Hi Barbara,

I think that you have hit the nail on the head.

It is wrong to treat an animal badly ~ I think that we can all agree on that ~ but if people don't realise that something is bad, or if they have been given poor advice, then it is a good thing that they should be given the benefit of the knowledge available here on the site.

If they are frightened away by accusations of 'trollism' or 'shouted at' for being silly, then neither they nor their pets will benefit.

Long-term, knowledgable members may PM me to complain, and may wonder why these 'trolls' are not banned, for wasting time and space, but surely they have as much right to post as anyone else ~ and probably more need.

And maybe they won't simply take the advice given immediately ~ but why should they? How do they know who is telling them the right thing and who isn't ~ especially if they have been given contradictory information by their vet, or by different forum members?

People can sometimes ~ not always, but sometimes ~ jump on people as trolls with no good reason at all.

And people will get upset, or complain, or leave the site over such issues ~ and their friends will be upset ~ but they and their friends must realise that there are two sides to every story and that, while some people support them, others may be complaining about them. Often a compromise is the only answer.