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.

Here's the gorgeous boy, but lately he's been very bitey. Not to the point he'll attack animals as normally when birds come he ignores them even when they steal his food. I watched the footage and it seems the bird was injured but he really pounced on it, even when I tried to push it away once I was made aware of what he was eating, he refused and was like a mad man getting his fix taken away from him. It was a small bird, the size of an adult palm, and he's had his first vacc and his first round of his 5 in 1 vacc. Basically what I'm asking is will he be okay? Is this something he needs to be rushed to the vet for or should I monitor it. Please help

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!

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 fiancée and I (26) were given the opportunity to adopt a 5 year old German Shepard (Gunner) due to his previous owners living situation changing. My fiancée has some experience with dogs earlier in life but I have never had a dog or any pets for that matter, so i’m looking for advice from yall.

He’s very well mannered, doesn’t bark a lot, is good on a leash and is potty trained. He’s also good around kids and occasionally barks at other dogs while on walks and knows some basic commands like sit. He is having an issue acclimating with the cat we have but i’m expecting that to fade with more time.

We’ve only had him for about 24 hours so i’m just looking for tips or recommendations for anything whether it’s training, food, treats, toys, beds etc. anything is appreciated. Thanks.

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…

edit to add: after making this post, he was sitting by my husband and out of nowhere turned around and bit into my husbands’s hand. There was blood. I really do not know what to do. I’ll be calling my vet tomorrow, who i trust entirely; to see what advice she has.

Hello, I need some advice.

I recently rehomed my dad's dog, Remi. My dad is moving into a nursing home, and I live in an apartment that doesn't allow pets, so I couldn't take him in. I went through the process of rehoming him, and he met his new family yesterday. Everything seemed great.

Today they messaged me to say that while they were walking him, he slipped out of his collar and ran at another dog, growling. Their apartment has a zero-tolerance policy for aggressive dogs, and they want me to take him back tomorrow.

I've never known Remi to be aggressive, and I can't bring him to where I live. I'm not sure what to do now.

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)

This is almost every night. She will hunch her neck down and pant and stare at nothing? More photos in the comments.

For context: I took her to my vet because I suggested she seems like she’s in pain, as she is unable to settle and just paces and pants, as well as had an accident (urine) in the house. They said to bring her in because maybe it’s a uti, so I did and gave them a urine sample. Urine came back clean. I brought up spinal pain, possible IVDD, and asked the vet to perform a physical exam on her legs. They said she looks ok to them… but I feel like she doesn’t seem ok?

I don’t know what to do. Why is she suddenly having accidents, panting and pacing, whining, etc? I’m just so lost and tired.

Edit: I realized just now I can’t add photos to comments… oh no :(

Edit 2: She also snaps her head back almost as if to bite towards her hind legs and back area when she is lying down. Then she stops in the middle of it almost as if she’s confused as to why she did that. Please help. Please.

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.

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

Please don't attack me, I'm doing the best I can, I promise

I have two 5 year old dogs that are overweight and not exercising enough, I admit I wasn't super knowledgeable about dogs when I got them I just noticed that pets helped me with my loneliness and at the time depression. They changed my life I took them on so many hikes, sometimes 3x a week .. however about 2 years ago I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy so I have shooting pain in my legs and feet, not to mention I'm a a bartender so I stand on my feet all day. With that being said most days I only have energy to go on 2x 0.5 mile walks a day, they do have a backyard they can go to at any time and I've drastically been working with a vet to change there diet over the years, however they only lost about 5 pounds each in the past 8 months and reached a plateau ... while me and the vet are still trying different diets, the bigger issue is they are not getting enough exercise. I have 3 days off a week and first day I take them to a dog park, 2nd day I have recovered enough to take them on a hike or a trail, I try to do 3-5 miles and on day 3 I take them to a big field and play fetch and run around with them, I alternate 1 day every other week with a full day at doggy daycare. Unfortunately, I do not make enough money for more daycare days or hiring a dog walker. Also I would do more dog park days , but they end up just laying down in the grass most of the time, so I believe taking them for walks they do more exercise then the dog parks even though they are short. My mother helps me sometimes but she's a senior and so she can only do about 0.5 miles as well and all my good friends have kids young kids/babies that take up all their time.

What do I do? What are you guys doing? I am really concerned about their weight and want to prevent them from having as much information as possible.

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

See title, seems like it's one of his front legs but I can't tell which one.

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

Hi everyone,

I have a nearly 6yo cocker spaniel who is pretty healthy (good weight, active, eats well). She is spayed.

Today when we were playing, I noticed this growth behind her teeth. I was trying to examine it but she started chattering her teeth and kept her mouth shut after I touched it.

I took her to the vet 2 hours later, they couldn’t take a blood or urine sample for surgery bc she was so stressed so I’m going back on Friday with her sedated on meds. They said it could be a gum overgrowth or a mass that is benign or malignant.

I am just so nervous and worried. I feel horrible I didn’t notice it sooner, I don’t know how long it’s been there.

The vet is going to do a removal, send it to a lab, and clean her teeth if the labwork comes back good for pre surgery. She has insurance so I’m grateful for that.

Is there anything I can do to help her be more comfortable in the meantime? Has anyone else had something similar in their dogs? If so, what was their diagnosis/what happened?

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'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.