For the past few days, when I checked my emails, I saw at least 10 different emails which were telling me that the email I sent couldn't make it so it got sent back to me. The problem was, I never sent those emails in the first place. And whilst I knew there was something wrong, and I did everything that I could do, such as run antivirus, and googled it, the problem didn't really bother me until Saturday afternoon.
I said to myself, "You have tried everything, so obviously, nothing much can be done, you will just have to change your email address." But I hadn't tried everything. I hadn't asked someone who actually knows about this stuff. When it got to 20 emails over half a day, that was my "tipping point'. That was the point where I knew I had to do something.
But guess what, it was a Saturday afternoon. Fortunately, my email provider is a great guy, and they are working to sort that out. It made me think about that "tipping point"... that point that makes us realise that we can't fix whatever problem we have on our own... that point where we say "I need help to get this problem fixed". I am lucky my computer dude is trying to fix this problem on a weekend. I wasn't expecting anything to be done until next week.
As a vet, every time someone brings their sick pet in to visit me, it is because something happened that "tipped them over the edge'. Now, with my email problem, ignoring the problem most likely didn't make it worse. It was just a nuisance. And now, annoying my computer dude because I waited till Saturday to annoy him about it. But in our pets, ignoring the problem until it is beyond what you can deal with, can make the difference between whether the problem can be fixed, or be beyond the point of no return.
And sometimes, it becomes an emergency, for you, your pet and the vet. And like my email dilemma, it may at a time that is most inconvenient for you and the vet. Like the picture above. This actually came from a website talking about Biodiversity, but it showcases the "tipping point" problem - leaving the problem until it is too late, may mean that it will take longer to get better, or we may hit the point where we cannot fix the problem.
All vets are there to help you look after your pet, but you need to be part of the process to. Tip your "tipping point" to the early stages of the disease process, rather than in the middle or near the end. Many vets are happy to talk to their pet owners on the phone or via email, but most times, we really need to do the "hands on" check. Our online consults are designed to give advice but it doesn't replace the "hands on" approach.
That is, when you notice the "ain't doing right", or 'not himself", that is the time you need to take your pet to the vet. Do not play the "wait and see" if your gut feeling is telling something is wrong. Most times, it doesn't work.
I said to myself, "You have tried everything, so obviously, nothing much can be done, you will just have to change your email address." But I hadn't tried everything. I hadn't asked someone who actually knows about this stuff. When it got to 20 emails over half a day, that was my "tipping point'. That was the point where I knew I had to do something.
But guess what, it was a Saturday afternoon. Fortunately, my email provider is a great guy, and they are working to sort that out. It made me think about that "tipping point"... that point that makes us realise that we can't fix whatever problem we have on our own... that point where we say "I need help to get this problem fixed". I am lucky my computer dude is trying to fix this problem on a weekend. I wasn't expecting anything to be done until next week.
As a vet, every time someone brings their sick pet in to visit me, it is because something happened that "tipped them over the edge'. Now, with my email problem, ignoring the problem most likely didn't make it worse. It was just a nuisance. And now, annoying my computer dude because I waited till Saturday to annoy him about it. But in our pets, ignoring the problem until it is beyond what you can deal with, can make the difference between whether the problem can be fixed, or be beyond the point of no return.
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| Referenced from http://hainanproject.org/?p=140 accessed 28th October 2012 |
All vets are there to help you look after your pet, but you need to be part of the process to. Tip your "tipping point" to the early stages of the disease process, rather than in the middle or near the end. Many vets are happy to talk to their pet owners on the phone or via email, but most times, we really need to do the "hands on" check. Our online consults are designed to give advice but it doesn't replace the "hands on" approach.
That is, when you notice the "ain't doing right", or 'not himself", that is the time you need to take your pet to the vet. Do not play the "wait and see" if your gut feeling is telling something is wrong. Most times, it doesn't work.
