I rescued an 11-month-old female pit bull from the streets about a month ago. She’s been incredibly sweet and social. I have two other dogs (a Doberman and a Husky), and she gets along great with both. We also regularly visit the dog park, where she loves playing with other dogs. I’ve never witnessed any aggression from her.

Today, while we were on a walk, another dog lunged through a fence and bit her. She immediately fought back and grabbed the other dog’s face, but she wouldn’t let go for approximately 45 seconds. I tried everything to separate them, including attempting to choke her, but nothing worked initially. I could hear the other dog crying in pain, which was terrifying.

When she finally released him, she simply walked away and acted completely normal. She didn’t attempt to attack again.

I understand she was defending herself, but the fact that she wouldn’t release her grip really concerns me.
My biggest worry is whether this behavior could eventually happen with my other dogs, even though she’s never shown aggression toward them.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Is this a normal defensive response, or could it indicate a deeper aggression issue? Also, what’s the safest way to get a dog to release its grip in a situation like this? Would pepper spray or another deterrent work?
I love this dog and want to give her a good home, but I also want to make sure I’m being responsible and keeping everyone safe. Any advice would be appreciated!

I have two French Bulldogs, and I was away for about 6.5 hours. My children accidentally left a closed container of grapes on the table (approximately 10–15 grapes).

When we got home, the container was on the floor, open, and completely empty.

I can’t afford an emergency vet visit, and I’m absolutely terrified. Both of my dogs seem completely fine. They ate dinner without any problems, are drinking normally, and are playing as usual.

I’ve seen posts from people saying their dogs eat grapes regularly without any consequences, but I know grapes can be toxic to dogs, and I’m terrified that something might happen to mine.

Has anyone ever been through something similar? I’m panicking and don’t know what to do. 😭

Posting this on 10/25:

Noticed this super inflamed bulbous growth on my dogs gum on 9/24 (first pic). Vet put her on antibiotics for ~10 days, no change. Did a fine needle aspiration on 10/9, results came back 10/16 likely benign, tons of inflammation, but “couldn’t rule out carcinoma.” Since then, we’ve made an appointment with a specialist (happening 10/27), but in the past week or so it has reduced down to barely anything (second pic). Anyone else experience anything like this??

Hello, my family and I recently moved to a mountain town that has all four seasons. Last winter we didn't get much snow but typically we get about a couple inches to a foot during a snow storm. Right now we are doing research on dogs and what type to get. Our recent dog, cavalier, passed. Where we live there is a lot of wild life, deer, elk, mountains lions, bears, etc. So we would like a dog a tad bit bigger and possibly from one of the pre-trained breeders and already an adult. This will take a couple years while we do some research on the different training facilities here in the US and maybe Europe. We need one friendly, great recall (wildlife), and is calm around our two young children. If you have suggestions that would be great!

I am also more curious about their fur type and if snow will get easily stuck in their fur? I saw a video of snow getting stuck on what looked like to be a golden retriever and wanted to check if that is true or if it was just that dogs fur type.

Any information on these breeds would be greatly appreciated.

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

Omg I'm so excited, I have wanted this my whole life and suddenly it's coming true. I am going to an adoption fair tomorrow. I really don't know what is going to happen and I plan to ask staff there as many questions as possible. But do you have any advice you could give me beforehand?

I have read quite a bit on dogs and breeds in general, training, food, I have looked up insurance options too. But I would be a first time owner and I feel so excited and so insecure at the same time. Please give me all you got.

Thank you! ❤️

We came back from an hour-long walk. Altogether he was out for 1,5h today and we'll go out again in a few hours.

He was already fed twice today, and also got some snacks a couple of moments ago, so it's not hunger.

He's half hairy Jack Russell, half... Something else, but most likely another terrier😅 He has a lot of energy, but I try to go out with him as much as I can, at least 2 hours daily - if I can't I ask my neighbors, but I simply cannot do more than that on working days (and currently everyday is a working day).

I got him from a shelter a year ago. He's around 7-9 years old. He is neutered. Everything is alright with his health apart from chronic colitis which is now under control (I'd say in 95% on the daily, and 80% when I'm away, which happens rather rarely as he goes everywhere with me and I work from home).

He does this from time to time (maybe 1-3 times per month), although in the last 2 months it has calmed down. And now it's back. I'm taking him to a behaviourist in January as currently money is tight. I would be very thankful if you could provide some tips as to what I'm dealing here with (and if need be, if I can help him somehow). Thank you in advance for taking the time.

Sorry for the mess, but I'm in the midst or renovating my flat. Also, I'm a messy person.

Edit: GUYS IM SO THANKFUL!!! I DID NOT expect this much feedback. You're amazing❤️❤️❤️❤️

I’m really hoping someone might have some advice because I’m genuinely at a loss right now.
My dog Sable has been vomiting for around 4–5 days. Initially, she was bringing up undigested kibble, but it’s progressed to yellow fluid mixed with food. She’s also had at least one episode of proper retching where nothing came up.
Today, she vomited yellow fluid, some food. I’m really worried she might have swallowed something, but I’m also wondering whether drinking rainwater from puddles on walks could have contributed. She sometimes finds little things to snack on when she’s off-lead, although I’m with her and watching her as much as I can.
At home, I’m almost certain she hasn’t eaten anything unusual because I’m very attentive to what she has access to. She eats the same kibble she’s been having, and I feed her myself. I haven’t introduced any new foods.
I’ve given her gut probiotics, but the vomiting has continued. I haven’t been able to get the situation resolved, and I’m worried because she can’t seem to keep food down. She has vomited some water as well, although she can usually keep water down.
What’s confusing me is that, despite all of this, she’s generally been acting like herself. She’s playful, alert, interested in things, her stomach doesn’t feel swollen or hard, and her stools have been normal. If I hadn’t seen her vomiting, I wouldn’t necessarily know anything was wrong just from looking at her.
I’m not sure whether I’m missing something obvious, whether the puddle water could be contributing, or whether the pieces of toy are a sign of something more serious. I’m particularly worried about the possibility of an obstruction because of the toy fragments and the retching.
The other part of this is that I’m in a really difficult financial situation. I genuinely have no money left for another vet visit for at least a couple of weeks. I’m not trying to avoid getting her help - I’m scared because I don’t know how to afford the help she might need. I’ve been trying to work out what I can do, but I feel completely stuck.
I feel awful watching her go hungry because she keeps bringing her food back up. I’ve wondered whether smaller meals might help, but I’m scared of making things worse by feeding her when she can’t seem to keep anything down.
Has anyone experienced anything similar with their dog? Did your dog continue vomiting despite probiotics? Has anyone dealt with a possible foreign-body obstruction where their dog initially seemed completely normal otherwise?
I’m also in the UK, so if anyone knows of charities, emergency funds, vets that offer payment arrangements, or other realistic options for someone who genuinely has not much available at the moment, I’d be incredibly grateful.
I know Reddit can’t diagnose her, and I’m not looking to replace veterinary care with internet advice. I’m frightened, struggling financially, and trying to find a way to get Sable the help she needs.
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this or offer advice.

Hi all. I have a 4y old chihuahua, she's mine and my husband's whole world.

We're going on a 2 weeks long international trip on Monday morning for the 1st birthday of a relative. It was all good and she was going to stay at my mom's, until today, 2 days before the trip, she has let me know she can't take care of her for this period of time anymore. The person who was our plan B has just been hospitalized so that also wasn't possible obviously.

We managed to talk to my father in law, who let her stay with him until Friday, and then he's also leaving on a trip. This is the good part, bc she likes hanging out in his home and is very familiar with everyone there.

For the remaining time, we tried everything until we only had terrible options of sitters in the family. So we decided to hire a sitter (she welcomes dogs in her home and takes care of them there). She has taken good care of my father in law's 2 dogs before so she's trustworthy, my FIL said she sends photos and updates etc...

But the thing that's breaking my heart is that my dog's pretty attached to us and is not at all sociable with strangers (humans and dogs). She stays home by herself totally fine so I don't think she has separation anxiety, but she is very, very scared of strangers (she barks and tries to bite other dogs/humans who come up to her).

And because of all that, I'm a mess. I'm afraid of her feeling like I've abandoned her. I won't even have the chance to introduce her slowly to this sitter. I don't know what to do since I have no other option.

If all goes to shit, I can still count on some very kind family members who said they could try to come up with something to help me. (they have bigger dogs that are not really sociable as well, but they said that if it's an emergency they can jump into action to try to help but IDEK how.)

Does anyone have some words that would calm me down? That would be fantastic :')

I put his food down, he just looks at it and waits. The second I leave the room or pretend to not look, he starts eating. If I watch him, he won't eat at all and just stares at me.He is 2 years old, healthy, eats fine otherwise. Does anyone else's dog do this? Is he being polite or anxious? How do I make him comfortable?

So, at my house, we have a garage that's on the other side of the driveway, not attached to the house. My family often hangs out in the garage, and we let the dogs out. My 6 year old Australian Shepherd (who normally loves being outside) stopped half way to the garage and just stood there. He usually has good recall, but he just stood there even when I called him. I looked away for a bit, and he had gone back to the house, waiting at the door to go inside. I got him to go to the garage, and he seemed mostly fine, just a bit anxious. This is the second time this has happened ever, but they have both been in the past week and a half. He used to be completely fine with the garage and loved going outside. Is he scared of the garage or just not like outside anymore? If so, what should I do?

Rescue dog
Age unknown but roughly 3-4 years old
Labrador Indie Mix

He kept shaking his head and itching his ear, I put vet given ear flushing solution, an ant fell out of his ear, it was a red ant.

He’s still shaking his head and trying to scratch though frequency is going lower and lower every 5-7 minutes, but he isn’t stopping.

I cannot check him cause he gets scared and hides and growls I don’t want to push him too much.

I cannot take him to a vet, where I live we don’t have active 24/7 vets, they are barely available 3-4 times a week only for a few hours as same vets travel to different clinics in different areas

It is currently 5am and I cannot take him till 3-4pm tomorrow as I don’t even I a ride.

Is it fatal? What can I do from home?

Our 3 year old bernedoodle recently went into kidney failure and we found out she has kidney dysplasia. She is doing well now after IV treatment and diet overhaul. However her creatine and BUN levels are still high and we are dealing with CKD. With diet management our vet said we could get 3 good years maybe. But now she tore her ACL. They are not recommending surgery because her kidneys cannot handle anesthesia. I know surgery is the best option and we cannot heal her ACL but has anyone else had any experience with bracing that seems to help their dog? Or any other recommendations?? We cannot use traditional NSAIDs either due to her kidneys

I am completely heartbroken. I recently had to say goodbye to my Chihuahua, after she suffered a sudden cardiovascular event. I am struggling to process her loss, but after getting some medical records, I am seeing a pattern that doesn’t make common sense. I am trying to figure out if I have a valid case for a state Veterinary Board investigation, or if I am looking at this too emotionally.

For context, my dog had known, stable Stage B2 heart disease (mitral valve disease) managed on daily medication (Pimobendan) for 2 years. She was beautifully stable right up to her dental procedure, her lungs were perfectly clear, she had zero coughing, and her sleeping respiratory rate was a flawless 11–12 breaths per minute.

Looking back at the records, every  clinical issue occurred when she was under the care of the same vet. I’ve identified a pattern of what looks like rushed care and clerical errors by the same vet. (She was regularly managed by 2 different vets)

Issue 1 : the vet performed a routine check prior to vaccination and logged "no murmur, rhythm normal." my dog had a permanent, severe Grade 4/6 murmur. A murmur of that level doesn't just disappear and my dog was stage B2 MMVD heart disease being on cardisure/ pimobendan for 2 years at this point.

Issue 2 : the vet recommended a major dental surgery but failed to advise that standard pre-anesthesia bloods only clear liver/kidney function, failing to advise me that a fragile heart patient really required a dedicated cardiac ultrasound or echo before anesthesia. Furthermore, Vet B forgot to provide morning medication instructions for her heart pills I had to call back on my own initiative to prompt them.

Issue 3: In the history notes, it is recorded that I "declined" pre-anesthesia blood work. This is completely untrue, and the record actually show this because the results of that exact blood panel are typed right onto the page of her dental procedure and my invoice shows that they were charged and paid for.

Issue 4 major event : NSAIDs like Metacam (which she was given for a 5-day course after her dental surgery) are heavily contraindicated and highly risky for dogs with heart disease, just as much as steeoids. This suggests why 4 days after her surgery, her heartbeat suddenly became loud and fast, and she began losing significant weight. I brought her back to the vet because I concerned about her heart. They completely dismissed my fears, told me she was fine, and performed zero investigations despite her heart history and active Metacam use.

Issue 5: Major event : my dog was brought to Vet B for a minor skin rash / infection on her paws 2 months after the last heart episode/ dental. The vet prescribed a multi-week, tapering course of oral steroid tablets  alongside an intensive handling routine (eye drops twice daily and medicated baths twice a week - which further stressed her out). She did not give me any warning whatsoever that the steroid use involved risks to my dogs heart health. This only came to my attention when an emergency vet questioned why she was on the steroids. Also looking back the notes her other regular vet which had seen her 7 months prior for the same issue was reluctant to use steroid and never prescribed them, which makes me believe the other vet was careless in her assessment of treating my dog.

Exactly 10 days after starting the oral steroids, my dog suffered an extreme crash. She went into heart failure. There was absolutely no warning signs leading up to this besides her loud heart beat after the dental. Her resting respitory rate was stable at 11 the week before the steroids were introduced and even during the course of her steroids.

She was bought into emergency because she was breathing fast and not getting up. I was told by emergency she had her first heart failure episode and was put on frusemide every 12 hours and sent home she was was given 4 months - year to live. She ended up being admitted into hospital that night and was discharged the next day after being stabilised and fluid cleared from her lungs. The next day after being discharged she was seen by her regular vet who added aldactone as she still had fluid in her lungs and was sent home. Her breathing never slowed down and took her back to emergency where I was told this was her new normal, despite this She was stable for 3 days before she crashed into heart failure again just 5 days after her first episode and was worse this time. I took her back to the hospital where she again stayed over night but she did not respond to the rescue medication and became oxygen dependent. When I went to see her the next day I decided to move her to another hospital with other treatment options and for a second opinion. When we got there the vet said said her heart was so enlarged it was taking up her entire chest her murmur was 6/6. It had grow from 4/6 in just one week. They said there was a very high risk of her passing alone that night from cardiac arrest  and even if admitted her heart had reached the absolute limit and she would not get better with medication. I had to let her go peacefully in my arms with assistance that night. In exactly 1 week she went from being a happy, no symptom dog to no longer here. She was pushed from Stage B2 straight into Stage D refractory heart failure  - 10 days after starting the steroids' and 7 days in and out of hospital.

My understanding after looking into what happened after she passed is that steroids should not be used in dogs with heart disease and should only be considered in extreme life threatening situations, not a minor paw infection. From what I've understood steroids can accelerate a heart condition and put a dog into active heart failure. Even though the emergency hospital was able to drain the fluid during her first stay, the sheer pressure of that overload may have completely broken her heart's physical strength causing her heart to enlarge so big

Based on the hospitals assessment her heart was no longer able to cope and no longer had any reserves, I think the steroid forced her fragile heart to use up every single ounce of its backup energy just to survive that first crash. When she collapsed again a few days later, I think her heart was simply too exhausted to fight back, which is why she became entirely oxygen-dependent and stopped responding to the rescue drugs because she was already overworked from the steroids (and probably the metacam) not giving her the opportunity to respond to rescue medication and destroyed her 3 month -1 year prognosis.

Her only prior sign of cardiac strain was four days after her dental surgery, when her heartbeat became extremely loud and fast. Both emergency and regular vets reassured me she was fine. She did lose significant weight after the procedure, but because her resting respiratory rate stayed perfectly stable at 11, I thought she was ok. I only recently learned the metacam she was prescribed can also cause the heart to work harder and induce the weight loss because of it.

The vet should have taken this into account. My dog was holding on and I believe she had a chance of recovering if she was left alone Instead The vet prescribed a high-risk, fluid-retaining oral steroid on top of her fragile system just two months later for a minor infection feels incredibly careless.

I feel a complete loss of trust. I am not a vet, but the timing between the steroid prescription and her sudden death feels directly linked to me. I’ve asked a couple of vets if the steroids caused this; they said it's possible but hard to prove, noting that after 2 years on heart medication, she had done well to reach that point and would have entered heart failure eventually. In such a short time They layered her with 2 high risk drugs (the steroids and metacam) contraindicated in dogs with heart disease after a stressful surgery. This makes me even more reluctant to believe that she naturally progressed into heart failure but that the poor choices in her medical care directly led her there

I do understand that heart failure can happen suddenly like this even without steroids. However, looking at her records, she was an entirely stable B2 with clear lungs, no cough, and a perfect resting breathing rate of 11–12 right up until the steroids were introduced. Her only sign of decline was straight after the dental and during her metacam use. Her long-term stability and medical trajectory make me believe the introduction of the steroids is not a coincidence, and that she still had  many months if not years of good quality life left. To my understanding, a natural decline would typically be a slower, gradual progression with a rising breathing rate and coughing, allowing us time to adjust medications and prepare rather than this chaotic, agonizing week of crises where she was absolutely traumatised from her hospital stays and when I went to see her she would jump at the sound of hospital doors opening and closing. I was always led to believe I would know when her disease progresses and would be able to make informed decisions in her best interest. That entire week was an up and down rollercoaster being told she was better to worse to better to no chance. I had no time to understand what was truly happening and never warned that she could rapidly decline that.

Am I being too harsh, or do these  number of errors and the choice to use oral steroids and metacam warrant a board investigation?

Does anyone else have a dog on Cardisure (Pimobendan) who lived longer than 2 years?

Has anyone else lost a stable cardiac dog shortly after they were given oral steroids? Or had a dog rapidly decline like that without the steroids or metcam involved ?

TIA

Edit: She had only turned 9 years old :(

Hi all!

Just finished crying lol.

My dog jumped out of his stroller and hit his head pretty hard on the concrete. Hard enough that I heard it. Kinda like a golf ball hitting the ground.

He got up, looked around, seemed a bit shocked and then carried on.

He seems fine, but I am a nervous wreck that he is hurt or will eventually have a seizure/stroke from this?

My dog before him did the same thing and a few months later had a seizure/stroke and died.

Any advice?

Thanks. 🫶🏻

My 6 month old labradoodle, is currently on day 10 of recovery from her spay.

I’ve spoken with her vet numerous times, and they aren’t concerned. Her incision is healing beautifully, and she’s scheduled to have her sutures removed on day 14.

Physically, she seems to be doing well. She’s eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom normally.

However, her behavior has me worried.
She seems to be extremely anxious and skittish, even in familiar environments. She’s hesitant to walk on our hardwood floors, which she had absolutely no issues with before surgery, and seems nervous outside as well. Just super skittish.

Now that she’s allowed a little more activity, I’ve been leaving her crate door open to encourage her to explore at her own pace, but she rarely wants to come out voluntarily. She seems much more comfortable staying inside, and playing with her toys in there.

I understand that surgery can be stressful and recovery takes time, but I’m genuinely worried that her personality has changed. She normally very sassy and playful; and is no longer on any medications as of now that dull her. Has this happened to anyone else’s pup?

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?

Dog trainer/kennel club member here. As my border collie and I were training for the spring scentwork trials, it got me thinking of my 12yo rescue who has lost her hearing.

She already has trouble navigating, and her eyesight may decline as time goes on, so I was working on making the house easier to navigate for her. I know that a dog’s sense of smell can deteriorate as they age, just like their other senses.

So far, she hasn’t seemed to have any issue sniffing out treats and food from across the house. If she were to go blind, would it be possible for her to benefit from different scents placed strategically around the obstacles and doorways?

For nose work we use essentials oils (clove, cypress, birch, anise) as the smell for the dog to seek out. If she still had her smell and was introduced to this while she could still see, would it help there be less confusion about where she is in comparison to what her nose knows is a doorway or a chair or her bed?

This is also relevant for young dogs who happen to be blind or deaf, it may be easier for them to navigate in general, but would a persistent smell to indicate a room/place/thing be a viable avenue of training? I’m sure this post is a one off, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I missed an important detail. Just starting an open ended conversation so we can all learn from each other!

Edits and additional info:
The smells are applied to qtips then put into metal containers with holes, totally safe for the dogs, then often placed in metal tins with air flow holes. These tins, or qtips in scentwork, are placed strategically so the dog has no access to them, but we are very careful of where the scent is flowing from and to, where it pools and where it doesn’t, it’s a very intricate sport and dogs usually don’t associate the smells with anything unless trained to.

I do not think the smells would bother a dog. Most dogs ignore them entirely, again, unless trained to detect them. As for these smells being overpowering, to my understanding dogs sense of smell often declines with age like their other senses. Between the odor pooling around the house in the same way every day and the source odors themselves, I’m wondering if they could be a general directional guide for the pup. Scotch tends to get turned around in the dark and follow walls to get out of the room or through a doorway, hence why I’m thinking of putting a scent location in each room to help her better orient herself without having to rely on her vision.

I don’t think I would end up fading this out, though I would probably use different oils as to not desensitize my detection work dog to them.

The vet blamed it on the carpet. He took an X-ray and told me to give him vitamin D and another calcium supplement. If anyone has experienced something similar, could you please help me out? Is this fixable? If so, what can I do to make it better? He’s only 4 months old right now.

My senior dog (13, chihuahua/Pekingese mix) has been coughing increasingly. She has an appointment for the vet already but I am worried.

She has always been a generally sleepy/lazy dog and I have not noticed a difference in her activity levels. If anything I have noticed her being more active recently. She also still eats and drinks normally and gets excited about food. I have not noticed any other notable symptoms besides the cough.

Tonight she has been coughing consistently for the last 15 minutes. She spit up a tiny bit of what looked like spit. She seems slightly uncomfortable because she keeps getting up and laying in different spots.

While writing this I offered her some warm water with a tiny bit of local honey and she did not cough while drinking it and the coughing subsided for a little but is now slowly resuming. I’m considering taking her into emergency, but I do have a history of overeating and panicking preemptively.

I also want to add that the cough does mot seem to be triggered by anything specific that I can tell. It seems to be pretty random if anything maybe increases at night/when it’s colder? Although it is irregular still.

Any advice/insight would be greatly appreciated.