Sick Dog? Sometimes All You Have to Do is Patiently Wait

(05-30-2013, 08:43 PM)cmdr-apollo Wrote: I want to be clear - Do you mean waiting once you've visited a vet and are sure it's something like a simple upset stomach? Or at the first signs of illness?
I think the waiting should happen after an a initial vet check-up if the vet says this is the route to go... I know vet visits are horribly expensive but if there's something wrong, it's worth it a million times over. The "just wait it out" thing can be dangerous to tell other dog owners who might not know how to recognize certain signs and might mistake serious internal issues for an upset stomach or gas, for instance.

He gave me a few treatment options telling me that they're not likely to work... luckily they did, the happiest day of my life was when I found out. However, if I had just waited it out like countless people told me to do - even a single day longer - it would be hopeless...
I fear that other dog owners may not know to do things like look at the color of their ears, gums, and whites of their eyes. Even if they do, this doesn't tell the entire story. But even constipation and an upset stomach can be helped. Waiting is part of it once a trusted vet has confirmed what's wrong, but it's the last step to take.

Sorry I hadn't made that clear... I meant waiting once he is treated but still enduring the pain.

I have two cases that almost drove me crazy.

One was when one of our pups had parvo. He was admitted to the vet hospital and we had him stay their for 7 days. Of course, I had to deal with the expenses but what's worst was when he came home, he wasn't feeling better at all!

We thought he was a goner. I couldn't leave his side for the first 5 hours. It had me thinking so many things that I just wanted to bring him back to the vet even when the vet advised me to just keep calm and let him rest.

At 1 am, I finally decided to go to sleep and he got better the next day because he rested the entire night. Had I panicked and brought him to the vet again, his body might not be able to handle the stress of traveling.

And I completely agree. I think owners should be knowledgeable of symptoms... even for the basic ones. Also, it should help to keep the vet's number handy.

Lastly, it's always better to take that trip to the vet rather than hold it off especially if the symptoms have been occurring for 24 hours. If it's nothing fatal, at least the vet has ruled it out. If it is, then you've just saved your dog's life.