Hey everyone!

I brought home a Pomeranian puppy, Sadie, two months ago. She’s now 4 months old, and I also have Teddy, my 5-year-old Pomeranian.

Teddy (5 Yr Old) has never shown aggression towards other dogs, but she’s never really been interested in playing with them. She wasn’t properly socialised as a puppy because we lived in a small rural town with no access to puppy schools and I’ve always been a bit of a loner to be honest. Also, most dogs in our town are larger working breeds, and I was always nervous about letting her around bigger dogs because of her tiny size. I was also attacked by a dog when I was younger, so I’ve always been anxious about something happening to her.

I expected Teddy to be a bit standoffish when I brought Sadie (Puppy) home, but I thought they’d gradually get used to each other. It’s now been two months, and I still have to manage their interactions. I definitely can’t leave them alone together.

Teddy has always had free roam of the house and sleeps in our bed. I’d love for Sadie to eventually have the same freedom, but things have been a little different because Teddy isn’t particularly fond of her.

Our current routine:

- At night, Sadie sleeps in a crate beside our bed, while Teddy sleeps in bed with us.

- During the day, Sadie stays in a large playpen while I work from home. I take her outside regularly for toilet breaks and playtime. She actually loves her pen and is generally very settled, occasionally crying to go outside before happily settling again.

Teddy regularly approaches Sadie’s pen to sniff her. She sometimes whines at her, which I initially took as a positive sign of interest.

Every day I also hold Sadie at Teddy’s level so Teddy can sniff her, but she just has a sniff and walks away.

Over the past week, I’ve started gradually allowing Sadie more freedom around the house because to be honest I’m losing patience and I’m at my wits end keeping them separated as I’m starting to feel bad for keeping Sadie in a pen all day (even though she loves it and she has her toys, puppy pad, bed and blanket etc) However, I still separate them when Sadie starts pestering Teddy which starts almost immediately after coming out of her pen really.

The biggest issue is that Sadie constantly wants whatever Teddy has and keeps jumping on her to initiate play. Even when I give them separate toys, Sadie abandons her own to steal Teddy’s. Swapping the toys doesn’t help because she still wants whatever Teddy has!

Teddy really doesn’t like being jumped on. She growls at Sadie to make her stop and tries to walk or run away, but Sadie chases her. I’ve tried redirecting Sadie and rewarding her with treats when I get her attention, but once she starts chasing or jumping on Teddy, she becomes so fixated on her that she completely ignores me.

The confusing thing is that Teddy LOVES playing! She could play for hours and still has the energy of a puppy. I genuinely thought she’d love having a little playmate, and that after a few weeks they’d start playing together. I never expected things to still be like this two months later!

I’d love for them to eventually become friends, but I also want Teddy to feel safe and comfortable in her own home because I know it’s not fair that she’s been an only child for 5 years and now all of a sudden she has this annoying fluff ball chasing her around, and it’s not fair that Sadie doesn’t have free roam when Teddy does.

How can I teach Sadie to stop pestering Teddy and respect her boundaries, mainly stealing her toys and jumping on her? Should I be doing something differently with their introductions or the way I manage their interactions?
Has anyone been in a similar situation?

I also own the fact that this is probably due to Teddy not being socialised like she should have been, and I truly regret not making more of an effort now.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! ❤️

To make a long story ‘less long’, my ex left me with 2 of her dogs. The intention to my knowledge was to keep them for a few weeks and then she would take them back. That was not what happened. Also unbeknownst to me, the female was pregnant. Fast forward to now, I cannot find these dogs good and trustworthy homes. I’m a huge animal person and insanely empathetic. I have grown so attached to these babies and I have to find them adequate homes. I refuse to take them to the shelter where I know it is full and euthanasia is 99% their fate. Please help.

So I have a 2 year old dog, I'm not sure of her breed but likely a designer dog, closest I could match her to is a Havanese or Bichon Frise mix. She's gotten super itchy to the point she's scratching herself raw, her problem areas are near the base of her tail and behind her head, and in those spots she has these yellowish crusty scabs/flakes. Can anyone tell what this is and if this requires veterinary attention? I'm planning on taking her to the vet soon anyways to update her shots, I just want to know if this is something I can solve myself to avoid any unnecessary treatments.

I'd add a picture but I can't figure out how.

Years down the road I have another girl after 5 years trying to take all the animals. She’s a black out drunk. I’ve saved these animals multiple times while she’s in a drunken rage and leaving doors wide open,
I love this cat to death. Her cat she brought into the relationship has been treated bad for a while and won’t leave for anything. My new baby Hemi is not the same. She’ll run. I don’t know what to do, I think she used her card at the vet for her first shots and now by law it apparently means she’s legally hers. That’s fucking Bullshit. Even as my support animal she’s not mine??? What the hell.

For almost a week now, I’ve been feeding a local street dog every day. Now, whenever I step out of my building, she comes running up to meet me all happy!

I also noticed that I’m not the only one — other people in the neighborhood have been feeding her too. It really warms my heart to know there are so many good people around.

Just wanted to share a bit of good news with you all! :)

I love taking my golden to the lake but he always finds the muddiest puddle and jumps straight into the back seat shaking water everyywhere. I used to care a lot about keeping my car clean but now i spend like two hours every sunday vacuuming dirt and fur out of the carpet. Sometimes i don't even feel like taking him on trails anymore because i know the mess I'll have to deal with after.

I have been looking at those custom fit protectors for dogs but i amm worried they'll slide around or get ripped by his claws. Do you guys use anything that can handle muddy paws without looking like a garbage bag on the floor? At this point my car feels like a kennel but I still want to save the carpet underneath lol.

He's a short haired dog, he's a wiener dog/beagle mix with big giang ears, short legs, and fat paws.

He sheds so so much. And I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Can you all recommend products AND routines that I can use to keep him healthy while keeping our home less clogged of his hair?

Edit: Update at the bottom.

Sorry if wrong flair.

TLDR: I'm out of town for a week and my dog's kidneys are shutting down. Conflicted.

12 year old 50lb border Collie

I left for a work trip last week, got back Thursday night, and was told by my wife that she was having a bit of an off day and she didn't walk around much outside, and that she was hesitant to eat, but she still ate her full bowl.

I helped her walk out back and she peed blood. First thing in the morning, Friday, I took her to the vet. They sent her home with pain meds and anti-biotics in case it was a UTI. They said her bones are essentially really old and it's probably almost time, maybe to schedule within the next month or two. They said she should probably be okay and manageable while my wife and I went out of town for a week Saturday morning (not something we could reschedule unfortunately). We were hopeful based on the vets advice that we could at least wait until we got back for the final appointment and didn't have to rush to do it last night right before our flight.

They just called with test results. Long story short, she's in stage 4 kidney failure and her pancreas is failing. Vet said she should probably be euthanized as soon as possible, but also understands if we decide to wait and said as long as she's eating and drinking it's a sign that she's hanging in there.

We're really conflicted and frustrated. We want to be there with our baby girl in her final moments but we also don't want her suffering.

She hasn't walked other than a few steps but she's alert to sound and touch, chews her bone, drinks lots of water, and eating wet food and table scraps.

Do we have our family and friends take her to be euthanized without us? Or do we let the pain meds do their job and keep her comfy for a week until we're back to do it all together? We don't want her sad and scared without us but we also don't know what she's feeling. She's never expressed pain and she isn't giving signs either way now, she's just chilling and relaxing in her bed.

And we can't fly home before Saturday.

Please be gentle. This is really rough

...

Update:

Hi all,

Just an update. My wife and I decided to make the call to have our baby girl put down tomorrow afternoon. She had a day of love, laid out in the backyard grass through sun and a light drizzle like she likes, and is resting for now. Our friends and family will be with her, she'll have her bed, and some of our clothes with her. We'll also be on video call with her too just to let her hear our voice.

We really regret leaving, but we couldn't have known how bad the diagnosis would be until blood work came back today. She might have made it another week until we were back, but I can't help but think about her crashing while our friends are at work. She would die in pain, scared, and alone. I don't want to take that risk.

She's never been one to show pain, no matter how much she's hurting. She had a tooth nearly falling off one time and didn't say ANYTHING to us. She had her spleen removed a few years ago and never complained once about the pain before or after. I'm worried she might be in pain but, stubborn as ever, won't show.

This is so incredibly difficult, so I appreciate everyone's responses and support. I'm going to miss her forever. Tomorrow will be one of the worst days of our lives, but she'll be at peace soon.

I'll miss you, Ellie.

It's been two days since my cat refuses to eat, all he does is sleeping all day, I tried feeding him with syringe some milk and water he only drank some then refuses to eat anything else, including meat that it's his fav. please, if anyone had a similar situation, tell me what's wrong with him? What should I do?

Hi I have question my dog is suffering with allergy’s. I’ve been giving him the cytapoint shots for his allergies and it doesn’t seem to be working. So I’m now trying to see what everybody else is using. And are you guys also supplementing on top of the allergy shots? Like has anyone given their dog zesty paws or vet iq allergy treats as well?

Our cat is an Oscar-winning actor at 6:30 AM and will convince whoever wakes up second that he hasn't eaten in days. Right now my partner and I just text each other every morning, which works until one of us is half asleep and forgets. How do you guys keep track of who already fed the pets (or gave morning meds) without double feeding? Do you use one of those fridge magnets, a shared phone note, or an actual app?

Urinary Incontinence and CKD stage 2

My dog started leaking urine at rest on Monday. Took her in for a urinalysis and blood test on thursday. No UTI. Her kidney levels are elevated. High side of normal. SDMA 15, CREA 1.7 and BUN 27. The vet did not do her blood pressure or a UPC test and proceeded to prescribe Proin for the incontinence and Hills K/D for her kidneys. After doing my own research I will not be giving her Proin due to its chance of raising blood pressure and not being good for the kidneys. I have asked for a UPC, which she is getting Monday and blood pressure is being checked on friday(they want me to take home the blood pressure device to check her through out the weekend when she's chill and not stressed by being at the vet office). Im looking for advice on medication for the incontinence and just in general how to deal with this because my vet doesn't seem to be taking this as seriously since she is suggesting medication that would ultimately cause more damage to her kidneys.

So I am a college student but I really need some quality puppy time (all dogs are puppies imo). I go to school three hours away from home so I can’t see my sister’s dog, who is pretty much my baby. I have been kind of down in the dumps since I had to put my childhood dog down last summer (not this summer but the summer before).

Since then, we got two cats which then turned into six (two of which have been re-homed and are loving their new lives). Long story short, we thought both cats were girls but before we knew it we had four kittens. I have claimed two of the kittens but I am not allowed to have pets where I am currently living, as my landlord is severely allergic to animals.

The only thing is that our cats aren’t exactly snuggly with me, since I’m gone majority of the time. I really just want an animal that will always choose me and be there to cuddle whenever and keep me motivated.

Before I say anything else; I WILL NOT be getting a dog because I know it’s not fair to the animal as my schedule is always changing and I am a very busy person. The animal shelter closest to me isn’t open during the times that work best for me and I wouldn’t be able to spend time with them like I want too.

If anyone has any advice or thoughts about what I should do that would be greatly appreciated. I’ve noticed that my mental state has been bordering I’m okay and I’m depressed lately (yes, I am medicated), and I’m pretty sure it’s stemming from not having my animals. I really just need some puppy love, but I don’t know how to get while I’m slaving away over orgo :(

I took my cat to the vet recently because I have concerns about her being aggressive towards my younger cat - stalking, ambushing, that kind of thing (see previous post). I’m not trying to insult the vet, but I guess he had other things to attend to because he barely listened and literally had one foot out the door at one point. He prescribed my cat (10 years old, spayed, female) Ovaban. Twice a week. He gave it to her without really asking. Looking into it now, I feel like this was a really bad idea. Does anyone here have any experience with this?

Da qualche settimana la mia gattina che ormai ha circa 14 anni ha iniziato a mangiare sempre meno, ed oggi non ha mangiato praticamente niente. È dimagrita talmente tanto che le di sentono tutti gli ossi. Mamma mi ha detto che è una mia scelta se portarla dal veterinario e fare un eventuale puntura, ma a me sembra tanto una crudeltà.C'è la porto che magari è tutta curiosa per non farla più tornare

My dog has a broken nail that seems to be cracked close to the top of the nail bed. It doesn’t seem to be bothering her too bad, licking it once in a while. We don’t have many offices open on the weekends around us besides emergency. She also isn’t a huge fan of the vet. Any suggestions?? Don’t want to trim ourselves and cause more damage. Is this okay to wait till Monday to get her seen in the office or should I try to be seen asap?! In the meantime any suggestions to keep her comfortable?

hi everyone, i’m really overwhelmed and heartbroken right now. i could use as much advice as possible. i had no plans of getting a cat at all. about a week ago,i found this cat on the streets and couldn’t leave him there. i brought him home and since then he’s been vaccinated and all checked out. he’s been adjusting really well! he’s the sweetest little guy ever and although it’s only been a few days, i’ve already grown very attached to him. i’ve been cuddling him to sleep every night.

for context, i live in a small two bedroom apartment with my mom and our dog who is a pitbull. when i first brought the cat home we waited about three days before introducing them face to face. during that time we let them smell each other through the door and gave them time to adjust. they had been doing fine together overall. my dog would bark sometimes and the cat would hiss occasionally, but once they were introduced they were able to coexist in the same space without any major problems. because of this i genuinely thought they were adjusting well and would be able to live together. unfortunately, everything changed today.

the incident happened in my mom’s bedroom, which is mainly my dogs territory. i didn’t see exactly what started it, but my dog tried to go after my cat. she didn’t get a chance to hurt him, but she was trying to reach him, causing him to run underneath the bed to hide. my dog was trying to crawl underneath the bed to get to him while barking. the poor kitty was so terrified that he peed and pooped himself.

after this happened, my dog wouldn’t stop barking and was having a really hard time calming down. my cat had been hiding underneath my moms bed for over an hour. we took my dog outside for this entire time frame and eventually got my cat to come back into my bedroom where my dog isn’t allowed. he’s been hiding in my closet ever since and won’t come out or even look at me. it breaks my heart because he’s been incredibly affectionate to me the short time i’ve had him, now he’s completely terrified.

i put his litter box, food, water, and bed in my room so he has everything he needs. i’m keeping him completely separated from my dog and i don’t plan on letting them interact again while i figure out what to do. at this point, i don’t feel comfortable having them around each other anymore. it’s unfair to both of them, and im terrified of another altercation happening again.

i’m feeling incredibly stuck right now because i don’t know how to handle this situation moving forward. i want nothing more than to keep the cat, but i know i need to prioritize his safety and wellbeing first. if that means finding him a new home where he can feel safe, then i might need to do that, although the thought breaks my heart.

i know they’ve only been together for a week, but before today everything had seemed fine. i hadn’t expected my dog to react this aggressively at all.

do you guys believe there is any chance of them eventually learning to coexist, or is keeping him too risky after an incident like this? would keeping them separated permanently be realistic, or is this unfair to both of them? is there anything i can do to help my cat feel safe again in the meantime? i don’t want him to be so traumatized and scared.

thank you ❤️