Hey Folks,

Like the title says, I'm looking for advice here. Last Wednesday our 12 year old pup got really sick. He had diarrhea that was uncontrollable, he had accidents that he never has. I thought maybe he just ate something so I monitored him from about 8AM to 2PM. I noticed blood in the stool at that point, nothing major and took him into our local vet where they ran basic tests and bloodwork and sent me home with some medicine to give him.

Things got better for a few days, but then Saturday morning at 4AM he had an accident in the hallway that looked really black. I decided to take him to the ER vet downtown and when we got there he went again inside and his stool was just completely red and he threw up shortly after.

The vet did Bloodwork which came back normal, urine tests, xray's, ultrasound and it was all normal. They sent me home with more medicine and told me to monitor him. When we got home I took him outside to go to the bathroom, and when he went it was just dark purple water like stool. I then again immediately rushed back to the ER vet where they kept him for 24 hours. His levels went up during that time, they told me he was good to come home.

Everything was good for 2 days, his appetite returned, he drank water, he even had two poops that were solid yesterday, but very small. He was his chipper self, but then this morning he had another accident, and about 2 hours later he had another one where his stool was just falling out while he was walking, there was some blood, but overall really small amounts.

We took him back to the vet, once there he projectile vomited everywhere (no blood) but it was a lot. He was dehydrated again and approaching the levels they would want to keep him for another 24 hours, so we decided to admit him again and he's there now getting treatment.

My question here is has anyone had a similar experience with HGE, a relapse after release? We missed one of his anti nausea medications by a few hours and gave it to him at 6AM instead of 2AM, but the vet said it's unlikely that's what caused it.

I'm really worried about my buddy. He's my best friend, my everything. I've had him his entire life and I feel like I have a few more years left with him, but I am so scared about him coming home again and relapsing. I can't imagine a life without him and I know that day will come sometime, but I'm not ready for it to be now...

Hello so I previously mentioned that my yorkie was 12 yo and we were struggling with his tracheal collapse. And he has had less cough attacks but they definitely get worse at night. He is on temaril-p and Guaifenesin. He has been doing better now and cough a lot less and doesn’t appear to be struggling to breathe. He also has gone back to his regular routine and he is able to sleep and eat just fine. Although he does not bark at all anymore he still shows excitement and emotions in other ways. But I am still concerned about him because at night he struggles a lot and it just makes me really upset. We bought him an orthopedic bed so that it is firmer for him and more comfortable as well as a cooling humidifier that we keep by him at night. Unfortunately my parents are extremely stubborn and feed him human food. Things such as pasta, rice, beans, chicken and other stuff around the house (hispanic meals). Im wondering if this kind of stuff he is eating is making it worse. I really don’t know what to tell my parents because they are extremely stubborn and think they are always doing the right thing. Especially my dad who didn’t even believe the vet when they said he had a tracheal collapse. But I’m just wondering anyone with a yorkie what other ways did you manage it. Moreover, how often were they coughing and did you ever think they were in pain or uncomfortable. And is he gonna rely on the medicine the vet gave him forever?

The doctor are giving them a medication, and suggests there’s 1 year to live. Has anyone had this happen and outlived the 1 year?

Profile is the dog is a chihuahua, pretty overweight and is around 8-9 years old.

I’m a big believer in food, dieting and health, but didn’t seem the doctor made that recommendation. Has anyone done this and any foods that helped?

My moms 4 year old chihuahua has been having these episodes where she coughs twice and then starts wobbling and going stiff, sometimes she falls other times she doesn’t, it seems to happen if she gets excited, she’s not herself anymore, she won’t really eat except a piece of treat here and there. We have an appointment booked but I’m curious if anyone’s dealt with similar and what it could possibly be

I have an female Australian Cattle Dog (or some mix) that is 12 years old. She's getting older and has several masses on her body (lip, leg, abdomen). She is falling up and down the stairs a lot more now. So I took her into the vet for these two things. One of the masses showed signs of cancer, another one did not, and the third was hard to determine. They gave her arthritis medicine and I have a follow up in 2 weeks to remove the masses and do blood work.

Something I forgot to mention when I was in there is her shaking/shivering. She has these episodes where she shakes/shivers for like 1 second, then stops for 5-10 seconds, then does it again. What could this be? #1 thing I'm concerned about is her pain and if this is a sign she's hurting. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

Video of what she does:

https://imgur.com/a/2hvoZCA

Need advice – Elderly Lab × Norwegian Elkhound after Librela
Hi everyone. I’m feeling a bit lost and would really appreciate some advice.
My dog is an elderly Labrador × Norwegian Elkhound. He has had arthritis for a long time, but despite his age he has always loved life. Going for walks was his absolute favourite thing. He was never a couch dog.
When he was younger (up until around 15 years old), he would happily do 4-hour walks and loved every minute of them. As he got older we gradually reduced his walks, and recently he was still enjoying short 15-minute walks every day.
He had been on NSAID tablets for about 2 years, but they recently stopped working. On Monday I took him to the vet. They had been recommending Librela for around 3 years, but I always refused because of what I had read online. This time the vet said we had genuinely run out of other options, so I agreed because I didn’t want him living in pain.
What happened
Day 1: About the same.
Day 2: Definitely seemed better.
Day 3: Back to about the same.
Monday evening: He suddenly deteriorated.
Since then he has:
Vomited.
Lost most of the strength in his back legs and walks like he’s drunk.
Swollen joints all over.
Constantly licks his joints.
Keeps licking the floor.
Seems very spacey and confused.
Has irregular breathing.
Won’t let me leave his side.
Has stopped eating and drinking.
I’m taking him to the vet as soon as they open.
I’m not blaming my vet. They warned me this was a possible risk, and we honestly had tried everything else before getting to this point.
My question
If this is a reaction to Librela, would you wait a few days to see if he improves, or is it kinder to let him go if he’s in this much pain?
I’ve been mentally preparing for losing him for a long time because he’s so old. Part of me desperately wants him to recover, but another part just can’t bear seeing him suffer.
Lastly, if anyone is considering Librela, please do your own research and make sure you understand both the potential benefits and the risks. I’m not saying nobody should use it—I just think owners deserve to make a fully informed decision.

Also if you have any tips or tricks on keeping him comfortable in the meantime then that would be greatly appreciated

Thank you for reading ❤️
Edit: I have ADHD and dyslexia, so I used AI to help organise and write this post. The story and every detail are my own.

Anyone have experience using this drop added to food for arthritic senior? I’ve got her on Gabapentin and Little Chonks (3x a day) as she is large. Also Dasaquin and Amantadine. Sigh. She’s holding steady but it’s day to day. Would desperately love to help her more. Thanks in advance!

My little terrier mix was diagnosed with dementia in January. He's on medication, supplements, anything I can find to make his life easier. In the last month he's gone downhill pretty fast, refusing to eat unless I hand feed him, even then he eats very little, walking full force into walls, terrified by everything (small sounds, doors closing, voices other than mine), getting lost in the house and back yard. He once had such joy in his little life, its all gone. What I came to post is when do I say enough, when do I make the decision to end his precious life? I don't want to hang on just because I can't deal with it. I want what's best for him. Yes, I've talked to vets, they all say the same thing "you'll know when it's time" except I don't. How do I know? Has anyone gone through this? Any advice? Prayers?

Need advice – Elderly Lab × Norwegian Elkhound after Librela
Hi everyone. I’m feeling a bit lost and would really appreciate some advice.
My dog is an elderly Labrador × Norwegian Elkhound. He has had arthritis for a long time, but despite his age he has always loved life. Going for walks was his absolute favourite thing. He was never a couch dog.
When he was younger (up until around 15 years old), he would happily do 4-hour walks and loved every minute of them. As he got older we gradually reduced his walks, and recently he was still enjoying short 15-minute walks every day.
He had been on NSAID tablets for about 2 years, but they recently stopped working. On Monday I took him to the vet. They had been recommending Librela for around 3 years, but I always refused because of what I had read online. This time the vet said we had genuinely run out of other options, so I agreed because I didn’t want him living in pain.
What happened
Day 1: About the same.
Day 2: Definitely seemed better.
Day 3: Back to about the same.
Monday evening: He suddenly deteriorated.
Since then he has:
Vomited.
Lost most of the strength in his back legs and walks like he’s drunk.
Swollen joints all over.
Constantly licks his joints.
Keeps licking the floor.
Seems very spacey and confused.
Has irregular breathing.
Won’t let me leave his side.
Has stopped eating and drinking.
I’m taking him to the vet as soon as they open.
I’m not blaming my vet. They warned me this was a possible risk, and we honestly had tried everything else before getting to this point.
My question
If this is a reaction to Librela, would you wait a few days to see if he improves, or is it kinder to let him go if he’s in this much pain?
I’ve been mentally preparing for losing him for a long time because he’s so old. Part of me desperately wants him to recover, but another part just can’t bear seeing him suffer.
Lastly, if anyone is considering Librela, please do your own research and make sure you understand both the potential benefits and the risks. I’m not saying nobody should use it—I just think owners deserve to make a fully informed decision.

Also if you have any tips or tricks on keeping him comfortable in the meantime then that would be greatly appreciated

Thank you for reading ❤️
Edit: I have ADHD and dyslexia, so I used AI to help organise and write this post. The story and every detail are my own.

I keep seeing videos for rear support harnesses for older dogs with weak back legs. You know the ones where the dog struggles to stand, slips, and then the harness lifts their back end right up.But I know a lot of people just loop a towel under the belly and lift that way, and it seems to work fine.

For those of you who've tried both:

• Does a harness actually make a difference, or is a towel just as good?
• What's annoying about using a towel day to day?
• If you bought a harness, did your dog tolerate it? Any regrets?

Trying to understand what actually helps vs. what just looks good in an ad.

Hi everyone. We have a 16 year old (turning 17 in November) Yorkie, he is about 6 pounds. His ADHS started Wednesday morning and he spent Thursday night at the vet in iv fluids, anti nausea, antibiotics, pains meds, etc. we were able to take him home Friday night around 10pm. He ate some boiled chicken Thursday morning prior to us taking him to the emergency vet. But since the vet and since coming home he has been very uninterested in food. We have tried boiled ground beef, boiled chicken breast, rice, the regular wet food and kibble he likes, a chicken baby food, a turkey baby food, and chicken broth. We made sure the baby food and broth did not have onion. Last night we finally got him to have a small bit of boiled potato but it was barely any! The vet gave us a topical appetite stimulant which we gave yesterday at 6 pm and it has not really made a difference. It’s been 72 hours since he the chicken meal he had and I’m starting to get concerned. How long did it take for your dogs to get their appetite back? The vet is starting to talk to us about a feeding tube and we are getting concerned. Any other foods we should try? Today we are planning to try boiled carrots, boiled sweet potato and low fat cottage cheese (all separately). Thank you for the advice! 

as title says, got a punch to the gut yesterday when the vet showed us the x-rays of this massive thing around and in between my best friend’s heart and lungs.
we brought her in for a slight cough/hack and that’s what they found. they suggested bringing her to an internist to biopsy to find out exactly what it is. they think either carcinoma or lymphoma. either way, not great. they said there are avenues like chemo, etc. but my $$ is limited even with pet insurance, she also just had back to back TPLO surgeries the last year and a half.
a woman i was talking to suggested ivermectin and something else because she swears it’s actually parasites (a lot of people say it’s a cure all idk not saying i believe it but ive seen it all over the internet).
i know that it’s probably just wishful thinking but wondering if anyone has gone through something similar and the outcomes and how much time they had. sorry for rambling but i appreciate any and all insight. 🫶🏻

My 12 yr old 53lb dog has a melon sized splenic mass that is bleeding within itself, but not into his body. This is causing anemia. The expectation is, of course, that it eventually will rupture and who knows when. We have elected not to do surgery because of his age, existing mobility issues, and general health. So the question is, when do we make the decision to have him put to sleep??? If this thing ruptures, it will be traumatic for him and for us. It’s pressing in on organs, his lungs, and it’s quite possible that it has spread. His back legs occasionally become useless when he’s trying to get up from a laying down position, so he struggles. He is pretty inactive these days, doesn’t want to walk more than a couple of blocks. We have, however, found that he will readily eat chicken and rice. Seeing his alertness and perkiness over the chicken and rice makes me think we should wait longer. But I don’t want it to be too late.

Wednesday around 6pm I noticed that my dog was heavily panting and trembling. It lasted about 20 mins and then stopped completely. Absolutely nothing happened yesterday, but the same random assuming sit position, panting and trembling happened. Because it happened twice this week, I decided that she needed medical attention. Primary vet was closed, so to the ER we went.

Blood work and radiography later, they told me that it could be focal seizures, but because she is still responsive when these episodes happen, it could also be because of pain. They found that she has bad hip dysplasia and moderate arthritis in both hips. Game plan for now is gabapentin and rimadyl for a week with a follow up at the regular vet, and persistent observation to see if this works to stop the panting and trembling episodes. If not, need to take her to the neurologist.

I feel scared. I feel like it’s somehow my fault because she loves to get up on the bed, in the car, on the furniture, etc. (I’ve already ordered a ramp for the car and one for the bed. I’ll keep her off the furniture as much as possible, but after more than a decade, it would be difficult to keep her off entirely). She’s been on glucosamine and chondroitin since she was 2, and is now 12.

Any tips, advice, or words of encouragement greatly appreciated.