Why does PBF have a "Health Issues" section?

[Amie]

PBF promotes responsible dog ownership, and certainly a big part of that is responsible health care for your animals. Please remember that advice and opinions given here do NOT replace diagnoses from an actual qualified veterinary professional who has given your dog a thorough, hands-on examination.

Strangers over the internet can make guesses, tell anecdotes about their own experiences, and suggest dietary/grooming options that may be helpful, but they simply cannot reliably diagnose an injury or illness without direct contact with your animal, nor should they (or PBF) be held responsible for your choice to follow or ignore their suggestions. Please remember this and do not make any decisions about your pets' health care based exclusively on internet posts.

If it would be helpful, perhaps we can contribute here a list of symptoms that would require vet treatment, and what would require emergency vet care?

For example - I would probably wait less than 24 hours to take my dog to the vet if he was limping, but I would not likely rush him to the e-vet without obvious swelling, bleeding, pain when the leg was touched, or some other symptoms besides the limp.

I would rush my dog to the e-vet if he appeared to have difficulty breathing at all.

What are your thoughts?

[Leslie H]

I have a rectal thermometer for the dogs. If they have a temp, I'm calling the vet. If it's 104 or more, we're headed to the e-vet, if my regular vet isn't available.

[HollyJoy]

Bloat requires immediate veterinary care & surgery.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloat

Symptoms
Symptoms are not necessarily distinguishable from other kinds of distress. A dog might stand uncomfortably and seem to be in extreme discomfort for no apparent reason. Other possible symptoms include firm distension of the abdomen, weakness, depression, difficulty breathing, hypersalivation, and retching without vomiting. A high rate of dogs with bloat have cardiac arrhythmias (40 percent in one study)

Treatment
Bloat is an emergency medical condition: having the animal examined by a veterinarian is imperative. Bloat can become fatal within a matter of minutes.

First Aid
At the first signs of bloat (restlessness and inability to sit or lay down comfortably) a dog owner can adminster 1-2 tablets of Famotidine also known commercially as Pepcid down the dogs throat. Some dog owners advise giving Simethicone during the early signs of a bloat emergency.
In addition to administering Pepcid or Simethicone a dog owner can massage an acupressure point on the hind leg which is known to release the gas build-up in the belly.