Consumer Health Care Info…for Pets
I came across this article recently, and it got me thinking. How do public and school libraries handle requests for consumer veterinary health information?
If this article is to be believed, far too few resources exist that are really appropriate for consumers. medical libraries routinely address questions of consumer health care information and appropriateness of the material to the reader's comprehension level, reading ability, or education. But medical libraries, I think, are not often asked for information about a pet's health.
I have utilized the Merck Veterinary Manual when preparing questions for the vet about my dog's care, but it isn't really appropriate for most consumers.
With this in mind I started poking around a little online, and discovered that MedLinePlus (the first destination for consumer health information online) has a great section on pets and pet health! I didn't know!
My wife and I have a dog and two cats that we love, so I understand how badly users might want to find authoritative information. Any other ideas or suggestions where to find authoritative consumer veterinary health information online?
(Inset: David's Cockatriever, Bingley)
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July 17th, 2006 at 10:08 pm
Wow. I wish I’d known about this four days ago when I ended up calling my vet at home and at night. My poor vet. As it turns out, all the info I’d found online was exaggerated and my cat wasn’t dying (or at least, not just then). The cat’s still not himself, but he’s not dead, either. Thank goodness.