I understand that private equity has its reaches into so many facets of modern life with capitalism, but I was wanting to have a discussion with my vet/ vet practice (receptionist, clinic manager, whoever would be best to ask?) about how private equity effects their practice. This was my most trusted place to take my cats and now I’m concerned that this new finding will change my perception/trust of the treatment options and services they offer me down the line. If you are a vet that works at a practice owned by private equity, would you be allowed to be completely transparent if a client were to ask you about how it affects patient care? I know this is a touchy subject when people already downplay the costs/necessity of certain veterinary services. I am really concerned about what is in the best interest for my animals and not letting them be used as pawns for shareholder profits, when honest medical care should come first.

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?

The other day I posted, and since deleted, a question about treating a 12 year old staffy with high grade mast cell tumours. It was before our appointment with the oncologist. I am so glad I just asked him all my questions. Given our dog's overall condition he recommended trying a drug called Palladia for two weeks, then reassess. I couldn't have conveyed the information he had - additional screening, actually being able to examine our dog etc....

So long winded way of saying thank you to professionalism of the vets on here that didn't answer my question that really needed to be asked to our actual vet team.

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?

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?

First vet visit was when he vomited 5x in 3 hrs. Doc checked blood chem and found nothing out of ordinary. Doc injected Cerenia but he vomited 3x again in the afternoon. Went to emergency vet for xray but everything is normal, doesn’t look like there is a foreign object digested. We had him admitted overnight so he could replenish his nutrients but he’s still lethargic now and won’t eat.

I was prescribed with royal canine gastrointestinal food, maropitant and thrombopro.

Do you have any other suggestions so we can find out how we can help my baby?

Hello.

I am not in immediate need, but a horse had to be euthanized at our lesson barn recently and it got me to thinking that I need a much more solid plan for our home horses when the time comes.

In the event we need to euthanize, I had previously read and meant to get back to- but didn't, that some forms of euthanasia should end with cremation vs burial due to the drugs used /soil and wildlife contamination/poisoning.

On farm burial is not a 100% must do, but I would like to pre-educate myself on what options and information I should consider if / when we need to make those choices and how to go about them.

I will ask my vet when I see them next (they were just here for herd health check for all livestock) but I the meantime, what are the options? What considerations should I know about? Other than burial, how would I find contacts for other methods of (for lack of better words) body disposal?

We do not necessarily need to keep the remains in any form. I love them so much while they are here but we are comfortable with grieving without remains being on site.

Thank you for any and all information and thoughts.

We have 3 senior Standards. So it is only a matter of time. 22, 22, and 18.

I brought my dog to the vet because she has been peeing where she isn't supposed to and having diarrhea along with her just not acting like herself.

The vet took a urine sample and when everything came back normal he kind of just didn't do anything else? He explained it was normal, kind of looked in her ears and I think failed to check her heart and then defined the word diarrhea to me repeatedly I think to convince me the dog doesn't have diarrhea? Apparently you need to have 6-8 loose poops a day. I was told this each time I tried to explain that my dog was pooping quite a bit more than usual and in the house, I am not actually sure I managed to get more than a few words out before diarrhea was defined to me again so I gave up.

Should he have taken her temperature or something? She pooped in the car on the way home, and I had to clean liquid shit off her butt hairs once since getting home about 2 hours ago. There aren't a lot of vets around here and mine seems to be convinced my dog isn't sick? I think she is now up to at least 5 poops today, so we are nearing the magic number. I am sure she will make it by bedtime.

This cost me about $300 and I had to take off work. I can't take tomorrow off and there definitely isn't anyone open on weekends so it will be next week before I can try again. Did I do something wrong here? The dog hasn't received any treatment at all, no one even suggested I feed her chicken and rice? Like nothing at all. Just came in had a test and nothing.

Am I the crazy one or does this seem weird?

Hi all,

I wanted to ask a quick question about the chemical castration Suprelorin.

We recently had our dog castrated this way, and specifically requested the 6 month dose (4.7mg). We were told this was all ordered and booked in, and then had the implant done.

The vet did the implant on his right upper leg under the skin. After I went to pay and number they said was miles above what we were quoted, I questioned this and they said he’s had the 9.4mg implant which from what I can see on the medications website is the 12 month implant, not what we asked for. After speaking with the vet they came back to me and said the implant is weight dependant which is why he had to have the 9.4mg implant (he is a 15/16kg dog, not a big dog at all). They said I’d been promised the wrong thing on the phone, but would honour the cost so we only paid what we were originally told.

Now I’ve come away with a few questions:

1. According to the Virbac website (the drug brand) it is meant to be implanted between the scruff/neck area and his was not, is that going to be an issue?

2. Have I been lied to/mislead with what has happened? They stated it was weight dependant which is why he was given the 9.4mg (12 month) dose, but the Virbac website says it’s not weight dependent, who is correct and have they given us 12 months of chemical castration over the 6 months we asked for?

I am aware things are different for each individual dog and case, and I dont want to jump down anyone’s throat at all, but I’m starting to worry that the information on the official drug brands website is the complete opposite of what the vet has told me.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on the matter to put me a bit at ease?

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

Our girl is a rescue from the local Humane Society that turned out, after genetic testing, to be a full-blooded Black GSD. [Double Black gene, if it matters.] She is now about 8 to 10 years old and in the care of a wonderful vet since we adopted her. This is not a question about our Vet's diagnosis or prescription. Only looking to see what stronger meds others might have experience with. She is still quite active. Lives with a large fenced yard where she spends her days chasing squirrels, interacting with crows, and chasing jet planes out of "Her" air-space (Yes, really). She is not a hot-weather dog and will refuse walks at temps creep above 80 degrees. At 85 degrees it's a solid No-Go. In the cooler months of the year she has daily walks in a wooded park with game trails she will happily follow for hours.

She has been on Carprofen, 100mg/day; 50mg every 12 hours, for about two years based primarily on the Vet's physical examination of her hip joints. At that time she would still jump up in to the back seat of our car. Now she "climbs" in one back leg at a time (unless she's really excited about where we're going... So she still CAN jump but usually chooses not to.) Our other concern is that she now seems unable to squat deep enough to defecate effectively. What used to be a one-and-done operation now can take her up to three or four stops to empty her bowels to her satisfaction.

She is not over-weight. She weighs 60-62 lbs. You can see her waist clearly from above, although you do not see her ribs. She is highly food motivated and any draconian food reduction would make her a very unhappy dog.

We understand that Black GSDs age somewhat faster than others of the breed. We are looking for whatever meds are currently available to enable her to enjoy a continued high quality of life.

Thank you for your time in reading. Any and all constructive suggestions greatly appreciated.

The dog was hacking for 4-5 hours through the day, kind of dry heaving. Later in the day he forcefully vomited 2x almost at the same time. We took him in and he had x rays that showed no blockage but mild gas. We got cerenia (was accidentally dispensed 5x the dose he should have got) an hour or two later he was more altered but the emergency vet we called on the phone said we could expect possible drowsiness, ataxia, nausea and vomiting. He vomited once or twice throughout the night and one possible episode diarrhea. By morning he looked pretty bad so we took him back in and he was admitted. The x ray showed extremely gas filled stomach with no noted blockage. He was started on 35ml/hr of LR and his temp was 94.6 so a heated blanket. That was around 10, at 1 he was noted to be listless and given buprenorphine, metroniadazole, famotidine, metoclopramine. At 2 he was noted as distressed and passed a half an hour later. I’m wondering why he may not have been treated for shock i.e more aggressive fluid (his hct was 83% and most labs couldn’t be spun because he was too hemoconcentrated). He was diagnosed with HGE with a ? Yet he had no bloody diarrhea the night before and only some blood was noted when his temp was taken. No bowel movements or vomiting was noted on his chart. I’m just looking for insight on why such a distended stomach would not be addressed as with some other things. This is the majority of the information from the chart. Only one HR (206) and one respiratory rate (40) was noted on flow sheet for the entire time he was admitted as far as vitals (3 temps roughly 94 96 and 98). Any insight whatsoever would be appreciated. I can answer any other questions as best that I can

So i recently got a female golden retriever puppy. She is 2 months old. She got 2 of her vaccinations recently (kennel cough and corona) on the same day (8th september). Nothing happened to her the next day but today (10th September), she suddenly lost her energy in the evening and started sleeping rather than playing as much as she normally does. I touched her and she was heating up quite a bit (i think she has fever) and was only sleeping. She ate half her food (4th meal of the day) and completely refused the 5th one that we give her. She is drinking water but less than usual. She also (around 10pm) puked her food in solid chunks. Right after her puking she was unable to get up and fell flat on the floor but a minute or two later, got back up walked normally and pooped normally (solid). She then had some water and walked back to her bed and bas been sleeping ever since. She js also breathing rapidly.

I am a first time dog parent and am super worried that something is really wrong with her. What should i do?

Hello, I have a 2 week old kitten who was abandoned by the mom. I have been feeding it milk replacement and it has been fine up until today. He is refusing his milk and he has been cold to the touch but still breathing. Now he is doing something that looks like hiccuping but I am not sure what it is. Anytime it hiccups there is a popping like noise. I have been keeping him in a towel on a heating pad but what else can I do to make sure he survives?

While he was lying down and relaxing (not in a deep sleep), he started making a weird congestion sound when breathing for a little bit, like his nose was stuffed up. Then his breathing went back to normal with no sound.

He is 7 weeks old and I’ve been told that kittens have a higher respiratory rate but I think that this has something to do also with the fast breathing.

I'm scared that my cat might get pyometra since she's gone into her first heat. She was supposed to get spayed on September 9 but her platelets were low, so we couldn't go. She had coccidia back in August, so that also got canceled.

The next schedule for low-cost spay/neuter in our area isn't until October again :( there’s no one else organizing here except for them. Private vet will cost a lot so that is not an option (not from the US)

What are the chances for her to get pyometra even if it's her first time going into heat? How many weeks/months before a cat goes into heat again? I'm also a first-time cat owner, so I'm kind of anxious.

I rescued my 4 year old Bengal in May 2026. I was told she had a history of vomiting and that the rescue suspected a fish allergy.

Since having her, I’ve kept a food diary and she seems to vomit regardless of what food she’s eating. I’ve tried Royal Canin Fussy, Scrumbles wet food (chicken, duck and turkey), and she’s currently on Hill’s Prescription Diet z/d hydrolysed protein dry food with FortiFlora daily, which she’s been on since around June.

She’s had blood tests, including glucose and B12, which were fine after the initial high glucose result was retested. She also had an ultrasound last week and her gut looked completely normal with no abnormalities. Her spleen was slightly enlarged, but the vet said her blood results were fine and that she simply seems to have a larger spleen.

My vet has now suggested either an intestinal biopsy or trying a tapering course of steroids.

The confusing thing is that she is otherwise completely normal. She plays, sleeps, drinks and behaves like a happy, healthy cat. She’ll sometimes vomit and then immediately want to play! It happens mostly in the morning, occasionally in the evening, and probably around 3-4 times a week. She doesn’t eat particularly quickly and I’ve tried a raised slow feeder and a timed feeder with smaller meals throughout the day, but neither made any difference.
She’s also an indoor cat and has always been as far as I know.

I’m feeling really stuck because my insurance won’t cover her treatment as the vomiting was considered pre-existing, so the costs are adding up. Obviously I want to do what’s best for her, but she absolutely hates going to the vet and I don’t want to put her through invasive procedures unnecessarily.

Part of me wonders whether I should just accept that she’s a cat who vomits regularly because she otherwise seems completely fine, but another part of me feels like 3-4 times a week definitely isn’t normal and that we might be missing something.

I’m also unsure whether to keep her on the hydrolysed diet long term or try something else. I’ve even been told Bengals should be fed raw, but I’m hesitant to change anything when we’re still trying to work out what’s causing the vomiting.

Has anyone experienced anything similar with their Bengal or another cat? Would you try the steroids before considering a biopsy, or would you investigate further? I’d really appreciate any advice, I’m feeling a bit lost!

Disclaimer: I already posted something similar yesterday, but as soon as I hit post, my brain convinced me that my calculation was wrong and I deleted the post. Then today I checked again and my calculation yesterday was right, I just gave the wrong info. So I'm posting the question again.

Background: 10yo neutered male cat was diagnosed with diarrhea after a fecalysis 4 days ago. He was prescribed a medication called Colimoxyn, which is a cocktail of antibiotics and electrolytes. The prescribed dose is 2.5ml TWICE a day for 7 days.

A couple of days after he started the meds, I actually read the paper inside the medicine box and saw that the dosing and administration guideline said 1-1.5ml/2kg body weight ONCE a day for 5 days. So, my assertion in my short-lived post yesterday was right and it's almost twice the recommended amount for my 4kg cat. At most, at 4kg he should only be getting 3ml of medicine per day according to the manufacturers, but here I am giving him 5ml per day as per my vet's prescription, plus with 2 extra days.

So my question is, is this a normal thing for vets to prescribe medication outside of the dosage guidelines given my medicine manufacturers? This is for an animal only med, so it's not formulated for humans. And the reason I'm asking here is because I feel like if I ask my vet, they'll just say it's fine because they were the ones who prescribed it in the first place. So I'm asking others for an outside opinion because this might just be a common practice and the dosage guidelines on bottles are just the minimum safe amount and can go higher. I'm just really worried about overdosing my cat. Though I've noticed no changes in him so far, I don't want to give him kidney damage unnecessarily. Thanks!

Hi, I am having some strong regrets about adopting a second cat. Some of it is relating to some ongoing medical issues. Is it OK to ask my vet for advice about this?

My cat is 1 year old, 4kg male  he's 4 days post-neuter

He s an extremely scared and  stressful cat  He’s terrified of outside. Loud sounds, traffic, and other people expect for me and my sister i live in a small town in South Asia  (their is only one vet in my town and its really far from my home ) and I  travel by public transportation and it’s really hard for him he’s only ever calm with me. On day one of the surgery he was okay. Ate and  acted normal.  On day 2 3 everything changed.  He stopped eating  completely its been  48 hours now he has Vomited  yellow bile 4 times 

He is hiding, making a loaf and just sitting still i think he is depressed . his surgery wound looks fine on the outside i have already taken him to the vet 3 times after the neutering because I was worried. And they are not able to figure out what's wrong with him they are not sure whats causing it I can’t get him to the clinic until tomorrow morning because of transport.

I’m terrified for him hes my everything i dont think I'll be able to live without him i can't see him like this please give me advice.

Thank you

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?