As a brand, we see a growing number of contradictory information about the care of animals that appear on the Internet. In our campaign, we pay attention to the need to verify information appearing in the network, which often do not have support in solid scientific knowledge. We want to emphasize how important, for the sake of the animal’s health, a visit to a professional is. Let’s trust professionals – says Daria Kulińska, corporate director at Royal Canin. – As part of our campaign, we also want to support cat and dog carers, verifying and refuting the popular myths about animal nutrition in the network. And all this based on scientific knowledge and many years of experience of specialists – he adds.
Exit the net – wrong diagnoses can harm your animal’s health
According to the Royal Canin social campaign report, “Exit the net, go to the veto”, conducted by ARC Rynek and Opinion in December 2024, on a representative group of animal carers and veterinarians, one of the most common consequences of diagnosing animals in the network by their carers is delaying visits to veterinarians, as much as 90% of the specialists surveyed. This approach can pose a threat to the animal’s health. In turn, 88% of veterinarians pay attention to the risk of deterioration of the animal’s health as a result of the use of improper nutrition.
Disinformation on the web and the treatment process
Veterinary doctors also observe that frequent incorrect conclusions based on information from the Internet cause unnecessary stress in carers or a false sense of security that the problem has been solved – as many as 81% of respondents indicate. Even worse, according to 81% of veterinarians, guardians who were looking for independent diagnosis on the Internet, do not want to believe and follow the expert’s recommendations.
During consultation with dog carers, I often observe their loss. They do not know what to believe and which information to accept as true. I always emphasize that nutrition is not a matter of faith, but the result of several dozen years of scientific research. There are several different ways to feed dogs, there is no one perfect way for all dogs, but you can always find the perfect solution for a specific dog. Only consultation with a specialist allows for an individual approach to the animal based on the results of scientific research – says Dr. Olga Lasek, a specialist in nutrition of dogs and cats, expert of the Royal Canin social campaign “get out of the net, go to the veto”.
Falling trust in doctors and growing pressure – self -diagnosis challenges
The reason why animal guardians postpone visits to veterinarians and decide to diagnose based on online opinions is also a lack of trust in specialists, which is indicated by as much as 66% of surveyed doctors. Fast access to information on the Internet means that veterinarians are increasingly feeling pressure from animal carers. 91% of veterinarians experience pressure when caregivers diagnose the animal on the web themselves, and then impose a treatment method that can be contrary to the recommendations of specialists. In turn, 27% of veterinarians notice a decrease in social trust in their profession. Internet self -diagnosis leads to situations in which animal guardians question the knowledge and diagnosis of specialists, which was confirmed by 40% of the doctors.
Most often, pet carers have negligible knowledge about the health of their pets. The one they have comes from friends, breeders, discussion forums and we can describe it as “popular know”. However, without full diagnosis and experience of a specialist, the guardian is not able to determine whether the vomiting his animal has is a simple indigestion or a symptom of serious kidney failure. Without a detailed interview and clinical examination, it is impossible to build a diagnosis and use appropriate treatment. As PSLWMZ, we were satisfied with satisfaction on the social initiative of the Royal Canin under the slogan “Exit the net, go to the veto” promoting the value of the visit to a specialist for the sake of the animal’s health. Such behavior contributes to improving the care of our pets, which is one of the main statutory tasks of our organization – says the drug. Wet. Andrzej Lisowski, president of the Senior of the Polish Association of Small Animal Veterinary Doctors, patron of the Royal Canin social campaign “Exit the net, go to the veto”.
Go to veto – each animal deserves a verified diagnosis
In response to the growing problem of online self -diagnos, Mark Royal Canin initiated the social campaign “Exit from the net, go to the veto”, under the patronage of the Polish Association of Veterinary Doctors of Small Animal. The campaign aims to educate animal carers and encourage them to postpone the knowledge and experience of veterinarians above information from uncertain sources, widespread on the Internet. Royal Canin, together with the ARC Rynek i Opinia research agency, conducted a study on the phenomenon of self -diagnosis of animals on the web.
As part of the campaign, there will also be materials from well -known popular science influencers: “Scientific gibberish” and “Doctor of Tiktoka”, who on their YouTube channels, thicket and instagram, will deal with the most -reproduced myths among animal care, in accordance with the results of the campaign research report. Royal Canin with his message “Exit the net, go to the veto” will also appear on the Onet Woman portal and in the podcast “Tu dog”, where campaign expert Dr. Karolina Hołda, a specialist in the field of animal dietetics will overthrow the myths of animal nutrition popular in the network.
