title: Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in dogs and cats: online support for veterinarians and owners.
abstract: Pet owners increasingly refer to online sources before, during, and after seeking veterinary advice for their pets. Although some online information is inaccurate or unhelpful, there is much useful material, and we believe much is to be gained by directing owners to online material that supports and complements veterinary advice. With regard to managing veterinary patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), there is an excellent online community that not only offers moral support and practical advice, but also facilitates clinical research and fundraising. For genetic diseases like canine EPI that affect primarily young animals, but for which a decade or more of treatment can reasonably be expected, online support can greatly facilitate optimal lifelong management. In this article we provide some information that may be of value when veterinarians consider which web sites to recommend to their clients managing patients with EPI.
authors.affiliation: epi4dogs, Willis, VA, USA. olesia.kennedy@gmail.com
authors.forename: Olesia C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D002415:Cats; D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D004285:Dogs; D010188:Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods*; D020407:Internet; D010067:Ownership; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards