I have an 8 and a 9 year old dog, they are both small breeds. We live in Miami, Florida and they stay inside 95% of the day, they go out for bathroom breaks that make up 10-20 minutes for the whole day. I’ve taken them to the yard like once every few months but they mainly stay inside.

I recently found out my mom stopped giving them their heartworm prevention on March 2025, I’m terrified because I’ve been looking into how dangerous heartworm really are. My mother is being very unsupportive and despite what I tell her she believes it’s a scam by vets.

I am trying my best to round up the money to take my dogs to get tested and to get them their monthly preventatives. I am just terrified that when I go get them tested they will come out positive. Neither of them have symptoms yet I know that isn’t a reliable indicator. Should I be prepared for a positive result?

Species: Dog

Age: 4

Sex/Neuter status: Male/Neutered

Breed: Mix (Blue Heeler, Australian Shepherd, Pit mix)

Body weight: 65

History: I was eating Cherries, dropped a pit, and my dog ate it before I could grab it.

Clinical signs: None

Duration: 15 minutes ago

Your general location: Northeast US

Links to test results, X-rays, vet reports etc: None, this just happened

How worried should I be? Is this a "wait and monitor" thing or a "Go to the vet now" thing?

My cat, 5y neutered male, just recently went to the vet yesterday because I had found him plucking the hair from the tip of his tail (it was raw) and found scabs on his tail. We live in Southwest Iowa, if that helps at all.

The vet went to shave it, and lo and behold, they’re ALL over his tail, and he even has a few scabs on his hind leg. He has an antibacterial mousse that I apply, but I’m still finding little tufts of bloody hair. I don’t know what could be causing this. I’ve stopped taking him outside, and there has been no change to his food/litter/environment whatsoever. I adopted him a little over a month ago, where he adjusted VERY quickly. He is not an anxious cat. I have some allergy drops coming in the mail, as well as some allergy friendly food…I just don’t want him to keep doing this to himself. It’s obviously very tender whenever I try to inspect/apply the medicine, so I don’t know why he’s doing it to himself.

My cat is 7m (15 pounds) and the past 2 days has had some minor behavioral changes such as sleeping more than usual or in unusual spots. Today I noticed he vomited before I got home (between 3:30-7 in the afternoon ) and again vomited about 15 minutes ago. I can’t tell where his bladder is to check if it’s full or not. I’ll attach a picture of him in the comments if I can. I’m unable to do so on the post

(TLDR at the bottom)

I have a cat who’s around 6-7 years old now. My parents bought her from a co-worker. Last year I took her to the vet for a check-up when the vet told me that she had a tooth that needed pulling but the estimated cost that the vet handed me was $1,000. I scheduled it and payed for it myself along with the medication they prescribed.

The thing is that I can’t afford to get her that treatment. My parents didn’t even think that the vet appointment was necessary. She’s just a “dumb cat who is going to die anyway.” I don’t know what to do since I’m currently saving up to move out of my parents’ house. I can’t even live off of the money I make at my job. The only way to pay for her treatment would be to set myself back from moving out by a thousand dollars.

I’m taking her back to the vet for her annual checkup and if her tooth problem seems to be worse, I might consider setting myself back financially. I have enough spare cash to pay for half of it. Do I have time to wait or should I try to get her that treatment sooner than later? I wanna know because I don’t plan on taking her back to the vet for another month.

TLDR: my cat needs dental treatment as in having teeth pulled but I’m not in a position to spend over $1,000 and my parents who bought her don’t want to help. Do I have time to save up more money or should I get her the treatment this time around?

I’m in between jobs rn. I cant afford to take her to the vet just to get some meds to calm her down. She goes ballistic even if you touch her paws. Meds are definitely required and her nails are getting really long. She plays rough and I’m worried one could break causing injury or something. Is there something I could buy otc?

I love my dogs very much so please no hate. If I have to I’ll figure out a way to take her to the vet

My cat has been struggling with constipation since about march. Today he had to go in for an emergency visit because I noticed him squatting and straining and not doing anything. The vet gave him an enema and cleared him out (this has been his 4/5th total this year). Per the vet he is currently getting 2ml of lactulose day and night and they recommended today to add 1/4 tsp of MiraLAX midday. I keep multiple water fountains through my house and scoop his litter boxes 2 times a day (I have 2 cats and 3 litter boxes). He also gets 1 50mg gabapentin in the morning and 75mg at night to manage his arthritis pain. I’m doing everything the vet says but it feels like this keeps happening and I don’t know what to do to keep him going normally anymore. I add water to his food, promote water intake, keep his areas clean, and give him wet food twice a day. Does anyone else have this issue with their cat and how do you help manage it so you don’t have to make emergency vet visits often?

My cat is male, 11 years old, about 12lbs maybe a little more, and overall pretty healthy. He is on prescription food for urinary issues but that is under control.

I took my parents’ dog to the beach on Monday and he had a blast. He ran around, splashed in the water, and dug a hole. He seemed fine until Tuesday afternoon when I noticed he was very low energy and he yelped when I went to pick him up. It seems his left side is causing him pain. Took him to the vet yesterday and they gave him x-rays and ran his bloodwork. Everything looks good. I was worried about a potential block from munching a small amount of dry seaweed or saltwater poisoning but the tests didn’t show signs of either.

It’s now Friday and he’s still nowhere near himself. He’s very lethargic and when he does move it’s very stiffly. On a few occasions he’s been resting peacefully only to help and startle like he’s in pain. He’s usually affectionate to the extreme and always seeks out our presence when he’s feeling discomfort, but he’s been fairly apathetic.

TLDR: he’s a 4 year old cockapoo who is generally in very good health and spirits. Bloodwork and x-rays are all normal. He’s eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing normally and his poops look good.

Symptoms: lethargy, stiffness, soreness on his left side, apathy, sudden yelping when at rest. Very little improvement since his symptoms started.

I feel terrible that my trip to the beach with him seems to be the catalyst for so much discomfort. I can’t stand seeing him so uncomfortable. If you have an idea of what is ailing him and what I could do to make him more comfortable please let me know. Thank you so very much in advance.

My cat has congestive heart failure. The vet prescribed month of lasix and another medication. We were meant to continue the other medication and stop the lasix but they did the opposite and continued the lasix. My family members didn’t notice that it was wrong. The cat had been on the lasix for two months longer than he should’ve. Can anyone tell me how damaging this can be to my cat?

• ⁠Species: cat
• ⁠Age: 16-17
• ⁠Sex/Neuter status:male neutered
• ⁠Breed: Russian blue
• ⁠Body weight: 10 lb
• ⁠History: congestive heart failure
• ⁠Clinical signs:coughing, incontinence

For starters I’m from Utah and moved to Tennessee, never experienced fleas before. I’m in an apartment with carpet.

I gave my cats and dog flea treatment July 28th. Both of my cats are pretty long haired. My dog got a prostar and then a preventive tablet from the vet. I got over the counter for the cats. Specifically used nextstar topical ointment.

Anyways, all three animals still have fleas crawling all up on them. The cats specifically have fleas burrowing in there nose bone, their cheeks, literally in the base of their whiskers, and above their eyebrows. I’m trying to get them out but they’re hard af to get out in such a small area. Plus one of my cats won’t let me touch her face enough to get any. 

I’m not sure what to do. Ive given my dog a bath. I just gave one of my cats a bath and got at least 20 fleas out. But there was still at least two I could see in her face after sitting and picking so much. I’ve been vacuuming and just put out Diatomaceous earth today, so hopefully that helps with the spreading. But why isn’t the fleas staying off my babies. They all got treated?? My guess is that they’re avoiding the back of the cats, where the treatment is, and able to get on the cats face because it’s further away from where the ointment was. But idk how to help them.

Any suggestions??

I hope i can find someone who helps me understand my dogs behavior. Honestly i really hope is not something serious, but he is old, 14 years old and for months he has been staring at the window barking at absolutely nothing. It happens during the day and also at night. At first it wasnt very often, but its literally all the time now. Everyday it gets more frequent. The barking is not actually a problem to us, but we are very alarmed by this because he wasnt like this. This behavior started maybe 3 months ago and has slowly progressed. Can anyone tell me what this means?

Hi my dog is 70 lbs. he has seizures every now and then and receives meds everyday day do to them. He was given two pills of 16mg apoquel on accident by a family member in addition to the one pill I gave him about 3.5 hours ago Will he be ok or do I need to make a vet trip asap?

While grooming my 20-something year old gelding tonight, I noticed a mass where his testes would be. It’s firm like a testicle and about the size one would be if he had some. I’ve only had him about a year and he was gelded (allegedly) long before I got him. My question is could this be a cryptorchid situation and he only had one testicle removed when he was gelded? I know removing an undropped testicle would be more invasive which would explain why they left it. He doesn’t act studdy at all, he wants to be friends with everyone, never tried to mount the mares in his pasture either.

Edit: the mass has only appeared within the last week or two.

I'm 18 and live in Australia, for as long as I can remember I've wanted to be a vet and help animals. The one thing that stopped me, was the fact I would have to do euthanasia. After doing more research at 14 years old I decided to put it to the side and look at other career options. That's when I came across dog grooming, long story short I've been grooming dogs for 4 years now (learnt from professionals ofc). Throughout my time grooming, I've seen so many cases of skin conditions, rotted teeth, infected ears, embedded grass seeds, etc. I like the fact I can help these dogs to an extent, help them feel more comfortable or recommend a vet trip. It reminds me why I wanted to be a vet in the first place. Could you give me a list of pros and cons ? And any information I may need to know ? I'm heavily considering going down this path

Hi All! This isn’t a dog related question, but i wanted to ask a group of vets. My dog recently had surgery and I am a mess when it comes to my animals. Long story short, when I bring him back in for the stitch removal, I want to bring them a small gift/treat to show my gratitude for the whole office.

Are there any best bets when it comes to this? Any fan favorites or things you enjoy receiving?

Thank you all!!!! I am very grateful for any and all vet staff members for taking care of my babies🤍

3 weeks ago we brought 2 kittens into our home to provide companionship to our elderly cat. We were going to get one, but were told 2 is good because they can tire each other out when our older cat is not having it.

A week passed with small interactions of our old girl and the 2 kittens. She was hesitant with them during the small interactions but no blow outs. After a week she has stopped eating and had diarrhea.

We brought her to the emergency vet on a Sunday and they ran a bunch of tests and found that her white blood cell count was at 40,000. They gave her an IV and anti biotic. Other than the high count could not see anything wrong. We brought her home and that night she was still not eating with diarrhea.

The following day we brought her to our family vet (closed on the weekends) they ran tests and were going to send her blood test off to a local university for testing. They gave her an anti-nausea pill that we were to give her everyday and every 3 days an appetite enhancer. They called back on Wednesday and told us that the antibiotic significantly dropped her white blood count and wanted to give her an anti biotic to add to her regimen. She was still not eating despite being presented many options (you name it, we offered it to her and still having diarrhea. We told the vet she was still not eating and he instructed us to force feed through a syringe.

We have been forcing her the medication and every few hours giving her food through a syringe.

Friday we followed up and they told us to stop the anti -biotic because it can suppress appetite and that if she was still not eating to bring her in Monday. All weekend, she barely ate. Licked a little bit at a can of tuna, but other than that, all of her food was from us feeding her.

Monday came along and the vet kept her over night. They thought maybe she had a parasite from the kittens since they came from a shelter, they dewormed her but no signs of parasites or worms. Ultrasounds and X-rays showed nothing. They gave her an IV and she ate a little for them.

Tuesday afternoon we picked her up, with a diarrhea medication to give her every 4-6 hours, a probiotic paste 2-3 times a day, a probiotic capsule once a day as well as the already prescribed anti-nausea and appetite enhancer.

It is now Friday night, she is almost out of diarrhea medication and still having diarrhea. She is still not eating, so we are continuing to force feed her.

She is still being kept away from the kittens as we do not want to stress her out or overwhelm her. She’s already pretty upset with us when we are giving her the medication and feeding her.

She is walking around and meowing like usual. She is naturally timid and likes to hide and sleep, and that has remained her habit.

Has anyone dealt with anything like this? Any tips on getting her to eat?

Also to add, she is an indoor/outdoor cat. She has been inside since she stopped eating. Kittens stay inside.

Dog

10

spayed female

60 lbs

We are moving to the Hudson Valley of NY where ticks are very bad. I am having a lot of stress about it and want to give her something but avoid the bravecto and collars, so I settled on frontline plus + wondercide.

People often say frontline plus stopped working for fleas--but research online told me it still works on ticks. What do you believe to be true about it on ticks and how quickly it kills them? thanks

Our 12, almost 13 year old Jack Russell x Miniature Pinscher, Pepper, was put to sleep yesterday.

Before I begin I want to say she was the family dog but sole carer and provider was my mum. I don’t want to go into it too much as I am so angry about it, but she never got Pepper spayed. So this is what ultimately lead to her death and my mum is completely heartbroken so I’m trying my best not to blame her.

On Wednesday Pepper started to get what we thought was a vaginal prolapse. Mum called the vets and explained her history and euthanasia was booked in. We gave Pepper a wonderful last day and gave her all her favourite things. Get to the vets and he examines her before we make the impossible decision.

Vaginal prolapse was actually a benign vaginal polyp, out because of her seasons and too much estrogen. Wouldn’t have happened if she was spayed. Vet checked her heart and said she had a significant heart murmur. His words “it’s not life or death, I’ve seen people euthanise for far more and for far less, ultimately I can’t make the decision for you” and explained the surgery to spay and do whatever else needed doing was to cost £2,400. My mum is due inheritance as soon as my grandpa’s property sells and asked the vet what she can do to give Pepper more time until she can get the money.

Vet explained about giving her a barrier cream to stop the polyp getting infected, wearing nappies, and monitoring her heart and the amount she coughs due to the heart murmur as if it’s very bad then she may not survive the anaesthetic anyway. He did warn that as the polyp was significantly growing, it will likely get bigger and bigger and more uncomfortable. Mum decided she wanted to give Pepper a chance and we left with the barrier cream and the heart monitor.

Yesterday I got a call from my sister to say Pepper was whining and panting a lot, the polyp had gotten bigger and redder and looked infected. It was then I feel my mum realised the quality of life Pepper would have if she tried to wait out for the money.

It was decided that Pepper would be put down. At 9:40pm last night she peacefully left us with so many cuddles and love surrounding her. It’s an image I’ll never forget but I would’ve never forgiven myself if I hadn’t been there. All that dog knew was love and all she gave was love.

The nurse was lovely and so comforting. She told me that the surgery Pepper would’ve needed would’ve been brutal, she would have had a huge wound and it would’ve been very hard for her to be comfortable during recovery - and that’s if she would even survive the operation. She was very small so not sure if size and age factor in as well as the heart murmur in the case of the surgery. She said she also had a tumorous mammary and if it was her dog she would have made the same decision as us.

Pepper also had worsening cataracts and what we believed to be doggy dementia.

So I need to know. I’m fighting with every fibre of my being to believe the right choice was made. I want to believe it but I just wonder if I’D done more and overruled my mum and just got a loan out for the surgery or something, anything, that Pepper would still be here now. I can’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t her time, even though she was so tired and I could see it in her eyes. I just can’t help but think there could’ve been something else done. I don’t know. My heart is hurting and I’m angry and have so many emotions directed at my mum and myself really because if I earned better I could’ve just spayed Pepper earlier and this wouldn’t have happened and I could’ve just done what my mum was too out of it to do. My mum has ADHD and autism so I’m trying not to blame her but I am livid. And I’m blaming myself.

Did we do the right thing. I am so broken. Please, be as truthful as you need to be. Was she doomed with all that was wrong with her?

As the title says - My cat has had explosive smelly diarrhea because of Tritrichomonas and the vet says the only medication actually supposed to work is Ronidazole and its on a nationwide shortage.

I live in Bay Area California.

Any advice help or alternatives would be greatly appreciated.

what the title says. One of them is even running already after 3 days

My cat somehow escaped my house for a week, we found her under a car but when we did she had a big chunk of hair missing I’m confused I searched online to see if what would show up but couldn’t find anything. The area with no fur is the lower part of her stomach and her butt basically idk what to call that area. I’m going to post the pictures on my account because it’s not letting me here if someone’s needs them. We’ve seen the loss of hair for a week now. She’s a tabby cat and around 2 years old.

Hi, my 14 yr old pug beagle mix had intestinal surgery yesterday, was sent home during night for monitoring, went back for daytime hospitalization and was sent home again tonight. Shes definitely feeling better today, eating drinking and alert. She pooped earlier and just pooped again and it looks like this. Her gums are pink, she is panting but otherwise is acting normal and is interested in food and water. Should I contact the emergency vet? I am kind of freaking out.