Everyone here is so mindful of our Tripawds' health conditions, which often fluctuate from day to day if we're also dealing with cancer. Most of us lack the training and confidence to know when it's time to an ER visit versus just keeping an eye out on our pets.

Dr. Nancy Kay, one of our favorite vet authors, is aware of this, which is why she created this "signs and symptoms evaluation test" for pawrents in her blog post, What Would You Do:

What Would You Do?

I recently came across a paper titled “Internet users’ perception of importance of clinical signs commonly seen in old animals with age-related diseases”. The study concluded that many people have difficulty accurately assessing the importance of their pets’ symptoms. For example, 14% of those surveyed indicated that they would not seek veterinary attention if they noticed that their pet had red/pink colored urine, a sure symptom of a significant problem within the urinary tract.

I am curious to know how you, my well informed readers, would evaluate various observations pertaining to your pets. I offer you this little challenge quiz. Share your responses with me publicly or privately, and your name will be entered into a drawing to receive a signed copy of Speaking for Spot or Your Dog’s Best Health. I will provide my preferred responses to these questions along with explanations in a followup blog post. Thanks in advance for your participation!

Observations

For each of the following observations, indicate the course of action you would choose. When I use the word “pet” I am referring to a dog or a cat.

1. It’s 8:00 at night and your pet just vomited some fluid mixed with food. He seems perfectly normal otherwise, and you know of nothing unusual that he might have eaten.

1. Do some “watchful waiting”.
2. Call a staff member at your family veterinary clinic or local emergency hospital for advice.
3. Schedule an appointment to have your pet examined by your family veterinarian.
4. Take your pet immediately to your family vet clinic if they are open. Otherwise head to your local pet emergency hospital.

2. For the past few weeks you’ve been needing to fill your pet’s water bowl more frequently than normal. Your pet seems completely normal otherwise.

1. Do some “watchful waiting”.
2. Call a staff member at your family veterinary clinic or local emergency hospital for advice.
3. Schedule an appointment to have your pet examined by your family veterinarian.
4. Take your pet immediately to your family vet clinic if they are open. Otherwise head to your local pet emergency hospital.

Take the entire 10-question test here on her blog, Speaking For Spot, and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a copy of her fabulous book, Speaking for Spot!