When I'm looking for health-related news and information, I head on over to WebMD, Mayo Clinic, and one of my favorites Natural Solutions (formerly Alternative Medicine). All three have served me well over the years, but when it comes to my pets I don't really have one main site that I go to. I've mostly hit Google to find what I'm looking for and by calling my veterinarian.
WebVet is a new site launching this summer. According to the site, WebVet will provide comprehensive news, information, education and community forums to maintain and improve the health and well-being of pets. The site will offer breaking news, which is vitally important to pet owners when it comes to food product recalls or communicable diseases and bacterium outbreaks, such as the recent outbreak of the streptococcus zooepidemicus bacterium that killed seven dogs in a Milwaukee kennel and sickened many others.
WebVet will also offer pet owners the ability to search specific symptoms to help pet owners better understand what ails their pets. Of course, never self-diagnose and see your veterinarian. Other features WebVet will offer: information about care and safety; diet and exercise; travel; and pet technology. In addition to articles, the site will offer podcasts. And for those looking to engage with other pet owners, there will be forums.
WebVet competitor Dogster and Catster offer similar information and forums, but is specific to dogs and cats; whereas WebVet will also include information for birds, rabbits, hamsters and other pets. What I'd like to see both Dogster/Catster and WebVet include are social features in their community sections beyond forums, and a section for organic pet living.
I look forward to checking out WebVet when it launches this summer. Until then, check out Dogster and Catster.
This is a really good idea. Until they launch, a similar site that already is live and offers these same features is petwave.com. It has helped me a lot, so I thought I would share it with everyone.
Posted by: Beth Shares | May 30, 2008 at 02:36 PM
Thanks for sharing the information about the pet health sites. It's about time we can go online and search for symptoms and do cursory research like we do for ourselves at WebMD and similar sites. I never heard of dogster, either. Will check out that site.
Posted by: Jenny | June 06, 2008 at 11:55 PM
Also check out http://petdoc.com/
Posted by: Jonathan | August 04, 2008 at 12:33 PM
WebVet looks like a great idea. The American public is owning pets more and more now and I think pet ownership will only increase.
Posted by: Allan | October 11, 2008 at 09:21 PM