Debbie said:
>>Don't give out medical information on boards
 
>Are they talking about
>1. Medicine? or doses?
>2. Diagnosis?
>3. Personal Experience?
>What is considered Medical?  Thanks in advance.
 
First of all, where did this discussion come from?  And who is "they"?  If
you mean generally people tell you this, then I would suspect if these are
replies to you personally that it means don't give out medical diagnoses
unless you are a vet and don't give out medical advice unless you know FOR
SURE with a medical or vet reference to back you up, that what you are
saying is correct.
 
Of course personal experiences are welcomed here, you yourself have posted
many.  This list is built on people sharing personal experiences that
they have had, medical or otherwise, with their ferrets.  Sometimes these
experiences serve to show us not only correct and helpful ways of doing
things, but also wrong and harmful ways that may have undesired results.
 
Sharing a diagnosis that your vet has given you may allow for someone else
to either have information to take to their vet to ask more questions,
compare techniques or perhaps allow for someone else to let you know that
their experience with the same problem was solved a different way.  This is
all helpful information.
 
I think Mr. Killian said what he did to you because your questions implied
that this was an ongoing thread here on the FML, when in fact I haven't
seen it mentioned, though most who post suggestions about diagnoses will
say they are not vets and that proper medical attention should be sought
besides asking for advice here.
 
Bottom line is this, and I think most people who post to the FML understand
it well- when advising someone about an illness of any kind no matter how
minor, remind them that you are not a vet (unless you are), and that the
best person to confirm medical diagnoses with is your pet's doctor.  If you
have information from websites, books or magazine articles to back up your
opinions or techniques then do cite them and mention that this is something
that you have read, cite the author or source and if the source is or is
not trained in veterinary medicine.  This kind of advice can be very
helpful, but by the same token giving advice without knowledge or
experience to back you up can be very lethal.
 
Make sense?
 
(from Webster's unabridged 1996, 1998)
 medical \Med"ic*al\, a. [LL. medicalis, L. medicus belonging to healing,
 fr. mederi to heal; cf.  Zend madha medical science, wisdom, gr. ?  to
 learn, E. mind: cf. F. m['e]dical.]
 1. Of, pertaining to, or having to do with, the art of healing disease,
    or the science of medicine; as, the medical profession; medical
    services; a medical dictionary; medical jurisprudence.
 2. Containing medicine; used in medicine; medicinal; as, the medical
    properties of a plant.
 
Robynn and the toothsome threesome
[Posted in FML issue 2955]