Odd one, but bear with me. In an emergency, one of the quickest things to check is your pet's gum color. Healthy is usually pink and moist. Pale, bluish, yellow or really bright red can mean something serious. The problem is most of us have never looked, so there's nothing to compare against.

So lift the lip on a normal day and take a photo. If your dog has dark or spotty gums, find a pink patch or look at the tongue instead. Takes a minute, and it just sits in your camera roll until the night you need it.

Reading the late-night emergency threads on here, a couple of other things keep coming up.

Not knowing which vet is actually open. Your regular clinic may close in the evening even with "animal hospital" on the sign, so look up your nearest 24 hour ER now and save it under something you'll find in a panic. Call them on the way so they're ready for you.

And guessing about meds. A quick photo of the vaccine record and any pill bottles saves you from "the little white one, twice a day" at 2am. If it might be something they ate, the ASPCA poison line is 24/7 at (888) 426-4435. There can be a fee.

Cat people, leave the carrier out. If it only appears for vet trips, your cat already knows that, and you'll be fishing them out from under the bed.

That's about it.

I love my cat so much it hurts. I lived alone with him for 8 years now, almost a third of my life, and he saved my life so many times I lost count.
He is my anchor in this life, I work from home and when I feel sad or lonely I plunge my head into his fur and his little warmth and cotton smell calms me instantly.
We have a very deep connection and I always say he's my shadow, following me everywhere I go.
He's my reason to live and has always been, even in my darkest time.
Honestly, I think the day he pass out I'm gonna follow him because I can't even imagine a life without this little bundle of joy.

I love you Pablo, you are the love of my life.

I swear mine gives me side-eye sometimes 😂 Like not just a random glance either… the kind where I genuinely feel like I’m being judged for whatever I just did hahaha. The other day I moved him because he was taking over my spot, and he just sat there staring at me like I was the one being unreasonable.

Between the side-eyes and dramatic sighs, sometimes I forget I’m living with a pet and not an extremely judgmental roommate. Please tell me I’m not the only one whose pet has picked up some suspiciously human behaviors lol.

Hi all. I thought I would ask this question here since I’m not the most adept with etiquette and sometimes approach things inappropriately.

I recently had to put my labrador to sleep due to health issues, and I was wondering what I could do to show my appreciation to the staff and doctor at the veterinary hospital. I really appreciated How will they guide us through the process and how compassionate they were on that very difficult day. My first thought was a large box of chocolate candies and a thank you note, but then I thought that sounds more like some sort of celebratory gift, like you would give at Christmas time, and that it might be inappropriate for something like this.

Do you all think chocolates would be appropriate, or what do you think would be a better idea? I don’t really want to just give them a thank you note because I’m not exactly sure what I would say.

COMMENT: Thank you all so much! I'll keep reading, but you all have such good ideas and are obviously very caring people.

my cat is currently 10 months old and is neutered (if that matters)

i feed him kibbles only because he refuses wet food

tho im planning on adding stuff like boiled eggs to his diet to atleast make it a bit more interesting for him

and until now ive just been keeping his bowl full all the time and let him eat whenever he wants but im starting to realize thats wrong

for all the people with cats

how often do you feed your cat? how many times a day? and how much food do you give? it would be really helpful if you guys could answer all 3

Not doing it this year. My fiancé says our cat will eventually get used to it but I beg the differ. How about you?

me and my bf have jst moved to his uncles place, obviously taking our 11 yr old cat w us. this is an entire new environment plus his uncle has a cat and a dog. the cats interacted briefly which ended w the uncles cat hissing at mine before my cat ran back to our bedroom. she seems to be stressed and hasn’t rlly ate or drank anything nor has used the litter.

i’m extremely worried for her, esp cus she’s been more affectionate than normal. she also just threw up (it was green and liquid if anyone knows if that’s bad). we need to take her to the vet for other concerns but lately don’t have the funds due to bf losing his job (he jst got a new one but hasn’t been paid yet plus it’s all going to late bills)

we had to move due to the fact we’re ab the have a baby and we lived in a small compacted rv trailer and we live in alaska, it’s been in the 30’s lately plus it already snowed.

so if anyone could help with a way to make her less stressed it would be highly appreciated bcus we’re both worried for her.

When my puppy Milo needed emergency ICU care for Babesiosis and kidney failure, so many people told me: "Why didn't you just get pet insurance?" The truth is: I DID insure him with Allianz! What many people don't realize is that standard policies have waiting clauses (ours was 3 months) and strictly exclude any infection the puppy quietly caught at the breeder's place before handover. We were left completely alone with the entire tragedy (I share the whole legal and medical journey on my profile). Please read the fine print of your pet insurance policies—have any of you ever been denied coverage like this?

I've had my cat for almost two years, but this year I've started waking up sneezing like crazy almost every morning. I got tested and found out I'm allergic to both cat dander and dust mites.

I'm definitely not giving my cat up, so I'm trying to figure out how to keep the fur and dander under control. I've been wondering if running a robot vacuum daily would help, or if an air purifier or some other cleaning tool would work.

Anyone in the same boat? Have you found anything that helps keep the fur and dander under control?

lab has been insured since he was a puppy and its been fine. kitten is 12 weeks and comes home next month. his insurer would be the easy choice but im not sure its the best deal for a cat. do multi pet discounts actually add up to much or is it better to just shop the kitten seperately?

Here are three that come up constantly in the clinic.

1. “Diarrhoea needs antibiotics.”

Most of the time, it doesn’t. Antibiotics are often reached for out of habit, but many cases don’t need them, and they can upset the good bacteria in the gut and make things worse. Veterinary guidelines have moved away from using them routinely for diarrhoea. If your pet has diarrhoea, especially if it’s bloody, lasts more than a day or two, or comes with vomiting or tiredness, get them checked. And if your vet has prescribed something, finish the course they gave you.

1. “Let them lick the wound, saliva is antibacterial.”

Not really. A pet’s mouth carries plenty of bacteria that are harmless there but can cause real trouble once they get into skin or deeper tissue. That’s why bite wounds can turn serious so fast, and why cats in particular can end up very unwell from a wound that looked minor. If your pet has a wound, keep them from licking it and have a vet look at it.

1. “My cat needs milk.”

Cats don’t need it, and many of them are lactose intolerant, so it can give them an upset stomach. Fresh water is what they need.

What other myths have you heard? I’m happy to look into any of them.

Sometimes, the little things we do for our pets become the most meaningful parts of their lives. Letting a nervous dog approach something at their own pace. Sitting beside a cat who wants company but not cuddles. Keeping an old pet's routine familiar when their world starts getting smaller. We often focus on training, enrichment, and buying the right supplies, but learning to respect an animal's individual personality and boundaries matters just as much. What's one small thing you've learned about your pet that made you understand them better?

Has anyone ever used an animal communicator before? If you have, do you think you got the answers you needed or did you feel the whole thing was a quack? Any US recommendations for one? I'm aware of Dawn Allen but there must be others.

Just trying to see what goes on in my dog's little brain and makes me go 🤦‍♀️

Hi,

My little guy Claude is an 11 y/old neutered male cat, primarily indoors with only occasional, short & supervised backyard visits.

He has always been a REALLY vocal and loud little guy. But on October 23rd, seemingly overnight, he completely lost his voice. He still tries to meow, but no sound comes out. He has no other noticeable symptoms. No coughing, sneezing, or nasal discharge. He still eats normally. The only difference I’ve noticed is that he seems a little calmer than usual.

We took him to the emergency vet on October 25th. They did X-rays of his abdomen, chest, and throat, a full senior bloodwork panel, and a physical examination. Everything came back completely normal.

The vet couldn’t give us any clear explanation. But still prescribed Claude two medications for the next 5 days :
• Sucralfate suspension (1 mL every 8 hours)
• Omeprazole (5 mg every 12 hours)

He received his first doses late yesterday evening, so I know it’s too early to expect improvement. Still, it’s heartbreaking to see my little chatty guy suddenly go completely silent…

I’d be so grateful to hear about your professional or personal experiences. Thank you so much in advance. ❤️

Found a cat outside my backyard today. Very friendly came up and bumped his head on my hand asking for scratches. Laid on his belly a lot.

Tried to give him some water and he kind of clawed me a bit moving around. There is no mark, redness, or broken skin however it was on my palm so it is a tiny bit hard to tell if there would be a tiny scratch.

He is a neighborhood barn cat with an owner, but there was no collar on him. I posted him on FB and people say he is the neighborhood outdoor cat. Should i be worried about rabies at all?

So i recently got a kitten 2 days ago, i think shes about 5-8 weeks old. Not vaccinated yet and a stray. Ive been feeding her wet kitten food that i mush up with warm water and a fork and giving it to her every 5 hours.

She's not really touching her water bowl but i assume shes getting enough from the food? Anyways shes been pooping alot, like 4-6 times a day and its a little watery.

I woke up at night to see her leaving skid marks on my bed, hers and on the ground. Today shes not really playful or energetic, not finishing her bowl of food either and just wants to curl up and sleep on my chest. Shes not purring anymore as she used to when she slept on me

Im going to the veterinarian today to get her shots and get a checkup but until then is there anything i can do? Im so worried for her and i dont want her to die until i can take her there.

A friend's birthday is coming up and since he cannot currently keep a dog himself, I thought of gathering dog pictures from people who want to share their own. So, if you want to, please drop a picture in the comments.

I would print out the pictures (and if you leave information about the dog, I would obviously write it down too).

Every comment is appreciated <3

Edit: Thank all of you! Your dogs are absolute beauties and my heart is melting! I have enough pictures to print now (as if there ever are enough dog pictures), and I appreciate each one of you for helping and sharing!

Hi,

I’ve had a few pets over the years (and I was a vet tech for a while) but I never had pet insurance. I luckily never really needed anything besides routine care, shots, etc.

My last cat died three years ago. He was pretty young at 9. Just stopped eating and was acting funny so brought him in after 2 days. Did X-rays/MRI & turns out he had a lot of tumors in his stomach. I unfortunately had to put him down a week later as nothing we did really made him comfortable and he declined quickly. Prior to that he never had any issues, I always got his annual or bi annual shots. He was strictly indoor.

At Vetco and it was around $300 for the first visit, $80 for meds, and then another $2-300 for the euthanasia.

I am finally ready again and just adopted a sweet 3 year old long-haired Calico.

My dog is turning 10 (German shepherd/belgian Malinois) and I’ve had zero issues with her, ever. Again I use vetco for her annual exams + shots. I’m worried as she’s getting up in age and wondering if pet insurance is worth it… she seems totally fine (and still crazy honestly lol) and happy still. I always feel like if things were to get bad, as long as I can keep her comfortable I will but once she is uncomfortable I would not be selfish about making a difficult decision.

I guess my question is… is pet insurance really worth it? For both cat and dog. And what companies are best if so? I’ve never had a big vet bill (again, lucky, I know) so it doesn’t make total sense to me.

I moved to the US about 3 years ago with our two cats, Rupert is 4 and Rex is about 15.

2 years ago Rex was diagnosed with kidney disease and they told us he likely only had less than a year. When we got him checked a month later they said it had actually calmed down a lot and here we are two years later.

He’s always been a very anxious cat until my wife and I brought him out of his shell during lockdown where he was living with my step dad. In that house he was always hidden behind or under furniture, only came out to eat at night and generally didn’t seem to have much of an existence. He had a really close bond with my mum who passed away in 2019. After lockdown my wife and I moved in together and Rex moved with us.

Since then he’s been way more settled, loves coming for belly rubs and pets with me but not really anyone else. He loves chilling by the window soaking up the sun, watching cat tv and just generally lives his best cat life a lot more. We have such a close bond and i feel a sense of connection with my mum through him too.

We adopted Rupert in 2021 and both boys get on well, cuddle together, eat together though Rupert does sometimes wind Rex up wanting to play but Rex learned to stand his ground or run away.

We moved to California for my work and both cats came with us. They absolutely love chilling in the California sun (both indoor cats only) and watching the wildlife out the windows.

Unfortunately I lost my job and we have to move back to the UK. We have been planning the trip and had a vet visit to get their vaccines up to date & a general check up on them. Waiting for lab results on how Rex’s kidney disease is doing but they did find his blood pressure to be really high and have prescribed medication to get it down before we fly.

The vet has said is ultimately up to us whether to fly him back home and before I was adamant we couldn’t leave him but now I’m second guessing whether it’s the best thing for him.

We do know someone who has a nice place outside of LA who has fostered senior cats before and would be open to taking him in so that might be a nice option for him to live out the rest of his days in California. We’re worried the flight will be a lot for him, he was fine coming out from the UK but is going back to freezing winter and may not have a ton of life left anyway.

It’s also about $8,000 to fly both cats which I’m willing to pay but is also something to consider especially as we have a newborn daughter now too.

What would you do in this situation?

TL;DR: Moving back to UK, have a senior cat with kidney disease and high blood pressure - unsure if it’s in his best interest to fly him back with us or be fostered to live out his days in California. Seeking advice.

I’ve had a shihtzu before, but she sadly passed in 2020, so i understand the main idea of how they can be when they are older, but less so when they are puppies. I have a brand new puppy (im talking we got her the 24th type of brand new lol), shes about 8 weeks old and bites a good bit, but i dont know if its enough to be concerned or if its generally ok as long as we give her toys (its only ever when shes not tired biting our hands, clothes, and feet). Also, she has started to cry at my door when my parents are downstairs, is there anything specific i should do for that? Im thinking i should just let her cry, as it might just be baby fomo lol? She has a puppy pad and toys up here for me to play with her, and while theres no food she has eaten a good bit (she mostly stays downstairs with constant food/water in her bowls if shes hungry, but if i can tell shes sleepy i bring her up with me to chill where its quieter) so its definitely not the need to use the bathroom at least. truly ANYTHING helps, especially if theres any tips for bedtime with her crate. Thank you!!

I’m not gonna get into details but some family recently moved I usually go to there house about once a week and every time I always see a bunny in the same exact spot and as someone who use to own a bunny I really don’t think the care it’s in is ideal but I also don’t have the time, money or space for a rabbit again so my only options are ignore or call someone

the bunny is in a big yard that’s completely wood fenced + wire fenced in so decent protection from other animals BUT it’s in a small completely wire dog cage (could prob fit a cat comfortably?) that hasn’t moved an inch, has no weather protection, and from just what i’ve seen it seems more like they got it on a whim and forgot about it

i’ve never met the people so idk what there situation is like and ik having animal control called on u is an awful feeling but idk loose loose situation

edit - we use to take in starved horses and people thought WE starved them promise we ain’t abusers 😭