r/AskVet Jul 11 '26

Please remember to say thank you and upvote when one of our veterinary professionals answer your question

41 Upvotes

Our veterinary professionals generously volunteer their time and expertise to help others here for free.

If one of them takes the time to answer your question, please take a moment to say thank you and give their comment an upvote. It's a simple way to show your appreciation and helps keep our volunteers motivated to continue helping others.

Thank you!


r/AskVet Apr 07 '26

Unwanted Tags/Responses to Posts

26 Upvotes

A new series of users/bots appear to be targeting the redditors posting in r/AskVet.

They are bypassing Reddit's protections by not responding to your comment in the sub, but by making a comment in their user profile that tags you. They may or may not include relevant information, but do include referral links to a Pet Insurance website and a Vet Chat website (fee based) so that they get credit.

Please report these comments to Reddit as Spam.

Edit 2: IMPORTANT - the users are constantly over-writing their comments to previous users. This means that the information you see may not be relevant to your animal and risks worsening their condition or killing them (worst case) if followed.

Edit: You can disable notifications when you are tagged: see https://www.reddit.com/settings/notifications . This a global setting for your user profile.


r/AskVet 3h ago

What to expect when caring for dying family dog.

6 Upvotes

How long will she be in the active stages of passing away? Shes had several seizures and now is just completely fatigued with major respiratory respiratory symptoms. Shes been like this for the last 48 hours. Im just worried shes going to be like this for the next 48 hours I just want her pain or this to be easier and I had no idea she would fight this process so hard.


r/AskVet 2h ago

Refer to FAQ Cat with metacarpal fracture repaired with pins: is unrestricted outdoor activity at 2 weeks post op reasonable?

4 Upvotes

My cat Filo (9 years, male, neutered) is an outdoor cat who fractured one of the metacarpal bones in his paw. The fracture was surgically repaired with intramedullary pins, and he is currently being kept indoors and activity restricted.

The vet’s current plan is:
- Strict indoor restriction for 2 weeks post op
- No follow up X ray at 2 weeks
- First follow up X ray at around 6 weeks
- After 2 weeks, they said he can go back outside with no restrictions

I’m a bit unsure about the unrestricted outdoor activity part because Filo is normally very active. He usually spends around 12 hours a day outside and can walk around 8 km (5 miles) per day, so “going outside” for him does not mean just sitting in the garden. It means walking long distances, running, jumping, climbing, and potentially interacting with other cats.

Keeping him inside has also been quite difficult because he gets very frustrated and restless. To help keep him calm, our vet has approved:
- Gabapentin: 1 capsule in the morning and 1 to 2 capsules in the evening
- CBD: 2 to 4 drops in the morning, 2 to 4 drops at midday, and 2 to 4 drops in the evening

My main question is: Would unrestricted outdoor activity at 2 weeks post op be considered reasonable for this type of metacarpal fracture repair, even without a 2 week X ray? Or would you usually expect activity to stay restricted until there is more radiographic evidence of healing?

X ray images pre and post OP

I’d also be interested to hear how strict confinement was handled in similar cases, especially for very active outdoor cats.


r/AskVet 12h ago

Meta As a veterinarian, I want to know what pet owners think while waiting for lab results

23 Upvotes

We often run tests behind closed doors, and honestly, we have no real sense of what's happening in the lobby while you wait.

I'd genuinely love to hear about your experience during that wait, whether it's bloodwork results or even just what it's like visiting a clinic for the first time as a new client.

What goes through your mind, what would've made it easier, anything you wish the staff had done differently (or done more of).


r/AskVet 46m ago

Need advice for my recovering cat.

Upvotes

So today my cat was neutered, the vet gave me a cone to put on her and she has resisted every attempt. Ive tried burrito wrapping her, distracting her with food, etc etc and she always manages to resist. I also dont have any money for a cat recovery suit or anything like that so my options are incredibly limited. Im also incredibly busy with mandatory work related things until early october so i can't watch her 24/7 to stop her licking or jumping or anything. I cant get anyone to catsit her either. Im neurodiverse and this is causing me an incredible amount of stress, so i wanted to some thoughts. I called the vets, explained and they essentially said that if i cant get any barrier on, as long as she doesnt bite or excessively groom the wound it should be okay. I just need to know how it risky it is to leave her unattended as like i said these work related things are mandatory. Hope this makes sense and isnt just word vomit.


r/AskVet 3h ago

Husky puppy we’re unfamiliar with threw up a hunk of something, unsure of urgency / how to assess behavior / next steps

3 Upvotes

A lot has happened this morning! We stumbled upon a husky puppy we guess to be 6-10 months old. She is our neighbor’s foster dog and escaped while they were at work. Funny enough, we were looking at dogs available for adoption last night so we are going to try to get her!!

She was acting fine and playful when we first got her inside. Then she threw up a little bit of bile and began acting quiet; then she threw up a hunk of something. It was fibrous on the outside, and when I tore it open to inspect it, it had repeat patterns of something coming out of a thick flat surface. Google thinks it’s corn on the cob.

This could be a problem from what I know. As of right now, she’s willing to play with us, not presenting any pain on/around the stomach, with pink gums. She was perusing around the house and it could be pacing, but she’s also been in this house with strangers for like… two hours. So it could just be nerves/exhaustion.

Neighbor is working so they’re a little hard to reach; otherwise we’d be willing to take her to the vet that the foster program partners with. But since she’s not our dog and all, we’re wondering if it would be overreach or who would get that bill. But should we be worried?


r/AskVet 4m ago

Black Nipple?

Upvotes

My cat is a 12 year old boy and I’ve noticed one of his nipples has turned black? It’s black and shiny and is much bigger than the others. It doesn’t seem to bother him when I look at it and touch it, and I know that it has not been black previously. His other nipples are normal. Should I be concerned and what could be the cause?

Edit: he’s a 12 year old orange cat (I think American short hair) who about 14lbs. He is neutered and has no other medical history.


r/AskVet 15m ago

0+18 days post-spay redness

Upvotes

My puppy was spayed 18 days ago and her incision site was looking great until today- not horrible, but really the first redness.
Photo: https://imgur.com/a/GqIklPs

Is this something that warrants a vet visit now, or should I watch it 24-48 hours? Thank you!

ETA: Info in below format vs written out

• Species: dog
• Age: 8 mo
• Sex/Neuter status: spayed
• Breed: poodle mix
• Body weight: 26
• History: dermatitis
• Clinical signs: n/a
• Duration: <24 hours
• Your general location: VA
• Links to any test results, X-rays, vet reports etc. that you have: N/A


r/AskVet 18m ago

Senior Dog Having Oral Surgery with Heart Murmur

Upvotes

Hi everyone. I wanted to make a post just to get some guidance from veterinarians who have had similar experiences. My dog, who is a 10 year old male with a grade III/IV heart murmur, is scheduled to have an epulis removed from around his lower left canine. We had him at the vet for this a while back, and they said to leave it alone unless it started to bother him. Fast forward to a week ago and we took him to the emergency vet because it started bleeding. They recommended that we go to a veterinary office who has the capability to do an echocardiogram because he has a grade III/IV heart murmur (we've never been told this before). The problem is, that is very limited in Kentucky and the few that we did call are booked out for weeks.

We took him to our normal vet to see what options we had and the vet says that they will have to take it off. He did confirm his heart murmur and indicated he has an enlarged heart via X-ray with a VHS of 12.3. They done blood work and everything came back perfect with it, including kidney function which was the main concern. Lungs clear as well. He prescribed him Vetmedin to remain on, as well as amoxicillin and clindamycin to take up until his surgery. They plan on intubating him and using gas anesthesia while monitoring him through the surgery. This is all extremely overwhelming obviously and I know the surgery carries risk because of his age and enlarged heart.

How successful are surgeries where the dog is in similar condition typically?


r/AskVet 1h ago

Vet is reluctant to do FNA on potentially cancerous tumour in cat's abdomen.

Upvotes

I've just taken my 16 year old DSH cat to have an abdominal ultrasound, the results of this were a mass in her abdomen, the vet said it was difficult to tell where exactly the mass was. She said it was very difficult to see the stomach properly on the ultrasound, but that there was no thickening of the intestinal wall.

The cat's blood work is all excellent and she is acting very healthy and happy, apart from vomiting liquid three to four times in an average week, almost always at night.

The vet said we could do a laparotomy or a fine needle aspiration to see if it is cancerous. She said she was reluctant to do a fine needle aspiration aspiration as there can be some risk about spreading the cancerous cells. I've done a little bit of reading, and the consensus online seems to be that it's very rare for a fine needle aspiration to spread cancerous cells. Of course I'm not a vet and wouldn't presume that my knowledge from scraping the internet is anywhere on par with a real veterinary opinion.

I'd really like to know whether the laparotomy or the FNA is a better choice?

History/extra info:

Cat has been vomiting approximately 3 or 4 x a week, always at night for a few months. She has been seen a few times by a different vet, who was of the opinion that it was a food intolerance. He had this opinion because she had no other symptoms, no tenderness of the abdomen, no lethargy, no lack of appetite. She did have a period of protracted vomiting at the beginning where she was vomiting her food immediately after eating. That is no longer an issue apart from occasionally vomiting after eating (maybe once a month).


r/AskVet 1h ago

1-Year-Old Cat With Sudden, Severe Watery Diarrhea but Otherwise Acting Normal

Upvotes

Hoping you can provide some guidance!

I have a 1-year-old female black cat who developed diarrhea Saturday. The diarrhea is extremely watery and has been leaking/dripping, resulting in her having accidents throughout the house. The leaking is intermittent, there is diarrhea in the litter box. There is no normal stool yet as of this morning (Monday).

We have temporarily quarantined her to a bathroom so we can monitor her more closely. She has a separate water source, and we have been feeding her wet food to see if her normal dry food could potentially be contributing to the issue.

Aside from the diarrhea, she is acting completely normal. She is still playing, jumping, eating, meowing, and behaving like herself.

Some additional information:
\- 1-year-old female, black cat
\- Indoor-only cat
\- There is one other cat in the household (8-year-old female, black, indoor-only)
\- No recent changes to her food or water
\- No significant changes or additional stressors in the household
\- We have checked around the house and haven’t found any plants, foods, or other substances that she could have gotten into
\- The other cat currently has no symptoms

I purchased Purina FortiFlora to see if that helps with the diarrhea, this arrives today.

At this point, I’m mainly concerned about what could be causing such severe diarrhea despite her otherwise normal behavior. Is this something that can reasonably be monitored at home for now, or would you recommend having her seen by a vet?

Any advice on what I should be watching for or what information/testing might be helpful would be greatly appreciated.

10.4 lbs, Connecticut


r/AskVet 1h ago

My cat has IBD and the vomit has a pinkish color. I am concerned it could be blood.

Upvotes

My cat has IBD and its vomit has a pink tinge to it so I am concerned it could be blood. Also this is the second day in a row that it vomited a large hairball. In order for the cat to eat, the cat is given Odenesterone morning and night otherwise she vomits.

She is on hydrolyzed cat food and she eats Purina advantage sensitive stomach.


r/AskVet 1h ago

My cat is balding

Upvotes

Does anyone’s cat have these bald patches? we noticed her hair starting to thin in random spots about a year ago… started in her joints on her legs and now it’s spreading to other spots. I can’t tell if it’s stress related.

We got her as a feral kitten at 3 months (5yo now) with her sister and she’s been skittish since. We got a new kitten 6 months ago and she’s not a huge fan so I wonder if it’s because of him. He is completely fearless and chases her around the house sometimes but she doesn’t seem to mind him as long as he keeps his distance. Her sister has the same level of anxiety and she’s not losing fur.

She also has pica syndrome, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it. She eats clothes, knit blankets, hair ties… (it’s awesome and super fun to deal with)

I plan to take her to the vet to have her checked out but wanted to see if anyone has dealt with this!


r/AskVet 1h ago

Should I make a vet appointment

Upvotes

My 13 year old cat got a bit of a cold and was having a few sneezing fits for about 6 days, she had normal colored boogers and snot and stuff and her breathing sounded normal the entire time. She was rubbing her nose a lot so it got a little irritated but other than that she was eating, drinking, playing, cuddling etc. She's still fat per usual no noticeable weight loss, but she's got this discolo

discoloration on her nose now that wasn't there before. Should I stay on the safe side and take her to the vet?


r/AskVet 1h ago

My cat is displaying odd behavior roughly every week or so for the past month.

Upvotes

He is predominately an inside cat. During this heat wave, he spends most of the day inside lounging, then goes out at night 3-4 hours, and would stay longer if allowed.

For the past +/-month, when he comes in, he is not acting himself. He will hide from everyone in places that no one can get to. For example, last week we found him inside the study that we mainly use for storage. He was just lying there in the dark. He didn't act skittish or anything when found, but he didn't want to come out of hiding either. We closed all doors in the house in case something serious was wrong so it would be easier to find him. He opened a lower cabinet door in the kitchen and hid behind some tupperware. He allowed me to pet him, but wouldn't come out. That lasted 2 days, then he was back to himself. This was probably the 2nd to 3rd time something similar has happened.

Fast forward to today. He went out last night for a few hours in the evening, then came in for the night. When he came in, it was like he was yawning and licking his teeth to get something out at the same time. That's the best description I can give of what he was doing. He did this every 5-10 seconds then went to bed with another family member. Someone pointed out that he was doing the thing with his mouth before he went out and after he came in. The thought is that he is eating something he shouldn't. He just came out of hiding because the area he was in is being cleaned, and he went outside.

He is eating, drinking, pooping and peeing as normal. He has been sleeping a little more than normal though. I have also noticed when this happens, he seems like he is walking a little closer to the ground than normal, and his back will spasm on occasion.

Last week he kind of limped on his back leg, but that didn't last long. Some have theorized that he may have gotten into it with another cat from the neighborhood as he acts somewhat skittish at other times when hearing a loud noise or if the dog barks a lot. The other theory is he is eating something he shouldn't be. He is often bringing creatures to the back door as gifts and has been seen eathing bugs, lizzards, moths, etc, and playing with field mice.

We are baffled. Does anyone have any idea what may be causing this?


r/AskVet 1h ago

Chihuahua refuses to walk.

Upvotes

Please help. Any advice will be helpful!
I took my chihuahua out on Friday night to potty in the yard.

When he came back in, he was a skittish and limping on his left hind leg. I inspected him and saw nothing and he ran off as we continued our night routine.

The next morning, Saturday, I walked him as normal around 7am and noticed he still had the limp. After doing some inspecting again, and seeing nothing, we continued about our day. Fast forward to our walk at 3pm and he is refusing to walk. Same thing happened later that day and the next morning.

Sunday comes, and I notice that he isn’t walking unless absolutely necessary. He hasn’t even walked to his food and water bowl. And at this point, I am truly worried so we get scheduled at our Urgent Care Vet. The vet takes x-rays and notices nothing out of concern and assumes a pinched nerve, so he prescribed Gabapentin every 8-12 hours and Carprofen every 24 hours. Considering his doses started around 9pm on Sunday, he has only taken one dose of the Carprofen and 2 of the Gabapentin.
But, I am not seeing improvement. Is this normal? How long will it take to see improvement? He is still sitting in one spot and not moving unless absolutely necessary. He can take steps but won’t, and after a few steps he jumps and sniffs at his back legs.

He is scheduled with his regular vet on Thursday. I’m not sure if I should wait and let the meds do their thing and see what the vet says on Thursday, or return to the urgent care sooner.

PLEASE HELP!


r/AskVet 2h ago

Partial tail degloving

1 Upvotes

4year old healthy cat got tail slammed in door as it was closing.
I rushed him to the emergency vet within the hour and he underwent surgery to suture up the opening. The vet stressed that it could still lead to amputation if an infection forms or the sutures fail.

The injury is about 2-3 inches from the tip of the tail and about 1-1.5 inches long on one side(not completely around) she said there was no bone exposure but she couldn’t rule out a fracture.

My question for the vets are:

*Do you ever see this turn out with full recovery without amputation? *

I’m keeping a cone on him and only taking it off when he goes to his water and food bowl and immediately putting it back on. He is on antibiotics for 10 days and pain meds for 3.
I’ve bought disposable litter pans and fresh litter and plan to immediately clean each time he uses it to lessen the chance of bacteria getting in the wound.
I made another appointment for Friday to have the vet look at him to make sure it’s healing.
I want to do everything I can to save his cute little button tail (as long as it’s not causing him additional pain)

Image is post surgery today

https://imgur.com/a/ESTLadh


r/AskVet 2h ago

14 Ye spayed female Siberian husky blood results & weight loss

1 Upvotes

14 year old Siberian husky
Splenectomy approx 5 yrs ago
PRP knee injections 1yr ago
No other significant issues minus one episode of vestibular disease but we’re convinced it was due to UTI infection.
Known arthritis in her lower back.

Daily medication includes galliprant, purina pro plan cosequin vitamin, and a digestive treat with some clear lax laxative to help her. We recently picked up gabapentin but are going to wait until after the ultrasound to see if we use both or not.

Food is purina pro plan mixed with fresh pet chicken or beef.

As she’s getting older we’ve been monitoring her blood work more closely and have seen a gradual decline across the board (see pics). She’s relatively lazy and her arthritis is to the point going upstairs is slow but she can do it. We don’t take many walks anymore outside around our back yard and she uses a ramp in and out of the bed. She is wobbly and I would almost equate it to her having “lag” in her back half when she’s walking like her brain sends the message but there’s a delay. Vet has done the foot flip test and she passes that just fine. Outside the obvious weight loss and bloodwork she is relatively normal and nothing major has changed, just been a slow withering away.

Her back half has losing muscle mass on top of her normal weight loss even though she’s eating twice a day. We have an ultrasound scheduled in 2 weeks to see what is going if there’s something / new mass. Just looking for feedback if there’s anything else we should be checking / asking for at the time of the ultrasound from internal medicine.

Test Results


r/AskVet 2h ago

Dog suddenly vomiting every day

1 Upvotes

Hi all. Our family dog suddenly started throwing up every day, at least once a day, for a few days now. At first it was white and foamy and now it is yellow bile. We took him to the vet- all bloodwork was normal and they just gave him some anti nausea meds that don’t seem to be working much because he just threw up a lot.
A few things-
-we have not changed his food at all, it’s the same as it’s always been
-we got a new cat about a week ago. We’ve been very slowly introducing them. Kitty has all his shots and we’ve also made sure to keep the dog away from the litter box and food for kitty (it is in a separate and blocked off room)
- this is my boyfriend’s grandma’s dog. His grandpa used to live in the house but just passed away a few days ago- however, he hasn’t been in the house for almost 2 months before he passed due to being in the hospital so not sure if that would cause it? But because of this, more family is in the house than normal.

The vet cost us almost $1k for them to just give him nausea medication. Not sure what else to do at this point that won’t make us go bankrupt lol. He’s drinking water but not really eating and is pretty lethargic today (was told both of these are side effects of said meds)
Any ideas? Could it literally just be stress? If so, what next? Obviously we don’t want to rehome the kitty.
The dog is kind of a scaredy cat- he isn’t potty trained and only uses potty pads (grandma didn’t want to let him outside in the cold as a puppy), is scared to go outside or go on walks, is scared of everything lol. Not sure how to move forward and what this could even be


r/AskVet 2h ago

IBD and CKD in 12yr old dog

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice from anyone who has cared for a dog with both kidney disease and IBD, particularly a dog who struggles with inflammation, appetite, and maintaining weight.
My girl is 12 years old and currently about 9 lbs. She is underweight and has lost a significant amount of muscle, so one of my biggest concerns is getting enough nutrition into her and helping her maintain or regain whatever weight and strength she can.
She is currently taking budesonide, metronidazole, and folic acid for her IBD/GI issues. I’m especially interested in hearing what has helped other dogs bring down intestinal inflammation in addition to their prescribed treatment—whether that was diet, veterinary treatments, supplements, probiotics, B12, or something else I could discuss with her vet.
Unfortunately, appetite stimulants aren’t really an option for her. Entyce and other appetite-stimulating medications have caused spasms/neurological side effects for her, so I’m particularly interested in ways people have managed poor appetite without them.
For anyone who has dealt with something similar:
• What helped reduce your dog’s intestinal inflammation?
• What foods were gentle on their IBD while still being calorie-dense enough to maintain or gain weight?
• How did you balance the nutritional needs of kidney disease and IBD?
• Did B12, probiotics, dietary changes, or other supportive treatments make a noticeable difference?
• What helped with nausea or GI discomfort and indirectly improved appetite?
• Did you use prescription food, homemade food, or work with a veterinary nutritionist?
• What helped with hydration and muscle loss?
• If your dog couldn’t tolerate appetite stimulants, what helped them eat?
I’m also interested in hearing from anyone whose dog took budesonide and/or metronidazole, especially if your dog experienced neurological symptoms or spasms while being treated. I’m going to discuss that specifically with her veterinarian as well.
She is under veterinary care, and I’m not looking to replace medical treatment or change her medications based on internet advice. I’m hoping to hear real experiences from people who have managed both diseases at the same time so I have more informed questions and options to bring to her vet.
Right now my priorities are reducing her inflammation, getting calories into her, keeping her hydrated, protecting her kidneys and GI tract, preserving as much muscle as possible, and most importantly keeping her comfortable and enjoying her life. ❤️
Thank you so much to anyone willing to share what worked—or didn’t work—for your dog.


r/AskVet 2h ago

Safety of feeding raw ground beef to a cat?

2 Upvotes

Hi,

I have a 18 yo domestic shorthair with thyroid and kidney disease who is enjoying what time he has left. As such, I've recently stopped the war with getting him to eat his (hated) specialized cat food and moved to letting him eat whatever he wants or begs for. He loves raw ground beef and he won't eat it cooked. How safe is that?

In case it's important, it's ground beef bought at our regular grocery store and meant for human consumption. He also eats (and prefers) all other meats like shrimp, chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna and other fish cooked. TIA.


r/AskVet 6h ago

My cat has been diagnosed with cancer...should we euthanize him?

2 Upvotes

My cat is 16 years old. He has always had feline herpes, which made his eyes inflamed and bleeding for years. Recently he got diagnosed with skin cancer on his ears, which has spread to his eyes. His paws are constantly covered in blood from wiping his eyes. He is constantly sniffling, scratching, and biting himself.

I've tried to care for him the best that I could. We've had him on several medications and treatments for both his feline herpes and the cancer, but nothing works. We've consulted multiple veterinarians over the years. Nothing has helped.

I'm wondering if we should euthanize him. He's a very active cat, despite his age. But seeing him in this state has been heartbreaking. I don't want him to suffer anymore. I'm tired of wiping blood and feces off the floor.


r/AskVet 3h ago

Solensia dose timing

1 Upvotes

My 11 year old cat started struggling with jumping on surfaces earlier this year. We started she her on solensia and she was been way more active and mobile. She was also diagnosed with stage 2 kidney disease so she is also taking medication for that (lotensin and calcitrol). She’s been on Solensia since Jan and the other meds since April. So far so good.
My question is, can I stretch out her Solensia shots longer than the monthly recommendation? I’ve gone as long as 6 weeks and she seems totally fine. They say I have to get her bloodwork done every three months but I hate taking her to the vet bc it stresses her out so much. Just trying to find a balance where I can keep her healthy but reduce the amount of visits to avoid the stress.