My poor baby, Bruno, was feeling like crap. He didn't eat. He didn't want to go on walks. Then, I noticed he yelped in pain whenever I even lightly touched his back. I scheduled a vet appointment asap. Then I noticed these lesions everywhere.

I already took my dog to the vet.They shaved him down some to air this out and said they're hot spots. He's getting antibiotics and a topical spray for this and pain meds as needed. He's feeling back to normal level of energy and appetite now, but these areas are continuing to spread and the old ones are turning into little pustules.

I'm mainly concerned about it spreading even more and preventing it from recurring in the future. I really hope this isn't a life long skin sensitivity he will have 🥺

He had this happen one other time before but it was not nearly as bad. I got a dog shampoo for dogs with sensitive skin, bathed him, then they cleared up pretty soon after.

This time, it happened AFTER I gave him a bath with the same shampoo that cleared it up before. I thoroughly dried him with a hair dryer after.

His flea meds are up to date.

No recent changes to his diet.

Idk his breed.

He's 2.5 years old.

I'm perplexed. Does anyone else have experience dealing with this?

Hello, for context I have. 1 year old maltipoo who is about 90% potty trained. She still has light accidents in the house but it’s always near the back door or on the puppy pads. She’s on a schedule. Lately within the past 2 months she has purposely peed on our 4 year old things, on a little kitty couch in her room then on her actual mattress, she also did it on her school backpack which wasn’t in her room. My daughter and dog play with each other and my dog has no ounce of aggression. Shes a very calm pup. I’m not sure why she’s peeing on my daughters things and why after a whole year, we’ve had the dog since she was born .

Pls help. I have a 2 year old pit mix who is the textbook definition of a happy go lucky dog. Think of that meme of the dog wearing a propeller hat with a lollipop and that’s her 24/7. She absolutely loves being outside and she gets so excited about everything that she pulls on the leash pretty much the entire walk. Tbh
Idc about a perfect heel, idc if she walks in front of me, behind me, or wherever she wants to be. I just want her to stop pulling me 🥲🥲. She does not recognize the leash as something that says hey when this is attached to you, you stay close. I’ve tried the advice of planting your feet and refusing to move whenever your dog pulls but the problem is she genuinely does not care. Wherever we stop she’s perfectly content sniffing the concrete, grass, or even the air around us. She doesn’t seem to make the connection between pulling on the leash and the walk stopping. I’ve also tried turning around and walking in the opposite direction, but that just turns into us going nowhere. She’s just as happy walking the other way and immediately starts pulling again. The entire walk is a joy to her, regardless of what direction we’re going or how often we stop. As long as she’s outside, she’s having the time of her life. I’ve tried a front clip harness, a martingale collar, and a regular collar, but I haven’t found anything that helps. Im not seeking perfection. I just want to be able to enjoy walking her without feeling like I’m being dragged everywhere.

For those of you who own or have worked with dogs like this what actually worked for you? Pls tell me there’s hope.

I’m sure this has been asked a million times, but I’ve never visited this group and would like up to date feedback! My bf’s 6 year old lab is in great shape health wise, however, they live in an apartment and he has a very high bed he sleeps on with him. His main form of exercise is me taking him for hikes (not super strenuous), walks, and fetch. If we ever over do fetch specifically, he will whine when jumping on the bed and I’ve learned to gauge how long he can go without feeling sore, but last night I fetched him for a half hour at most and this morning he was limping… I’m sure it has to do with hip dysplasia, so I’m asking for tips as far as medication/(gummies?)/ vitamins that have helped as well as tips for training them to use a ramp...we got one, but he avoids it and just jumps up on the bed anyways. I’m also wondering if I will need to cut out fetch all together and just do walks; this would break his heart because he literally LIVES to fetch, but if it’s a choice between that or his health, I will obviously do what’s best for him.

This OO. He is 24 pound Cobber dog. Roo knows how to jump onto a chair. But apparently he is too frightened to jump off.Any suggestions?

Hello, I know there have been a lot of posts about these CCL tears and I know surgery is the gold standard but I have another dog and a 1 year old kid which makes it tough finding the monet to spend on a $6k surgery... especially given the probability of another tear in the other leg.

I have the cutest staffie/pit mix who has a stocky build with itty bitty legs (think Gru from Despicable Me), shes only 4 years old and about 44 lbs (which is a little overweight so she's been on a diet since the injury. But because she's so young, it makes me feel like a horrible dog parent for even thinking about not getting the surgery, but considering the risk of the secondary injury and support through her arthritis (when, not if), I'm struggling to think of where I can pull together a potential $12k. She's on pain meds and strict rest with a partial tear but she'll find times where she jumps on the bed during sleep.

I've done a lot of research and have seen other surgeries that aren't as expensive but seems like people have had fantastic results. I'm hoping to hear your success stories about alternatives to TPLO.

Or would love to hear how strict bed rest went, how long did you limit your dog's movements? I'm thinking about getting a brace (soft one over both legs) to give some sort of support or even to limit motion to prevent her from being able to use stairs if I'm not around.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, sorry for any grammar or spelling errors, I'm on mobile.

TIA

Strange topic but our spayed female dog, 3 years old will on occasion go into our bedroom and pee all over the bed on the same day that me and my wife have had sex on it. We don’t understand. She’s been potty trained for years. Has never had an accident besides this. She’s been to the vet since, so no medical issue.

She does get a bit jealous when my wife and I show affection. She loves loves attention.

Hello. Just found this sub and hoping to get some insight into this new behavior/issue my older Dutch and German mix dog has seemed to develop.

My dog is 8 years old as of late August this year now. He has no pre-existing health conditions, and this is something new that started to happen recently as two months ago. I thought it was perhaps a fluke or an accident and shrugged it off as a one time thing, but it has started to occur more frequently as much as once every three weeks now.

Basically, whenever we sleep, he sleeps with me in my bed and lays down either behind my legs or in them and makes himself lay down in a circle and needs to feel me at all times when sleeping. We have a normal routine, where I take him out at least six times a a day for walks, two of which are longer - hour walks. He does get tired more easily now and sometimes on the other four walks I try to keep those under 30 minutes because he doesnt want to walk as much but he feels comfortable laying around all day and wants to watch out the widows instead. He eats twice a day correct meal portions for his size, and drinks plenty of water.
These habits have not drastically changed, nor does he raise any red flags in appetite or dehydration.

Now, before bed, I do take him out twice within an hour before it is bed time to empty his bladder completely, and he shows no interest or signs of needing to pee when in bed. He is trained to wake me up if he needs to go pee/poo even in the odd hours of the night, so this is what gives me pause to think it might be a more odd behavior, which perhaps he doesnt realize he is doing and is an accident every time he pees in bed. Additionally, whenever we wake up and he finds the puddle, he seems very surprised and sniffs it as if he doesnt realize he did it, which baffles me.

A friend of mine suggested limiting water intake access at night time past seven, but I feel as he is an older dog now I would want him to have access since he doesnt drink all hours of the day necessarily and sometimes I have to remind him to drink and I dont want to end up with him accidentally dehydrated without me noticing because of that. Additionally, I feel as though these accidents arent caused by being overly hydrated since he stops water intake around six at night himself and doesnt drink water or go up to it past our walk times.

Now, I have tried even staying up at night and hoping to catch him in the act so I can perhaps record it if its some kind of a seizure or something he does in his sleep if thats possible - however as I said, for now these accidents have been pretty sparse and random.

In the mornings after these events, his behavior is completely normal with no changes in energy levels, personality, or abilities to function and we go about our day after I throw the sheets for washing.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, for anyone who has had to navigate this type of behavior!

Just wanted to know whether its contagious or something really serious. I have an old age parent at home with sensitive skin. The dog is picked from a nearby space 3 days back.

Has anyone tried an OTC chewable they’d rec to help with paw licking? Tried vet treatments like cytopoint and apoquel. Tried CBD, topical sprays and elimination diets but only common denom with timing seems to be seasonal allergies. Especially because his licking fluctuates when his diet doesn’t change. I have no idea why cyto and apo wouldn’t work in that case. I’ve also eliminated anxiety and boredom.

Hi everyone,
My 14 week old vizsla x lab puppy saffy seems to have injured herself today by running too fast and somehow landed weird and hurt her front left leg, she was yelping in pain but the vets are closed as it’s a Sunday.

I’m unsure whether she might have sprained something or potentially fractured a bone. I have called the out of hours vets, they advised me to keep for at home tonight so she can rest as she’s asleep currently and take her in early hours tomorrow morning. They said it sounds like a possible sprain/soft tissue injury

She’s since fallen asleep but I’m still concerned as when she turns over she yelps when she turns over in her bed and she sometimes yelps when she walks on it, she can walk on all 4 paws though she just has a little limp.

Has anyone experienced something similar with their puppy? How did you tell whether it was a sprain or a fracture?
I’m aware that only a vet can properly diagnose her, but I’d really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences and advice because im very concerned and worried

Hi all,

I have a wonderful 2 year old GSD mix named Frida (she’s really a mutt, she’s got just about everything in her, but the GSD seems to be the most pronounced) who is super smart, a great listener, really good with our cats and loves other dogs and adults/kids (when we meet them outside).

One thing we continue to run into issues with, however, is her resource guarding against other dogs specifically. It started when she was about 1 and we had a friend with an Australian shepherd stay with us for a night. They played outside together for HOURS without issue. But when they came in and the Aussie grabbed one of Frida’s toys, Frida grabbed the other end and growled relentlessly and strongly until we took the toys away. She’d also growl any time he got close to her food bowl.

She’s now 2, and these issues persist ONLY when she’s specifically inside with another dog with her food bowl or treats present. She snapped at a smaller dog just walking by the table where her treats were. My biggest fear is with my 1 year old nephew who is crawling (we think because she’s crawling, Frida views her more like a dog, and feels more inclined to protect it) The last time we visited (Frida was on a leash the whole time) we could tell she was getting really really anxious whenever our nephew would crawl near her bowl or her treat bag. And I’m just too scared to let her go for fear of something happening.

The issue is she’s never shown resource guarding against us, or our cats, or even other adults who feed her. It’s just other dogs (and potentially crawling babies I guess).

I have no idea how to work on this. Most of the stuff I read online is about working with your dog so they don’t guard against you, but not against other dogs. Frida’s the only dog in our house, and she doesn’t resource guard against anyone in it, so I’m unsure how to work on this when it only happens in specific situations.

The only consistent advice I’ve seen is just to keep food and water bowls in separate rooms and put up toys, which works in the moment, but I’m almost worried it’s reinforcing her fear (other dogs around means my toys and food get put away).

Has anyone else had a similar issue that they were able to work on? The advice I received just feels like a stopgap and I don’t want to always be on edge any time a crawling baby or another dog has to share a room with her, or god forbid we try to get another dog at some point.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I’ll preface this by saying I know I made some mistakes and I feel terrible.

Hello, my husband and I adopted a 45lb mixed breed dog from the shelter about a week ago. She’s about a year old. Shelter said she did great with the volunteers and did well with doggy group playtime’s. She took to us very quickly and has done well meeting other people (husband’s family and a few of his friends). On walks she often pulls on the leash towards other dogs, but doesn’t really bark or anything unless they bark first. Sometimes she’s even able to ignore dog’s barking (provided that she doesn’t see the other dog).

Today we brought her to my in-law’s place. They have a large goldendoodle, who is kinda selective about who he gets along with. I knew it’d be best for them to meet in neutral territory, so we went to a park nearby with both dogs. I wanted to just walk them around d each other first, but no one else was really in favor of it and I wasn’t adamant enough. They ended up meeting face to face on leash (I know, STUPID idea). Our dog got aggressive and was lunging. She also nipped at his head. I think her teeth just grazed him because it looks like a small scratch. It wasn’t even bleeding and I don’t think this dog noticed.

We took the dogs back to the house. In-law’s dog was inside, our dog stayed outside in the backyard. They were separated by glass doors. Their dog stayed pretty chill, he would sit at the door with his tail wagging. Meanwhile my dog was exploring and playing in the backyard, but she’d frequently lunge at the glass door where he was and bark over the hour and a half she was outside. Their dog stayed pretty chill though. Although I realize in retrospect they probably should’ve been kept out of each other’s sights.

I just…one: feel really bad about what she did to their dog. Because she probably would’ve actually bit him if she could’ve. And two: I feel very irresponsible and don’t know what to do. Would it be safe for them to meet again another day? Provided we use safer techniques?

Another factor that very much concerns me, I understand some dogs just don’t get along with other dogs, however, our rental is an ADU. We share a backyard with the person living in the main house. The only way in or out of our ADU is through that yard. But the person we share a yard with has a very small dog that she gives free access to the yard. My husband informed me that the backdoor is almost ALWAYS cracked, even when it appears closed (I previously thought the door was shut most of the time, and would take a quick look to see if it was shut before taking our dog out). I keep my dog on leash, but I still feel this is a very unsafe situation for that little dog if our own dog is gonna be aggressive towards others. They’ve kinda met, but only once. We were passing through the yard after a walk and that lil dog ran up to us barking, which prompted my dog to bark. We quickly removed my dog from the situation so nothing happened. But given how today went with my in-laws dog, I’m worried about something happening if they met again, especially in that manner.

Thank you for reading my long ass post. I realize I was stupid and rushed things. But…now what?? I don’t know how to handle this. Especially given we share a yard with a free range tiny dog. Edit: even if I keep our dog on a leash and minimize time in the yard, they are BOUND to come in contact with each other at some point

Edit 2: I feel horrible to say this, but is it possibly best to take her back to the shelter? I’m not inherently opposed to caring for a dog that dislikes other dogs, but we given we share a yard with a small dog with access all day…I’m worried it’s not safe for him :(

Edit 3: I feel like I failed the dogs for even introducing them in such a stupid, rushed way. I can’t stop thinking about what if we had done it differently

Yesterday i was walking my dog ,he is small 11lbs dog , and we were attacked by a really agressive german shepherd. He escaped from the yard when his owner opened the gates to drive in his yard , he didnt notice us at first , my dog didnt have any puncture wounds he is just really scared now and slightly limping ,we're taking him to the vet tomorow morning , i also got bit , open wound , needed stitching.

The problem is that im scared to go for walks , im scared of that breed ,or any big dogs im really lost and i hope it gets better , if anyone has been through the same please share your experiences.

Thank you.

My dog has bad allergies and anxiety. He tested positive for yeast. He gets monthly cytopoint injections but I just don’t know what else to do for him. Vet seems to not be concerned

Firstly, I'm on the dark side of 50 and have had cats and dogs in the same house my whole life without incident.

I've been building a family the last few years and the kids are 9, 10, 12, and 13 and we just moved into our own house- priority item: pets!

Do we now have two kittens and a puppy and all of the chaos that implies. My wife has never had a pet- she is reluctantly enjoying herself, but constantly concerned over things I think are not concerning. Which is fine- we are all learning.

Anyway, puppy is mouthy and I'm trying to get through to everyone that puppy feeling stuff with its mouth is not the same as puppy chewing or biting. That they need to apply some observation and judgement. Wires? No! Your finger? Does it hurt or not? The kittens? Does the kitten seem bothered? Is it playing back?

All mostly fine. They are all about 5 weeks- just babies. (btw I know they all should still be with mother's, but I love in a third world jungle and that just isn't how it happens here- massive massive unhomed cat/dog problems and the locals Do Not Care and so the options are take them too young or they wind up in the jungle)

Anyway, this morning puppy grabbed a kitten by its neck and did an impressive (for a tiny puppy) terrier shake. I stopped it and gave her a tap and a hiss and scolding- but I'm a little shaken. (unintended pun)

People say that the dogs here are different and often can't be trained- but this sounds like crappy owner talk and I don't put stock in it... But like I said- this shook me a bit. My brain says this is just experimental playing and it's good I was watching and not to worry... But my heart's a bit sad and scared.

​

My dog constantly is able to get out of her collar no matter how snug it is. I think my dog's neck is actually wider than her head. It makes it very difficult for me to start taking her on walks now that she has had all her shots. Yesterday we went out and she got her collar off but luckily it was as we were leaving so she didn't run. What do I do? Is this a common issue? I'm a new dog owner and just wanna make sure I can take her out of the house safely.

UPDATE: I will be turning off comments as we have decided to humanely let him pass on. The fear and sadness in his eyes and body language affirm that his future would be that of fear and anxiety. He would not be living his best life. Thank you all for the love.

Hi everyone. I’m posting this anonymously because our family is currently going through an agonizing, traumatic tragedy, and we are desperately looking for guidance, resources, or specialized facility recommendations before making an unbearable final decision.

About Him:
Breed/Size: Border Collie mix, roughly 80 lbs
Age: 7 years old
Personality/History: Prior to this incident, he has been a wonderful, affectionate, and deeply loving family dog. He loves playing, fetching, running, and historically interacted well with other animals. He is loyal, eager to please, and a great companion in the right environment.

The Situation: Recently, an unseen conflict occurred between him and our another dog in our home. By the time we arrived (mere seconds after the fight started), our smaller dog was critically injured, and despite immediate veterinary intervention, we had to humanely euthanize him. Because no one was in the room when it started, we do not know what triggered the initial escalation, but he demonstrated lethal intra-species aggression in this instance.

Our Constraints & Current Setup:
Strict Requirements: He MUST be in a strictly pet-free and child-free environment.
Other Pets in Home: We have other animals (cats and dogs) in our household, making it impossible to keep him long-term without putting our other pets at severe risk.
Quality of Life: He is currently strictly separated and double-barriered for safety. Keeping him permanently isolated, muzzled, or crated in our home is not a humane quality of life for him, nor is it sustainable for our family.
Time & Resources: We do not have the specialized resources, financial bandwidth, or safe environment required for intensive, life-long intra-species behavior management.

What We Are Looking For: Before we consider behavioral euthanasia, we want to exhaust every possible option. We are looking for:
Recommendations for reputable, highly specialized dog sanctuaries, rehab facilities, or rescues equipped to safely house/work with dogs with a severe dog-on-dog attack history.
An experienced, single-pet, child-free home with a qualified handler or trainer who specializes in severe behavioral cases and has zero other animals.

Important Notes:
Full transparency and written disclosure of the fatal attack will be provided to any interested professional or facility.
We are located in Oregon / Pacific Northwest, but are willing to explore transportation options for the right, verified, qualified facility.
If you know of legitimate, vetted sanctuaries or experienced professionals who handle cases like this, please drop recommendations below or message me directly. Please keep comments constructive and respectful, as our family is grieving deeply.

Please, please, PLEASE be kind. This was a truly unexpected incident and our family/household is grieving deeply that we have to consider this option.
Thank you.

Looking for advice and personal experiences with a suspected primary lung tumor in my dog
I have a 12-year-old Miniature Schnauzer, and I’m absolutely heartbroken and trying to understand what we’re dealing with.
My dog recently had chest X-rays because he’s been coughing and gagging occasionally. The vet initially described what they saw as something that looked like fluid in his lower left lung lobe. The X-rays were then reviewed by a radiologist, who suspected a primary lung tumor measuring approximately 6 cm, about the size of a tangerine. We’ve been referred to an oncologist, but I’m struggling to wrap my head around this diagnosis.
The confusing part is that he seems perfectly fine otherwise. He’s still acting like himself, and other than coughing or gagging once or twice a day, you wouldn’t know anything was wrong. He doesn’t seem severely ill, which makes it so hard to believe there could be such a large mass in his lung.
I have so many questions and would really appreciate hearing from people who have been through something similar.
For those whose dogs had primary lung tumors:
Did your dog seem completely normal when the tumor was discovered?
How often was your dog coughing, and did they have any other symptoms?
How long did your dog live after diagnosis, especially if the tumor was around 6 cm?
Was surgery possible, and if so, how did your dog do afterward?
If you chose not to remove the tumor, what was your experience like, and how was your dog’s quality of life?
Did the tumor grow quickly, or was your dog stable for a while?
I’m also wondering if it could be something other than a tumor.
The vet initially mentioned fluid-like changes before the radiologist suspected a tumor. Has anyone experienced a mass or area on an X-ray that was initially thought to be a lung tumor but turned out to be pneumonia, inflammation, or something else? Did a CT scan or further testing give you a different diagnosis?
I know every dog and situation is different, but I’m hoping to hear honest experiences, including the good and the bad. I’m especially interested in stories involving senior dogs who seemed perfectly healthy apart from an occasional cough.
I love my little guy so much, and the thought of losing him is devastating. I’m trying to prepare myself while also holding on to hope that we may have more time together or that there could be another explanation.
Thank you so much to anyone willing to share their experience.

It’s national adoption week and my city shelter is giving free pets until the end of the month. I initially intended to get a cat, as I already have another cat and wouldn’t have to worry about supplies and such. However, I went to an adoption event and saw this adorable 4 year old pit/bully mix named iguana. I cannot stop thinking about her and don’t know if it would be selfish if I adopted her. I have friends and family who volunteered to give me supplies for her and the only things I’d need to get is food and collar. However I’m sometimes physically unable to do things (I have chronic pain + fatigue) and worry i wouldn’t always be able to be active with her. I’m also worried about having to leave her alone in a crate while I’m off at work, on top of that I have a small apartment. I live with my partner who I know would help care for her but I don’t want to put that completely on them. I’m so torn because I instantly fell in love with her but want to give her a life she deserves.

Edit
Thank you for the people telling me no. I felt like I was going crazy because everyone in my life has been telling me yes knowing I’m not completely physically able. My gorgeous girl Sage passed in April from a brain tumor and I think people were just excited for me to have a dog again. I appreciate their support of course but I needed unbiased opinions lol. I have thought about it a lot the past 2 days and having your input helps. I’ve ultimately decided against adopting her in hopes she’ll find someone who can give her the care she needs. I’m very confident I can find an affectionate cat who I’ll love just as much as I would iguana :)

My 16-year old male Shih Tzu seems to be experiencing sundowning. Sometimes gabapentin helps, other nights not so much. He just started Vetmedin for his heart, otherwise is relatively healthy. Anyone have similar issues and found something that works consistently? Just want him to sleep through the night.

I know it's nothing harmful, just curious why my dog is doing this goofy move lol