You may have already heard of this, but I just ran across PetMD.com. I’d love to get the opinion of others on this site. The interface and graphics are nice, but unfortunately the look and feel greatly exceed the functionality. For example, there were only four vets in my zip code and the neighboring zip code didn’t even exist. I looked up diarrhea (as my Jack Russell does indeed have diarrhea) and all I got was a laundry list of diseases that my dog could have - ranging the gambit of stomach flu to conditions I’ve never even heard of. I guess if you’re going to mimic a dynamic service like WebMD.com, you might want to beef up your resources first.
A new service was also launched recently called Webvet.com. Again, the site is slick and contains a lot of information. I had a hard time navigating the many, many links, so I punted and searched for diarrhea. I received a lot of results, but in that same “laundry list of conditions” fashion, it was hard to narrow down what’s wrong with my dog. Webvet.com seemed to have more information than PetMD.com and with a little tweaking to their symptom checker - it could be a great resource.
With that said, all pet owners need to remember - if your pet is sick or hurt, take him/her to your vet. Tools like this are certainly helpful, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
August 4th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Just out of curiosity, whats you opinion on http://petwave.com
August 5th, 2008 at 11:07 am
It’s OK. WebVet seems to be more robust, and has amazing partner support (hello AAHA!).
August 5th, 2008 at 11:12 am
So i just googled some info about my dog and this blog came up. I saw both websites and tried to get a feel for which one would be more helpful. I noticed that webvet has a lot of information and it seems like they have a lot of new things coming soon which means they probably want to continue expanding their info.
I couldn’t also help but notice that you mentioned taking your pet to the vet to be safe. Webvet has a disclaimer on every single page that mentions that they are just providing the information and they always recommend taking your pet to the vet if they seem to be sick.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Hoosierdog -
I checked out http://www.petwave.com and kind of liked it. The information seems to be well put together and like Webvet, has disclaimer about taking your dog to the vet if they’re sick. I also appreciated that they make it clear the site is still under development. I’m not a big fan of Google Ads, but they seem to limit the ads to pet health. I didn’t see anything about buying pet store dogs or anything like that. All-in-all, a nice little site!
August 15th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Just wanted comment on Carolines comment. Just to clarify, http://www.petwave.com has partnered with individual vets, kennel clubs, behavior specialist, and big name organization. The only difference is they don’t advertise their partners, however they are sited at the bottom of each article; http://www.petwave.com/Dogs/Dog-Basic-Care-and-Nutrition-Center/Basic-Care/General-Dog-Care/Overview-and-Facts/Overview/The-Basics-of-Dog-Care.aspx.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
My black lab has a black, smelly discharge from his ears. The vet has flushed them out and given medication but to no avail, nor can they tell me why. Can you ? and what can I do to prevent/cure him ?
August 21st, 2008 at 8:30 am
Hey Bill - I would not want to venture a guess at what might be wrong as I have never experienced this before with my own dogs. You might want to seek out the opinion of another vet. I definitely wouldn’t take any chances with it though. A different vet might have a new perspective on the problem.
Good luck and I hope your lab feels better soon!
September 11th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Should a dog with very think fur be shaved in the summertime, if they live in a hot climate?
September 12th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Hey Stitch, hope this helps answer your questions: http://www.petwave.com/Dogs/Dog-Basic-Care-and-Nutrition-Center/Basic-Care/Grooming/Need-to-Know/Helpful-Tips/Clipping-a-Dogs-Coat-Can-Actually-Make-Him-Hotter.aspx