Tripawds Three Legged Dog & Cat Forum Archives

In Dr. Kay's latest blog post, "Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There" she discusses the concept of "benign neglect":

This blog post is my way of encouraging you to be okay with watchful waiting (aka, benign neglect) when this is what the situation calls for. Understand the logic behind any medication your veterinarian prescribes, and avoid pressuring your vet to prescribe “something” for the sake of helping you feel more secure and comfortable. Time is a wonderful cure-all for many maladies.

A little confused by this suggestion, we posed the following question in response to the watch and wait suggestion:

...SO, how do you draw the line between being OK with watchful waiting and taking further steps to diagnose the issue?

Is there a reasonable time limit for watching and waiting, depending on the symptoms? Which symptoms are OK to practice “benign neglect” and which ones aren’t?

And where do you draw the line between smart “benign neglect” and recognizing an incompetent vet who can’t seem to diagnose the issue yet won’t offer up a second opinion referral?

And as always, Dr. Kay had a brilliant response, which you can read about here in the "Comments" section.