Sunday, August 31, 2008

One of Those Calls

I just got one of those calls. If you're slightly interested in animals or becoming a vet, you know what I'm talking about. Someone calls you about an animal that is doing something weird/abnormal and they ask you if there's something wrong and what they should do. It had actually been a while since I had received one of those calls, but it looks like they may start back up again.

This puppy was shaking all the time...What's wrong with it? First of all, I have completed an entire week of vet school and I don't think we covered the shaking puppy and its cure. Then the person wants me to agree that it's a neurological issue. You may be wondering why they don't just take the dog to a vet...I don't know either. As a vet-in-training, I don't think it would be wise to hand out diagnoses (especially over the phone) based on all of my lack of knowledge and experience. Furthermore, I don't think an experienced vet would even diagnose it without running tests and examining the animal.

So for now, I will tell you "I don't know. Take it to a vet." if you ask me what's wrong with your animal.

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