Hi! I am currently studying a BSc veterinary nursing degree at the University of Bristol. I am carrying out research for a dissertation project for post-operative instructions. If anyone has a pet that has received post-operative instructions in the last year, I would appreciate if you could fill out the survey below. It is completely anonymous. There is also a chance to win a £20 amazon gift voucher. Thank you so much for any participants, I think this will really help benefit the support owners receive from veterinary professionals.

https://forms.office.com/e/Wr08MbXPH9

The veterinarian said I should give my dog metamucil to firm up his loose stools. Has anybody tried this before and did it work?

For some reason I believe metamucil would produce looser stools. Am I wrong to assume this?

Recently got married and had a short two day honeymoon. No hotels in the area allow pets, so I left my dog with trusted friends for the two nights, and picked her up early in the morning on our way home. Since then, she has been constantly licking me. Normally she enjoys having her own time, laying around, roaming the house, just doing her own little thing apart from my husband and I. Now there is no amount of time that she is willingly apart from me specifically (makes sense because she’s known only me before we moved in with my husband) and she is CONSTANTLY licking me. Before she would only lick if I put my hand in front of her to greet her, and now it’s like she can’t stop. It seems like appeasement behavior, or maybe she is stressed? This is not her first time spending the night away from me, but the first time she spent it with these friends. I’m afraid they treated her poorly or even physically hurt her because I have genuinely never seen this kind of behavior from her. I’m not allowed to leave her sight or be out of her reach for licking. Is she ok? I have talked to my local vet and she told me it could be a multitude of things, like the ones I mentioned, but I know my dog and I’m worried it’s more than normal stress or something like that. Any ideas? Thanks. She is a German Shepherd and Australian Shepherd mix if that’s relevant.

My 13y.o male 85 lbs doodle is a happy boy - except when he doesnt realize he's gonna poop. Then its a mad dash to the door, some barks, some clean up, a good snuggle and we move on. (Its an arthritis prob. Slow to notice, slow to move ...)

I am primary carer and I am sick (which is going on for too long) and I admit my human buddy is tired and we are zone 3 cold (currently, -2 F - but there's no wind!) and we have deep snow that the arthritic canine gets stuck in so he cant go out alone.

For 12.5 years my canine buddy has hid his poop outside and on 2 occasions in those 12.5 years asked to go out in the middle of the night. We are woefully out of practice.

The dog was very sick all of last fall up to christmas. And we are having accidents since, once a week and usually over-night (or as he makes his way downstairs.) Solid stool.

The dog is on a cooked, low fat diet. (This is vet approved. Avian flu aside, the dog is eating the chickens i raise, so we're gonna stick with it.) He goes out regularly, short duration, and mostly sticks to the path to the chicken coop and long driveway. (Literally: let chickens out, compost bins, chicken eggs (so they dont freeze), mailbox, chicken snacks (its cold), put chickens to bed. And two walks a day.)

I think a) I am over-thinking, b) the human is taking short cuts and combining trips, cutting walks short, etc and c) the dog is old. Is my fever-ridden brain missing something? (Not snark - getting new drugs today. Fingers crossed.)

My dog is a 4 year old chihuahua rat terrier mix. Recently I brought him into the vet and during some routine blood work they found his kidney levels to be elevated. They then did a urinalysis and the vet confirmed ckd and said stage 2 closer to 3. No other symptoms except a little bit of weight loss. We’re working on getting his numbers down and stabilizing him. I’ve had him for 2 years now and he came from a very neglected malnourished situation, so there’s some thought there could be some long term damage from that that is showing up now. I want the longest healthiest life possible for him and I want to enjoy every moment with him but I’m having a tough time pulling myself out of a doom spiral. Could anyone share some hopeful/success stories about their dog happily living their life despite this circumstance?

First of all, I apologize for how long this is! My poor elderly dog is a mix between and black and tan and blue tick hound. She is 14 y/o and has always had so many issues and I am dealing with all of them the best I can. For starters she has had seizures (big ones) when she was younger. When she was about 2 or 3 we put her on Zonisamide and we have visibly seen any seizures since. However I think the seizures caused some permanent damage. For example, She has panic attacks out of nowhere! Her kennal used to be her safe spot, she loves hiding herself away in dark small spaces when she gets anxious. Then one day she refused to go into her kennel or would sit in it and pant and shake. So we stopped putting her in it at night and just leaving it open for her if she ever wanted to go back into herself. One day she will go play in the sprinklers in the yard and the next day she goes into a full panic when they come one. I have tried talking to vets about this and no vet will take me seriously. She has got to the point where she started peeing in her sleep. We had to start limiting where she was allowed to be in the house because she would pee on our bed or the couch (which didn't help her anxiety, but what do I do?). Vets kept looking at the peeing problem as a physical condition or conditions that had nothing to do with her stress levels. So they would prescribe meds for her that really didn't do anything to help her, infact one of them made it so much worse! Now that she is getting older she has gotten so bad.... She is def, starting to lose her eyesight, not only pees in the house but is now pooping too. Like she honestly doesn't know she is pooping. I watch her walk across the living room with poop falling out of her butt and the she turns around like "what just happened?". She is just getting senile! The worst part is trying to keep my house clean and my mental state in check. She has ruined so many beds I'm tired of working hard to clean them and buying new ones over and over isn't affordable. But I also can't justify putting her down! Because when she is good, she is great! She can still run and keep up with the young dogs, she has no trouble jumping in the back of the pickup and when she isn't stressing herself out for no reason she is just a happy dog! So I will not put her down until her quality of life starts to diminish. I have had her since she was a puppy and it's killing me seeing her like this. She has been with me through some really rough times and I owe it to her to give her the best as long as I can! I have CBD treats to help her panic attacks and I have tried dog diapers but they still come off half the time and I still have messes to clean. I need suggestions on a good easy to clean dog beds that are still comfortable for old dogs. And if you have any other suggestions on what to do for her I'd love to hear it!

Hi all, I have a question about flea medication, pardon the potential ignorance. My dog lives in an apartment and during walks, has zero contact with other dogs. Is it actually necessary to give her the medication every X months? Thanks.

Hi all, my 4yo Golden Retriever is healthy and happy, but her fur gets greasy pretty quickly. Bathing her in my tub is a pain, so I’m wondering if anyone has advice to keep her fresh for longer afterwards?

I brush her almost daily. She eats Purina Pro adult chicken blend with one hip and joint supplement and two salmon supplements a day, occasional wet food.

When I do bathe her, it’s with Burt’s Bees Lavender & Green Tea Calming Dog Shampoo.

Thank you! Any advice is appreciated.

My 15 year old cockapoo is blind, deaf, has mostly rotten teeth, dementia and arthritis. My vet says to put her down but I still see periodic signs this dog is not ready to check out. Thoughts?

We want to go out on a half-day trip, 6-7 hours out the house. Is my 3-month old puppy too young ? What should I bring with me ?

I’m employed full-time and want to find a good pet camera so I can see my dog while I’m away and possibly give him treats too. I’ve read a decent amount of those compilations that go by rating and popularity on sites like Amazon. I see a lot of the Furbo, some of the indoor Ring cams, etc. Just looking to see what people use and why you like it/how it works for your dog.

Pls let me know I’m looking to purchase and install asap!!!

Hello,

I have a grooming question. My big puppy (9 months, large breed) had a poop accident in his crate while I was at work. First time this ever happened and I feel super bad about it because he looked so sad. I was running late to work and assumed he didn't have to poop after his morning potty walk. Sadly, he did have to poop. He went in his crate and was laying in it. He had a bath a few days prior, but now I had to give him a bath again. After a diluted plum silky shampoo and conditioner bath, he still smells like poop. It's like if you stepped in dog poop and you get a whiff of it now and again - especially if he walks past you.

So should I give him another bath tomorrow or should I wait a week or two so I don't accidentally dry out his skin and coat (silky, curly double coat)? Any tips or tricks for the poop smell coming out?

He eats kibble and occasionally gets cooked meat when we're on a money crunch (We get supplied frozen meat by local food pantries for free.) He's a very picky eater! I think we'd prefer something as natural as possible. He's very picky about kibble in particular, so I think I'd like to do a wet/dry food mix for him. What are your recommendations?

My dog is about ~5 years old now. I had been taking him in for daycare since I adopted him, once a week, every friday. Damn near everytime I would pick him up, he would go to sleep, and then wake up with a pretty severe limp. The limp wasn't always the same leg and it would typically last for a day or two, and then he would seem fine.

Then, about a year ago, I noticed this limp took just a little longer than normal to heal. Instead of the typical 1-2 days it took 3-5 days. Butbhe did seem to heal. So, while I was concerned, I didn't think too deeply into it. But then after a couple more daycares, that limp just didn't go away. Sure enough, he had torn his ACL. I had to get surgery and go through the whole process for that procedure.

It took 3-4 months, but he was eventually back to normal and running around again. So, I decided to take him back into his daycare to try and get him back into playing and socializing. But once again, when I got him back home, he took a nap, and then woke up with yet another limp.

I am looking at these limps under a very different light now, after having to get him surgery. I used to assume maybe he was just playing a little to hard and maybe just straining a muscle. But now I'm afraid maybe he's got like... Weak ligaments or something.. I don't know. Is limping after a day of playing at daycare normal? I am absolutely terrified that maybe it's not, and this whole time I've just been setting him up for another injury. I'm going to call my vet to talk with them about it tomorrow. But, I am curious about other people and if anyone else has had experiences like this? Do any of your dogs come home with limps after daycare? How often?

Hi all! With the Avian flu contaminating some meat sources, a lot of vets are recommending getting off of raw food and switching back to kibble. I was just about to order my 12yr old arthritic, but super playful and active Candidae Pro-Limited. Of course I did a bit of googling but it seems every brand has some sort of class-action lawsuit on them 🙄 So for those of you in the kibble game, can I ask what your feeding your dogs? TIA

Hi guys! I wanted to see if anyone had any advice for my dog who suddenly had increased shedding. I have a long-haired chihuahua mix, and we live in southern Texas. It's usually pretty hot, but we have random weather in the area right now for Winter. It can be 30-40 degrees F, then jump up to about 75 within the next 3 hours to the next day. I thought the weather may be a factor in the shedding but since I can't do anything about that, I had hoped there was some kind of tool/product recommendation. Usually, she doesn't shed so badly in the Winter, but the hair is everywhere this time.

The shedding is bad, to the point where it is everywhere in the bedroom, it's flying in the air, swarming on the floor from her just walking around, it's even in the kitchen which is a major deal breaker. I am desperate, but the groomers I took my dog to, told us not to shave her down because her coat might not grow back the same way. I had hoped that would be an option for the summer because it is usually 80-97 degrees by the time March comes around till September, sometimes even October till it calms down.

I usually bathe her once a week, and brush her with an undercoat rake every other day for about 20 minutes, sometimes till the hair stops coming out in chunks so much but I just don't know what I can do to minimize the shedding. I've tried to tough it out for the last 2 months but I just can't anymore. I clean behind her, just for it to end up everywhere again within 10 minutes.

Hello all, yesterday my beautiful Pit mix got her spay after having her for just under 3 years. Was wondering if it’s normal for the veterinary clinic not to bandage her. When asked if she was going to be they just calmly said “no.”

Was a little confused by this because prior to surgery the vet did inform me that if she even licked the incision “once or twice it could cause an infection.” (Which of course I do believe) But no bandage to help prevent? Maybe I’m just too worried about her. Thanks for any info!

I’m trying to figure out how often to do my dogs nails to get the quick to recede after getting quicked. I FINALLY had success getting him to use a file board I made and he got so carried away that he quicked himself. That was 4 days ago and I’m wondering if it’s too soon to do a short session. Having a hard time finding the balance between giving him enough time to heal and getting the quick to recede. Thanks in advance!

My 2 and a half year old corgi appears to have healthy teeth and gums. I give him beef trachea and occasionally beef bone cap or rib bone(raw of course). Once a month, also clean his teeth with a brush and a dental scraper. However, his breath is still a little bit stinky. There is still some plaque remaining on his canine by me trying to scrape off as much as I can depression doesn’t seem to help much.

Should I be taking him for specialized dental procedures at this point?

Anything helps. I don’t like seeing her get stiff joints :(

Hey y'all,

Lera is 4 and 1/2. She's a wonderful West German show line with a really high drive. We live in a city and take her to a nearby field on the daily. A buildup of her paws getting cracked, anxiety due to a family member going away led to her licking and biting paws. We took her to a vet, spoke to a nutritionist, switched to healthier foods options, tried paw soaks, a cone, putting Aquaphor/bacitracin on the paws, and now have socks/booties on her paws. She now lifts up her front right one sometimes, after running or playing. It isn't super sensitive to touch. She also just entered heat.

My main ask is any suggestions for

a)healing her paws

b)preventing her from licking/biting/itching

c)getting her exercise when her ability to run on the paws might be weak.

Keeping up with training/mental stimulation

Thank you!

I have a 6 month old American bully who hates the cold, rain, and snow. The last few weeks we have gotten snow and very cold temps and I can’t get my pup to go potty out side. Shes been potty trained, she only has accidents when I get her off schedule but now it’s like she’s regressed. I take her out and she just refuses to go potty, I can stand out there for 20 minutes and she won’t do anything but as soon as I bring her in she’ll potty in the house or her kennel. We’ve shoveled a path for her, put a jacket on her, I’ve even taken her on our covered porch to see if she’ll potty there but nothing works. I don’t know what else to do, I feel like I’m failing her. When it’s warm out she loves being outside and always potty’s and plays so this is not the norm for her at all. Any advice is appreciated

2 GS dogs, Maury 5 years, Sally 4 months. Figured out that if Sally eats any of Maury's food, she almost immediately has bad stomach pain and winds up throwing up all of the dog food until it is out of her system. The vomit we clean up is basically pieces of dog food. Doesn't matter if we wet it first or how fast or slow she eats, if it's the food we feed Maury, she can't get it down. Of course we took her to the vet and they looked her over and on their suggestion we got a smaller size puppy food and we are putting some water on the food when we feed her, and that's working great no issues. The other day we had a mishap where she was given the wrong food and we spent the evening on vomit patrol. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I'm thinking it's probably just the size of the food chunks and not necessarily an ingredient? Also, can I just switch to a smaller size dog food for Maury so they can eat the same food? Thanks for any advice.

I have a black and white GSP/hound mix. She is primarily in doors and we don’t go to a dog park or daycare regularly. She has 2 large black spots on her back and is white all over. In the black spots it looks like she has dandruff. I’ve used a flee comb on her and all it picks up is what looks like small flakes of white skin (the skin under her fur is white). She has really fine fur and doesn’t have my hair on her belly making it easy to see if something is going on with her skin. I’d love to hear what y’all think it is!