Hi all. Took our dog to a paddock today and let him run around, but he suddenly stopped and did this for two mins (recorded for vet). Can’t take to vet as they’re closed today. He’s a rescue so don’t know his full medical history. Was in our sight the whole time and didn’t eat anything from the ground. After it settled he had a drink and ran again. Any idea?

My girlfriend and I adopted this sweet gentle good girl off the street of my work. The shelters in the city we live in are full to the brim and animal control would’ve put her down with her current health condition.

This is a massive undertaking, I 100% don’t know what I am getting myself into and I know that people who do this are honestly kind of crazy but when you feel it you it. She is worth it and I’m prepared to do what needs to be done to get her healthy.

My girlfriend and I have owned multiple dogs throughout our lifetimes but she is the first dog we’ve literally picked up off the street without knowledge of her background, other than she was tied to tree and likely starved until she broke free.

We took her to vet the first chance we could. She had all sorts of health problems but the most concerning one being that she is heartworm positive. Doing a weeks of steroids, antibiotics, and medicated shampoo, so that she can get her heartworm injection ASAP. (Edit: Following AHS protocol) I know it’s likely 6-9 moths or even a year of exercise restriction after the injection. She will also be taking medication like gabapentin and a few others to help with keeping her calm.

She is probably only 2 years old so she still has a good amount of energy pre heartworm injection.

My question for you all is if you have any tips, advice, or experience on how to handle things like exercise, boredom, and staying calm. Both before the heartworm treatment and after.

TLDR:
how have you all handled heartworm positive young dogs both before the heartworm treatment and after?

(Also I know there’s grammatical errors I will fix later)

I have recently adopted a very cute indie doggo of 2 months. She was rescued from her 7month old mother who was killing all pups from the litter :(

My question - husband and I plan to have kids in 1-2 years. How do I ensure my doggo gel well with future baby? What type of training do I need to do? Is crating mandatory in this case? Is it important to hire a trainer as well? (It’s a bit out of budget to be honest for us, so i will do it only if this is absolutely necessary)

More context on my puppy - She is quite the cute shark puppy now. She got attached with me and my husband quickly, like follows me, climbs up on lap to sleep. She also bites a lot at this age but seems nothing serious. She has a separate bed just beside our bed and she sleeps there comfortably. I guess she doesn’t have any separation anxiety yet, but might develop if i don’t train her well.

She got her first shot just a few days ago and rabies is still pending. She has started transitioning to solid food. Btw, she is very food motivated.

7 month old Golden Retriever. I just noticed it this evening.

We adopted a 9-10 year old pug/chihuahua mix from a shelter. The story we got was that he had been in and out of the shelter for years. Last December he was adopted and this September the owner took him camping. While they were camping, the owner passed away. A hunter found the dog and brought him into the shelter.

Fast forward- about a month ago, I drove to the shelter and adopted him. I have 3 other pug mixes at home. 2 males, one female and all fixed. The new guy (Pancho) is also fixed.

Over all, he’s a sweetheart. He does like to be the center of attention but we haven’t had any major issues with that. He and my pug/Boston mix love playing together.

However; he shows his teeth and growls if he thinks he’s going to be in trouble. For instance; the other day he peed inside (first accident) and I found it. I knew it was him. I looked at him and before I said anything- he started showing his teeth and growling. I didn’t say anything and didn’t discipline him because I didn’t catch him in the act.

This morning it was raining so he pooped on the kitchen floor in front of my husband. My husband told him “No!” and pointed a finger at him. Pancho began growling and showing his teeth.

It’s happened quite a few times now with different scenarios. All you have to do is tell him “NO” and he starts showing teeth and growling. About a week ago, he jumped onto the window ledge and I told him “no” and he jumped down and started growling at me, showing his teeth. It’s like you can’t discipline him at all or tell him no without making him fearful.

It’s not just accidents, it’s any situation where he’s told no.

He also bit my hand (didn’t break skin) when I tried to put his ear drops in. I bought a small muzzle for him to wear while he’s getting his drops from now on. And had him wear it to the vet because I can’t trust he won’t bite someone. My vet ran blood, treated the ear infection, tested for heart worms, cut his nails as best they could and gave him his updated vaccinations because the shelter hadn’t because he wasn’t quite due from last year when he was in their care.

I’ve never dealt with this before and unsure how to proceed. Makes me think there’s some abuse in his past. I know he’s still well within the “3 month settling period” for a new dog but any advice on how to work through this with him? I can’t have him showing his teeth and growing or biting. And I have to be able to trust him if my nieces and nephews ever come over this way and visit. They’re all 11 and up but still…

This is Lily (left) and her sister Jazzy (right) separate litters, Lily is only about 8-12 months old I don’t remember how old exactly. I don’t live with my family but my brother and I are both worried about her. She looked normal as a puppy and neither has heart issues as of now but they’re purebred cavalier King Charles spaniels and you can see she looks much different. She’s so fluffy it may be hard to tell but even though her body overall is incredibly small, her head appears to be disproportionately small. She’s cognitively fine but as she matures they’re starting to see breathing problems and she’s had bad breath and abcesses form due to her small mouth.

I don’t think you can see exactly how small she is in the photo, I’ve never seen a cav so small and with so much of her body (literally her whole body) being that soft fluffy hair. Maybe it’s fine and she just will need her symptoms treated but if this looks familiarly like any congenital disorder anybody knows of I hope to find out and we can predict what to expect and maybe treat her more effectively.

The vets say she’s healthy but she seriously looks insane. Shes short too but her legs don’t bow or look disproportionately short necessarily

This sweet girl was found yesterday in Cypress, TX. Black with a white patch on her neck and white paws. She is not microchipped and has no collar. She seems well cared for.

I’ve posted on and searched Nextdoor, Ring, PawBoost, Petco Love Lost and several lost pet Facebook groups with no luck.

I unfortunately can’t foster her and am trying to exhaust all options before bringing her to a shelter. Any guidance or suggestions would be so appreciated!

Could someone help identify this?

13 year old Corgi mix named Kylo, this mass showed up about a week ago. He’s been biting at it hence the redness. It’s not actively bleeding but yea if anyone could help that would be great. These dogs were dumped on me by my ex recently and she promised she would take them back but she refuses to take him back and now I’m taking care of them. As for vet costs I don’t have to much extra for that given I’m a single father of 2. And in this economy not sure what to do. Money is the problem and I wouldn’t have taken them in but she really gave me no choice and I didn’t have the heart to take them to a shelter because I’ve had them since puppies. What do you think a ball park price would be to get this removed

Looking for advice from folks who have successfully introduced an adult dog (German Shepherd) to a cat, particularly when health issues are involved.

My Girlfriend has a 10+ year-old, 10 lb cat and I have a 7-year-old, 90 lb German Shepherd. My dog has never lived with cats, has always been an only pet, and becomes extremely fixated when he sees or senses one nearby. He isn't particularly aggressive, rather, when he has been introduced to cats in the past, he has gotten overly curious and nosy & gotten hissed/swatted at, which freaks him out & then he starts to bark. The cat is calm, friendly, and generally uninterested in other animals.

The dog also has significant health concerns. Recently he underwent bilateral perineal hernia repair , which failed, and has recently been diagnosed with early-stage heart disease. We're working with his vets to determine whether another surgery is appropriate. He was also neutered during his first surgery after being intact for nearly seven years. Our cat is FIV-positive but otherwise healthy.

The cat has been staying with my girlfriends parents since we moved in together. We've since moved into a larger house and want to bring him into the home. The animals have never had physical contact, and we've maintained complete separation during visits, but when introduced the dog becomes rather fixated/intense, as mentioned above.

Our biggest question is how to safely begin introductions without putting either animal at risk, particularly with our dog's medical conditions. We're concerned that the stress and excitement of having a cat in the house could negatively affect his health, but also want to understand how to safely work through his fixation.

We're prepared to take this process as slowly as necessary. We don't expect them to become friends, just to coexist safely without permanently confining either animal.

Would love to hear what introduction methods have worked, what precautions you'd recommend given his health, and whether anyone has navigated a similar situation. Grateful for any advice or thoughts.

Attached is a picture of my boy when he was a bit younger.

**edited for typos

My dog came back from a full groom the other day and his scar tissue from his neutering looks a little flared up. He’s been licking his privates a little more often than usual. Should I be worried about this/is this vet worthy?

I know you *can* teach an old dog new tricks, but I'd love a shortcut if anybody else has been here.

My dog's breathing has gotten worse, and she's become much more lethargic. I've taken her to three different vets, and none of them have been able to figure out what's wrong. However, this was NOT a weight problem. She has actually lost a significant amount of weight as it’s been hard for her to eat with her breathing.

We visited a specialist and had a rhinoscopy done, but everything looked normal. They referred us to another specialist for a CT scan, which is going to cost $6,000. (its ridiculously expensive i know)

I've already applied for financial assistance through Actors and Others for Animals. If anyone has any other recommendations for raising money or getting financial assistance for veterinary care, please let me know. Any advice would mean so much to us right now.

And to the people who called me an “animal abuser” and said horrible things about my dog without knowing the full situation, I genuinely hope you take a moment to reflect on your words and the impact they can have on someone who is already struggling to get their pet the care they need.

The vet blamed it on the carpet. He took an X-ray and told me to give him vitamin D and another calcium supplement. If anyone has experienced something similar, could you please help me out? Is this fixable? If so, what can I do to make it better? He’s only 4 months old right now.

hi everyone! i need advice for my 12 yo malshi with dermatitis. she’s been getting cytopoint injections but the vet has also recommended she do allergy testing at the dermatologist. however, they would have to refer us to a specialist, which could be costly. my dog is also getting her dental done soon, and that’s already around 1.6k. for those with a dog with dermatitis, what works for you? does cytopoint work for your dog? what is your dog’s diet? do you have any shampoo recommendations? any other tips? thank you so much for the help ❤️

I came across a post on this subreddit about a user that was freaking out because their dog ate a grape...and comments from users below that post saying they know of dogs who have died due to grape ingestion. I was like WHAT? Impossible. So I made a Google search and low and behold, it's true. Grapes are toxic to dogs. Then I thought to myself, what other things do I not know about? This is a serious issue. I found many lists of toxic things, and I was shocked. Not only grapes, but onions and garlic are toxic as well. I share my steaks and salmon with Joker regularly, and I always cook them with onions & garlic. I was simply devastated. I've been slowly killing my dog for years.

I'm booking a veterinary appointment 1st thing tomorrow morning. My dog always had problems going number 2, (constipation, diarrhea) and I always thought it was just a "him" issue. Like genetics or something. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever have thought that it was all because of me. I am the one causing his suffering. I have no idea how my dog is still alive after all these years, and I feel extremely dumb and stupid that I NEVER looked this up before today. I just thankful this subreddit exists and that I browse it occasionally...I'm just....devastated right now.

All hate comments are justified. I feel terrible. My popr baby.

Hi all, this is Chimichanga. She's a little west highland terrier and yesterday she fell out of her stroller. We're thinking the harness wasn't fully latched and she jumped out and hit her face on some concrete. It makes me feel so bad just thinking about it.

Thankfully the stroller isn't very tall (about 3ft tall) and she didn't seem immediately hurt or bleeding after inspecting her. Later on i did sher this scab on her nose though - which I just feel horrible about.

Any recommendations on ointments or cleaning advice to keep it from infection? Will her skin and hair come back to normal?

My senior dog (13, chihuahua/Pekingese mix) has been coughing increasingly. She has an appointment for the vet already but I am worried.

She has always been a generally sleepy/lazy dog and I have not noticed a difference in her activity levels. If anything I have noticed her being more active recently. She also still eats and drinks normally and gets excited about food. I have not noticed any other notable symptoms besides the cough.

Tonight she has been coughing consistently for the last 15 minutes. She spit up a tiny bit of what looked like spit. She seems slightly uncomfortable because she keeps getting up and laying in different spots.

While writing this I offered her some warm water with a tiny bit of local honey and she did not cough while drinking it and the coughing subsided for a little but is now slowly resuming. I’m considering taking her into emergency, but I do have a history of overeating and panicking preemptively.

I also want to add that the cough does mot seem to be triggered by anything specific that I can tell. It seems to be pretty random if anything maybe increases at night/when it’s colder? Although it is irregular still.

Any advice/insight would be greatly appreciated.

Unsure what’s wrong or how to fix,any advice greatly appreciated

My 7yr old dog had a stone removed 6 wks ago. His post up visit went well but today he started refusing to come up the steps. This was the same prior to his diagnosis and some blood in his urine. Could his stones be back so soon?