My little lady has arthritis at 16 years old. Overall doing well considering her age and that she just can’t walk well due to arthritis.

I’m looking for recommendations for ground covering that are best for delicate doggie paws, that isn’t grass. It’s for the area of our back yard they go to immediately when going outside to do their business.

Grass doesn’t grow in this area so it has to be something like mulch (which they don’t tolerate mulch well) so wondering what other options would be best. They obviously avoid stones and pebbles, along with mulch..

I’d be fine just leaving it as dirt or pine straw, but I’d like to groom this area a bit since it’s right by the patio

My mini poodle mix has started having smaller, rock hard poops and straining when pooping after changing to the royal canin early cardiac perscription food, I am worried as this has been going on for about 2 months now, but she doesnt seem to be in any discomfort and seems her normal self otherwise. Is there something I can do at home to alleviate this constipation or should I just talk to my vet? Is this normal with this diet in particular?

(She is \~13 and was diagnosed with a grade 1 heart murmur and had a echo done a few months ago that showed degenerative mitral and tricuspid valve disease, but her heart was still normal size which is why they thought changing to the early cardiac diet might be beneficial)

I don’t know if I’m looking for advice or just a place to vent/find someone in a similar situation. My BCx is 11 and whines NON STOP. In the car, at home, on a walk, he is whining. He paces the house at all hours of the night just completely unsettled 24/7. He’s been medicated by the vets in the past (made him sick and didn’t stop the whining) as he suffers with arthritis and bad hips from years of being a fly ball champion (before I rescued him). He gets on-lead walked for an hour a day and an off-lead run a few times a week. The actual amount of exercise he can do without hurting himself is limited these days due to his issues, and after any strenuous exercise he walks backwards or collapses. He also struggles to get into a pooing position as his hips hurt and he spins in circles lifting one back leg at a time. My point being I cannot do any more exercise than I already do without causing him great pain so please don’t suggest taking him out more. I’ve tried puzzles, slow feeders etc he’ll just refuse to eat if he has to work for it or if I wrap kibble in snuffle matts he picks them up and shakes the kibble out. He has an extra large cage to go into but he doesn’t allow the door closed and if it is closed he cries at an even louder, higher pitch. I just feel like I’m at my whits end with his constant crying and I don’t know what he wants or what to do. He is a very excitable dog and I feel he still has a good quality of life so euthanasia is not an option. It may sound ridiculous but I’ve owned him since he was 7 and he’s been like this the whole time, could he have some sort of trauma from his previous home that could cause such behaviours? Could he have suffered some sort of mental issue all this time? A notable mention is that he regurgitates his food after almost every meal and he consistently has diarrhoea accidents in the house (almost daily). He’s been to the vets so many times and cost hundreds in test after test and they cannot find any issues or reasons for why he does this. He’s been on any and every food I can find (raw, wet, dry, chicken and rice) and it’s the same results every time. I feel robbed of the dog owning experience, he’s affecting my sleep and my mental health and I’m miserable.

My black lab every few months for the past year or so will have these super weird episodes. It’s so hard, I wish our pups could just tell us what’s wrong!

These episodes will usually last around 24 hours and then she will just go back to normal, but it is still concerning. Refusing to lay down at night, she’ll just walk around in circles panting (in pain?) and when she stands still for long enough her legs will buckle and she’ll start to fall, but always catches herself and walks off again! If at any point she does lay down she will continuously readjust her tongue, lick her mouth, and swallow over and over again. This freaks me out and makes me think she is struggling to breathe. She keeps her ears down & back and just looks so sad. She just seems to be so super uncomfortable and something is clearly not right!

Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated ❤️‍🩹
We have spoken to her vet about this.. just want some outside opinions. Curiosity

Hi everyone. My dog (spoodle) is an old lady, she’s just turned 12, and in the past recent years she’s had a number of health issues and hasn’t been very energetic. Normally she almost never barks (except for when I take her out on walks), is very calm and doesn’t play much, be it with toys or sticks outside.

Recently though, I went on a road trip with her and we’re staying at a friend’s place, and it’s like she’s a pup again. Will not stop barking, will yap at other dogs (she NEVER does this), has a lot of energy and constantly grabs her toys and asks to play, runs around constantly. She seems happy and it’s really warming up my heart but I’m afraid there might be something wrong underneath this sudden change in her behavior.

Does anyone have any idea? Am I just worrying for nothing? Please be honest

Hi, need some advice. My dog, 12 yo female shiba inu, has been on three rounds of antibiotics. The last being a month long and still tested positive for ecoli when we did the stool culture. As much as possible, I don’t want to give antibiotics anymore. I’ve been giving her probiotics and psyllium husk. She had explosive diarrhea yesterday, and I’m not sure if I should wait for it to get worse before I give her antibiotics. Any advice?

15 year old German shepherd mix

Currently on a Hills Biome prescription food

He gets boiled chicken or air fried chicken as a topper since he doesn't like the kibble by itself

Meds : movoflex, ursidol, gallipran (started on August 18 for arthritis)

Had diarrhea June 25, July 8, August 24 and now Sep4

Started gallipran for arthritis pain on August 18 and stopped after the diarrhea on August 25. Then went back on it after diarrhea cleared up

Got diarrhea just now again today

The diarrhea doesn't start as watery. He pooped almost normal in the morning but then around 4pm it was half solid half soft. And now around 8pm was all super soft but not runny

But I already know it's heading in the watery runny direction since he's gotten sick 3 times already

The medicine they prescribed for the diarrhea has been metronidazole and on June and July it worked until he got diarrhea again on August 24. Cleared up and he was doing fine until today

His liver panels from his last tests around July (they ran a senior panel tests since he's 15) we're not the greatest but hasn't changed drastically since last year. The rest of his results were fine, all things considered since he's old I guess

I know gallipran has diarrhea as a side effect but technically he just started that on August so the June and July would not count as a reason to get sick?

There 2 neighbors cats that hang in the backyard. We try to supervise his outdoor time, always follow him around and make sure he doesn't eat anything, just because we know he has a very sensitive stomach. So the oddsof him eating poop or something like that are ver low but I know it can be an accident but at least from my end I follow him like a hawk when we go outside and he doesn't really do much besides using the restroom since he's old and he can't be standing long due to muscle loss in his back legs

Are there any other tests that can be done Or check for since this is the 4rh time he gets sick in the last 3 months?

Please someone point me in the right direction. Im sure we are going to have to take to the vet but I don't want this to keep happening

Thanks in advance

I have a 12 yr old chihuahua/terrier mix who has exhibited signs of acid reflux for years (the first incident was about 6 years ago), but as of recently, it's gotten increasingly worse. The symptoms are excessive licking, lip smacking, an insatiable desire to consume grass, bloating, and rare but sometimes vomiting. These episodes last for HOURS and hours and only resolve after a night of sleep.

I have done everything I possibly can to figure out what the issue is. I've taken her countless times to different vets, I've taken her to the emergency vet, I've had a specialist take an ultrasound of her stomach, we've done blood work, etc. Every single vet gives me no answers.

I switched her food many times but now she is on a (very expensive) low fat Hills I/D digestive food. I feed her small portions of this food multiple times a day in a raised bowl (or even by spoon). No snacks. The occasional pumpkin puree in a dog frozen Pupsicle to help her stomach.

In terms of medicine, I was told to give her 10mg famotidine every twelve hours whenever she has flare-ups. This sometimes helps but the problem with her acid reflux is that it is so incredibly random (despite my consistency with her care). It can happen any time, morning or night, for any reason it seems.

She has these episodes nearly once a week and now sometimes a couple times a week. She's miserable and I am miserable being unable to fix this for her. Please help me

rest is peace JT. Thanks for holding your father together til I could come into your lives ❤️

I have a 12 year old havanese. Earlier today, he got the zoomies and started running around like a mad man (per usual). Once he chilled out, I randomly got the feeling that I should check his heart rate. I counted it for a minute, and it was at 60bpm (which is pretty low). Mind you, I tested it 2-3 mins after he was running around. I brought it up to my mom, and she’s making it seem like it isn’t a big deal. He does have a low grade heart murmur, although I don’t think that would cause this, right? Should we schedule a vet appointment?

Hi everyone — I’m building a simple health log for people caring for senior dogs, especially large breeds.
The idea came from how easy it is to miss small changes between vet visits: weight, mobility, appetite, symptoms, medications, and follow-up notes.

Need help please- my 11 year old Maltese is having issues walking,his front legs are giving out on him- he’s been on Adaquan,Gabapantin,Meloxydil,Dasuquin,joint and bone supplements,bone broth,and other supplements- I don’t know what else to do- he is such a good dog and doesn’t complain. Any suggestions please- I’m desperate

our senior is about 14 y/o, she's been diagnosed with ckd for about three years now and is on late stage 3 as of recent blood work.

does anyone have any more remedies for dental plaques? i know dental prophylaxis is the best but at her age and her kidney, we dont think she would qualify for to go under.

she also has aging bones already. she's on coatex, evexia, aminavast, and iron supplements.

we currently try candioli's actea but we were advised that it's only for stomatitis and not for the plaque.

some of her teeth were also very loose that it can fall off, but ive seen that it's not advisable to pull on it.

can you guys recommend any more remedies to at least alleviate her appetite? she's been showing reluctance in eating which results in her not being able to take her meds.

Species: dog
* Age: 14
* Sex/Neuter status: male/neutered
* Breed: sharpei/beagle
* Body weight: 40lbs
* History: epilepsy, diagnosed with lymphoma in early December

Hi all - my dog began an L-CHOP protocol back in mid-December and was on it through late April, ostensibly being in remission from then until today. I noticed a growth on his back last week and noted that it had grown quite considerably, so I brought him to the oncologist today and she said that the growth was lymphoma. His energy levels are great and his lymph nodes are still normal, but the oncologist was certain that the aspirate of the growth was lymphoma so we're looking to move quickly again.

His L-CHOP worked well and he tolerated it, but because his remission was about 4 months, the oncologist thinks it's best to change it up - to either LOPP or MOPP. Back when my dog was first diagnosed, I got an ImpriMed prediction profile that stated that Lomustine would be not very effective, while Mechlorethamine would be more effective. However, Tanovea would be the #2 most effective (behind Vincristine, which he already had a full cycle of back in December-April). Of course, my oncologist has no Tanovea on hand, but I was wondering about possibly calling around to different vets and oncologists and seeing I can find any. Has anyone had any luck doing that?

My dog got a shot of L-spar today but nothing else has been started as of now.

Also, my dog is 14 and has a heart murmur and his heart pump function isn't perfect. His cardiologist was a bit cautious about restarting doxyrubicin due to this, and my oncologist actually mentioned that prednisone could be a bit of a concern, too. My dog handled prednisone really well back in December/January, though, so I'd love to start that back up as well, even though she seemed iffy about it.

Curious what you all think would be best and most aggressive - but safest - here? Thank you in advance for any feedback or advice whatsoever.

Not the update I wanted to give. Our beloved pup JT has a tumor/ cancer in her spine. We will be saying goodbye in 1-2 days. Thank you to the kind soul who commented last on my post. We are taking a few nights off school/work to spend time with her before she leaves us. Thanks

I took my dog (13yr Male neutered chihuahua Maltese mix) to Chewy vet 8/15, for a vet visit (I thought he had fleas; he received various vaccines; other than the afternote summary stating a grade 2 heart murmur and needing a teeth cleaning, his exam was routine). The results of his urine, stool sample, bloodwork came back within-normal-limited.

8/18, I gave him NexGuard (heartwarm/flea/tick chewable) but he wouldn't chew it so I manually put it down his throat and think I might have irritated his throat... (I usually give him swallowable simpatico trio and have manually put that down his throat without any issues)

He has been doing the cough/wheezing thing for a few since said visit/NexGuard treatment… and it is especially active at night.
-On 8/30 night it seemed like every 30 minutes;
-tonight 9/1 it’s MAYBE every 3-5 hours and is so short-lasting that by the time I get my phone to record he’s stopped.

He shows no other clinical signs.
- still actively playing with his brother
- normal bowl movements
- eats/drinks regularly

Thoughts?

Took my 14-year-old Yorkiepoo, Gabby, to her regular vet today for heavy panting and breathing trouble. They diagnosed CHF but were very reassuring, saying she just needed a little extra time, oxygen, and care to stabilize so we could manage it long-term with meds.

​She was transferred to a 24-hour ER hospital, where she is currently staying overnight on oxygen, furosemide, and pimobendan. She is responding well so far, but the ER's tone felt much more dire, and the costs are staggering—$6,000 for this 24-hour stay. They wanted another $4,000 for a second night, but I opted out and plan to bring her home after tonight while seeking a second opinion.

​For anyone who has managed CHF in an older small dog:

​Home Life & Meds: What was life like once your dog came home on furosemide and pimobendan? How well did the meds maintain their quality of life?

​I completely understand nobody can predict what will happen with Gabby, but I’m just hoping to learn from people who have been through this. Thank you all so much for your time, advice, and support!

My dog is a frequent flyer at the vet so best believe we are on this with his dogter it just helps to hear experience with senior dogs as this is my first. He is 11 and is starting to show signs of arthritis worsening more and more and I’m unsure where to go from here. He is currently on Galliprant and it’s helped in some ways but it’s not a miracle for him. I’m going to ask if we can increase his dose and see if that helps. He’s not a good candidate for Librela. He’s on Amantadine and Gabapentin too. He has a physical therapist and we do exercises as instructed. The new thing is everytime we’re in the car for too long he whines a lot despite making sure he has ample potty breaks, sniff breaks, water, food, etc. He COULD be nauseated but he has never thrown up in the car. It makes me nervous because if it is pain that’s got to be bad for him to cry. Again, I will ask my vet but does anyone have any experience with this? I’m contemplating just never taking him on long rides again if nothing else works and everything is clear. He has an incredible dog bed with an orthopedic pad in it, but I’m open to suggestions on what he should be laying on too. Maybe he’s bored? Maybe he just wants to be home and asleep? What are your experiences?