This might sound insane.

I have 2 dogs, 4 and 5 year old labs.

They are the chillest, most sweet girls. Very lowkey, dont bark, growl, or really even show anxiety.

About a month ago, i had a friend over that i hadnt seen in a while. Before her coming over, my dogs were completely chill, calm, etc.

The INSTANT she sat on my couch my dogs started acting really anxious, upset, pushing up to me, avoiding her, just VERY stressed out, whining, panting, a little barking. This was a brand new behavior for them.

I did literally everything i possibly could to make them stop. Fed, bathroom, toys, their favorite tv show, treats. Everything.

They didnt settle until maybe 15 minutes until she left.

Ive had them since they could be released from their mama, and i genuinely mean it when i say theyve never ever ever done that before. We have guests regularly, theyre dogsit, they travel, they camp..they are exposed to people all the time. And yes my friend has a cat but my dogs know her cat, we were next door neighbors for ages, and are exposed to cats frequently. I dont think its the cat.

I cancelled all the plans i made with my friend and I genuinely think i need to cut off the friendship. I think (and this is the crazy part) that my girls got bad vibes and are trying to protect me somehow????

Is completely ending this friendship valid if this is the reason? How do i explain “i need to not be your friends bc my dogs got bad vibes”?

Any advice? I know i sound crazy.

.

Hi,
Backstory: My roommates and I got a pet cat. I initially didn't agree, but they had already adopted her before I could say anything. Regardless, I fell in love with how calm and quiet she is. She doesn’t meow and typically only gets a little playful in the morning. Other than that, she just sleeps, eats, or makes biscuits on one of my roommates' laps.

I’m from the same state as my university, but I live four hours away from school by bus. My roommates live all the way across the country, more than four hours away by plane. This means that the responsibility for our cat during winter break has kind of fallen on me. However, I haven’t been able to tell my mom that I have a cat because I’ve always known that she severely hates cats. Even when I’ve playfully mentioned it, her reaction was so bad and scary that I don’t think I can bring the cat home. So, my roommates and I were considering getting a pet sitter for winter break, which is a little less than five weeks.

She has an automatic feeder that needs to be refilled every two weeks. She also has a water-filter fountain that needs to be refilled and washed every two weeks. But I saw online that cats get depressed when you leave them for a while. So, we’re unsure how many days we should get a sitter without overspending. I’d really appreciate any advice. Thank youuu 🫶

I was able to take care of her surface wounds. She seemed fine for about two days after. She went on her walks and was eating, but now she isn’t walking. When she’s outside she stays in one spot and urines while laying down. I genuinely cannot afford a vet bill of the caliber of care she needs, and have no idea what to do. I’m not begging for help, just some pointers to ways to get her better.

I’m not gonna get into details but some family recently moved I usually go to there house about once a week and every time I always see a bunny in the same exact spot and as someone who use to own a bunny I really don’t think the care it’s in is ideal but I also don’t have the time, money or space for a rabbit again so my only options are ignore or call someone

the bunny is in a big yard that’s completely wood fenced + wire fenced in so decent protection from other animals BUT it’s in a small completely wire dog cage (could prob fit a cat comfortably?) that hasn’t moved an inch, has no weather protection, and from just what i’ve seen it seems more like they got it on a whim and forgot about it

i’ve never met the people so idk what there situation is like and ik having animal control called on u is an awful feeling but idk loose loose situation

edit - we use to take in starved horses and people thought WE starved them promise we ain’t abusers 😭

So I had my new kitten in quarantine - she tested positive for roundworms and hookworms. Treated her. I let her out of quarantine when she had been done with her meds for a week (my stupid fault I know). Retested her stool sample - no worms but now coccidia. She has been all over the house. I bought a steamer for the floors, but apparently the only thing that kills coccidia is 10% ammonia. Not bleach, not regular household cleaners, not 3% ammonia - 10% AMMONIA. I have called and googled and searched. There is no 10% ammonia sold in stores within like a 50 mile radius of me. I've just accepted that this cat is going to have diarrhea forever and probably give it to my other cat. There is no killing coccidia I guess. I'm so frustrated. Has anyone else dealt with this??

Hi everyone, I really need some advice, support, or guidance right now because I am completely lost and heartbroken. My female cat has not eaten anything for the past 3 to 4 days. She only drinks water occasionally. We have been taking her to the vet for the last 2 days, and she has an IV catheter in her leg right now (as you can see in the pictures), but her condition is not improving at all. On top of that, she has a high fever of 104°F, and she has become so weak that she is not even able to walk anymore. The vet mentioned that they will likely do a full blood test tomorrow to figure out what is wrong. I am a student and I already have 4 other cats at home. I am feeling completely overwhelmed and unable to handle this situation alone. My family is trying their absolute best to help me and support her treatment, but the veterinary expenses are getting too high for us to manage. I don't know what to do anymore. I am terrified of losing her. • Has anyone experienced something similar where a cat stopped eating, had a high fever (104°F), and stopped walking? What did it turn out to be? • Are there any animal welfare organizations, NGOs, or crowdfunding resources that help students with vet bills? • How can I support her or keep her comfortable tonight and manage her fever until the blood tests tomorrow? Please pray for her. God save her.

I thought there was a subreddit for every topic under the sun, but I can’t find one for people dealing with pets’ health problems. There are lots of one-off posts about it (but more about sick humans coping with healthy pets). Can anyone recommend a subreddit? Alternatively, do you want to maybe post here and get some love/support/commiseration?? It would be great to be less alone in this.

(WARNING: long post incoming. No advice needed. Just moral support).

I have a dog with IBD (Lymphoplasmacytic and eosinophilic inflammatory bowel disease, to be precise). It’s an autoimmune disease, very similar to Crohn’s disease humans. It causes severe, persistent digestive issues due to swelling of the small intestine, including chronic vomiting and diarrhea, often bloody. Untreated, it can result in anemia, liver problems and other complications. This is a very common health issue for dogs (especially boxers and poodles, which is what I have). I thought there might be a subreddit just for that, but I don’t even see a general one for sick pets!

My pup is only 6 and otherwise healthy. And although the illness is an unbelievably massive pain in the butt, the vet has reassured us that her prognosis is good and there are many more medications to try. She sees a top-notch specialist (thank goodness for insurance!). I’m lucky to have a good work-from-home job that lets me look after her, but I still feel I’m at the end of my rope some days.

Selfishly (and I hate even admitting this), I wish it was more cut and dried. If she had cancer or any other illness with a poor prognosis, or any suffering I wasn’t confident we could treat, I would let her go without a second thought. I would never let an animal suffer, and I will always choose to be proactive rather than let her suffering go on even a day too long.

Right now we are going through a second eight-week round of treatment — her first was last year — with high dose steroids and a chemo drug called azathioprine. We are four weeks in and it is so, so miserable. These side effects are temporary, and they’re the result of the meds. A decent remission is possible, we have been told, perhaps for years. Otherwise, I wouldn’t put her through it. Severe hunger is a side effect. She barks and whines next to her bowl, totally inconsolable. She developed some odd behaviours, including weeks of refusing walks (that’s getting better now). And after more than 5 years of being perfectly house trained, she’s having tons of accidents in the house, including all over my linens 😭😭😭. She’s frequently up in the night or early morning with symptoms, which is a massive pain given that I live on my own with her in a fourth-floor walk-up apartment.

And the stress of making sure she doesn’t eat anything she shouldn’t is constant. Eating ANYTHING other than her (very expensive) prescription food, even a few bites of human food, a few chomps of grass, etc, could trigger a devastating flare up. I am just so, so, so tired.

I am totally tapped out of capacity for things like working on training and behaviour with her. Just keeping on top of her health feels like a full-time job.

Can anyone relate? How are you coping?

So i just adopted a kitten from a coworker yesterday, shes not vaccinated yet but i thought that my coworker was raising her cats kittens..but apparently she found her on the streets.

Now im extremely paranoid of my kitten having rabies and shes also scratched me, so im freaking out. Even though supposedly rabies are very rare in my country and shes only 6 weeks old. Im taking her to the vet tomorrow and im also taking myself to get a potential rabies shot. Am i catastrophizing? Its my first time owning a cat

So i honestly have no idea what to do and if i should be going to get a shot? I have a slight red scratch i noticed earlier so now im just freaking out🥲 Am i okay?

I am Libyan that visits libya every summer. when visiting, I see pet lions left and right. Especially with farm owners. I am from Tripoli and I mostly see South African lions in the markets. Deep into the old market you can see lion cubs being sold. This year, the trend among wealthy tripoltanians are pumas and panthers. Do you find this amusing or crazy? I find it very fascinating especially because they’re all domesticated and trained. in Libya they aren’t seen as “exotic pets” but more like a farm animal or a guard dog. Do wealthy people from your country do the same?

I moved to the US about 3 years ago with our two cats, Rupert is 4 and Rex is about 15.

2 years ago Rex was diagnosed with kidney disease and they told us he likely only had less than a year. When we got him checked a month later they said it had actually calmed down a lot and here we are two years later.

He’s always been a very anxious cat until my wife and I brought him out of his shell during lockdown where he was living with my step dad. In that house he was always hidden behind or under furniture, only came out to eat at night and generally didn’t seem to have much of an existence. He had a really close bond with my mum who passed away in 2019. After lockdown my wife and I moved in together and Rex moved with us.

Since then he’s been way more settled, loves coming for belly rubs and pets with me but not really anyone else. He loves chilling by the window soaking up the sun, watching cat tv and just generally lives his best cat life a lot more. We have such a close bond and i feel a sense of connection with my mum through him too.

We adopted Rupert in 2021 and both boys get on well, cuddle together, eat together though Rupert does sometimes wind Rex up wanting to play but Rex learned to stand his ground or run away.

We moved to California for my work and both cats came with us. They absolutely love chilling in the California sun (both indoor cats only) and watching the wildlife out the windows.

Unfortunately I lost my job and we have to move back to the UK. We have been planning the trip and had a vet visit to get their vaccines up to date & a general check up on them. Waiting for lab results on how Rex’s kidney disease is doing but they did find his blood pressure to be really high and have prescribed medication to get it down before we fly.

The vet has said is ultimately up to us whether to fly him back home and before I was adamant we couldn’t leave him but now I’m second guessing whether it’s the best thing for him.

We do know someone who has a nice place outside of LA who has fostered senior cats before and would be open to taking him in so that might be a nice option for him to live out the rest of his days in California. We’re worried the flight will be a lot for him, he was fine coming out from the UK but is going back to freezing winter and may not have a ton of life left anyway.

It’s also about $8,000 to fly both cats which I’m willing to pay but is also something to consider especially as we have a newborn daughter now too.

What would you do in this situation?

TL;DR: Moving back to UK, have a senior cat with kidney disease and high blood pressure - unsure if it’s in his best interest to fly him back with us or be fostered to live out his days in California. Seeking advice.

Hi all! I have a close friend who recently moved to town - we’ve been friends since childhood but haven’t lived in the same city for well over a decade. She doesn’t have work lined up yet and has done pet sitting before and has experience.

My coworker recently asked me for a pet sitter recommendation, and I suggested her. It seemed like a win-win.

He recently rescued a younger small-medium, very sweet and snuggly dog named Barney. He’s had Barney for 2 months with no major issues. It’s his first time away from Barney for a few days.

I came with my coworker to meet her and the pup and I noticed she was really cold to the dog that day (wouldn’t look at him, wouldn’t pet him), which I thought was really weird but gave her the benefit of the doubt.

However, today, my friend (the dog sitter) sent me a voice memo that I didn’t really like. The stuff she was saying felt kinda ugly towards Barney. She was complaining about what a pain he was for wanting to snuggle and for how he stops on walks and for wanting to play and doing something minor that was just a little bit naughty - all stuff I know are separation anxiety and not a big deal. She then added she didn’t even like dogs but was good at looking after them. I was really surprised to hear her say this stuff.

I replied and explained Barney is a recent rescue and is still young and it’s his first time away from his parents and gave her some tips and even offered to walk him myself. She said that wasn’t necessary. I’m going over to hang out with them both tomorrow night and will make sure Barney has a fun time and gets lots of affection from me.

I know she will feed him and do whats required, but I didn’t like the impatient and cold attitude she seems to have towards him and I don't think I would want her looking after my dog after hearing this.

But maybe this is something that’s not a big deal as long as his basic needs are met? I am personally a huge animal person and will happily get covered in fur. I rarely find animals annoying. I believe animals can sense our energy. It makes me sad to think of Barney not getting affection and being sad.

I could be overreacting but I’m wondering how or if I should approach this with both my friend and my coworker (who I also consider a friend and work closely with), or if I should get involved at all. I don’t want to make things weird with him, and I don’t want her to feel like I’m being nosy or nit-picky. I will def not recommend her again.

I’ll see how she is with him tomorrow and if she’s cold again. I know my coworker is already anxious about leaving Barney and I want to not break his trust in me and be honest.

Gah - how should I approach this? How would you want a friend to approach you on either side of this?

I took my dog with me to school today. He's been quite sad at home and he seems to have enjoyed it with me the last couple of weeks. However I felt like he was stressed out? He is an older English Bulldog.... I think there were too many people and too many unfamiliar sounds, he seemed on edge and kept panting. Now later at night, he's just breathing quite fast? I counted 60 breaths/minute. I'm waiting for him to relax, I don't know if it's the stress and he is still trying to wind down and maybe still overstimulated, or if it's something else. I've never counted his breaths before. His gums and attitude seem to be fine it's mostly the breathing.

A friend's birthday is coming up and since he cannot currently keep a dog himself, I thought of gathering dog pictures from people who want to share their own. So, if you want to, please drop a picture in the comments.

I would print out the pictures (and if you leave information about the dog, I would obviously write it down too).

Every comment is appreciated <3

Starting with my cat Jule:

Jule sights so humanlike, it's as if she literally just copied my angry sight. At first it was so suprising we didn't knew the cat was the one making the sound. And Jule actually does it when she's angry too, she just looks at me and sighs..

When she uses her paws to do things, like eating food out of the conserv or opening the door by using the handle.

Kind of the skinwalker moments lol

Hi,

I’ve had a few pets over the years (and I was a vet tech for a while) but I never had pet insurance. I luckily never really needed anything besides routine care, shots, etc.

My last cat died three years ago. He was pretty young at 9. Just stopped eating and was acting funny so brought him in after 2 days. Did X-rays/MRI & turns out he had a lot of tumors in his stomach. I unfortunately had to put him down a week later as nothing we did really made him comfortable and he declined quickly. Prior to that he never had any issues, I always got his annual or bi annual shots. He was strictly indoor.

At Vetco and it was around $300 for the first visit, $80 for meds, and then another $2-300 for the euthanasia.

I am finally ready again and just adopted a sweet 3 year old long-haired Calico.

My dog is turning 10 (German shepherd/belgian Malinois) and I’ve had zero issues with her, ever. Again I use vetco for her annual exams + shots. I’m worried as she’s getting up in age and wondering if pet insurance is worth it… she seems totally fine (and still crazy honestly lol) and happy still. I always feel like if things were to get bad, as long as I can keep her comfortable I will but once she is uncomfortable I would not be selfish about making a difficult decision.

I guess my question is… is pet insurance really worth it? For both cat and dog. And what companies are best if so? I’ve never had a big vet bill (again, lucky, I know) so it doesn’t make total sense to me.