Get Thy Pig To A Vet -- Lessons From Yahoo! Answers

Over the last few weeks I've been responding to guinea pig-related questions in the Pets area over at Yahoo! Answers. And watching what was going on with questions about other species of pets.

I'd initially wandered in out of idle curiosity, but shortly found myself answering sometimes as many as 15 or 20 questions a day. There's a lot I could comment on -- and may eventually -- but for now I'll stick to what concerned me the most.

On any given day, a good third of the guinea pig-related questions were from owners whose pigs were clearly in a state of profound distress (e.g., heaving sides, crying out while urinating, extreme listlessness, blood in urine, diarrhea). Their comments were littered with phrases like "I probably should go to a vet but..." or questions like "Should I go to vet?" Several folks said they'd been asking questions in a Yahoo! Group and/or in some other unidentified forum(s) for a couple of days before coming to Yahoo! Answers.

In every case, there were at least a dozen respondents who advised, directed, ordered, begged, pleaded, and cyber-YELLED at the owners to get their guinea pigs to a vet immediately. In the cases of the folks who'd been asking around in forums for days (and still hadn't gone to a vet), there were respondents who were all over them like white on rice for "wasting crucial hours".

The problem apparently wasn't confined to guinea pigs. In a separate community feedback forum, members bemoaned the number of questions that were being posted about pets clearly in the midst of health crises. They debated about where best in the Pets area to post a blanket notice that pet owners needed to take sick pets to a vet instead of firing up the computer, logging into Yahoo! Answers (or any forum), posting questions, and then waiting for answers. As one member put it, "If you're concerned enough to be asking whether you need go to a vet, then you absolutely should go to one."

Guinea pigs, like all species of animals, have a list of critical, need-to-go-to-a-vet-ASAP symptoms. Guinea Lynx's Emergency Medical Guide is the most complete list available online, and is a page that we recommend that all guinea pig owners add to their Favorites/Bookmarks lists.

To be clear, there's nothing wrong with going online to ask for help in reliable forums when the symptoms you're seeing are (much) less severe, or when a vet has already diagnosed and started treating your guinea pig. Forums are a great place for information on everything from sparking the appetite of a sick guinea pig to identifying the nuances in behavior that can help you tell if you're dealing with a guinea pig who's being finicky or who's not eating as much as usual because a larger problem is brewing.

But when the symptoms you're seeing are on the emergency list, get thee to a vet. In these circumstances, every minute counts.