re consulting one online.

Having a vast experience with this type of service I can tell you that if you do have an urgent question about your dog, or if you’re looking for a second opinion, VetLive is the place to go.

They are available 24/7 and their answers are thorough and exhaustive.

I am impressed with how much information you get during your session.

You can see it for yourself. Here is an example session about an injured Pug. Check it out and judge for yourself.

Related articles:
Canine Leg Swelling: Jasmine’s Mysterious Swelling And Another Experience With VetLive

Further reading:
Telemedicine: a new frontier for veterinary clinics

Categories: Diagnoses • Dog health advocacy

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Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer, dog health advocate, writer, and author. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Countless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care in my own hands. I learned the hard way that merely seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to get a diagnosis. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people how to recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners. What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

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