r/AskVet

Approximately 4 months ago we noticed something growing on the side of our guinea pig. We set up an appointment immediately with a vet and were told it could be a tumor but they weren’t sure and that he was otherwise healthy so trying to remove it would probably carry more risk than benefit. Since then, it has grown by about 25% in size. He is still eating normally, hasn’t gained or lost weight, nor have there been any other notable changes to his behavior. Should I make another appointment with the vet? They made it seem last time like there was nothing they could do. Should I try visiting another vet? Also, he’s about 6 years old.

Has anyone had similar experience with their dog?

History: 4 years ago rock obstruction successful surgery to remove.

Two weeks ago symptoms of blockage took to ER. Surgery was performed and surgeon "shifted" intestines around removing adhesions scar tissue. Successful at the time.
Put on RX can food.
Recovery went well and her follow up check up week later.

A week later (4 days ago) symptoms started again. Took her to another ER and adhesions were there again. Unknown if some were missed, they were new ones from previous surgery or both. Recovery went well. Followed instructions. But today (day 4) seems more lethargic, bit restless. Eating well. I will check back with her surgeon today.

Question: I'm told once surgery to remove adhesions they often come back and dog has short future life.
Is that part 100% true?

Could it be immediately such as a week or few days from last surgery more come back?

After 3 intestinal surgeries can she survive more?

She cannot eat nothing hard crunchy rest of her life. And low slow activity and I want to do all I can to have her live her life a long time.

She is 6 year old Labrador.

Please anything positive or not let me know because I'm feeling she will will not survive all this and scared.

My sister’s healthy 5-year-old German Shepherd underwent a routine spay on October 6. Her preoperative bloodwork was unremarkable, and we were told the surgery went well.

During anesthesia, she experienced some hypoventilation and heart rate changes, but we were told she was stable afterward.

At discharge around 6 in the evening, Kimber was extremely lethargic. She could stand and walk briefly but repeatedly sat or dropped back down and ultimately needed to be carried. We questioned this but were told dogs recover differently from anesthesia.

My sister found Kimber dead in her kennel around 5 AM the following morning.

Necropsy findings:
Significant internal abdominal hemorrhage.
Bruising/hemorrhagic changes involving other organs, including the spleen.
The veterinarian stated the surgical sutures were intact.
The veterinarian suggested surgery may have triggered an underlying autoimmune or coagulation disorder.
The clinical summary also mentioned possible trauma, which we don’t understand.
The veterinarian has been cooperative and covered the necropsy and cremation. We’re not looking to assign blame, just understand what happened.

Questions for veterinarians:
Does this sound more consistent with surgical hemorrhage or an underlying clotting disorder?

Can a surgical vessel bleed even if the sutures remain intact?

Could her weakness at discharge have been an early sign of internal bleeding rather than anesthesia?
If hemorrhaging was identified before discharge, could she potentially have been saved?
What necropsy findings would definitively distinguish a surgical complication from a coagulation disorder?

We have her anesthesia records, postoperative monitoring records, and necropsy summary.

We’re devastated and just want to understand whether this was an unavoidable complication or something that potentially could have been caught sooner.

Any veterinary insight would be greatly appreciated.

Hey so my little baby he's not so little though he's like a hundred pounds he's got an ear infection and he will not let me or nobody else come near him that includes the vet like he is unmanageable when it comes to his ears he does not want anybody coming anywhere remotely close to him except for me I'm like the one exception but even then he won't let me do anything but maybe rub it a little bit on the outside he won't let me get any room near the inside does anybody have any good remedies or at home with hacks that could help with helping with this ear infection because he's miserable and that makes me miserable because he's the love of my life he's my baby boy and I don't want to see him hurting what can I do y'all help me please

Hello,

Our 15 year old mixed breed dog, about 60 lbs, has an injury our vet has said is likely a ruptured disk that is located between the base of his rib cage and his hips. She's recommended rest, a med regimen, bicycle motions when he's laying down a few times a day, and possibly figuring out a dog treadmill situation. We're still working on the latter.

Currently, he lacks proprioception in both hind feet, but the right is worse. He's trying to move his legs now whenever we take him out or get him up to move, but still won't put weight on his legs. This is an improvement over a week ago, when he was dragging his hind legs while we carried his back end with the sling. He doesn't exhibit any outward signs of pain, mostly just anxiety and lack of confidence and coordination. His front legs work just fine and he's quite strong, which is difficult for me to manage as someone with little upper body strength (though I'm working on it).

It's been two weeks now since his injury. We have a full chest harness for him (onetigris) and a GingerLead, but are open to equipment that better suits the situation. He's a lumpy boy with fatty lipomas, including a sizable one a few inches in front of his peen. We are also looking for input on his care and PT.

Thank you very much for reading this post. I'm looking forward to any advice you all are able to prove!

Hi there, recently my female dog lost her brother companion due to an illness. She is 9m old, Boston Terrier x. She is fixed and has been since 4m old. Her brother was also fixed @ 4m old and i never noticed they played like that or anything. I noticed that ever since he died (.a week or so ago) she has been "humping" my partners arm. She doesnt grind down on it or anything, she just makes the motions. Obviously, I realize this is harmless but I am wondering if this is a stress sign or what else it could be...any thoughts?

Thank you and I appreciate your help.

My dog, who is 60lbs, accidentally received double the amount of fluoxetine at dinner (1st dose was at 5pm, second just now at ~7pm). She is currently on 40mg, so she has had 80mg within the last hour to hour and a half. She just swallowed the second one literally two minutes ago and I’m worried. She’s been taking 40mg of Fluoxetine for around 3 years now, so she’s not new to the medication. I wanted to see what recommendations I might be able to get about the situation. Thank you in advance! I love her so much I’m just worried😭

Species: Dog

Sex/neuter: spayed female

Age: approximately 5 years

Breed: mix of American Staffordshire terrier and German shepherd

Weight: 60lbs

History: Started fluoxetine 4 years ago and had been taking 40mg for anxiety for about 2-3 years

Clinical signs: none currently

Duration: around 1-1.5 hrs

Location: Pennsylvania

Hello, my dog (mutt) that I adopted from a shelter as a puppy is now 2 years old and off and on this last year she has developed this horrible cough that sounds so painful and typically ends in her gagging. I’ve taken her to the vet multiple times and they always do a bunch of tests, say there’s nothing wrong and give us these cough suppressant chewable. They work for a while but the cough comes right back. It’s getting to a point that I can’t afford to take her for this again and again with no answers but I’m just so worried that she has heart worms or something serious going on that is being undiagnosed. I’ll attach a video of the cough if I can figure it out. Any advice is greatly appreciated. It’s worse at night and when she’s excited, she hardly gets sleep and I can’t sleep either because she’s in my bed and it would break my heart to kick her out of the bed when it’s what she’s used to especially when she’s clearly suffering.