u/QuillandLyre

I've always had "Disney Princess powers" with animals, even ones who usually don't like strangers in general. But yesterday when I took my cat to the vet, there was this dog there who looked like she really wanted to come up to me but kept hesitating and backing away weirdly. The owner told me that the dog just really hates men (I pass pretty much 100% these days).

It was a wee bit heartbreaking, definitely gender-affirming, but also just kind of funny because the dog was looking at me like I was giving her an uncanny valley effect. XD

Tldr, my 3yo male cat has been having swelling/lesion issues with his feet for a couple months now and after 5 visits in a month and a half, the vet finally suggested it might be an autoimmune allergy response (Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex (EGC) was suggested). She said he'd need to go on a prescription diet (either hydrolyzed chicken or novel proteins like duck or rabbit) to eliminate the likely allergy culprits.

But I lost my job almost 6 months ago and money is tight right now and about to get even tighter as I run out of unemployment benefits soon. I want to do right by my little guy and help him feel better to the best of my ability, but right now I'm feeling incredibly overwhelmed at the idea of him having to be on expensive prescription cat food the rest of his life, especially since he's only 3.5.

However, (at the risk of sounding super cynical) I know that some vets can tend to prescribe expensive solutions because they either sell the prescription food themselves or get a commission, so I wanted to ask "real people" about their experiences with cats who have food allergies.

Wondering if anyone here has successfully treated/managed their cat's EGC on a budget? Honestly any ideas or reassurances would help right now. It's really rough to learn my sweet baby has a chronic illness right as unemployment insurance is about to run out.

Tldr, my 3yo male cat has been having swelling/lesion issues with his feet for a couple months now and after 5 visits in a month and a half, the vet finally suggested it might be an autoimmune allergy response (Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex (EGC) was suggested). She said he'd need to go on a prescription diet (either hydrolyzed chicken or novel proteins like duck or rabbit) to eliminate the likely allergy culprits.

But I lost my job almost 6 months ago and money is tight right now and about to get even tighter as I run out of unemployment benefits soon. I want to do right by my little guy and help him feel better to the best of my ability, but right now I'm feeling incredibly overwhelmed at the idea of him having to be on expensive prescription cat food the rest of his life, especially since he's only 3.5.

However, (at the risk of sounding super cynical) I know that some vets can tend to prescribe expensive solutions because they either sell the prescription food themselves or get a commission, so I wanted to ask "real people" about their experiences with cats who have food allergies.

Wondering if anyone here has successfully treated/managed their cat's EGC on a budget? Honestly any ideas or reassurances would help right now. It's really rough to learn my sweet baby has a chronic illness right as unemployment insurance is about to run out.

Hi folks! The sitch: I (33M) have had epilepsy since I was a kid and can't drive. I lived in the Raleigh NC suburbs for a long time and that's hell when you can't drive yourself. Moved to NYC a few years ago and public transportation was a game changer, but I'm looking to move somewhere that's walkable but more affordable and has better access to nature and Pittsburgh came up in my search.

Hoping to hear from the locals though - I know it wouldn't be NYC levels, but is the public transportation / walkability over there good enough that someone could reasonably live in and enjoy the city without a car?

Thanks in advance!

TLDR - I'm trying to go back to school for a Master's 15 years after graduating TESU, and realized that because of TESU's transfer policy, my transfer credit grades don't show up on my transcript, which means there's only one graded class on my official record. That GPA is a 4.0, luckily, but I worry the lack of a robust record of grades tank my chances for getting accepted into a good master's program. Anyone else have experience with this?

The situation:
My undergrad degree (graduated 2011) was a Frankenstein of CLEPs and accredited distance education classes, all transferred to Thomas Edison State College which is where my BA in Humanities is from. (For context - I was raised in a religious cult that just wanted me to "have an accredited piece of paper" so that I could legally homeschool the children I was expected to have. Quality of education was not a consideration my parents made, because the plan for the future was that I'd be a tradwife.)

Fast-forward 15 years I'm finally trying to pursue my dream of becoming a historian. However, when I got a copy of my transcript, it appears that Thomas Edison State College only records/accepts the grades for the one class I took FROM them. The transfer credits just don't display any grade at all.

Hoping maybe someone in this sub has a similar experience of having mostly transfer credits and can speak to whether or not this created a huge problem when applying to grad schools. Thanks in advance!

TLDR - because of Thomas Edison State College's transfer policy, my transfer credit grades don't show up on my transcript, so there's only one graded class on my official record. That GPA is a 4.0, luckily, but will the lack of a robust record of grades tank my chances for getting accepted into a good master's program?

The situation:
My undergrad degree (graduated 2011) was a Frankenstein of CLEPs and accredited distance education classes, all transferred to Thomas Edison State College which is where my BA in Humanities is from. (For context - I was raised in a religious cult that just wanted me to "have an accredited piece of paper" so that I could legally homeschool the children I was expected to have. Quality of education was not a consideration my parents made, because the plan for the future was that I'd be a tradwife.)

Fast-forward a decade and a half and I'm finally trying to pursue my dream of becoming a historian. However, when I got a copy of my transcript, it appears that Thomas Edison State College only records/accepts the grades for the one class I took FROM them. The transfer credits just don't display any grade at all.

Luckily, I got a 4.0 on the one class that counted towards my GPA, so my official cumulative GPA is 4.0. (And I did get mostly A's and one or maybe two B's in all my other classes so my GPA would still be high.) But..... is this lack of record when it comes to my grades going to tank my chances of getting into a good master's program? And if so, any ideas on what I can do to mitigate that weakness in my application?

(EDIT: Added image with part of the transcript to show what I mean - the Grade column is simply blank.)

https://preview.redd.it/5uqtsy4zco7h1.png?width=547&format=png&auto=webp&s=dd4fd527585d6cb0fb9d5d53164422ff8ddbe2b3