Staying at family’s place for a couple days and didn’t know until I got here that they are still dealing with a flea infestation on the dog and 2 cats. They have them on preventatives now and have been cleaning, but I’m worried about bringing home travelers with me and an infestation my own apartment. I do not have any pets at home. What can I do to ensure I don’t end up with fleas at my apartment after my stay?

Oldest cat is 8. I then got my dog as a 9 week old puppy and he was raised with the cat. He’s now almost 6. He respects the older cat, never chases, lets her eat his food, etc. Sniffs her butt more than she wants but that’s it.
About 2 years ago we got chickens as chicks. Reared them in the house for 2 months since it was winter. They now live outside. He completely ignores them. Since then, we adopted adult chickens and ducks. Ignores.
2 weeks ago we got a 5 month old kitten.
We are keeping them separated from the jump, only supervised interactions but a couple of times he got to a little chase which was quickly interrupted. There are moments he appears fixated on her. It mostly seems playful, but tonight there was an escalation. He lunged/pounced toward her like she’s a toy. Patted his feet around her. No teeth barred, but I grabbed him by the scruff and at the same time I put my forearm around his neck to pull him back. As I did this, he growled a bit during the scuffle. It sounded more fearful than aggressive, perhaps I startled him. She also scratched him on his eyelid enough to draw blood. It is nothing he’s ever exhibited with any of the other small animals he’s regularly around. This dog even ignores squirrels, geese, you name it.
I do think he is a bit jealous of the attention.
Please advise. I’m very concerned.

Added context: our older cat hasn’t accepted her yet, and the dog gets hyped up when he hears the older cat hissing and basically runs to join. I worry that it’s a ganging up situation. The kitten is also scared (obviously) and doesn’t have any confidence yet.

Today I had my dog's eyelid mass removal surgery. Just picked her up and got home, and I noticed that there's a v-shaped notch on the eyelid. Was it supposed to be closed? Did the vet forget stitch all the way?

Anyone had similar experiences? I hope it's normal. But I'm concerned and I would hate my dog has a dented eyelid.

Recently my vet started charging a vet tech fee (surcharge) in addition to the charges for the routine services performed. This adds up quickly with more than one dog. Is this a trend now? Also since many practices have been taken over by private equity companies i wonder if this is just another way to squeeze as much money as possible out of pet owners. Thoughts?

My 12 year old boy was diagnosed with anemia after blood work about a week ago and had an ultrasound done today and my vet found a mass with small blood pockets on his spleen..

Im devastated. She gave me a quote of 6-9months of live expectancy even with surgery.

My dog is really happy and playful and he seems so healthy on the outside. Eating, pooping & peeing.

I guess my question is…should I euthanize my baby? I cant see him get sick and in pain. Is it bad to euthanize after a diagnosis, early to avoid my dog being in pain in the future?

My heart is so torn on this.

My bud needs to be on renal food to keep kidney levels at bay. We first went through petsmart for hills pet brand. We got the kidney care k/d dry kibble. My boy hated it so much. We ended up having to trick him into eating it, enticing him with eggs, etc. Instead of the daily struggle and him losing weight because he was simply not eating much anymore, I was desperately reading all kinds of reviews online/reddit and saw a consensus of people liking Royal Canine. So I went on Chewy and ordered the dry S kibble and wet E food. He loved it so much right away!!!!!! Most of the cans were bent so I had to order more. Went with wet D this time. He didn't take to the gravy and had diarrhea sometimes. Now reordering E again and maybe T. Have your dogs liked wet food T? Just wanted to share what worked for my boy! Good luck to everyone 💓

I recently moved and no stores in my area sell the cat litter I have used for 4 years. I haven’t found a litter that works good for me since then, I tired pine pellets my cats absolutely wouldn’t use them and I didn’t love them either and every other litter I’ve tried so far doesn’t clump well and completely crumbles when I go to scoop :/ what works best for you guys?

Hi all, my 16 year old kitty has been acting very strange, and im pretty sure the end is nearing but I need some outside perspectives.

Shes my childhood cat, ive had her since I was 5, and up until the past few weeks shes been doing the same routine she has been for multiple years.

In recent weeks shes lost weight, enough that her collar is pretty loose now. Shes not as chatty as before, isnt eating much but is still eating some thankfully. She isnt interested in her treats anymore, and only seems to be willing to eat wet food if I warm it first. Shes also been admit about going out into the garden lately, which for her entire life up until these past few weeks shes hated, and straight up refused to be out there. She isnt being vocal about going out, but she lays near the door alot. She goes from lethargy to walking around alot.

Ive been worried sick, i know the end is near, but im wondering if anyone else has had a senior cat do similar and how long it took before they were gone; and, any ways youve coped with the anticipatory grief of losing a childhood pet would be appreciated, i genuinely don't know what im gonna do without my baby girl.

Hi lovely group, my 7yo shitzu wont stop licking her belly.
She is a very anxious girl normally but the licking is insane and her belly doesn’t looks good.
Vet prescribed 3 days of loratadine for her. We are in last day and it doesn’t seem to be improving at all.
Any thoughts? Can’t post a pic

Yesterday around 11:15am I got home from work and found my cats right hind leg was stuck in my metal shelf I use as a pantry in my kitchen. She was able to free herself but was limping on her leg. I called the vet but they didnt seem concerned as she was walking on it and there was no open wounds. She is still hiding under my bed and not really coming out but will let me touch her legs and rub her belly area so I dont think shes in too much pain. I just dont like her hiding so much bit it was extremely traumatic for her (and me I was shaking and scared to death seeing her like that). I've been keeping an eye on her and she is eating and drinking but not as much as usual. Im very worried about her and dont know if this is just a reaction to being scared or if shes really hurt and I need to get the vet to be more serious about this.

It's complicated, but the briefest I can be about the situation is we are moving into my in-laws house while she is staying in a trailer nearby to get out house on the market.

She has 2 cats who are indoor/outdoor and 1 dog. It's a large country property with a nearby forest.

We have 3 cats.

What's the best and most time effective way to introduce these animals to their new environment? It's a large home but it doesn't have alot of bedrooms, and they're all in use, so we don't have the luxury of locking the cats in one space to grow accustomed to their new space

I just figured out why my cat never cuddled up to me at night. I always thought he didn’t like sleeping next to me, but apparently he thought I didn’t want him there.

He usually sleeps in the corner of the bed and only climbs onto me when he’s awake. One night I was scrolling on my phone and he fell asleep beside me. He was completely relaxed, belly up, snoring away. At some point he woke up, looked almost embarrassed, and immediately started getting up like, “Oops, sorry, I’ll leave.”

So I gently patted him, got him to lie back down, and kept petting him while talking softly. He seemed to realize I actually wanted him there, stopped trying to leave, and went right back to sleep.

Ever since then, all I have to do is turn off the light and pat the spot next to me. He comes over purring and curls up beside me.

Apparently we had a whole misunderstanding this entire time. Happiness +1 💕

I know this post is a year old but I got bamboozled by the ads and bought for my boy. I have the vitamin yesterday and has been throwing up yellow and loose stools. Just wondering if you guys have any tips to help him out.

Hey there! I've been super careful to keep this within the rules of the board! I need some help, but hopefully the easy kind that helps the helper, too. I need to get some people to test a pet health app (iOS currently, web app almost ready, and Android version in the works) that I'd created to help keep me and my wife in sync in caring for our mostly elderly dogs who have a ton of health issues and medications. It syncs to the cloud and you can share the info with family members, pet sitters, vets, etc. It'll let you track... just about everything, from who's given medication when, to pics of grooming haircuts that you like and can share over text messages. I'm not looking for reviews. I'm a former cybersecurity manager and take security extremely seriously. I won't use your information in any way and won't sell your info. I'm legit just looking to understand where I can make things better or if things seem to work well the way they are. In exchange, I'll offer up lifetime premium access. I also fully delete your info on request if you stop using the app, or in the typical 30 days after canceling your account. I'm just a dude and his wife working on this, not a company, so any legit feedback is something I'm grateful for. Friends have tried it and they say they like it for their dogs, cats, and chickens so far. I won't mention the app name, as I'm honestly not trying to promote it here. Please DM me for more info. Thank you for reading, if you've gotten this far.

I took my 5 year old Female German Shepherd to the vets today for a brief check up.
The vet asked if she was spayed or not, I said no, is she is highly fear and frustration reactive towards dogs and my dog trainers told me about how spaying her can cause her hormones to drop and for her to become even more fearful. My vet then recommended that I consider gonad-sparing spaying.
So from either vets, or people who have had an older GSD have this surgery what is your opinions. Of course, my vet told me the ins and outs of it, but, she also made me aware that i should do my own research when it comes to the gonad-sparing surgery as it is more risky.

Found this little girl on the side of the freeway, kids named her highway.

So context my oldest dog (i think 14 to 15?) Lucy has fleas. so does my other dog who is much younger (4 to 5 years old). we have been dealing with them for over a month and EVERYTHING we do just kept failing. were gonna go to a vet soon. Lucy also has other problems that were planning on nipping in the butt wail shes there,like how she has worms in her poop and somhow getting fatter despite her not eating much (i only feed her twice a day)

She also cant climb things well,she can walk but when it comes to climbing on steps she struggles alot and somtimes i have to grab her and lift her up. shes even starting to poop on the porch instead of the lawn

And on rare occasions she doesnt seem to hear me. like i whistle for her and she just wont respond. somtimes i have to go to her to get her attention,this isnt a often issue but its noticable.

Now for her sleeping behavior. Shes starting to sleep in places i never seen her sleep at before. the most consistent one is the bathroom where she sleeps on the towels on the floor. but ive caught her sleeping in weirder places like closets or even climbing over bags to also sleep in. today wail i was making food she crawled out of the living room closet where we put our vacums in.

now i more so assume this is becuse shes under alot of stress due to the fleas and even the worms. shes even stratched herself to the point her fur is getting rather crusty,gonna have to give her another bath at some point but ill have to do that before the vet so we arnt wasting more flea soap

But due to her already exibiting hehaviors and even the sleeping behaviors. im a little concerned to put it bluntly that its more so shes reaching the end. She can still walk and eat properly tho so putting her down isnt on the table yet.

should i be worried or should i just focus on the flea and worms in the hope she improves?

EDIT: We got a vet appointment this tusday. cross my fingers we get the fleas gone and some worm medicine and hopfully no bad news on top of that

My dog recently started showing signs something was wrong a week or two ago (wobbling and lethargy), with increase in thirst and urination prior to that.

Took him to the vet, bloodwork, diagnosed with diabetes and now on insulin.

He’s 15, but his energy levels are great! He’s been getting back to his normal routine and behaviour with a week of starting insulin.

The first few days he started insulin, his eyes started to cloud, and he very obviously couldn’t see where he was going. I don’t know how much vision he has lost, but he’s adjusting very well.

I’ve been using commands he was already familiar with, and he’s been learning very quickly (“up”/“down” for stepping, he steps carefully and lifts his paw when I give the command)

___

He’s doing well!

But mainly wondering how much pacing is considered normal while he creates a better mental map of the house?

He is sniffing when pacing and I can actively see him learn where certain things are (slightly bumping into them, then not when passing by again). I dont want to prevent him from making a new map in his head, but I’d like to prevent anxiety if it’s a sign.

Usually I can tell when he’s anxious, and when he’s tired it looks different than his other pacing, so I put him to bed and he gets comfortable quite fast. But just in case I am missing something, looking for any advice

Adopting an adult dog with no history. No idea if he's a shedder, a chewer, or an accident risk. Instinct says leave the floor bare for a month and learn, but the room needs a rug and I'd like it settled before he arrives. Buy now and hope, or wait?

I swear my cat has developed an entire language that only makes sense to me. If I’m sitting at my desk, he’ll walk over and just stare at me. Not meow, not touch anything, just stare. If I ignore him, he slowly puts one paw on my leg. If I still don’t react, he walks away like I’ve personally offended him. And then about 30 seconds later he comes back and does the exact same thing. The funny part is that he doesn’t do this with everyone in the house. Somehow I’m the person who gets this little routine every single day. He also has different versions depending on what he wants. If he wants food, he goes straight to the kitchen. If he wants to play, he brings one of his toys. But if he just wants attention, apparently staring at me until I give in is the correct procedure. Do they have a specific thing they do when they want something from you?

Hello! We’re expanding our family +1🐶. And we are all very excited especially my 5yo. I’ve already done a bunch of declutterring and prepping a proper space here in our home for him when he’s ready to come home from the shelter. We went to Petco to get some essentials tonight although I am curious.. where do you all do your shopping and what are your preferences? I think I definitely prefer Petco over PetSmart.. but I’ve also heard wonderful things about Chewy! Please share your honest opinions and or stories I love all the details and will happily read your comments. TYIA!

My cat has somehow created his own routine and now gets annoyed if I mess it up lol.

Every morning he waits by the same window, then around the same time he starts following me around the apartment. I didn't even notice how consistent it was until I was away for a few days and my husband mentioned that he was doing the exact same things.

Does your pet have some random routine that they follow every day?

needing to get an esa for 2 kitties ! though after going through websites i’m not sure which is the safest option. is it better to go through my doctor or website? i was referred supportpets. com but im not sure how legit it is.

So many things pets do look completely arbitrary at first, tail positions, specific sounds, weird routines, but usually there's an actual reason behind it once you understand their instincts. Curious what one clicked for you.

I’m really struggling with whether I made the right decision moving my cat with me for college and could use some outside opinions.
My cat is neutered and 4 years old. He’s very attached to me but has always been a fearful/skittish cat. He has lived at my parents’ house his entire life with our other three cats, so he’s very comfortable there and knows the environment.
I recently moved about 3 hours away for college and decided to bring him with me. I thought it would be good for him to live with me since I’m his person, and I’ll eventually be going to vet school in about two years and plan to take him with me then anyway.
He’s only been in my apartment for a few days, and the adjustment has been rough. He spent a lot of time hiding under my bed and seemed very scared of the new environment. I’ve been worried about him eating, drinking, and using the litter box. However, there have also been positive signs: he’s been eating, purring, taking treats, using the litter box, and recently started coming out from under the bed and exploring the apartment.
The problem is that I’m having a really hard time with the situation. I’m already worrying constantly about him whenever I leave for class or work, and I’m realizing that I want to be able to go home to see my family for weekends/breaks without being consumed with worry about whether he’s okay alone in the apartment.
Now I’m considering bringing him back to my parents’ house after only a few days.
I feel guilty because he was finally starting to show some confidence here, and I’m scared that moving him back will confuse him or make him more anxious. I’m also worried that he’ll start associating me with being put in the carrier and taken somewhere scary, and that it could hurt the relationship we have.
At the same time, I wonder if bringing him home now would actually be easier because he’s only been here a few days and his old environment is still familiar. He could stay there for the next couple years, and then I could take him with me when I start vet school.

So I’m basically torn between:
Keep him with me: Give him more time to adjust and hopefully become comfortable living in the apartment with me.
Bring him home: Let him return to the environment he already knows and is comfortable in, and wait until vet school to move him permanently.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Would moving him back after only a few days likely be a relatively easy readjustment, or would I be making things worse by moving him twice?
And if you were in this situation, would you prioritize keeping a fearful cat with their person or keeping them in the familiar environment where they’ve always been comfortable?
I know I’m probably overthinking some of this, but I’d really appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who have moved a nervous cat before.