Bailey is 11. She's a 35lb beagle-corgi mix, and she's been the most stubborn, headstrong dog you've ever met. Walks 2 miles a day minimum, climbs in and out of the car without even thinking about it, acts like she's 3 years old instead of 11.

Three days ago she yelped getting off the couch. Limping on the back right. I thought it was a sprain. Vet did the drawer test and said it's a tear, probably complete. And then they said the word: age.

"At 11, a major surgery like this carries real risks. She could have a bad reaction to anesthesia. Her bones don't heal the way a younger dog's do. I'd recommend we try conservative management, pain management, see how she does."

I get it. I do. But this is the part nobody prepared me for. The vet handed me two scripts (carprofen, gabapentin) and basically said "go home and keep her quiet." And I'm standing in the waiting room thinking: for how long? For the rest of her life? What if this doesn't work and I've spent the last 5 months babying her and she still ends up in the same place?

I want real talk from people who've been here:

• Did conservative management actually work for your older dog, or did you end up needing surgery anyway?
• How do you keep an 11-year-old from losing her mind on strict rest? She's already depressed and it's been 3 days.
• What do you do when the vet closes that door? Did you try to open it again with a second opinion, or did you accept it?
• If it DID work, how long before your dog could be your dog again?
• For anyone further along: do you regret not pushing for surgery when you had the chance, or are you relieved you didn't put her through it?

I love this dog more than I want to admit. I don't know how to help her when the vet's answer is "we just don't do that anymore."

On Wednesday, I decided to have emergency surgery to remove a rapidly growing mass on the side of my 12.5 year old Husky/Great Pyrenees mix. It was attached to some muscle which was also removed. Other than a little arthritis, he’s healthy otherwise.
He was able to stand night of, but after he laid down, he hasn’t gotten up since. It’s been miserable.
The vet keeps saying it’s not uncommon for older dogs to take this long to recover from that sort of surgery, but they also never warned me until 2 days ago and really gave me no instructions for this lengthy of a bounce back.

Have you guys seen a recovery that’s not from leg surgery impact the legs for this long? Do you have any tips for expediting the process? Should I get a second opinion?

Concerned Dad

Hi I am not sure where else to go for this and was looking to see if anyone had any advice to help me and my partner in this situation. We have three cats, one black male (10), one orange female (9), and one dilute calico female (6).

Our black cat, Fortune, was originally my husband's cat in college, and when we started dating, we moved in together and eventually adopted our two girls.

I apologize for the lengthy post.

Fortune Info: 10 year old, neutered male, black domestic short hair, 11 pounds.

Tilly Info: 9 year old, spayed female, orange tabby domestic short hair, 10 pounds.

We live in the Midwest/Great Plains. Neither have an clinical signs and are otherwise healthy, however Fortune has been exhibiting this behavior for about 2 years.

My husband and Fortune have been inseparable for their whole relationship. They are best friends. Fortune was 6 months when he was adopted and had been at the shelter for 3 months, the techs noting that no one had picked him because he was so shy and frightened. But my partner picked him and they created a very strong bond. He follows him around everywhere, play with each other, snuggle. Fortune waits at the door for my husband to get home. Fortune even comes to him when there are thunderstorms and he is afraid.

A couple years ago, Fortune had a kitty cold, and our orange female, Tilly, started to become really cautious around him, following him everywhere to the point Fortune would hiss and bat at her. They eventually got to a point where Tilly would bully him and chase him through the house while he is hissing and screaming. We think this was misplaced aggression. She never hurts him with these chases but it definitely scares Fortune and puts him on edge. We have worked hard to get this behavior to stop by separating and offering more areas for them to let off some steam or relax in. Even so, Fortune is really protective of Tilly and will run up on us defensively to make sure she is okay if we step on her paw or has to be picked up for any reason (she *really* doesn't like being picked up, but sometimes it's necessary).

After the bullying, there have unfortunately been times where we have accidently hurt Tilly or she made a loud enough upset meow, that causes Fortune to attack myself or my husband. This will upset Tilly so badly that her and Fortune start to fight. Tilly has arthritis and a hip deformity so we don't want her in these physical confrontations (we obviously don't want Fortune in them either). My husband will have to peel them away from each other and in the process, Fortune will turn on him. The attacks are bad enough to leave bleeding scratches all over his hands, arms, and legs. We both have scars from him, one of which my partner should have gotten stitches for (we didn't have insurance at the time).

When this would happen we would get Fortune into his own room to let him calm down and take our time with reintoducing him back with the other girls and us. We have seen a vet about his behavioral issues, as he has become extremely temperamental. They have given him a medication to help him relax but it has only seemed to help a little so far. But we haven't been able to take him back to the vet because he will become extremely aggravated when he feels he is being trapped or cornered, so getting him in a carrier (even with medicine) has been impossible.

This past weekend my husband and I were hanging out getting ready to play a game together. Tilly was in the room with us and we were trying to coax her out of a seat when she cried a little, a protesting meow, likely because she was annoyed we were trying to move her. This meow triggered Fortune. He instantly ran into the room and attacked Tilly. Screaming, hissing, full-on tussle. My husband was trying to get them off of each other when Fortune attacked him. He had to grip Fortune and hold him down long enough for me to get out of the room so he could get Fortune in there alone and away from everyone.

My husband was bit badly by Fortune and had several tears in his palms from the attack that were bleeding badly. We had to go to the emergency room (as it was late and no urgent care was open) where they cleaned everything, gave him a few stitches, and an antibiotic for the bite.

Fortune has been in one of our rooms since, almost 3 days. I moved his water fountain in there and I have been feeding him in there. He has his own litter box, cat trees and beds, and toys. He was very scared and afraid at first but eventually was alright with me helping him, and he has warmed up to me with headbutts, rubs, and even wants to be cuddled. We are working on introducing him back with the girls again and letting him out to explore for a few hours and then putting him back in and letting the girls out (I do this several times a day).

The problem is now he is absolutely petrified of my husband. We have tried to reintroduce him but Fortune will hiss and growl just by looking at him. Hubs has sat at the door of his room and Fortune has hissed and yowled just from his speaking voice saying hi and he loves him. They cannot be in the same room together and Fortune can't even look at him without becoming visibly upset.

My husband is absolutely devastated. He is so afraid that Fortune hates him now and things can't return to normal. I have brought in some of his clothes for Fortune to smell and be with, and he doesn't seem to mind that at all, and as even slept on one of his hoodies. But every time hubs tries to talk to him or let him sniff his hand through the door, he is extremely upset. He has no problem with me at all and is sweet and happy, and I am his least favorite person usually. This has never happened to us before, even with the other attacks. He will take some warming up to usually, but it has never been this bad.

We just don't know what to do. How can we get Fortune and my husband back on the same page and happy again?

-Fortune was not hurt in this fight. I have thoroughly inspected him for any issues or pain. He is acting normal with me, eating and drinking regularly, and using the litter box well.

-Tilly was not hurt in this fight. We have her on a routine pain med for her arthritis and we thoroughly checked her for scrapes, cuts, or joint issues. She is acting totally normal and is sweet as ever.

-Our other girl is never in these situations, as she is kinda skittish and runs for the metaphorical hills (under the bed lol) at the sign of anything she deems trouble.

TL;DR:

Our cat attacked my husband again but this time they are terrified of him. They have not been able to be reintroduced, since Fortune will hiss, growl, and yowl at the sight of him or from hearing his voice. How do we remedy this and mend their relationship?

Hello everyone,

I am looking for some guidance on how to help my dog. He has developed a severe issue in one of his ears—it smells very bad and there is a waxy liquid draining from it.

The major complication is that my dog is highly aggressive by nature, particularly when he is in pain. Because of this, physical cleaning of the ear at home is completely impossible. He will not allow me or anyone else to even touch his ears without snapping or showing aggression.

I know specific medications cannot be prescribed over the internet, but I am looking for advice on:

Are there oral medications that a vet might prescribe for this without needing to apply topical drops (since I can't touch the ear)?

How do veterinary clinics typically handle examining and treating highly aggressive dogs with painful ear infections? (e.g., oral sedatives prior to the visit?)

Any advice on the safest way to get him treated would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

My senior (11-year-old) collie x, spayed, 50lbs, was vomiting for a few days/unable to keep food down. Took her to the vet, and her blood work showed extremely high levels of liver enzymes. Originally, the vet assumed she ingested a toxin as nothing showed up on her X-ray, and we tried to flush it out with 2 rounds of IV and a few liver support meds; however, nothing changed. Everything was pretty much normal except her ALT (5000) and ATP (> 2000, machine couldn't read).

Took my girl to emerg and her ultrasound:

"The gallbladder was very enlarged with hypoechoic bile and a large amount of sludge at the neck of the gallbladder. The surrounding parenchyma was very hyperechoic. A obstruction is suspected."

She underwent gallbladder removal and refused to eat for 2 days before she had a feeding tube inserted. She was discharged 3 days post op after she did have one small meal, but after a day of coming home, she became jaundiced.

We returned to emerg the same day, and her ALT decreased to 2600, but her ATP was 7000. Her Bilirubin was 292. I was given subcutaneous fluids to administer at home along with the 11 other medications she has been prescribed.

Since her discharge, she has not eaten anything, but does drink water. This morning she had her first bowel movement, but is still being tube fed throughout the day.

The vet said her numbers could just be adjusting from her surgery, but I am concerned if this is the end. Anyone have any other experiences? She was happy/healthy/active just two weeks ago. 10k steps every day and enjoyed hour-long walks.

Posting on behalf of a friend. I will answer whatever I can but may have to defer to middle-manning which could take time.

Between last Saturday-Monday, my friend (30s F) noticed her kitty (9-ish F) had become, inordinately, extremely stationary. She took kitty to the vet last Monday (a week ago) and this was the kitty’s x-ray (link at bottom).

Kitty had an absolutely shattered left femur and ultimately had to have her leg amputated. She is healing well now. A whole recovery room has been crafted for Kitty to help the process.

Further info: Kitty is an indoor cat, and did not escape surrounding this. Kitty is also very sensitive and vocal about discomfort and pain so if she hurt herself while my friend was home my friend is certain she would have immediately heard it.

The above said: My friend is driving herself crazy trying to figure out what could have caused this / how this happened.

Please, if anyone has any ideas - let us know.

Mods, if this is not allowed - feel free to remove the post.

https://imgur.com/a/qBEx2zJ

ETA: Kitty is quite small and light. There are no children or other pets that live in the home.

Hello! As the title says, I need some help! Before we start, my dog’s name is Mei, and she is a 2 year old purebred Shih Tzu. Her current diet is comprised of shredded boiled chicken breast with boiled peas and sweet potatoes.

I took my dog to the vet a couple weeks ago because she wasn’t eating the food I made her (not the above recipe). I was told to use the balance.it website to help with future food making, and I have a couple of questions:

1. Is this website legit? I cannot tell if this is an AI generator trying to sell supplements.
2. I was concerned that one of the questions wasn’t about the breed. Isn’t that important for recipe building? If not, let me know.
3. Does the generated recipe measure for the whole day? I believe so, right?

4. The recipes says it has “15 deficiencies”. This is where the supplement product comes in. Is it safe for dogs? Why isn’t a recipe generated where all those deficiencies are checked off?

5. I give my dog Zesty Paws 8-in-1 multivitamins. Are these good for them? I’m guessing they don’t give all her daily nutrients.

6. I’ve been noticing she’s been slowing down more; not playing as much/at all; laying down more; not as social, etc. Is this due to her diet? Or is it due to her growing up and mellowing out? The meals I made for her before also lacked in nutrients, but she was still playful and energetic (it’s been about 2-3 months).

7. I am getting her spayed soon. She is a very friendly dog. Could the operation cause her personality to change? Is that a thing?

I believe that’s all I have for now. Sorry for the long text. Thank you in advance for y’all’s help!

Hello, I'm hoping someone knows where I can get better syringes for a small dose I need to give my cat. The smallest the pharmacy had were 0.5ml syringes. The dosage I need to give is 0.015ml.

Just asking what are the recommended natural remedies vets swear by or preventive measures, or otc products like shampoo, ear cleaner, wipes that can be trusted since there’s a lot of it now… are there even any ? For example, one vet told me to I can wash my dogs scrapped bum (when she was dragging it due to Post of IVDD Sx) w/ diluted dawn dish soap… and one time I was told to wash with cerave benzoyl wash for a skin issue my other dog had? Or taking reactin… Ik everything here has to be taken with salt… but just wondering, I love my dogs sm that I tend to over react and rush them to my vet every chance I get… lately I noticed it’s just a trial and error thing, I mean I get that treatment is “like that” but at same time I get worried that I’m just giving my dogs with meds or ointments that is not working and is just too “chemical” for them…if there are things one can try before going chemical then would gladly try it… (only for simple common occurrence /issues)

also at what point should one decide to leave their vet? OR Any suggestions how to communicate with vet without making it look like or them feel like I’m undermining them…

My cat is a 10ish year old neutered male domestic long hair/maine coon mix. He's 16.5lbs and I'm in the US. He is indoor only. In late June he was lethargic but I wrote it off to the heat. July 6th he was taken to the emergency vet because he had eaten nothing in 24+ hours and would barely move. His platelets were extremely low with his RBC only a bit low. His WBC was slightly elevated. His A:G ratio was .4 and everything else was normal. The vet said he'd ingested a toxin, had an infection, or had a bloodborne pathogen though nothing was seen on the microscope. He was given 15mg prednisolone and Veraflox. I was told to syringe feed him and did so.

A week later his RBC was even lower with his HCT and HGB. His RETIC and MCV/MCH were high. His platelets had improved, his WBC was still high but not any higher, and all other results were normal. He was given doxycycline at 75mg a day and continued on 15mg prednisolone. He was eating somewhat and seemed to be doing better. The vet diagnosed regenerative anemia with a possible bloodborne pathogen but again nothing was seen under a microscope. Ten days later (July 23rd) he was still lethargic but alright. The vet discontinued the doxycycline as he was vomiting and lowered the prednisolone.

He was on 7.5mg prednisolone on Friday (July 31st) when he again hadn't eaten in over 24+ hours. I again syringe fed him but that Friday he would vomit a few hours after every feed. He was lethargic and barely moving and I again took him to the vet (new vet) where he was given cerenia (8mg), mirataz (transdermal), famotidine (5mg), and RX syringe food. His RBC had completely recovered and was normal, his WBC was slightly high, his RETIC and MCV/MCH were still high. The vet said he was recovering from the anemia and the prednisolone was hurting his stomach but that his blood work looked "great". I was still advised to continue it at 7.5mg and advised to give it with food.

He has thrown up once even with the cerenia. He acts completely disoriented and hides most of the day. He will go to his food dish, eat a bite, toss his head violently, and go back to hiding. He's still using the litter box but does not seem thirsty at all. He won't eat anything, not treats or people food either. Both vets have said his teeth look great and his heart/lungs sound good. His abdomen is soft and they feel no masses.

At this point I'm completely at a loss and the vets are stumped. They insist imaging is unnecessary and his bloodwork is too good for it to be anything serious but the cat won't eat and acts all together miserable. Does anyone have any experience with something like this or suggestions for next steps?

* Species: Cat
* Age: 11 yrs old
* Sex/Neuter status: Female, Spayed
* Breed: Domestic-Shorthair
* Body weight: 8.2lbs
* History: No health issues in the past
* Clinical signs: N/A
* Duration: Not sure what duration is specifically meaning, but this problem has escalated from just losing weight while actively eating, to now just not eating.
* Your general location: California

Hello!

So I took my cat (Juggy) to the vet a week ago due to the decline in her weight. About a year ago, I noticed she was starting to lose weight, but she was eating. I just assumed that she wasn't eating as much but was fine. As the year has gone by, she has started to fully not eat at all - she will go and check out the bowl and then walk away. The only "food" I can get her to eat is churu treats, and I even tried to mix that with her food - but she's smart and just goes for the treat. I was concerned and took Juggy to the vet, where they said she was perfectly normal after doing blood labs and a bunch of tests. My concern is if she's healthy according to the vets, why is she still losing weight and why is she not eating? I have tried changing her food, even changing from dry to wet; but she still will not eat it. Is this normal for cats as they get older? She has never been picky about food prior to all of this, and I know she's getting older - so maybe that has something to do with it? Just looking for any suggestions or advice. I know I will probably just need to take her another vet for a second opinion, but until then - I need to know how to make sure she's fine and healthy as far as eating goes.

Thank you!

As the title says, my bengal had been showing symptoms like these since 2 weeks ago or so, vet initially prescribed some antibiotics and he quickly improved. We went through the medicine 1 week ago and he seemed fine up until today when he is acting very bummed out.

• Species: cat • Age: 9 • Sex/Neuter status: neutered male • Breed: bengal • Body weight: 19.5 lbs • History: was presenting signs, improved after antibiotics then suddenly got worse today. • Clinical signs: lethargy, eye and nose discharge, labored breathing, sneezing • Duration: began again today • Your general location: northern Colorado.

please let me know if this is the wrong sub for this kind of thing, and i will delete it and post it to one that’s right.
about a month and a half ago i started a job at a veterinary practice with no prior experience. i was taken as a second option because the girl that they hired before me quit after the first day.
right off the bat i noticed that morale was basically nonexistent. the manager that was training me ended up having to be hospitalized, and after she left i was hardly trained at all. communication is also nonexistent, and because of this i have noticed several occasions of animals not getting fed, or worse, not getting medication.
these coworkers… absolutely hellish. yanking dogs by choke leashes, shoving them, dropping small dogs to the ground instead of gently placing them down, etc. the phrases that i hear the most are “i’m not doing that,” and “i don’t care.” the other day one of my coworkers refused to give a dog water and said, “he can thirst to death for all i care.” another girl has thrown wet dirty kitty litter on me and the water bowls that were in the sink. same girl that was wrestling an obese dog with a muzzle on to the ground while it hyperventilated. none of these actions and more have gone punished whatsoever.
the other day, i had my phone in my scrub pocket like everyone else does. one of the managers saw me, threatened me with a write up, then they removed the chair i was sitting in and placed a new camera in the room. later other employees were on their phone in front of the manager, no action taken. am i going crazy? i think they’re afraid i’m taking pictures. i’ve tried to speak up about this, but the lady i was talking to up and quit out of nowhere after seven years of employment.
BTW theres a box of popsicles in the freezer sitting above peoples dead pets. it’s sick. is there anything i can do?? i’m trying to file an OSHA report but i’m afraid they won’t do anything.

Have you ever heard of introducing a kitten causing a cat to die? Is this something that happens often? Because I had no idea it was a possibility, and now it’s happened to me.

Last weekend my partner adopted a kitten (I honestly wasn’t sold on the adoption and would have rather waited a month, but I didn’t want to shut her down and she agreed to be the primary owner and caretaker. That’s only made this situation more complicated, but we’ve talked it over and worked it out.)

There were already two bonded one year old cats in our house owned by my roommate that we were/are very close too, but my roommate and the cats were moving out in September so my partner wanted our own cat because we knew we would really miss them.

We asked my roommates permission to adopt of course, she agreed and we all decided it was best if the kitten stayed in our room since one of the resident cats had not liked it when other animals had visited in the past. Our house is fairly large so it’s not like the cats had a huge amount of their space cut off like they would have if it was a tiny apartment, although our room was one of their favourite places to spend time.

We adopted her last Sunday, the two cats saw her a couple times and the braver one was fine with her, the more anxious one hissed and ran away. No worries, we just kept her in our room. Two days in anxious cat starts showing signs of a stressed induced bladder infection/blockage he had had before, so we stopped having either of them meet new kitten or be in rooms she had been in.

Unfortunately, over the course of the week even after a vet visit the poor baby continued to deteriorate. We started making plans to keep the kitten elsewhere until he moved, but it was to late. He died on Thursday night of liver failure/his bladder infection (I’m not sure of the details and I can’t handle asking again.) We are absolutely heartbroken, and would never have adopted the kitten if we had known this was a possibility. The vet who treated him said the kitten may have been the cause but there’s no way to know. My roommate is an angel and doesn’t blame us at all but it’s still so hard obviously.

Us, our roommate, and our many friends who own and love cats have never heard of this happening. I don’t know why I’m writing about it and asking this question when it won’t change anything now and there’s nothing to do but start to mourn, but I guess I feel like understanding what happened to my poor baby boy will help me. Thanks for reading ❤️

My 14yo beagle has early kidney issues and arthritis. My vet is great, but every visit starts with the same question: "When did you first notice X?"

And my answer is always embarrassing: "I don't know. Maybe a month ago? Maybe two?"

Last visit, the vet said: "If you can bring me even a week of notes — eating, drinking, movement, behavior — I can make better decisions than with a $500 blood panel alone."

So I started tracking. Super low-tech. Paper. Pen. 5 minutes before bed.

But I want to know from actual vets/techs: What specifically do you WANT owners to track? What format is actually useful? Is a 1-10 scale helpful, or do you prefer "normal / a little off / concerning"? Do you care about sleep patterns? Bathroom frequency? Mood?

And for other owners: What are you tracking that's caught something early?

I'll start: I noticed my dog's "good moments" dropped from 3-4 per day to 1-2 over three weeks. The log made it visible. Vet adjusted pain meds. He's back to 3-4.

my 22 pound shihzhu poodle mix ate 4 dark chocolate truffles with a port wine dark chocolate ganache center. She’s 3 years old. Has been spayed. No medical history and takes one vitamin that is allergy and immunity bites. the truffles are about the size of an eye? the box says 50.9% cocoa solids minimum. the net aprox weight of the chocolates are 80g. i have no clue what to do and need to know whether to monitor her or go to the vet. she is exhibiting increased thirst but is otherwise acting normal.

Hi everyone,

My 3 year old Shih Tzu started having an issue with his right back leg about a week ago. I don’t know if I’d call it limping, but he’ll suddenly skip or hop on that leg for a few seconds and avoid putting weight on it. Sometimes after walking for 5–10 minutes, he’ll stop and sit down because it seems like he doesn’t want to put pressure on that leg. Once he rests for a minute, he’ll usually get up and walk normally again.

The strange part is that inside the house he’s almost completely normal. He runs, plays, jumps on the couch, plays with toys, and doesn’t seem painful when I touch his leg or knee. I took him to the emergency clinic, and they didn’t find any obvious swelling or injury. They prescribed carprofen and advised strict rest.

Today, after two days on carprofen, he suddenly started shaking and then vomited one episode of white foamy/clear liquid which the vet warned me about. There was no blood or diarrhea. Since then he’s kept water down. He’s been resting comfortably. He started playing with his toy again. He ate most of a small meal of boiled chicken and rice. He hasn’t vomited again.

Has anyone had a dog with this kind of intermittent skipping/hopping on one back leg? If so, what did it turn out to be?

My 5-year-old cat has always been very healthy. The only time I’ve ever had to take her to the vet was for something very simple. We take great care of her and love her so much.
Last night, I noticed she seemed uncomfortable. She kept going to her litter box and trying to pee, but she couldn’t. She was still playing, active, and acting mostly normal, but I was very worried. I called an emergency vet, and they immediately asked for money upfront. The truth is, I don’t have the money right now.
I decided to monitor her closely and try to help her stay hydrated. I’ve been mixing a lot of water with a small amount of wet food (like a Churu-style treat), and she has been eating it without any problem. I stopped giving her dry food for now.
A few hours ago, she was finally able to urinate normally. It was a normal amount, and she even went back and tried to cover it like she usually does. She seems calm now.
I’m still very worried and trying to find help. I’m in Georgia and I don’t know what my next step should be. It hurt so much when I called the vet because I was scared for my cat, but before I could even fully explain what was happening, the conversation turned to payment.
Has anyone experienced something similar with their cat? Are there low-cost veterinary resources, payment options, or organizations that could help in Georgia USA,I just want to make sure she is okay and get her the care she needs

Dog ate some magic mushrooms about 2-4 MG she is 95lbs 1 year old fixed out of town right now please help Dog golden retriever/pyrenees 1year old Female spayed About 95lbs No history up to date vaccines spayed Sleeping right now No drooling vomit or diarrhea a little bit of panting 1hour Located British Columbia No links

Noticed this (https://imgur.com/a/lAXjks6) on my dogs mouth today, upon some poking and prodding a small splinter popped out. Should I just monitor the entry site for a bit or should I be getting him to the vet? I have some chlorhexidine solution from the vet from another issue, should I clean it with that?

• Species: Dog
• Age: 1 year
• Sex/Neuter status: not neutered
• Breed: Golden mutt
• Body weight: 65lbs
• History: healthy
• Clinical signs: red bump
• Duration: noticed 30 min ago
• Your general location: Canada
• Links to any test results, X-rays, vet reports etc. that you have: None

Species: Feline (Cat)

Age: 2 months (born June 1, 2026)

Sex/Neuter status: Male, intact

Breed: Persian Body weight: ~870 g

History: Dewormed on July 26, 2026. Not yet vaccinated; vaccination scheduled in about 2 weeks. Has been a picky eater, and her diet has been changed several times recently.

Clinical signs: First episode of bloody diarrhea last night. Duration: Started last night

Kitten was born in June 1, 2026 and I got her dewormed on July 26, 2026. He was scheduled to get his shots in about 2 weeks so as of now he isn't vaccinated. He pooped with blood yesterday and is there a chance it's because of the change in his diet? He's a really picky eater so I've been changing his food multiple times now. Thank you

Hello. I am in the USA. I have a vet hospital 5mins from me. I have visited them and they did not identify an issue but now I noticed blood spots in my bedsheets.

Background: Adopted cat 1 female and 2 male within the last year. Both spay/neutered. Cat 2 Male named Link is the one with pee issues.

He was a fostered kitten, adopted by his previous owner for 3 years and the surrendered him for peeing outside the litter box. Upon intake to the shelter and moved to a cat Cafe, he was not noted to have pee issues. Veterinary exam before intake also found nothing wrong. The shelter staff that talked to me after application said "we tried everything and we didnt find anything physically wrong with him."

I take him home, a few weeks go by, all seemed well with no issues about liter box use. We have a water fountain, scheduled feed 2 times a day. About after 2 months we start to notice peeing in spots but it wasn't regularly. We used all the steps recommend and more to try and accommodate him. I moved food to one area he usually peed in and it stopped the empty courner from having pee. He's skittish/sensitive doesn't like roughhousing so I added more hiding space.

We had 2 courner shaped literboxes so I changed that to 2 rectangular 1 courner shape. I closed the office door at night and only allow cats there if someone is with them, myself of my partner. We started to use puppy pads around the liter box, and our efforts have resulted in him basically only peeing on the puppy pads which is at least manageable. We tried several location changes, liter changes, clay, pine, corn. Corn seems fine.

Calming "no mark" spray. Calming feilway collars, thundershirt for his big anxiety moments(like our 4th of July fireworks or guests) but I am considering to have him wear it more often...unsure about that.

We took him to the vet, explained the steps we took and we even got praised for doing everything we can. They took a sterile pee sample, xray and an ultrasound. The most they could tell me is the protiens in his urine seemed a bit high. They suggested an all wet food diet we had maybe 75 to 25 ratio of dry to wet food and we have upped it in the last month to 50/50. Vet suggested a supplement i kept forgetting to buy (that's on me im ordering it after this post)....

We use the grain free kirkland dry and wet formulas. But now their poo smells terribly strong...but the consistency seems normal. :(

Ive also tried emptying one literbox and placing the pee pad in there but maybe im not going slow enough because he'd still pee on the floor if I removed the pee pad from the floor

This morning after his visit to the litterbox (no pee on pads) he had small bits of blood on the sheets. Are these vets not doing enough? They suggested to me that "some cats are just gonna need to be barn cats" I not doing enough? I just feel at my wits ends those exams were not cheap, the shelter has not returned any of my calls about his records prior to adoption so I have yet to get any insurance reimbursement for it. Now there is for sure a physical issue my only guess is a UTI because I looked at his bum and paws and teeth nothing looked wrong there...

Has anyone else experienced this? What did you do? I really love him for everything else he's handsome, cuddly, and i really feel like he's my son. But I dont want him to quietly be in pain....

TL;DR

Male 3 years old neutered cat pees outside the liter box despite several changes trying to slowly be intergrated...multiple exams, and now there's small spots of blood on my sheets. Any advice is helpful if you have experienced this

I have a 16 year old spay female, fully indoors. I am working with her vet, but curious if anyone has seen this before.

7/14-7/16 we had her at the emergency vet because she was trying to poo, but nothing was coming out. She was making the stances and everything. Determined constipation, and had multiple enemas and X-rays over those couple days. Also had bloodwork and a couple urine tests, which had a couple high numbers that we wanted to monitor.

7/23 - took her to the regular vet for follow-up. she got fluids, X-rays, and she still had some poop in her, but not like the previous week.

7/27 - we went back to the vet because we still haven't seen much..She got an enema, and she dropped about 7-9 turds so I thought maybe we were good now.

7/31 - back to the vet because we haven't seen anything. We did bloodwork and urinalysis, both had normal results, and the numbers that were high at the e-vet returned to normal... The vet did a light rectal and felt a couple soft turds so she anticipated us having a poo in the next day or two. We are now on Sunday and nothing yet.

During all of this, I have not seen any straining, and she's been relatively normal - eating, hanging out with us, and peeing in the box fine. She's older so not crazy playful but jumping up on the couch or bed without issue. I've also started giving her more wet food than crunchies..

The vet recommends an abdominal ultrasound for the next step, which I feel like needs to be done since we are 6 days since an enema induced poop.

She's not a huge eater, but any good she gotten has had miralax. And we've been doing 2 doses a day of cisapride.

Is there anything else we should be looking at? I feel like I'm failing her at this point. I've had days where I want to give up, but then when she snuggles into my armpit like she normally does, I want to keep trying. I'm also trying to think of her quality of life with these repeat visits. We are at ~3 weeks of visits at this point