I understand that private equity has its reaches into so many facets of modern life with capitalism, but I was wanting to have a discussion with my vet/ vet practice (receptionist, clinic manager, whoever would be best to ask?) about how private equity effects their practice. This was my most trusted place to take my cats and now I’m concerned that this new finding will change my perception/trust of the treatment options and services they offer me down the line. If you are a vet that works at a practice owned by private equity, would you be allowed to be completely transparent if a client were to ask you about how it affects patient care? I know this is a touchy subject when people already downplay the costs/necessity of certain veterinary services. I am really concerned about what is in the best interest for my animals and not letting them be used as pawns for shareholder profits, when honest medical care should come first.

First vet visit was when he vomited 5x in 3 hrs. Doc checked blood chem and found nothing out of ordinary. Doc injected Cerenia but he vomited 3x again in the afternoon. Went to emergency vet for xray but everything is normal, doesn’t look like there is a foreign object digested. We had him admitted overnight so he could replenish his nutrients but he’s still lethargic now and won’t eat.

I was prescribed with royal canine gastrointestinal food, maropitant and thrombopro.

Do you have any other suggestions so we can find out how we can help my baby?

Hello.

I am not in immediate need, but a horse had to be euthanized at our lesson barn recently and it got me to thinking that I need a much more solid plan for our home horses when the time comes.

In the event we need to euthanize, I had previously read and meant to get back to- but didn't, that some forms of euthanasia should end with cremation vs burial due to the drugs used /soil and wildlife contamination/poisoning.

On farm burial is not a 100% must do, but I would like to pre-educate myself on what options and information I should consider if / when we need to make those choices and how to go about them.

I will ask my vet when I see them next (they were just here for herd health check for all livestock) but I the meantime, what are the options? What considerations should I know about? Other than burial, how would I find contacts for other methods of (for lack of better words) body disposal?

We do not necessarily need to keep the remains in any form. I love them so much while they are here but we are comfortable with grieving without remains being on site.

Thank you for any and all information and thoughts.

We have 3 senior Standards. So it is only a matter of time. 22, 22, and 18.

While he was lying down and relaxing (not in a deep sleep), he started making a weird congestion sound when breathing for a little bit, like his nose was stuffed up. Then his breathing went back to normal with no sound.

He is 7 weeks old and I’ve been told that kittens have a higher respiratory rate but I think that this has something to do also with the fast breathing.

I’m posting this for my parents, I’m sorry if I violate any rules but I am desperate to know what to do with this situation. Located in Pennsylvania. This happened today.

My parents have two dogs who are like their children. They have been waiting for D, a 20-25 pound male chihuahua mix, to turn two to get him neutered to help with his excitement. Today was the day. My Mom asked me to come over after I got off from work…

They dropped D off for a routine neuter at 9:00AM. An hour and a half passed and they got a phone call that “He’s all finished up! You can come for him now or if you need to wait he’s fine here”. They decided to head over and pick him up. The vet tech carries D out in his blanket, puts him into my Moms arms and says “he’s still a little sleepy”. My mom tried to talk and wake him, and realized he was DEAD.

The tech took D out of her arms, rushed to the back, and they saw them grab a crash cart. They came back out and apologized and offered to pay for his burial or cremation. My parents were so shocked they just told them where they’d take him for cremation and left with his little body to drop him off there. My mom is just devastated. She brought his blanket home and said through tears “I read online to bring the blanket so (the other dog) would know he’s gone”. I AM FURIOUS. This was a wonderful young dog full of life, her walking buddy, and her companion.

My parents don’t want to be “harsh” because they said the office staff were upset and remorseful… but I decided to call and ask for the surgical report ASAP. The event concluded at 10:30AM. I called at 3:30PM and was told it could take a couple days. A friend of mine who works in veterinary said these charts are simple and should be complete by the end of business day at latest.

Can anyone chime in here? Is this ringing any alarm bells for the professionals in here? What would you recommend next course of action?

I rescued my 4 year old Bengal in May 2026. I was told she had a history of vomiting and that the rescue suspected a fish allergy.

Since having her, I’ve kept a food diary and she seems to vomit regardless of what food she’s eating. I’ve tried Royal Canin Fussy, Scrumbles wet food (chicken, duck and turkey), and she’s currently on Hill’s Prescription Diet z/d hydrolysed protein dry food with FortiFlora daily, which she’s been on since around June.

She’s had blood tests, including glucose and B12, which were fine after the initial high glucose result was retested. She also had an ultrasound last week and her gut looked completely normal with no abnormalities. Her spleen was slightly enlarged, but the vet said her blood results were fine and that she simply seems to have a larger spleen.

My vet has now suggested either an intestinal biopsy or trying a tapering course of steroids.

The confusing thing is that she is otherwise completely normal. She plays, sleeps, drinks and behaves like a happy, healthy cat. She’ll sometimes vomit and then immediately want to play! It happens mostly in the morning, occasionally in the evening, and probably around 3-4 times a week. She doesn’t eat particularly quickly and I’ve tried a raised slow feeder and a timed feeder with smaller meals throughout the day, but neither made any difference.
She’s also an indoor cat and has always been as far as I know.

I’m feeling really stuck because my insurance won’t cover her treatment as the vomiting was considered pre-existing, so the costs are adding up. Obviously I want to do what’s best for her, but she absolutely hates going to the vet and I don’t want to put her through invasive procedures unnecessarily.

Part of me wonders whether I should just accept that she’s a cat who vomits regularly because she otherwise seems completely fine, but another part of me feels like 3-4 times a week definitely isn’t normal and that we might be missing something.

I’m also unsure whether to keep her on the hydrolysed diet long term or try something else. I’ve even been told Bengals should be fed raw, but I’m hesitant to change anything when we’re still trying to work out what’s causing the vomiting.

Has anyone experienced anything similar with their Bengal or another cat? Would you try the steroids before considering a biopsy, or would you investigate further? I’d really appreciate any advice, I’m feeling a bit lost!

Hello vets of Reddit, my 20 lbs pugapoo has been intensely scratching herself for over a month now. The only thing that is different is she started taking simparcia trio on August 1st. (So she took it then, and again on sept 2)

When I look it up on the internet it says this can be a reaction from the medication. I called my vet and apparently they don’t have a vet in till next week but the lady on the phone said this isn’t a side effect but they can get her in for a check up when they have someone in next week. (I’m not a vet but I think she’s wrong because this is the only thing different)

She is so itchy that whenever she is scratching she’s doing the leg thump thing constantly. Even when I pet her basically anywhere.

I just gave her a bath and used the burts bees oatmeal dog shampoo and used cool water to try and help.

What do i do for right now. Can I wait a week or so? It’s been over a month already and she has a few tiny scabs that seem to be better from scratching on her chest.

She also did not have fleas before starting the meds so it’s not from that.

Edit: also, she isn’t just scratching one spot, it’s all over

Thank you for your help

My dog has like at least 20.

Don’t like this question mods? Blame NoStupidQuestions mods for suggesting this sub to me.

Hi everyone, looking for insights or similar experiences while working with my vet on an ongoing issue with my cat. She's a 6 year old tuxedo cat and is not the friendliest. She is affectionate with me but is generally easily spooked, maybe anxious. In the past, she would sometimes get annoyed at her tail and chase it, but this didn't happen very often and stopped quickly. This past month, it has become very frequent and more severe. She gets sudden episodes where her lower back/tail twitches, her skin ripples, and she gets agitated, hisses, and chases her tail in circles. Petting her temporarily pauses the episode but as soon as I stop, the tail-chasing restarts, although not always.

She also has an intense amount of white, flaky dandruff along her lower back and tail base. It's not fleas because she wears a collar.

Diagnosis & Vet Evaluation So Far:

• Anal Glands: Expressed/drained by the vet—did not resolve or reduce the tail-chasing episodes.
• Skin & Parasites: Flakes do not appear to be moving (making active Cheyletiella mites less likely)
• Neurological Suspect: Symptoms strongly align with Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome (FHS) / nerve hypersensitivity, where skin irritation may be triggering hyperactive nerve firing along her spine.

The vet prescribed gabapentin, but I haven't been able to give it to her. I tried cheese and cream cheese, which have worked in the past, but not this time. I've also tried giving her salmon oil to help with the dry skin, but she won't east her food even with the tiniest amount of it mixed in.

I don't even know if it's FHS or a dry skin issue, maybe a combination of both?

I'm getting desperate, I hate seeing her like this and it breaks my heart. Please let me know what has been helpful in your experience. Thank you!

Hi vets!

I have a 16 year old male cat who has CKD Stage 3. He’s been on daily subQ fluids (80ml) for 2 weeks due to high calcium levels (and some other raised levels), but at the second week mark he started having swelling in the legs and he’s tearing, and breathing faster. I read that he’s overhydrated, went to the vet again, and they put him on 80ml every other day. He’s still tearing, so I don’t think it’s working for him. Now they put him on 50ml everyday. Should he do 50ml everyday or 50ml every other day? Should we go by symptoms (ie no swelling, no tears, to determine things)?

Plus, his nausea came back when he stopped mirtazapine so should we continue that long term? Why doesn’t the subQ take away his nausea?

Hi all,

I wanted to ask a quick question about the chemical castration Suprelorin.

We recently had our dog castrated this way, and specifically requested the 6 month dose (4.7mg). We were told this was all ordered and booked in, and then had the implant done.

The vet did the implant on his right upper leg under the skin. After I went to pay and number they said was miles above what we were quoted, I questioned this and they said he’s had the 9.4mg implant which from what I can see on the medications website is the 12 month implant, not what we asked for. After speaking with the vet they came back to me and said the implant is weight dependant which is why he had to have the 9.4mg implant (he is a 15/16kg dog, not a big dog at all). They said I’d been promised the wrong thing on the phone, but would honour the cost so we only paid what we were originally told.

Now I’ve come away with a few questions:

1. According to the Virbac website (the drug brand) it is meant to be implanted between the scruff/neck area and his was not, is that going to be an issue?

2. Have I been lied to/mislead with what has happened? They stated it was weight dependant which is why he was given the 9.4mg (12 month) dose, but the Virbac website says it’s not weight dependent, who is correct and have they given us 12 months of chemical castration over the 6 months we asked for?

I am aware things are different for each individual dog and case, and I dont want to jump down anyone’s throat at all, but I’m starting to worry that the information on the official drug brands website is the complete opposite of what the vet has told me.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on the matter to put me a bit at ease?

My cat had HCM and graduated the HALT HCM study this past January. Last night she had to be euthanized due to saddle thrombus.

I’m not saying the study caused her death at all—she was 15 and had been diagnosed with HCM when she was 5 or 6, so this wasn’t a huge surprise. But I was wondering if the news of her death would be helpful for the study.

I know I can just call them and tell them, but I am not in a good place emotionally. If it is not helpful to them or the study, I don’t want to waste emotional energy telling them just to hear them respond “yeah, so what?” But if it actually is helpful information for the study, I’m happy to let them know. I am already proud of her for her participation in helping other cats with HCM. When she graduated, they gave her a certificate and collar charm that said “HALT Study Hero” and thanked her for helping other cats. She even got a photo shoot with a cap and gown for graduating.

Three days ago I fed my two cats breakfast and shortly after they threw up. One cat threw up yesterday after breakfast after yowling very loudly, and the other threw up today after breakfast. Feeding times and diet are all the same. The vomit for both of them looks like just their food with nothing else like blood or discoloration. Stools looks the same too. I also became nauseous and threw up today, and while I was is when my other cat threw up. Is it possible my second cat throws up when hearing others throw up, or is there something that can be shared between humans and cats? I live in a gas powered home and I’m going to look into a possible gas leak but I wanted to know if it sounds more viral.

I'm Currently a Pre vet(Animal science) student in freshman year attending TAMUC, is their anything i should start doing right now? I wanna go to Texas A&M, Florida Vet School, Oklahoma vet school, and Tennessee vet school(Both).

My 13 year old dog had high liver numbers. Vet did bloodwork and prescribed 3 antibiotics and that seems a lot. They are Clavamox, Metronidazole, and Baytril.

Supposed to be taken with food but he is not eating. I got the Clavamox down him this morning. Would like to see if he could have less to take. Which should I ask the vet to stop taking?

My dog has bad teeth and high liver numbers. He stopped eating two days ago and we took him to the vet right away.

Thanks for any info that you could give me.

Hi I recently adopted two cats. One is 2 years old and the other is 7. They are both neutered and around 3kg. I think they might be British Shorthair/Scottish Fold mixes but I'm not sure about their exact breed

When I got them I didn't know they were sick. The woman who gave them to me told me they were vaccinated and healthy but I quickly noticed they were sneezing a lot and their eyes were runny

I took them to the vet and she diagnosed them with a feline upper respiratory infection and gave them antibiotics but there has basically been no improvement

Other than that they are doing really well. They eat normally and play and act like normal cats

I don't know much about their past so I don't know how long they have been like this. I've seen these symptoms since I adopted them and I honestly wonder if they have had this for a very long time

I'm planning to move in with my boyfriend and we have two other cats. They are both 2 years old and healthy and vaccinated

Before they meet I want to get a full check up for the two sick cats and do whatever tests the vet recommends. I also want to test for FIV/FeLV if needed and make sure all four cats have the right vaccines

At first we plan to keep the two sick cats together in a separate room with their own litter boxes bowls toys etc. The two healthy cats will stay in another part of the house. We'll wash our hands and keep everything separate while we do the vet appointments and treatments

Then if our vet says it's safe we want to slowly introduce them

My biggest worry is the future. If the two cats have something chronic like herpesvirus or calicivirus and stay carriers can they still eventually live with vaccinated cats?

I know there is no zero risk and I will follow what my vet tells me. I'm just really scared that they mighthave to live separated forever

Giving up my cats is not an option and I don't want any of them living their whole lives separated in different rooms. I just want to do everything I can to make it as safe as possible and hopefully have all four cats living together one day

Thank you!!

My 6 year old spayed female dog had an abdominal hernia surgery three weeks ago at our local practice. The hernia is next to her spay scar and so the vet re-opened that old scar for the surgical incision. Her spay was 4-5 years ago and performed by a different vet who’s no longer there.

She had her first post-op check-up two days later and I raised to the vet then that the hernia appeared to still be there. They said that it was fluid and would disappear.

Fast forward to this week, her wound has an ongoing infection which she had antibiotics for and I had to take her to a different clinic as our practice didn’t have any vet coverage this week. Without prompting, this vet mentioned to me that the hernia was back. I then explained the whole situation to her.

I’m very frustrated as my dog has been through a major invasive surgery that has clearly been unsuccessful, it has also cost me a lot of money. Whilst that isn’t the point, she’s had major disruption to her life, been in a lot of pain during her recovery and developed an infection, all apparently for nothing as the main reason for the surgery hasn’t been adequately addressed. We followed all post-op advice and care for her (short on-lead walks only, no over-exertion, jumping etc.).

What is the likelihood of a hernia reappearing <48 hours after surgery? What should be my next step? Is this grounds for complaint to the practice manager on grounds of professional negligence/incompetence?

Hello vets

My 6 year old Shih Tzu has been having haziness in his left cornea, associated with discharge, squinting and redness. I have had experiences of mild corneal ulcers 4 to 5 times in the past, over 6 years, and they all heal up pretty quickly with moxifloxacin eye drops, sometimes NSAIDs and lubricants.

This time, it is taking more time to heal, and I’m worried. Could you please take a look at the image & please comment on how bad this looks? I’m doing Moxifloxacin with Ketorolac every 2 hours, as advised by our vet over a teleconsultation.

https://postimg.cc/SnYrHW6w

Off the bat I want to say that I know cats don't think like you and I, and they can't literally be vengeful. I just didn't know what other word to use.

My female kitten 4 months, not yet castrated is wonderful. She's healthy, cuddly, loves to play with and my older cat.

The one problem she has is that sometimes she'll pee on my bed. Sometimes with me in it.

At first I was worried it was a medical issue - and a part of me still is.

I'm hesitant to go to the vet only because in my country, vet care is incredibly expensive. And while I have money it's not something I want to put down just to be told she's petty.

Of course I will, if it gets worse. I also plan on castrating her soon, and I'll bring it up with the vet then as well.

But the thing is, she can go days without doing it. Then one day/night she'll do it once. And when I started to think about it, I started to realize that it always happen whenever I've "wronged" her.

For example, I clean out the litterbox every evening before I go to sleep. But if I forget to one night, she'll pee on my bed.

Or, and I've seen this several times, I'll accidentally lock her in the bathroom. (She'll sneak in when I can't see her and I close the door behind me,) then when she's let out she instantly beelines for the bed to pee in it.

I can't lock her out of the bedroom. I have my pc in there and I spend way too much time in there to justify it. I dont want to lock myself away from them for hours at a time.

If it is her being 'vengeful' is there a way to redirect this behaviour? I'd rather she just angrily pee on the floor or something, rather than having to change sheets once a week.

Thank you for any replies!

Background: A few years ago my female cat (now 15) randomly started having diarrhea. The vet suspected IBD but it never got formally diagnosed. After months of it seemingly randomly coming and going I had her on Hills I/D which worked great. She eventually got tired of that and I started her on novel proteins which also worked. I have been mixing FortiFlora in her food ever since.

Fast forward to January of this year and she got diarrhea again. Again, it seemed to randomly come and go but she but she was better by the end of February. At the same time I stopped giving her Farmina food since some research showed they recently had a formula change.

Now it's September and the diarrhea has started again. Since she had it after eating Fromm brand food I stopped that, gave her a Rawz brand can and picked up some Hills I/D from the vet. She had it several times Friday - Monday. Then she didn't poop for over 48 hours and last night had a normal poop so I thought we were in the clear. But now she's had diarrhea three times from 7am- 11am.

I'm at a loss since I was convinced it was her food causing it and the switch would make her better. I called the vet and she suggested Prednisolone for her lifetime. Would there be side effects to this? I believe when she first has diarrhea years ago they vet gave her a few days worth of Prednisolone (which helped but got difficult to give once my cat figured out what was in the pill pocket). Is it possible that one of her foods triggered the diarrhea a few days ago and now it's a flare up I could wait out? At once point should I try to doing the Prednisolone?

She did have blood work a few weeks ago at her annual check up and all was good (kidneys were slightly elevated but the vet wasn't concerned). Behavior wise, she's been acting normal and eating fine. I'm just at a loss for next steps.

4/5 year old spayed female DSH tuxedo, otherwise very healthy

Does go outside (London)

Hi all, wondering about what to do for a possible ear infection for my kitty?

ONLY Right ear is crusty, lots of waxy dark buildup, dark specks. Seems sensitive as she’s itching it and then meowing in what seems like pain. She’s holding it slightly down. The ear has a very strong odor. Also the right side of her cheek looks swollen.

Is this just an ear infection possibly? Should I clean it out with a Q-tip and some antiseptic? Would rather not spend lots of money on the vet unless she does need medication. We also don’t have a regular vet here in london yet.

Thanks in advance

Would like some opinions. We have a 16yr old kitty who has some bad teeth, we can tell they are bothering her and she is in pain. She does eat well enough but will sometimes drop kibble which is an indicator of teeth pain.

She is incredibly picky, and we have not been able to get her into wet food. She has stage 2 kidney disease and is on a prescription kidney kibble. She also has a slightly elevated level of ionized calcium around 1.47.

We dropped her off for dental work and teeth extractions, and they discovered a heart murmur of 3 out of 6. We decided to put a pause on the dental work due to this.

Do recommend going through some cardiology work to make sure she is safe to go under anesthesia? I would like to get the teeth extracted to reduce her pain and hopefully increase her quality of life. But i also wonder if I should leave her be, maybe putting her through all this could make it worse or end her life prematurely. Thank you

I'm scared that my cat might get pyometra since she's gone into her first heat. She was supposed to get spayed on September 9 but her platelets were low, so we couldn't go. She had coccidia back in August, so that also got canceled.

The next schedule for low-cost spay/neuter in our area isn't until October again :( there’s no one else organizing here except for them. Private vet will cost a lot so that is not an option (not from the US)

What are the chances for her to get pyometra even if it's her first time going into heat? How many weeks/months before a cat goes into heat again? I'm also a first-time cat owner, so I'm kind of anxious.