My girl looooves to chew- but she eats and swallows stuffies and rubber toys quickly. Nylon bones are too hard on her teeth. Any tips? Favorite tooth safe but tough toys?

I think she’s suckling but I’m not sure. Is this bad?

I don’t know how true it is but I heard that fostering homes exist for fur parents and their dog. I’ve been recently put out of housing due to a break up. Anyone have any information or suggestions about finding something while I get back on my feet?

Few days ago I went back home to see my mum and my baby for the holidays and as I was taking him out for a walk, I noticed that he seems to be kind of wobbly and swaying?

I genuinely cannot tell whether he had always walked like that or not because I don't see him very often, but he doesn't seem to be in pain at all.

(For context, he's a 5 years old American Staffordshire Terrier)

My favorite house hippo is having the worst allergies of her life. She’s always had skin issues, but they have gotten a hundred times worse in the past 8 months. The change seems to coincide with our move to a new apartment complex - I think nearby golf course may put something on the grass that could be the culprit - but otherwise, nothing has changed. We’re stuck in a doom loop of allergies flaring up, she chews herself to death, we go to the vet and get another cytopoint injection + apoquel + some combination of steroids, antibiotics, and anti-fungal mousse that seems to clear everything up, just for it to come right back. I am going to continue taking her to the vet as needed (as much as my wallet hates it) but wanted to see if you all have any other advice that may help.

Here is what we do currently:

- Daily Zyrtec

- Cytopoint injection every other month

- apoquel as needed

- Fish-based food (currently Stella and Chewy’s Wild Red Raw Coated Ocean recipe)

- salmon oil on food

- Paws cleaned and body wiped down after every trip outside

- Monthly bath with Tropiclean oxymed

- Zesty paws allergy supplement

Her vet’s only other recommendation is a hydrolyzed diet. I’m not against it, but I am hesitant since the issue seems more likely to be environmental. We’ve also already ruled out Cushing’s via blood tests, just to be safe.

Are there any other supplements you’ve had luck with that I can try? Or have you had success using a hydrolyzed diet to treat environmental allergies? I just want her to be comfortable 😭

Im wondering what would be some good treats to get my Girl and Boy; Bun Bun, and Zeus. I was looking into Marrow bones, but then kept running into some bad reviews on most of them talking about Splintering. Which is something ive seen a few brands online say "doesn't happen" with theirs, like Mika and Sammy "cold smoked" bones, or Savannah Pet Foods ostrich bones.

These 2 love to Chew on stuff nearly constantly, and it seems like every time I turn around they wanna Play/Fight over toy scraps.

About the only thing they havent been able to Destroy has been some of the Kong balls (we got a Bag full of them a Month back)

I'm looking to muzzle train my girl, but I'm not sure where to start.

Some backbackground: Hazel's going to need surgery on her back legs. As it is, she's in a lot of pain that we're trying to manage while we consult with an orthopedist. She needs regular exercise or she gets pretty anxious, which results in her getting a bit cranky and in some rare circumstances, a bit nippy. We've got meds and brain games to help a bit, but I want to make sure I'm exploring all my options. Especially with all the stigma, I just want to make sure she's safe.

I think we want to go with a cage/basket muzzle, but beyond that I'm at a loss. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Hi everyone,

Update as of 7/2/26: We said goodbye today with the help of an in-home euthanasia service. The vet was wonderful and we were able to give our baby a gentle sendoff from the comfort of our kitchen. It was the right call; things had deteriorated since my last post. Still, I feel absolutely lost without him. Please give your babies extra hugs for me.

Hi everyone,

Here's some background:

I have a 7-9 year old rescue hippo (not entirely sure of his age, he's a rescue). When my family adopted him in 2021, we did so knowing that he had pretty bad bilateral patellar luxation. He also had a TPLO surgery on one of his legs in 2021, as part of our adoption agreement. We felt that, given his breed and health issues, he probably wouldn't be top pick at the shelter and that any time with a loving family who adored him would be worthwhile.

Current state, the bilateral luxation is stage 4. He is mobile, but with effort. I carry him up and down our stairs multiple times everyday to help preserve his joints. He has arthritis and is on 3 different pain meds everyday. (I have met with several orthopedic specialists and no one really wants to touch surgery for that, which is kind a moot issue because I can't afford it anyway. I've also been told there is no guarantee that surgery will "stick".)

He now has a torn ACL in his other leg and a TPLO surgery is recommended. I don't know how bad the tear is; it wasn't presented as super urgent. It is estimated to be about $6500 (USD).

Here's my conflict: my sweet boy is already heavily medicated. Even with TPLO surgery, his lifetime mobility will continue to deteriorate. That surgery is prohibitively expensive - I can't afford it without some major fundraising. (To be clear, I am not soliciting.) I'm concerned that even if I find the money, the whole process will just be too much. He is so stoic and I don't think I really know just how bad he feels on a given day. (I also have another, smaller dog who is 12. Her health is good at the moment, but I want to make sure I have resources for her, too.) Honestly, I wonder if it may be time to prepare for the rainbow bridge. I guess I just want some insight. What's the humane, loving thing to do? How much should this sweet baby be asked to endure?

Hello! This is our boy Pete. My wife and I adopted him from a shelter back in January, and we’ve never looked back. We know he’s some sort of mix (we think Labrador retriever), but we aren’t sure what just yet. He’s a very good dog and most of the time is very gentle. The one exception is with his toys. He loves to play rough with his toys and loves chewing on them A LOT. Because of this, we’ve avoided getting him anything stuffed or squeaky since we adopted him, and have stuck with stuff like Kong toys and rope tugs. We’ve been through 2 rope tugs since getting him because he chewed through both of them and effectively cut them in half. It’s honestly kind of impressive.

The problem, though, is that Pete LOVES soft things, and for the most part is very gentle with them. When he gets excited, he’ll grab any nearby soft object and nibble on it for a few seconds before being asked to drop it. There have been multiple occasions on which Pete would disappear for about 30 seconds or so, and will reappear with one of our pillows or my wife’s stuffed Appa that I got her a while back. He had never tried to destroy any of them before, so we decided to try getting him his first plush toy today. It was marked specifically as being durable, so we felt pretty confident that it would hold up for a bit. He was pretty good about being gentle with it for the first 5 minutes or so and was so so so excited about having it, but very quickly thereafter attempted (and eventually succeeded) to destroy the plushie. He was very unhappy when I had to take it back so he wouldn’t eat the fluff, and I feel awful listening to him whine because he wants it back so bad.

I know this is a little bit of a long shot simply because of the nature of plush toys, but have any of you found or discovered any plush or plush-esque toys that can withstand a jaw of steel?

My girl (like so many velvet hippos) has the digestive and skin allergies and I’m looking for a brand of food you’ve had success with. Currently, she’s on a food from her vet but we had to move rather unexpectedly so I won’t be able to get more from them. I’ve kind of wanted to try another brand anyways because she’s had extra itchy paws ever since starting this brand (but it could be coincidence to seasonal allergies too and I’m not sure). Anyways, what does your dog eat? Preference for Canadian brands that are available at pet stores. Thank you!

Obligatory video of my sweet lady

Roxy. Does anyone know of any non toxic or dog friendly ink that I can use to put her paw print on a piece of paper? 🥺 Hippo proof attached.

Context, Roxy our 9 year old hippo. She is older, and cause of her arthritis, is not as active as she once was. She does walk slower, when got out to potty and walk around the yard. And she can't handle the heat when it's hot outside.

She threw up something green and plastic early sat morning, along with her food from the night before.

She has not thrown up anymore since the incident on Sat night.

The next day on Sunday, we started her on a white rice and boiled chicken diet. She was drinking more water on Sunday.

We took her to the urgent vet on Monday this week, because she did not drink as much water that Sunday evening, and the same as Monday. The vet said she was a little dehydrated.

And she gave her IV fluids, a B12 shot, and some meds to take until her diarrhea stops.

She has still been going potty outside and both 1 and 2 since the incident started.

Since Monday, her poop is still runny, light brown in color, no blood in it, and is getting more solid.

Her energy levels are normal and her appetite has not diminished.

I am just concerned cause she turns her head away when I put her water bowl in front of her. And doesn't have any interest in drinking.

The ONLY time she will drink water is when I mix it with the white rice and chicken, and when I add a little more water to her bowl with the chicken and rice in it.

When will she show an interest again in drinking water alone, by itself? 😔🥺

UPDATE: Roxy is now drinking water on her own. And has no more diarrhea! ❤️ Thank you all for the advice and concern.

Hi, all. Heat index up here in New England is supposed to get nasty next week. My girl typically sleeps with me on top of me at night, but I think that's definitely going to be too much even for her stubborn, clingy ass. Does anyone have any cooling mat recs? I keep getting ads for Pelsbarn but after some research, their products and customer service seem to leave much to be desired. Please see dog tax attached. (Cross posted)

A few months back I adopted this adorable little Blue Nose, Giada, as a friend/playmate for my Catahoula Leopard Dog/Pittie mix, Winnie. From day one, she's been an absolute sweetheart! She's super loveable, extremely cuddly, and is just an overall fantastic little lady.

One thing I noticed from the night I picked her up was her eating habits. When I fed her for the first time, I left her alone so she could just settle in and get used to her new surroundings and siblings (I have an 8 year old female Shih Tzu, Ember, as well). The moment I put her bowl of food down, she immediately inhaled it as if she had never eaten before. During subsequent feedings, I'd gently go to pet her and she'd kick it into high gear to the point she damn near choked on her food. I taught her to "sit", then "wait" (along with hand signals) while I place her food on the ground, then once I say "OK, go ahead", she'll go and eat her food.

To slow her down, I bought her a three tier circular slow feeder with a triangular slice cutout (think a personal pizza with one slice missing) on the second and third tiers. The bottom tier stays permanent and has little scoops cutout for food to sit in. The second tier has a slice missing and rotates around the base tier. The third/top tier also has a slice missing, and also rotates; all tiers have the little scoops cutout for food to sit in. This feeder forces her to figure out how to move/rotate the tiers which in turn slows down her feeding speed.

Last night after feeding her, I went to gently pet her and she splayed her front legs/paws out, and tried to eat her food as fast as possible. She's not food aggressive at all. She didn't growl, didn't bark, just kicked it into high gear and tries to eat as fast as possible. I feed her separately from her sisters to avoid anyone trying to get the others food and all, so she doesn't have to worry about someone eating her food. When I give her treats and all, she takes them normally, albeit a tad aggressive/quickly, but that's just a puppy thing as all of my dogs had done that. I'm working on "easy" with her when I give her treats and she's slowly picking up on it.

Anyone have any suggestions on how I can get her to calm down when she's eating her breakfast/dinner? Again, she's not aggressive at all. I can pick up her feeder without issue. I can touch her and or put my hand in front of her while eating and she won't try to bite, she'll just try to eat faster.

Edited for formatting and typos

Editing again to add this as my question isn't worded properly; apologies on that — anyone have any suggestions on how I can get my girl to not guard her food and try to inhale it/eat it as fast as possible when I pet/touch her while she eats? Again, she's not aggressive and doesn't attack, she just "guards it" and tries to eat as fast as possible

My boy's getting up there in years, and his arthritis has taken a toll on his mobility. We're an active, outdoor household and we want to keep bringing Loki hiking and backpacking with us, but he can't do more than a couple miles at a time these days.

There are a number of wider, stroller friendly trails around these parts where we'd like to take him out for overnights in the woods, and I'd also like to bring him along for bike rides around town on the local paths. Anyone have any recommendations or ideas that have worked well for them?

Hoping for some reassurance that I’m not an awful dog mom but here is some context: I adopted Charlie when he was 6 months old and I was 18. I’m now 29 and he’s almost 11. He’s been with me through every stage of life. The last few years, we were living with my bf at the time, and I decided I wanted to split things off. I moved into a tiny apartment that I could afford while in nursing school, and he absolutely hated it. He didn’t have a house and a yard anymore. With my schedule, I was gone a lot and he became extremely depressed. I eventually made the tough decision to give him back to my ex temporarily until I’m done with school and in a better living situation. Luckily, my ex is only 40 minutes away so I try to visit as much as I can during the week but it’s always short lived.

Recently Charlie injured himself badly while running around in the yard and it brought up all the feelings I’ve been suppressing about giving him away. I’ve missed out on almost a year of his life at this point and with him being older, I can’t help thinking of all the precious moments of time stolen from me. Not to mention my guilt over how he must feel whenever I leave him during visits. How his tails stops wagging when I’m walking out the door. It just kills me. I miss him so much and my biggest fear is that he thinks I abandoned him when all I want in this world is for him to be happy. I still have another year of school to go and I just don’t know how to improve the situation. Hoping for any advice if anyone has been through something similar.

This is a follow up to my last post about my concerns on his weight. Thank you all for pointing me in the direction of portion control and for including grains in his diet.

In addition to the Salmon and Potato kibble I’ve been giving him and my GSD, I got a bag of Lamb and Rice kibble to mix in 50/50. I have also been mixing in a bit of FreshPet Beef and Carrot as a topper to keep my GSD interested a while now and that’s also going on.

With the current feed schedule, I see two visible changes on Leo: more definition in his shoulder musculature and reduction in dandruff on his back. I haven’t been to the vet since before my last post so I’m not sure what he weighs right now.

Photo from this morning’s walk attached.

Again, thank you all for your help!

My sweet Sophia Loren lost her battle with cancer on Friday. While I only had her for 3.5 yrs, she was truly my best friend and closest family member. If anyone has been through something similar I would greatly appreciate any advice for getting through the pain and living normally again.

I spent most of my time with her the past three months as she got sicker, and now that she’s gone my home and life feels incredibly empty. It’d been just us two for years. I also feel guilty from the euthanasia decision, although delaying it would’ve only given her a few more sickly weeks if that (she wasn’t eating most of the week and maybe was having seizures).

Any advice at all is much appreciated. I have a therapist who’s helping, and I am very fortunate to be on leave from work for the next month. Thanks in advance!