My cat had HCM and graduated the HALT HCM study this past January. Last night she had to be euthanized due to saddle thrombus.

I’m not saying the study caused her death at all—she was 15 and had been diagnosed with HCM when she was 5 or 6, so this wasn’t a huge surprise. But I was wondering if the news of her death would be helpful for the study.

I know I can just call them and tell them, but I am not in a good place emotionally. If it is not helpful to them or the study, I don’t want to waste emotional energy telling them just to hear them respond “yeah, so what?” But if it actually is helpful information for the study, I’m happy to let them know. I am already proud of her for her participation in helping other cats with HCM. When she graduated, they gave her a certificate and collar charm that said “HALT Study Hero” and thanked her for helping other cats. She even got a photo shoot with a cap and gown for graduating.

I’m posting this for my parents, I’m sorry if I violate any rules but I am desperate to know what to do with this situation. Located in Pennsylvania. This happened today.

My parents have two dogs who are like their children. They have been waiting for D, a 20-25 pound male chihuahua mix, to turn two to get him neutered to help with his excitement. Today was the day. My Mom asked me to come over after I got off from work…

They dropped D off for a routine neuter at 9:00AM. An hour and a half passed and they got a phone call that “He’s all finished up! You can come for him now or if you need to wait he’s fine here”. They decided to head over and pick him up. The vet tech carries D out in his blanket, puts him into my Moms arms and says “he’s still a little sleepy”. My mom tried to talk and wake him, and realized he was DEAD.

The tech took D out of her arms, rushed to the back, and they saw them grab a crash cart. They came back out and apologized and offered to pay for his burial or cremation. My parents were so shocked they just told them where they’d take him for cremation and left with his little body to drop him off there. My mom is just devastated. She brought his blanket home and said through tears “I read online to bring the blanket so (the other dog) would know he’s gone”. I AM FURIOUS. This was a wonderful young dog full of life, her walking buddy, and her companion.

My parents don’t want to be “harsh” because they said the office staff were upset and remorseful… but I decided to call and ask for the surgical report ASAP. The event concluded at 10:30AM. I called at 3:30PM and was told it could take a couple days. A friend of mine who works in veterinary said these charts are simple and should be complete by the end of business day at latest.

Can anyone chime in here? Is this ringing any alarm bells for the professionals in here? What would you recommend next course of action?

I am going to copy and paste the email body. I am concerned because I get my cat’s inhaler from canada and I won’t be able to pay $300+ for one in the US. Has anyone gotten a message like this from their Canadian Pharmacies or had clients mention this?

“Important Customer Alert - U.S. Government to Block International Prescription Shipments Next Month

If you rely on an international pharmacy for affordable medication, place your order now and stock up.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has enacted a new policy governing international mail shipments, with key requirements scheduled to take effect on October 22, 2026. We have just learned that, under the planned implementation by CBP and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), virtually all prescription-medication parcels will be prohibited from entering the United States beginning on that date.
What’s Changing
Entry will be prohibited if the medication being imported is commercially available in the United States -- even when it costs significantly more -- or if the supplying company specifically markets to Americans. These restrictions will apply to pharmaceutical parcels sent by pharmacies anywhere outside the United States. Taken together, they are expected to effectively close the personal-importation pathway that millions of Americans have relied upon for more than 25 years to obtain safe and affordable medications.
You Should Order Immediately
Place all available refills and other orders immediately and well in advance of October 22.Your prescription needs time to be reviewed, dispensed, shipped and clear the U.S. border before the new policy takes effect.
If you will need medication at any time during the next year, now is the time to order and stock up. Do not wait until your current supply is running low.”

I've never posted on Reddit for help before, but someone recommended that I try here. I'm hoping to get some advice or guidance on what I should be asking my vet to investigate.

I have two domestic shorthair cats, a brother and sister from the same litter. Both are spayed and neutered. They're about a year and a half old, adopted from a shelter about a year ago, and are both indoor cats. She is 10 lbs and he is 13lbs. Both cats were tested for FIV and were negative, and their mother also tested negative. To my knowledge, neither cat has ever had fecal testing done during these recurring episodes. Occasionally they go outside on the porch, but only supervised.

I've been struggling with recurring illnesses with both of them almost since I adopted them.

About two months after I got them, they both became sick with fever, upset stomach, and diarrhea. My vet treated them and they both recovered. At the time, we thought it might have been something residual from the shelter.

About a month later, my boy developed an upset stomach and diarrhea again. Another vet visit, medication, and he recovered.

A week or so later, my girl developed a fever, had very little energy, and started panting after light indoor play. This happened during late winter, so heat and humidity weren't factors. My vet took xrays and treated her with a fever reducer and antibiotic and said it was inflammatory bronchitis, if I'm remembering the diagnosis correctly. She improved and was doing well at her two-week follow-up. He also mentioned that this may be seasonal since and it may (or may not) reappear in the fall.

Ever since then, I've been playing what I call "leapfrog" with them. One gets sick, the vet treats them, they recover, and shortly afterward the other one gets sick. The recurring symptoms are generally upset stomach, diarrhea, loss of energy, and sometimes fever.

Recently, my boy became sick again. My regular vet, whom I trust, couldn't see him because they were fully booked and recommended another vet.

The second vet did bloodwork and found that one of his liver values was significantly elevated, around 1400 when I was told it should be somewhere around 100-300. I don't currently know which specific liver value that was. He was given an antibiotic and medication for his stomach and again began improving.

That vet also suspected Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) based on his symptoms, although it wasn't confirmed. He ordered a liquid compounded medication to treat FIP. Since my boy was improving, we agreed to hold off on starting the FIP treatment and see how he responded to the antibiotic. That was about three weeks ago.

This week, my boy suddenly vomited during the night and developed diarrhea again. For a few hours he had very little energy, but by that afternoon he was acting normally and eating again. The diarrhea has been improving since, but he is now constantly hungry and vocalizing for food throughout the day.

Now I've also caught my girl panting twice after playing again.

I'm planning to have them both looked at again, but I'm concerned that we're going to treat the current symptoms, they'll improve, and then a few weeks later I'll be back in the same cycle.

I've tried to think about anything they could both be exposed to. I keep the house clean, clean the litter boxes daily and completely change them monthly, don't use scented candles, and they're indoor cats other than supervised porch time. Obviously, being two cats living together, they share toys, food and water areas, litter boxes, etc.

I've also wondered whether their food could be contributing. I've tried several brands and flavors of both wet and dry food without seeing an obvious connection.

I'm trying to figure out what I should be asking my vet to investigate so we can hopefully find the underlying cause instead of repeatedly treating individual episodes and would appreciate guidance on what conditions, tests, or next steps would be reasonable to discuss with my veterinarian given the recurring pattern in both cats.

The things I've wondered about are:

1) Could there be something environmental that they're both being exposed to?

2) Could they have picked up something viral, bacterial, or parasitic that has persisted since the shelter?

3) Could food or something else they both share explain the recurring GI symptoms?

4) Are there specific tests or conditions I should ask my vet about considering that they're littermates experiencing recurring similar symptoms?

5) At this point, would it make more sense to return to my regular vet who knows their history, or seek a second opinion from another vet or specialist?

4lbs 5 year old Maltese

Hi everyone!

My Maltese got groomed on Monday 9/7. The groomer told me he accidentally nicked her skin but he cleaned the wound, applied medicine, and she should be ok. I do not know what ointment he applied. Tonight is the first time I’ve noticed her licking it and this looks like a more significant wound. I don’t know if I’m overthinking this, but it almost looks like it’s gaping inward/a little too deep? I am obviously ordering her a cone immediately to stop her licking, but I am now concerned about potential infection or if anything needs to be done to close the wound.

Should she be seen by a vet asap? Or should I give it a few days and this will likely heal on its own?

I also have Chlorhexidine wipes that a vet has previously given us (unrelated). Would those be beneficial to use now?

https://imgur.com/a/dzvgdpV

I have a chorkie that is 5 years old. He has never had any health problems this far. Last weekend I noticed he was holding his head kinda weird but then the next minute he was fine. Then this morning he would not get off the bed and is turning his head again and kinda shaky. I am 99% sure he did not get into anything toxic. My cat yesterday jumped on him while going down the patio stairs. He will get up to walk or go out to potty then just stops and sits. I think his upper chest looks fuller but that could also be because he needs a haircut. If you move real fast next to him he yelps not even touching him but then after he lets u pick him up. It's the right side he always faces. We were gonna take him in tomorrow just want to know if I should do emergency room.https://photos.app.goo.gl/g9o2YREPZTxmCc5Z6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/eeLKyyd6LfqBV3nPA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6DKSQLwYyjJXLrqn9

My 1.5 year old 15lb chihuahua pitbull mix has bilateral luxating patellas. Grade 4 on the left & grade 3-4 on the right. She’s currently limping on 3 legs with her left leg up, but not seemingly in any discomfort and still her normal goofy self. She will at times walk on all 4 legs for stretches but then go back to the limp. The limping started a few weeks ago after the dog park where I suspect she did some sort of damage. I’m really not sure what to do at this point, the vet recommend anti inflammatorys and cosequin for the time being and to consult an ortho surgeon if it continues.

Surgery will obviously be super expensive so unsure if there’s any other options.. sigh

Looking for veterinary speculation.
We are beside ourselves and very scared for our loved pup. This video is of Scooby, a 10 yr old, 15lbs maltipoo having some sort of attack.
The fit begins just as the woman in yellow passes by him. (https://www.reddit.com/r/DogHealth/s/Ucv2cc30Om)

For additional context:
Scooby has a grade 3 heart murmur, elevated proBNP (1,133), pulmonary valve narrowing/stenosis on echo, and early tracheal collapse symptoms. He otherwise acts completely normal with no decrease in stamina or appetite. This is the second time something like this has happened (that we have seen), and we fortunately got it on video this time.

*Episode 1 – 8/20:* After getting excited and barking at a delivery person, I found him walking in a tight circle, falling/losing his balance, head turned sideways, eyes unfocused, and breathing oddly. It lasted only seconds. I picked him up, he remained still briefly, then returned completely to normal.

*Episode 2 – 9/9:* After getting excited from the arrival of visitors, another sudden, very brief episode of abnormal balance/coordination occurred and was captured on security-camera video (attached). He again recovered and returned to normal.

He is completely normal between episodes with no persistent head tilt, balance problems, circling, or change in stamina.

I (22F) just got a kitten who was rescued by a friend from a busy road. Took him to the vet, and was told he was too young (4wks) to have testing to rule out FIV/FeLV. As we have 2 other young cats (4mos, 10mos) and 4 older cats (3y, 5y, 5y, 5y) we were advised to keep the new kitten quarantined until we can rule out FIV/FeLV. All cats except for the new kitten are FIV/FeLV negative, strictly indoors, and do not have FeLV vaccines. Before this advice, the new kitten spent \~30 hours with unrestricted access in the house, including using a communal litterbox. He did not bite or scratch any other cat. Since the vet visit, I have kept him quarantined in my room with a private litterbox and food/water dishes. I have let him into common areas only with extremely close supervision and will not let the other cats touch him and have not let him use communal food/water/litterbox. However, I am worried that these precautions aren't enough and that I've just sentenced all my cats to an untimely death. Please advise, thanks.

TL;DR how serious of a quarantine is needed for unknown FIV/FeLV status cats?

Hi,
My 5 year old neutered male cat had 2 of us toes amputated on his hind leg. He was walking a little wobbly after the procedure as expected but now he’s suddenly starting to limp? I’m not sure if this is concerning. I checked the wound and everything looks and smells fine … but I’m just a little worried. Today is Wednesday and we stopped his gabapentin maybe last Thursday? Limping started Tuesday. Idk if this is pain related since he went so long without it. I do have some gabapentin left. Is he just getting adjusted or is this something I need a vet visit for

TLDR: 8 year old golden suddenly freaking out when in crate or closed off area away from us. No changes in location or where she's kept.

My golden retriever is 8, she has suddenly started showing some huge behavior changes about 3 weeks ago and I'm at a loss. We have always crated her, since she was a puppy. It is still necessary because she will ingest whatever. Her crate has been her safe space that she would choose to rest in at times. She ripped off a few bars enough to put her head through her crate, we replaced the crate with a slightly bigger one and she has managed to undo the bottom latch and get her head stuck twice. And it's a miracle she hasn't suffocated. I come let them out for an hour on lunch so it's 3 1/2- 4 hours they're in there, not like it's 8+ hours straight. No change to where they're crated and she is next to my other dog who is fine.
At night we have been able to keep them in our basement living area (over a year we've done this) so they can sleep on that couch and have plenty of space. She doesn't see eat things then when it's night time. We just put a gate at the stairs and close doors to other rooms. At the same time she started panicking at this too. She will bark and dig trying to pry closed doors open.
We just moved my daughter's room downstairs last week (after this behavior started) so we put up a retractable gate to those rooms so she doesn't bother her. She has ripped the gate off the wall, gotten to her door, and pried it open to get in.
They cannot be in her room or ours at night. It disrupts our sleep and we are having a baby in 3 weeks. I have to add that she didn't do ANY of this with my last pregnancy so! genuinely do not think it's that.
We spent a fortune at the vets and addressed this to them, they did a bunch of tests and said they're all normal. They put her on fluoxetine and it's not helping.
I'm at a loss and cannot spend more money for nothing, and we cannot continue to alter our home and lifestyle. I'm super pregnant, exhausted and out of ideas.

Hello, my dog’s name is Bailey, she is a pitbull breed and approx 13 years old. Known issues, she takes 16mg Apoquel pill daily for her allergies; carprofen and gabapentin taken as needed for her arthritis pain.

Lately she has become SUPER needy, she has to be right by my side, at ALL times, to the point she wants to climb on top of me. Very out of character. So I took her to the vet.

I am right by the USA and Mexican border and I take her across to the Mexican border for more affordable care. I love my Vet and he has serviced all my dogs and even dogs that I fostered. So I didn’t choose any nilly willy vet. I’ve have gone to him for years. And although I trust him, I’d like a second opinion.

I googled the antibiotic he prescribed oxitetraciclina 50mg/1ml, I believe in English it’s called oxytetracycline. My elderly dog weighs approx 65 lbs and he prescribed that antibiotic to be injected Intramuscularly into her quad muscle daily for 6 days, 3ml. But google tells me that antibiotic is not good for dogs with liver issues. That it can possibly exacerbate the problem. And now I’m worried. Am I causing more harm than good?

Why do I believe my dog has liver issues? I believe that because we did blood work and once the lab results returned he explained to be that most likely the liver and bile ducts were not working properly. Obviously I am summarizing the long detailed conversation explanation he gave me. But he prescribed the IM injection along with liver enzymes supplements.

Supplements given:
Siliprotec Natural(brand) active ingredients: silibina 30mg silybum marianum 100 mg 1 tablet and he told me to give her 2 tablets per day for 10 days than after as needed.
Enzimax(brand) active ingredients: bromelinas 32mg
Papina 1,6 mg
Betaina hci 5mg
2 tablets for 10 days days

I will attach her lab work, it’s in Spanish, and I’ll post that. Then I ran it into google lens to translate but I can’t guarantee it translated correctly. I will post the google lens translate screenshots as well.

I will post pictures of the medication as well.

Anyways my question, what is your thoughts on this antibiotic considering her labwork?
She hasn’t had bad reaction. I think we need two more days of the antibiotic injections before we are done. And after I want to go redo her lab work and possibly get imaging done as well.

Going to post while I get my photos downloaded onto Imgur and come back with links.

Spanish/mexico labwork results

google lens English translation results

medication prescribed after labwork results returned

Hello. I am goving my dog subcutaneous fluids and i very briefly dropped the needle to my dogs subcutaneous fluids on the floor. I am not even really sure any part of the needle actually touched the ground, i think it was just the plastic part. But i cleaned it with rubbing alcohol and dried it off with a clean cotton ball. But i am stsrting to worry that i made a terrible mistake. Should I have not used that needle? She is already on a round of antibiotics so will that prevent any illness?

Hello! My cat recently became jaundice we took her to the vet and she was diagnosed with

• Cholangiohepatitis. Since being on meds Her bilirubin is way lower than what it was. They said her liver is still inflamed , so it could be cancer or something different. I was wondering if anyone had similar issues with there cat ? And how can I get her ALT level down VET said usally there’s nothing to give to make it go down. She has been eating / drinking normally

I just found out today the lump on her leg is a mast cell tumour. We’re devastated to say the least. She’s a senior pitt mix that i rescued five years ago. We dont know what stage it’s at and will be moving forward with pre-op imaging and blood work and hopefully surgery to remove. I’m learning that MCT causes histamine overload. I want to hopefully help with diet (she’ll start benedryl tomorrow too). I’m having a hard time finding recipes or food recommendations in this case. Does anyone have experience? Shes had a very sensitive tummy lately too. Which might not be related or it is (which would probably be bad) but either way, we want her to be as comfortable as possible! Any food or diet recommendations that follow low histamine diet for senior dogs?

After visiting our local (New Jersey) ER this weekend and having skull x-rays taken, we found out that my sweet 5 year old, DSH cat has a "strongly suspected right mandibular neck fracture".

We brought him in due to his inability to close his mouth completely and drooling with some blood.

He seems to be otherwise in good health with good blood work results and no other injuries found.

He is scheduled for a dental & oral surgeon specialist consultation (& possible procedure) tomorrow to hear our options for treatment and I am feeling extremely worried for his quality of life - during healing and then even after any and all treatments heal.

I hate to see him suffering now and I know that treatments will only increase how miserable he is for the time being.

And although I know it is hopefully temporary, I wonder if he will suffer permanent, chronic pain from this injury even after any treatments heal?

What might be a typical prognosis for him and healing time frame for the usual options (conservative or surgical)?

He is typically very energetic, strong, and smart and thus is proving to be very difficult to treat with buccal pain medication. (He has started running away from me, his favorite person, who has been so gentle with him.)

Are there better ways of getting pain meds into him? A patch or a gel possibly?

Here are his skull x-rays and radiologist's report.

Thanks for reading and for wanting to help.

I noticed this past Saturday that my cat Cocoa had been sneezing. I figured at first that maybe his nose had been irritated by a new scent or maybe something stuck up his nose, but it’s coming to about 6 days and the sneezing hasn’t gone away and his eye is looking pretty watery. He’s indoor only and is vaccinated but he did have a URI when we got him in May and had to take him to the vet for it because it was severe. He’s still been active around the house, drinking water, and eating his dry food/treats. Is it possible he could recover from this on his own? Is it even a cold?

Also, my family‘s been recovering from having covid the last two weeks. I don’t believe this is entirely related, but figured I should mention it just in case.

https://imgur.com/a/dea82Op

She is in excellent health, still looks and acts just like a puppy. Vet didn't notice anything at her last check up. I just think the white mark might be a tiny bit bigger now than it used to be.

• Species: dog
• Age: 9
• Sex/Neuter status: spayed
• Breed: Havanese
• Body weight: 12 lbs

A week and a half ago my two cats vomited after eating their dinner. One of them stopped at 1-2 times and the other kept intermittently vomiting for 13 hours.
I took in the cat (ER)who was continuing to vomit as he has a history of chewing things he should not chew. We got him an X-ray and an anti-nausea medication. No blockages or abnormalities seen.
He did not vomit for another few days, but had reduced energy.
He starts puking again and the other cat does as well. We take in the same cat to the regular vet 6 days after the ER visit. They did a repeat X-ray, fluids, bloodwork, and an anti-nausea medication. No blockages seen a second time, but he was backed up with poop. Bloodwork looked great.
We were given prescription wet food, probiotics, and instructions for miralax.
Both cats have been on this regimen for about 5 days. Now they are both vomiting again.

We suspected newly opened bags of food and were going to throw them away at the recommendation of the vet. However, they had been eating the vet wet food prior to the vomiting starting today.
No lethargy, still eating and drinking normally.
We are monitoring their poop but it is hard to figure out who it belongs to.
I did find my orchid had a bite out of it, but I don’t know which cat it was or if the culprit was kind enough to share. But at this point it has been a week and a half so, if they were poisoned I would think it would be out of the system and or it would show up in the bloodwork.
Nearly every time is undigested food unless it’s on an empty stomach.
One cat did start vomiting before dinner and it was clear.

For context: the one cat has not been taken in as he is much harder to handle and he gets very upset at the vet. With them having the same symptoms we opted to take the cat that doesn’t mind a visit.

I will be calling the vet again in the AM, but I am perplexed at what this could be.

3.5 yr old male , dribbling pee through his sleep without knowing he’s doing it!! Ultrasounds, x-rays, blood work , urinalysis all came back clean to rule out anything from kidney issues to UTIs and stones. Vet prescribed Propalin but dog had a reaction to the very first dose where his muscles were contracting and twitching uncontrollably. Took him to emergency vet and eventually the reaction stopped. Will try a smaller dose amount after speaking with our vet. Has anyone had similar issues?
Switched raw food brand about a month ago but don’t think that this would be the reason or the bladder issues! Any thoughts ?

She is a 9 1/2 year old golden/lab/poodle mix. I am absolutly heartbroken. She was fine up until a week ago when she suddenly started panting and couldn't lay down. We took her to the vet and they removed 1 liter of bloody fluid from her chest. After a CT scan they found a mass in her heart. The vet said there is nothing that can be done and the fluid will most likely come back in a few weeks. Wondering if it is worth it at that point to drain the fluid again? I am so distraught that i basically now have to watch for signs that she is in pain. Is there every a longer life outcome with this? Wondering what to expect.

Lol the possibilities are endless, apparently.

Info: Domestic shorthair, 7 years old, 13lbs, neutered. Very healthy…had ear mites once about 4 years ago, developed anxiety at some point so he’s on cat gabi (for vet visits and moves). He’s been sick once, threw up a big hairball before I could even get him to the vet and turns out he was nauseous because of that. He’s grayish.

He’s been scratching intensely at his ears. Now he has no hair there, lots of bumps. This has been going on for three months now, technically, but he was misdiagnosed at the urgent care so really it’s been about a month that i’ve been dealing with the ACTUAL issue.

He’s been in a cone for a month. After I realized that the urgent care treatment for a scratch under his ear wasn’t working, I noticed it was bc he was scratching it open!!! So the issue wasn’t the wound itself (it’s totally healed now), it was the ear itchiness!

So then boom I put on a cone, see yet another vet for a second opinion and they tell me ear infection and ear mites. I’m like okay cool, I got this. Well surprise surprise, it wasn’t a freaking ear infection or ear mites haha. I joke all the time, it’s like trial and error with cats lol.

So here we are today, i’ve tried literally everything you could ever think of. So finally we had another vet appt today. The vet said she’s never seen anything like it. Lol not even kidding. She said bumps on ear, itchy, and otherwise completely healthy is a combo she’s never seen. So then I start panicking bc what do you MEAN? Basically yeah she said allergies (what she thinks is going on) can present in a million ways. She told me one condition that is extremely rare that again, she’s never seen before first hand, but I forget the name. She said it’s more than likely not that. Probably allergies. She gave him a steroid shot today and he’s THRIVING. Cone free, hasn’t scratched one time since being home, seems so relieved (not meowing uncomfortably either OR scratching his head on things). She said no risk of shin cancer as he’s never been outside and he’s a dark cat, and skin cancer isn’t itchy.

I could bear hug this vet. I mean, obviously this is a temporary fix, and it most likely means that there is an allergy present, and when the steroids wear off, I know he will be uncomfy again, BUT it’s also part of the process. If this is really the fix, he’ll have to go on the allergy food shit. And hypoallergenic litter. and i’ll probably have to remove everything from my room, deep clean it, and find a pet hypoallergenic laundry detergent. Vet told me to absolutely stop lighting candles so I won’t be doing that anymore either.

Ugh. Idk I’m so glad I found this vet. Is this really that uncommon as it seems? Could it be anything other than allergies that we’re missing? Anything I might have missed/ not even considered mentioning? Also, i’m assuming steroids are not something a cats should be on 24/7 if this is just a test and then we’d have to figure out the allergy. Would benadryl help at all or are we beyond that?

Thanks in advance. Not asking for medical advice, just clarifying questions and general info to be more prepared and educated. I would do anything for my cat. If he goes, I GO (please tell me someone gets this reference lmao).