How to Research Your Dog's Illness

You've just returned from the vet's office with a new diagnosis for your dog. Whether your pet has a short-term problem needing limited medical intervention or a chronic condition requiring lifelong monitoring, you're bound to have questions about prognosis and treatment. Fortunately, a variety of websites and printed materials can help you understand more about your dog's illness. The key to finding accurate information is seeking out sites and books written and endorsed by veterinarians.

Things You'll Need

  • Computer
  • Internet access
  • Library access

Instructions

    • 1

      Study vet-written websites designed for pet owners. Several sites, including VetInfo.com and PetEducation.com, explain a host of canine illnesses and treatment approaches in basic terms. Searches of owner-oriented sites can lead to details your vet may not have told you about your dog's new diagnosis. When visiting these sites, type your dog's diagnosis--"canine diabetes," for example, or "parvovirus"--into the search bar and scan the results for the information you need. VetInfo.com also offers a chat option that allows you to ask an online vet questions you may have forgotten to ask your own vet.

    • 2

      Review your dog's illness at websites designed for veterinarians. Sites such as MerckVetManual.com and AVMA.org, the site of the American Veterinary Medical Association, provide technical information about pet illnesses, including medication dosages prescribed for specific diseases. When you need more details about how your pet's disease typically is managed, sites written for vets are the best guides.

    • 3

      Research clinical studies. Visit the National Institutes of Health website, PubMed.gov, and type your dog's illness into the search bar. Common canine diseases and conditions--arthritis, dermatitis, kennel cough and hypothyroidism, for example--have been researched extensively in clinical trials. Reading about treatment studies will give you a broader perspective of your dog's illness and help you formulate questions for your vet.

    • 4

      Check out pet healthcare books from your local library. A variety of home veterinary care and dog health books line the shelves of most libraries. Ask a librarian for help finding the pet-care section and look for books written by vets that review different diseases and treatments. With a volume at home you'll be able to review the section on your dog's illness as much and as often as needed during the period the book is on loan.

    • 5

      Consult blogs related to your dog's illness, but do so carefully. Reading health-related blogs for pets can be tricky, as you may not fully understand the details of another dog's diagnosis based solely on information an owner posts online. However, for general overview of how other owners handle their dogs' diagnoses and treatments, pet-health blogs can serve a useful purpose, so long as you're not relying on them for complete accuracy. To find a blog, type the words "dog" and "blog" into a search engine along with the name of the disease or illness you're researching.

    • 6

      Avoid websites whose main purpose is to sell products related to your dog's illness. Visual cues will tell you immediately if a site's goal is to sell you something; product photos and pricing information will appear high on the page. In the initial stages of researching your dog's illness, product-specific sites may not provide all the information you need, especially if you're unsure of how your pet will be treated long-term. However, sites selling medications, supplements and holistic approaches may be useful once you and your veterinarian have settled on a treatment plan.