r/Pets

Tl;dr- support small privately owned clinics if you want to help battle the (ridiculous) rising costs of veterinary care.

I am a veterinarian and I just want to let everyone know that it breaks my heart to see costs of care going up (doubled) since COVID. (In addition to living costs rising in general). The reason for that is because corporations bought out most of the local offices and are driving up costs- mirroring what they do in human medicine but without the insurance buffer (which also just money grubby businesses).

Corporations achieve this via pricing out small clinics on lab testing, pharmaceuticals, and decrease their quality of care by making clients do pointless testing and medications (aka bundles plans that actually don't save you any money but you cannot back out). Clinic owners sold to corporations out of necessity as they cannot keep up with this competition (aka multi-million/billion business investors vs just a few vets).

The smaller and privately owned clinics are rare in cities nowadays.... and corporations work with each other to keep small practices down. For example- we send lab testing to centralized labs that have now been bought out by corporations. They give corporate owned clinics discounts while small private practices have to pay for more per test. That trickles down to the pet owners- hence why lab tests are significantly more expensive each year for privately owned clinics.

Same for drugs. The reason corporate online pharmacies can provide that one medication for $10 less is because they do NOT pay a pharmacist or veterinarian to approve their scripts... us vets are too nice to say no and will approve scripts for your pets without getting paid by these companies. Because we want your pets to get care. But that $10 could have helped privately owned clinics to pay their staff living wages and decrease burnout...

The prices corporations are asking are getting out of hand. I just want to urge pet owners to consider going to clinics that are privately owned (assuming they offer equivalent/better care). Most corporations do not change the clinic names after buying them- but you can ask when you book appointments. Paying a little extra to get more personalized care at privately owned clinics is worth it- and the money goes directly to staff that are passionate. No overhead corporate fees.

I get everyone wants to save money. Truly if it's gonna be a breaking point for you, do what you must. But just remember that sometimes the extra $10 is enough difference to help the smaller clinics fight corporations. As long as corporations are in charge, they will continue to prioritize profit over the care your pets can get and drive up the costs for everyone (aka the entire industry). If you can- buy the meds through your vet directly and do not fall for bundle "deals". Every pet is different and the care should be tailored to what they need.

Thank you if you've read thus far. I became a vet to help people with their pets' care.... not to make money for corporations that see all of us as just mere numbers on paper and to help them fill their pockets with more money than what they need.

I'm 24 years old. When I turned 4, my mother bought my sisters and I our first two animals. A mini-schenauzer named Sugar-pot. A rat-terrier named Leila. I adored them both. We all grew up together. In high school, Sugar died a horrible death to cancer – part of which was our fault in not knowing how best to navigate euthanasia timelines – part of which was just cancer doing its thing. Either way, it was at that moment, on the floor, crying at night, holding him - hoping he would just die - that I was hit with the realization that perhaps the overwhelming amount of pain you experience as a pet owner does not win out in the balance between the happiness and the sadness of pet ownership. 

Leila died a few years later. My aunt has never recovered, to this day. Her loss was effectively the loss of a child to my aunt. Seriously, my aunt turned much more heavily into alcoholism after losing Leila. I don’t think most people understand that an animal can quickly become on the same par with a child. 

During their lives, we bought a dog, Shadow. My FAVORITE! My little boy. A Black Labrador. A heart of gold. His death was tragic, as well. He lost the ability to stand. Kept shitting himself. And we had to euthanize him. We, again, waited far too long selfishly and he suffered for many months because of it.

My cat - Max. He’s alive. He lives with me and my fiancee. But he’s 13 years old. He’s slowing down. And now I sit awake at night, realizing that it’ll all happen again. 

My new kitten - Hazel. He’s alive. He’s going to get neutered on Monday. All I can think about is that my love for him will eventually bring me to kill him for his own sake. 

I love being a pet owner so much but I’m honestly burnt out. I love them so much and then when they die I feel a part of me die with them.

It’s super hot and my pets (Shih Tzus) are refusing to drink water.

I live in Bangalore, India and as many of you may know we’re a tropical country and in the summers it gets really hot, like 40°C (104°F). And to top it off, Bangalore is dry and not humid, so everything just feels dried up.

I’m really worried about my boys. They hardly drink water, they’re 7 and 9 years old, and lately they’ve just been lethargic and don’t want to do anything. My biggest concern is water. I know people say dogs self-regulate and all that, but this feels extreme, it’s been 2 days.

I took them to the vet and the vet said not to worry about it, but how can I not?

Has anyone experienced this before?
What can I do to make sure they’re hydrated?

Would really appreciate any advice 🙏

Does anyone have one of these? Do they work?

I have a 13/14~ year old bichon/pom/Shih Tzu mix (according to the shelter lol). I got him when he was 7~ years old. About a month ago I found a piece of broken tooth in my bed & he has been itching at his face several times a day. He has dental disease as well & has since I adopted him.

I had a vet look at his teeth & said he needs a cleaning & some removed because they may be infected. I found a clinic to do a cleaning on Monday 4/20, I’m just nervous for him to undergo anesthesia because of his age. Looking for reassurance/other people who have had their elderly dogs get dental work & they were okay:( I know I’m making the right decision I’m just nervous, he’s my best friend.

Since adopting him, the only health issues he’s had is pancreatitis flare ups (one admitting him to ER for 2 days back in 2021 but he recovered well). I’ve been told by a vet he has a slight heart murmur and then another former cardiologist that he does not, so that’s up in the air.

He received a dental cleaning & extraction of 4 teeth about 2 1/2 years ago.

He’s eating and acting normally, but he’s definitely in pain or uncomfortable by the way he itches his face so aggressively.

The clinic doing his dental work is doing bloodwork beforehand to make sure there are no abnormalities. Any advice & reassurance will be greatly appreciated.

Hi all, I’m 15 and I have been wanting a ferret for a while, I just proposed the question to my dad. Yeahh as you may guess he said no.

First off; any recommendations how I can change his mind frim “they aren’t nice animals to have”

Secondly; if that doesn’t work, what other pets can I ask and see if I’ll be allowed.

All advice will be greatly appreciated.

I have three pets and a roach situation that's been getting worse since it got warm. Seeing one or two american roaches a week now, mostly in the garage and sometimes in the kitchen. I know these aren't the bad kind but I still don't want them in my house.

The problem is every product I pick up at the hardware store has warnings about keeping pets away for hours or days after application. I work full time and I can't exactly relocate three animals every time I spray. I need something I can use regularly without turning my house into a hazard zone for my pets.

I've been spraying bugmd around baseboards and door frames and it hasn't caused any issues with the animals. But I'm wondering if there are other options people with multiple pets have found that work well.

Also open to non spray solutions. Traps, baits, whatever. Just needs to be something my dog won't eat or my cat won't knock over.

Hi everyone

We have a dog who is treated regularly through the vets for fleas but today I have seen fleas on her.

We have immediately got flea wash and washed her and sprayed indorex around the house and will hoover everywhere.

When we washed her about 5 fleas fell off her. My question is how far do we have to take the cleaning. I have ocd and I am trying to stop myself from spiraling. The dog has been to 2 different households in the two days before we saw the fleas (today) and now I’m worried they will all need to defumigate their houses. I need some realism on how hard this will be or if I’m overreacting.

Thank you!

Edit to add : she has been to daycare a couple days ago and I think they may have come from there. We have informed the care unit so they can tell the other owners

My cat did 2 small puncture on my 85 pound boy they had a little blood

I quickly got warm water with saline and cleaned the area for him I decided to Google and everything online says he’s gonna get a infection and abscess in Google is that always the case

My cat is up to date on all his vaccines as well am I overreacting or is Google just making me panic

My sister has been telling me that her boyfriend’s dad neglects his dog. His and his girlfriend’s last dog died at the age of 5 after randomly stopping eating, and also had picked her paws apart to death which I can only assume was due to stress. She was not allowed out of the kitchen under any circumstances and was locked in there all day. My sister stayed round to look after the house whilst they were away and she asked for the lead and they did not even OWN ONE. They did not even take the dog on walks.

My sister said his girlfriend doesn’t even want the animals but her boyfriend just won’t get rid and always wants to have a dog. They now have a new dog who again is not allowed out the kitchen and if she “dares” leave the kitchen they SCREAM at her. She also is not taken on walks and just remains in the kitchen day in day out. It’s so sad it’s actually killing me and enraging me so bad. My sisters boyfriend doesn’t want it reporting as he’s worried what his dad will think, which I find ridiculous because if any member of my family did that I would go absolutely INSANE at them.

Oh they also have 2 rats kept in a tiny bird cage and they cannot even move so just climb the bars all day. It’s fucking awful. And they have now just got a kitten. I cannot hear this I need to do something sorry I’m not making sense I’m so angry.

Will the RSPCA even do anything? I made a report about something else before and they did nothing. I really need help. The dad doesn’t listen to anyone apparently, and will not get rid of the animals. He always wants a dog. Please someone help me this is upsetting me big time. I’m so sorry for the amount of grammatical errors in this post and it being all over the place but I’m just so angry right now I cannot even think straight. I just want to save these animals.

I don’t feel like they will help because the dog is fed and homed but it is fucking neglect to not walk them and all they know is a KITCHEN!!!!! Same for the rats!!! And gosh forbid the same happens to this kitten!!! Please help I’m so distressed.

Hello guys!

Yes, I know. This question has been asked a millions times and I already browsed through a lot of the posts but I'd still like to have some more feedback.

I've had my cat for almost 5 years now. She's my pride and joy, obviously. I had her when I was fostering her and her siblings in my 30sqm appartement. All of them were adopted but I kept her.

I kept on fostering after they left, she would play with them sometimes but mostly stay alone, which was weird because we're very close. 

Years went by and now we live in a much bigger appartement and we're considering getting a second cat but I'm a bit anxious tbh. We've been considering it because we saw how curious she was when other cats pass before our windows, and even how she tried to play with my moms dog! I don't know if adopting another cat is the right move. In a way I think they could get along well, I'm not that scared about that, I'm more scared of a change in her behavior.  I don't want her to hate me. We've been thinking about adopting for the past year and a half.

When did you knew it was the right time to adopt or that your cat needed a sibling? Was there a change in behavior when you went from a smaller to a bigger appartement?

To add, we spend a lot of time with her cuddling and playing everyday and when we were fostering it was always at least 2 kitten's or 3 which was, I believe. too much for her. Thank you for your time!

It is so young that it can’t open its eyes or walk, we found it laying by itself on the concrete porch of an abandoned house beside ours, its meowing a lot and we aren’t sure if we should take it and call a rescue tomorrow! We have no formula or anything to feed it. We would leave it here for a few hours but one of our neighbors has a dog that roams around, and she would definitely try to get it :(

so i literally had lilies on my kitchen table for like 2 weeks not knowing they could kill my cat. thankfully nothing happened but it freaked me out enough to actually build something about it lol

it's an app where you just take a photo of a plant or food and it tells you if it's safe for your pet. started with cats but expanded it to dogs too since there's so much stuff that's toxic for both

not advertising at all, genuinely just trying to figure out if pet owners would find this useful or if everyone just googles it and moves on. like would you actually keep an app like this on your phone?

if you think it's a decent idea what features would you want? like emergency vet contacts, a toxic items checklist for your house, breed-specific warnings?

any feedback welcome even if it's "nah this is pointless" lmao i can take it

Ok so my dog and cat have been fully separated (no contact, only really see eachother through a door) for 2~ years.

At first after around a week of the new dog we tried to scent swap, that went fine. But the few times we had them visit on leashes the cat went right for her eyes. Hes very vicious towards which is odd because hes friends with our older dog.

Every visit he went for the eyes and got progressively more aggressive so we've just separated them. For the first year or so the dog was extremely submissive towards the cat, but now the dog has been taught by the cat (through his swiping under the door) its a game to try and bite his paws. Now i know shes being playful cause her ears are down and she wags her tail but the cat is definitely trying to kill her. What can i do?

My goal isnt best friends or even to be able to leave them alone together, just to be able for them to be together under supervision sometimes. Itd just make life less stressful.

Since becoming pregnant, I’ve noticed odd changes in my dog and cat. My cat (11 yo) stopped using her litter to do #2 and since I stopped changing her litter. My husband (who’s been co owner for 10+ years) has been changing her litter and changed litter types 3 times and she still refuses. She has also been meowing around the house. Then she peed on our bed, the side that I sleep on which she never does. Paired with ripping out her hair.

Our dog (6 years old) has had a UTI and has been going to the basement to pee. Again, this isn’t this usual.

Anyone ever experienced this?

My family have several dogs and cats and my home is not a safe environment for this bird. I would absolutely take care of it if i could but it’s would be too dangerous and stressful for it.

I might have to lock it in a room without our pets / lock our pets in a room temporarily while we find somewhere for it to go. Any advice is helpful.

It’s definitely a pet and I need to take it to a rescue/vet/home. I’m sure someone is worried about their pet 😔

📍 Found in Yennora, Sydney

If you are or know someone that has experience with birds and can find its owner please let me know asap!

Hello, my cat is a 4 year old female.

She has never had issues with vomiting before, except for occasional hairballs. Even then, it would only happen once a day for a maximum of 2-3 days.

About 2-3 days ago, I noticed she vomited food. After that, she began vomiting only white foam, with no hairballs present. Our local vet (the only one in my small town) does not have a lab for blood tests, so I plan to take her to a larger city the day after tomorrow.

What concerns me is how the vomiting has progressed:

• On day 1, she vomited about 3 times
• On day 2, about 5 times
• On day 3, she didn’t eat at all and vomited around 8 times

Aside from the first episode (which contained food), all other vomiting has been white foam.

But today, she started eating again. We’ve been giving her small, frequent portions. She vomited some food again, tho less than the first time, and just recently she vomited yellow foam instead of white foam.

Her poop seems healthy, does not seem lethargic, and she wants to play.

I like fish. Fish has good protein and nutrients. But when I opened a can of tuna, their cat instantly started mewoing and searching and smelling all over the kitchen counter. I couldn't tell if she's upset or curious (I've been hissed and scratched many a times by her in the beginning).

Like "no ma'am I'm not trying to eat your treats" I don't want to upset her. But I really love fish.

Are there ANY fish I can cook without her attention? Salmon?

what can i do with the scent?

Does anyone else struggle with this trying to eat fish?

I think I can post this here, if not please let me know where.

Recently the family dog has started to do some behaviours that have really concerned me. He’s a I think 7-8 year old shih Tzu that’s blind in one eye and has recently started running his face along the floor and scratching his face until he cries and whimpers in pain.

I know there’s something wrong with him but I don’t know what. After he scratches himself he’ll lick his paws nonstop for at least 5 minutes, the longest I’ve seen is 10.

My mother says it’s because he’s blind in one eye and he thinks there’s something covering his eye so he’s trying to remove it but I’m not convinced since he’ll scratch both sides. I’ve checked his face and he looks totally normal, not marks, scars, lumps or anything. His paws also look fine and I just want to know why he’s doing this and how I can help him.

For context, I (19F) adopted a kitten during covid and she is about 4 years old right now. I live with my parents at a small house and she spends most of her days wandering around the streets - idk if Its common outside my country but the area I live would be basically a housing state with a wall separating us from the outside - so Its pretty safe for her considering everyone here knows eachother.

However, when i brought up the idea of adopting a puppy my mom told me my cat would likely runaway if we ever did that. I never heard of anything similar before, but my cat is very scared of everything in general and doesnt like people very much. You have to be very careful with her not to run from you, but with me shes very sweet and loves sleeping in my bed. Im afraid bringing Another pet would make her feel unwanted, or afraid to come into the house. My friend told me to screen up my Windows when im adapting her and the puppy so she cannot runaway but im scared keeping her from going outside Will make her and the puppy even more distant from each other.

I Also thought that Maybe bringing in another pet would make her more receptive since she would have more company in general. She’s already very friendly with everyone around the house and we never had any issues with her, so thats not a problem for us, just an idea to make her less uptight. I really want to adopt a puppy, but I don’t want to do it if it costs me her. Anyone would have any advice of what i can do in this situation?