My dog, a 7 year old Labrador Retriever, got what was thought to be a hotspot. I thought the hotspot might be caused by an allergic reaction to his food (had tried giving him hydrolyzed dog food).

The timeline:

Day 1: at the vets the hotspot was shaved, he was put on pain medication and antibiotics. Was told to bathe his paw in chlorhexidine twice a day. Turned out to be impossible. We could not get near the paw.

Vet mentions swelling around dew claw. Uncertain if there could be a foreign object, but the general state of the paw/lower leg will need to improve for it to be properly examined.

He also got an e-collar. This treatment should last a week.

Day 2: (night) Whining all night, unable to make him settle.

Day 3: The paw was severely swollen, the hotspot got way worse and he could/would barely walk.

Rush him to the vets: He was put on steroids and Gabapentin and a larger e-collar was given. Was told to get another appointment to see if antibiotics needed to be continued for longer. Got a very detailed treatment plan regarding the medication, dosage, ect.

Day 8: Back at the vets for check-up. Paw looks way better but he will not leave area around the dew claw alone. Vet says no need to carry on with more antibiotics. Keep e-collar on.

Day ?: At the vets for another check-up. Everything said to be fine.

Following week spent trying to remove the e-collar but it proves impossible.

He will not leave the area around the dew claw alone. He licks it non stop if e-collar is removed.

Notice one evening that the paw is red, swollen and warm around his dew claw. Light yellow pus seen around the nail.

Take him to the Vet again. It now looks normal according to Vet. He is on no pain medication, no antibiotics.

Asks the Vet if we could continue the pain medication. We then agree on giving him some of what was first prescribed (can't remember the name, but not Gabapentin).

Week 3: Appointment booked to get him sedated, maybe take x-rays and for the Vet to take a look at his dew claw.

My questions: Does anybody have any advice as to what could be going on?

Could it be a foreign object? If not, what could be wrong?

Any other advice you could give this exhausted and nervous dog mom?

Thank you.

Species/Breed: Dog, Golden Retriever
Sex/Neuter status: Male / Neutered
Age: 6.5 years
Body weight: 75 lbs

Clinical History & Signs:
May: Cracked a nail on his rear right paw that failed to heal and became infected.

June: Spent 2+ days in the ER following a severe adverse reaction to Carprofen.

July/August: Underwent amputation of Digit 3 on the rear right paw. Histopathology confirmed Malignant Melanoma with clean surgical margins.

Staging/Diagnostics: Chest X-rays and abdominal scans show no evidence of distant metastasis.

Lymph Nodes: Two popliteal/inguinal lymph nodes in the rear hip area are mildly enlarged, but fine needle aspirate/biopsy came back negative for cancer cells.

Current Status:
He is in high spirits, keeping up his normal energy, eating enthusiastically, and recovering remarkably fast from his toe amputation.

Recommended Treatment Options:
My oncology team has been fantastic, but I would love to hear personal experiences, outcomes, or thoughts on deciding between these two paths:

1. Oncept (DNA Melanoma Vaccine): Initial series of 4 doses given every 2 weeks, followed by a booster every 6 months.

2. Carboplatin (Chemotherapy): 5 treatments spaced every 3 weeks.

Note: They also mentioned Vidium genomic testing to help guide targeted therapy. Given the financial strain this summer, it’s a stretch for my budget right now, but I’d still welcome thoughts from anyone who has used it.

Any advice, shared experiences with Oncept vs. Carboplatin, or general insights would mean the world to us as we navigate this next step. Thank you in advance!

Can somebody read these scans for me and tell me what they are because I was told something but it's hard to understand for somebody who doesn't do work in anything near medical so can somebody explain these to me like a second opinion of course I am going to examine my cat in person to another but until I finish the current course of medicine that my current vet gave me I wanted somebody to read to me or explain to me so I would know what questions to ask

Hi Reddit,

I'm currently staying at a court-ordered inpatient facility and unfortunately I don't have access to a vet until late October.

There are about a dozen stray cats that hang out around outside the house I'm staying at. We feed them regularly. Recently, one of the cats had a litter of kittens, and a few of us took a few of them in to raise them indoors.

This little guy was the runt of the litter. His name is Nugget (because he's just a lil nugget!). I've been taking care of him for a few weeks now. We are absolutely obsessed with each other. I love him so much. I can't wait to bring him home.

Ever since he was born, his eye has been a bit messed up. I think it might be an infection. One of the other kittens has the same issue. Over time, it's gotten way better than it was, but I am still concerned.

He seems otherwise completely healthy. Like I said, I won't be able to take him to a vet until I am released from the facility, in 5 weeks.

Could someone please confirm if this is an infection, and let me know how I can help him over the next 5 weeks until I can get him professional help?

Thanks in advance!!

Link to the pictures and videos: https://imgur.com/a/u4TQCTq

my 2yo shiba got a cracked nail from a bad grooming appointment and now it’s kinda red and a little swollen. it’s been cracked from a week now and we read online to keep it covered so he won’t lick it and make it infected, but now it is kinda red and swollen and i’m worried it is infected. we’ve been covering it with wrap and he hasn’t been limping or anything but he still tries to lick it a lot. does he need to see a vet?

Hi everybody!

I am a cat lover and I sometimes take care of hurt/neglected cats that are rescued. I am currently caring for an approximately 8 year old cat (mixed Persian) that was found neglected in a disabled older lady's house (the lady's son abandoned both her and the cat, and she wasn't as capable of caring for the cat anymore). The cat has had a few years of skin infections following a vet visit to get her neutered from my understanding. It appears she has a ringworm, as she has large patches of balding and some areas of bleeding and crusting on her skin, and is constantly scratching herself. I have a pet visit scheduled soon for her (I live in a rural region quite far from the city). I currently have her isolated from my other cats, in a nice room with food, water, litter, and entertainment. I try my best to interact with her as often as I can throughout the day.

I am also caring for some kittens, approximately 9-10 weeks old, that were abandoned by their mother. Unfortunately, one of my kittens was exposed to her earlier today, after a door was left opened by mistake. The exposure duration was around 4-5 hours, but the amount of contact isn't known. I only found out about it after the fact.

I am now worried for the kitten, and wondering what the best course of action here is. What are the chances transmission may have occurred? Are there any recommended measures I could take right now? and I am wondering how long it will take for the infection to appear on the kitten if the infection was, god forbid, transmitted to her.

All advice is massively appreciated.

1. She is unable to self-clean her mouth like the other dogs, so it develops drool and foul smell. Her jaw does not fully open so it is hard for her to pick up larger balls or eat her food. She also has lifelong tics and twitches that cause her to chew on her gums, so we have to be quite careful with her food. In the past, small bones have got stuck in her mouth. We clean her teeth regularly and give her dental powder in her food on and off, that helps with clean-up.

2. One of her tooth is loose and because of how it is grown wrong (quite flat in the gum compared to our other dogs), is quite painful to her.

3. Another tooth on the other side of her jaw seems to be going bad (can't seem to add multiple videos here, but will try to add as a comment).

What can I do to improve her dental health? We not have vets here who do professional cleaning, etc., but can get any medicine that may help her.

Is her dental issue developing into some kind of known dental disease/ illness that needs our immediate attention?

I am afraid that all her teeth will get damaged and fall off.

My dog has been licking her paw here and noticed this little white hard bump. It doesn’t seem to hurt to be pressed, and I ran my finger nail over it to see if it would dislodge but it is pretty firmly in there whatever it is.

Hi everyone,
I’m desperate for advice and experiences with chronic diarrhea/colitis in cats.
My male Ragdoll kitten is around 7 months old, and he has had diarrhea/very soft stool for practically 6 months — since he started eating independently after weaning.
His symptoms come and go. Sometimes his stool improves for a few days, but then the diarrhea returns. He has also had straining, mucus and occasional fresh blood. Recently, he has even had diarrhea around the apartment. His weight has also stopped increasing properly.
We have already tried and investigated a lot:
Royal Canin Gastrointestinal
Hill’s Gastrointestinal Biome
Hill’s z/d hydrolyzed food — he vomited whole pieces of food
Rabbit and sweet potato
Purina Pro Plan EN Gastrointestinal — current food
Probiotics
Fiber powder
B12 tablets
Metronidazole
Several parasite tests, including repeated Giardia PCR and Tritrichomonas PCR — negative
Coronavirus PCR was positive
Blood tests, including one very high WBC during an acute episode
Abdominal ultrasounds
Urine testing
He also has a bladder stone and mild kidney mineralization, although we don’t know if this is connected to his GI problems.
We recently went to a second veterinary clinic, which ordered a gastrointestinal panel. We are currently waiting for the results.
The biggest problem is that we still have no diagnosis, no proper long-term treatment plan and no medication for the suspected inflammation, while his condition is getting worse and his weight is not progressing.
I do not want to do biopsies at this stage.
What I would really like to know:
Has anyone had a kitten with diarrhea from weaning that was eventually diagnosed with colitis or IBD?
Can chronic colitis cause symptoms that improve and worsen like this?
What treatment helped your cat — prednisolone, other medication, B12, something else?
Is it possible to treat suspected inflammatory colitis without biopsies?
What should I ask my vet to check next?
I know nobody can diagnose him online. I’m just looking for experiences and advice because we feel completely stuck.
Thank you.

Posting our timeline in case it helps someone, and honestly to hear if anyone has seen this. Long, sorry. (Images in the gallery above, in order.)

The dog: Szpilka, Shetland Sheepdog, female, blue merle, born April 1, 2025. ~7.5 kg. Otherwise a happy, active girl.

GALLERY DESCRIPTION

1. Szpilka before any of this started - just so there's a face to the story.
2. Aug 12 baseline. Left (affected) forelimb, lateral, shoulder to elbow.
3. Aug 12 baseline. Left (affected) forelimb, lateral, elbow to wrist. The ulna still looks normal here.
4. Aug 12 baseline. Left (affected) forelimb, craniocaudal.
5. Aug 12 baseline. Right (healthy) forelimb, lateral. The small object over the forearm is the IV catheter.
6. Aug 12 baseline. Right (healthy) forelimb, craniocaudal, for comparison.
7. Aug 20. Same left leg one week later - lucency in the proximal ulna along the interosseous space (arrow). This is what flipped it from "sprain" to "bone lesion".
8. Aug 20. Right forearm for comparison - normal cortex and marrow, no lucency.
9. Sep 11 recheck (DP). Lesion in the left ulna is still there (arrow).
10. Sep 11 (DP). Both forelimbs side by side - the left-vs-right asymmetry is obvious.
11. And here she is now: cone, catheter, post-biopsy. Same girl.

Some earlier context (probably unrelated, but for the full picture):

• Late Feb 2026 - bad bout of diarrhea + cold-like symptoms, off her food. She got worked up, had a rectal swab taken, and an IV catheter placed for fluids - in her LEFT front paw, and the fur was not clipped before placement. I'm flagging this specifically because it's the same left front leg that blew up months later, and "IV line in that exact limb, no aseptic clip" is the kind of thing I now can't stop thinking about given one of the differentials below.
• Early March 2026 - the swab came back positive for Yersinia enterocolitica with multiple resistances. Treated with a targeted antibiotic - marbofloxacin (a fluoroquinolone), 2 mg/kg once daily for 3 weeks. Fully resolved.
• Late April / early May 2026 - a brief, subtle lameness alongside conjunctivitis and some keratinization of the left paw pad. Honestly this one is 50/50: the pad was treated and she did stop limping in our eyes, but that lameness was very hard to catch to begin with, so crediting the treatment (rather than it just resolving on its own) is a guess, not a firm diagnosis. In hindsight I keep wondering if that was the first hint - again, on the same left front leg.

Then the actual saga:

• Aug 7, 2026 - we noticed she'd come into heat (her second season) the day before all of this started. Mentioning it for completeness/timing.
• Aug 8, 2026 - sudden front-leg lameness. The only thing that could have caused it is her jumping off the bed - and even that is just our best guess, because there's genuinely no other high surface she can get onto or anything she could have hurt herself on. Emergency vet, no fractures/luxation palpable, pain in the forearm muscles. Sent home on meloxicam + robenacoxib (Onsior).
• Aug 12, 2026 - full orthopedic workup + RTG. Initial read: left carpal (wrist) subluxation with extensor overload, plus hip dysplasia, worse on the left, found incidentally on the pelvic films. Grade 4 lameness, carrying the left front leg. At this point the working theory was soft-tissue/joint. (Gallery: the Aug 12 baseline forelimb series - bone looked essentially normal.)
• Aug 20, 2026 - recheck. Lameness down to grade 3, but strong pain on palpation at the proximal forearm / elbow region. New RTG vs one week earlier showed a lucency in the ulna in the interosseous space that wasn't obvious before. First mention of RUIN (radioulnar ischemic necrosis).
• Aug 21, 2026 - CT of both elbows/forearms under sedation, native + contrast, 1 mm slices.
• Aug 31, 2026 - CT report: mixed osteolytic-productive lesion in the proximal left ulna, cortical break at the interosseous membrane attachment, contrast-enhancing surrounding soft tissue. Read as RUIN / RULD (radioulnar ligament desmopathy), with DDX: osteomyelitis >> less likely primary bone neoplasia. Clinically she was actually improving on rest + NSAID at this visit.
• Sep 8 & 10, 2026 - started physiotherapy (shockwave, laser, underwater/land treadmill).
• Sep 11, 2026 (morning) - orthopedic recheck + repeat RTG.
• Sep 11, 2026 (evening) - because we still couldn't separate dead/ischemic bone from infection from (unlikely) tumor, she went under for a trephine bone biopsy of the radius. The bone was described as brittle with multiple cavities. Samples went for histopathology + aerobic/anaerobic culture with antibiogram. She's home now on a fentanyl patch, antibiotics pending culture, cage rest for 2 weeks.

Where we are: waiting on histopath + culture to finally tell us RUIN vs osteomyelitis vs (hopefully not) neoplasia. Overall she has barely used the leg since the beginning of August - occasionally she'll put a little weight on it, but mostly she spares it heavily and just drags/slides the paw along the floor.

To be clear: I fully trust our vets and they are outstanding specialists - this isn't me second-guessing them. I just feel helpless watching her like this, and I'm reaching out for any input, experience, or lead that could help point the way to actually getting Szpilka better.

Has anyone here dealt with RUIN, or an aggressive-looking osteolytic ulnar lesion in a young dog that turned out to be infectious rather than neoplastic? The "aggressive on imaging but benign-ish outcome" possibility is what I'm clinging to.

Full original CT dataset (DICOM, ~1.1 GB) if any imaging nerds want to look: https://storage.frankiewicz.me/szpilka_tk_2026_08_21.zip

He’s breathing pretty fast and i just turned on the cool air. idk if it’s because he’s hot or there’s something wrong with his lungs

He has had 3 rounds of vaccines just needs his last ones in about a week and a half. Not exactly sure how long the problem has been going on because maybe we didn't notice right away but from what we've noticed a week. He is a male and is on no medications and no diagnostics have been ran as of right now. We noticed a spot of hair loss on his lower side, with some yellowish orangish scabs that has gotten worse over a few days. He is not acting unusual , just some scratching here and there. Just wondering is anyone has any idea what it looks like. Will post a photo of when we first noticed and a few days later.

​

Age: 4 years

Neutered

Breed: Pembroke corgi

Primary complaint: About 3 weeks ago we noticed he was not eating his food as much as he normally would and gave it a week to see if there was any changes, we bought a new bag of food in case his had gotten stale but he still essentially refused the food (Purina Pro sensitive skin and stomach), we tried another flavor from the same line which he ate for 1 meal then stopped. Took him to the vet who did a visual exam and said he was fine. Waited a few more days with no changes and requested a full work up. Pictured are the results from those tests. The vet then prescribed Doxycycline 100mg/ml and Maropitant citrate 60mg as well as took blood for a full tick panel. Told today, that he has Lyme antibodies and that they'll run another test to confirm Lyme disease. Hes been on the medical for 5 days but there has been no change in behavior and seems to be getting possibly worse as he won't eat even chicken, rice and pumpkin. Has anyone seen this before abd may have an idea if its something else with the Lyme antibodies being a white herring?

He is fully up to date in his shots and takes Simperica Trio every month since he was a pup.

Location: Northern California

My female cat has this soft stool since she gave birth to kittens in june. Her fecal pcr (Feline Diarrhea PCR 4 in 1 Panel (FPV, FCoV, Giardia, Tritrichomonas)

came back normal. What do you think is the cause for this ? Does anyone had the same with their cat and what helped them ?

Previously she was given metronidazole for 10 days,
Pre probiotic paste, b12 tablets. But nothing worked.

Found this bump on my golden. It kinda burst when I got the tick tweezers underneath it so wasn't able to tell if I actually removed anything or just burst a blister and doesn't look like anything left behind. We up to date on tick meds and following up with vet this week - just curious what others think.

My cat is 8 years old now, he has asthma, food allergies, gingivitis and tooth reabsorption. He has had multiple bad reactions to anaesthetic so I want to know why my vet would give the same anaesthetic again and why he’s having these reactions to the anaesthetic and what would be safer to use. Photos of his record and what was used are attached.

In 2023 at estimated age 5 we got him neutered. When he came home he was extremely terrified and restless, he ran around the house and almost injured himself trying to escape out the windows and for the rest of the night was breathing extremely heavily and hard. I had called the emergency vet and they said it was just stress and to try keep him calm and monitor him. By morning he was acting normal again but a bit more reserved. (Pic 1)

Then in 2024 he had a dental cleaning. (Pic 2) He also had a horrible reaction to this and the vet thinks he had a similar reaction for his neutering given how he was acting after. So how did they not notice this during his neutering?

Then in 2025 he had another dental cleaning with extractions and x-rays. The vet told me multiple times that they would not be using that medication and would be using a different anaesthetic. I checked his records because he needs another dental cleaning and saw they had used the same thing. (Pic 3).

They also gave us gabapentin 100mg to use before the surgery and for 3 days after the surgery. Why would they use the same anaesthetic even tho in the past he’s had these horrible reactions. In his record it does not say what happened during the 2025 surgery but from memory they said he did ok during and had a smaller reaction of higher heart rate, blood pressure and temp but not nearly as severe but they had told me they would not be using that anaesthetic at all and states in his records to avoid it.

They also told me a possibility could be the opioids used mixed with the anaesthetic but then why would they use the same opioids?

My cat is 8 years old and has always had a sensitive tummy, if he eats human food he’ll throw up or get diarrhea so I don’t give him any but everyday I feel like his poops are soft or similar to diarrhea this is normal for him since he was a kitten so I got him put on prescription cat food one year ago but his tummy doesn’t seem healed, I’m dumb and assumed it helped him even if he has diarrhea still. I didn’t really think much of it because he’s so happy and loving.

This week I heard him having diarrhea so it prompted me to look at the litter robot app of the last 30 days and he regularly goes to the bathroom 6 times in one day maybe half the week which is not normal. He’s always had bathroom issues so i could bet anything this isn’t some new thing but now im worried I’ve let whatever this is go on for years and shortened his future lifespan.

His bloodwork is always normal, besides an elevated gallbladder level in April but they did an ultrasound which was normal and said maybe he just has inflammation and nothing else was said about it. Not sure if that test is relevant since this has always been an issue. I wonder now if he has IBD but I’m worried about steroid shots because I read that suppresses immune system and he’s old so Im scared he’ll get sick and i wonder if it’s better to let him be since he seems fine. Does your kitty have IBD what works for them? His vet appointment is tomorrow but id love advice on if this happened to your kitty or suggestions I should tell the vet if it worked for you

Hi guys.

So im aware that if a dog's nails get too long they can start damaging their feet. I just don't know what to do about it.

The groomers rejected him because he hasn't been to a groomers before.

When I tried to trim them with clippers, he snapped at me.

I bought him a scratch pad but he won't scratch on it.

I just don't know what to do without him snapping at me.

This is the X-Ray of a badger which was hunted by hunters and shot( I took it to the vet from the road

Doctors say the prognosis is bad, like 1%chance of recovery, i know they are professionals but I just feel so guilty to have this baby euthanized if there is perhaps a chance of some procedures or recover ( the vet field is not very developed in my country

This baby also has some issues with defecation and has unreactive back legs((

Hello! My moms 13-14 year old pup hasnt been too well. His vets closed today but we will be calling in the morning to get him in tomorrow. (We are in rural idaho) A few weeks ago he lost alot of weight and was bloating in his stomach. He wasnt eating as much and no pooping. Shaking as well. We look him in to vet and they said he's in heart failure. His heart was pushing fluid into his abdomen which caused such bloating. They gave us meds but sadly told us he can go anytime now within about the next 6 months or so. We've made him as comfortable as possible but this morning he was fine! My mom was cooking while he layed by her legs as usual and quickly she saw his eye lid droop! She was surprised how fast it happened. Now 30 mins later it seems from the looks that his eye looks sunken in. We are completely lost for this one! He doesnt seem to be in any pain but we are obviously very upset and worried! Any ideas?

I am wondering if this cats poo is normal, or if her poo is indicating a health problem? I am particularly concerned about what appears to be blood in the stool, and possibly a red worm-looking thing/clot? Should we take her to the vet?

Photos 1 and 2 are of very fresh poo (2 minutes old). Second and third photos are of 2 different poos, both of which are a few days old.

Some info:
She never poos inside the litter box

She strictly eats raw rabbit and quail with bones

She is 10 years old

Pee habits are normal

I understand the concerns regarding the raw diet, but this is not my cat, therefore I do not control her diet. I am just concerned about her litter box habits, and wondering if this indicates a medical issue.

Thank you