Elderly Dogs Need Dental and Scan Procedures Owners Fear

submitted by /u/ak7895 [link] [comments]

“My little Maltipoo, London, is about 11 years old now. She’s constantly doing a licking thing. Not on herself, just her mouth. The vet checked her out but said they didn’t see an issue. What the hell is going on? I don’t understand. Help! submitted by /u/Bridges2424 [link] [comments]”

“Hi! I’m hoping a vet can help me interpret my dog’s recent bloodwork in the context of several health issues he’s had recently. He is an 8-year-old neutered male Shih Tzu mix. He generally seems well and still eats, plays, and acts normally most of the time, but he seems to have accumulated a lot of smaller health issues. Relevant history: - Blind in his right eye and previously had an eye implant/procedure— this has recently been bothering him and they are considering a revision surgery - Aller”

“Hi Vets, this is non-urgent but just seeking some other opinions or suggestions on my pups condition. She is currently a 13.5 yo Siberian Husky. I'll try to be concise. May 2025 she was diagnosed with an aggressive mast cell tumour around her bottom K9/gum area. The tumour at this point was nothing more than a small bump, pimple-like. September 2025 - finally got in to see a specialist and confirmed that it had grown too big and surgery would require removal of 3/4 of bottom jaw to get confi”

“Hello, I have a female 12-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier who may have Cushing syndrome. She weighs 70lbs, is spayed, & the only issue she's had is an ACL injury years ago. I noticed increased thirst & urination within the past 6 months, she pants a lot more than she used to, & her upper abdomen is swollen, while her lower abdomen is sagging. Her blood work came back 3 days ago & her ALP is elevated (832) while everything else was within normal reference range. My que”

“Hello everyone. I’m looking for a veterinarian, veterinary surgeon, or someone experienced with salivary gland disorders in dogs who may be willing to advise me about my dog’s condition. My dog previously had his right salivary gland surgically removed due to severe inflammation. Thankfully, it was not cancer However,15 days after he is now experiencing inflammation/swelling of another salivary gland below his neck, and I’m very concerned about what this could mean and what our options”

“My 15 year old shep x baby is struggling lately. I do not picture him here at Christmas this year. I’m wondering what to say to the vet clinic when I call, given his severe fear of the vet. 3 years ago he went for his second dental cleaning and tooth removal due to severe periodontal disease. He hated the vet before that, and after that I promised him I wouldn’t bring him there until it was the end. That’s how bad he hates the vet. Even medicated it’s a traumatic event. Now for the last year, he”

“If you’ve already seen my earlier post about my boy Midnight. I recently had his oncologist appointment They gave him a biopsy with ultrasound to see if he has either Lymphoma/thymoma or FIP. Just this alone was $4000 ! They knew he had a steroid a week prior from my vet. They should have told me his tests could come back inconclusive. I got a call today hoping to get some answers for my boy so I can move forward with treatment. 😪 They gave me absolutely NOTHING ! “ doesn’t seem like FIP” “ cou”

“I had my last dog for 16 years. She went to all her annual checkups, always normal bloodwork until at 15 we found out that she had severe heart failure with severe enlargement, after we took her to the emergency vet for a random near-fainting episode out of the blue while playing. She had shown no symptoms and her bloodwork was normal until awhile after we started medicating for HF. I was sad to know she had been silently suffering for an unknown amount of time before we found out. Our normal ve”

“I found this lump on my dogs chest. It’s squishy and mobile. It really came out of nowhere. Someone tell me it’s not cancer. submitted by /u/Imaginary-Trick1554 [link] [comments]”

“Hi, I’m sorry I didn’t know what flair to put this under. The vet has said my boy has two months left because of suspected cancer that they can’t test for because it’s too risky to sedate him to scan him. He’s 9 and will hopefully turn 10 in mid November. He is my absolute everything and I just wanted to know if anyone has any suggestions of what we can do to make his final time as happy as possible and what memorial things I can do like getting a paw print etc. Any help is massively appreciated”

“My 8 year old neutered basset hound has been acting strange paranoid and staring at walls drooling I took him to our veterinary clinic today and he has a hot spot I feel bad because I thought it was drool puddled in the fold of his neck. So he is on chlorhexidine ophytrium and simplicef. I'm just worried about his behavior I had lab work done and everything was great. Is this normal behavior? submitted by /u/Ok_Organization_1420 [link] [comments]”

“Hello, My dog used to love going to the vet, had no issues with shots or blood drawn, was not nervous. One time, after she went into the back without me, she was never the same. I understand things happen, and I tried to kindly bring it up and advocate for her but they were not receptive to it, so I tried a new place. This place did not listen at all, they were racist, and they were putting her in a chokehold unnecessarily so I tried a new place. This place seemed great, I went ahead of time, pe”

“For those of you with fearful, soft dogs that treat going to the vet like a traumatic experience no matter what interventions and medications: Does your dog experience regression after such an experience/visit? Example specific to us: is potty trained but for 2-3 days after will act as if she isn't aka have accidents in the house We feel very alone in our challenges and we try so very hard to help our girl. It feels like we got the broken dog while everyone else seems to have no such problem”

“I noticed something unusual on her nipple today. There’s a small amount of discharge with blood present, but otherwise everything looks normal and she has no other symptoms or changes in behaviour. We already have a vet appointment booked for after the weekend. Just curious whether anyone has encountered something similar before. Species: dog Age: 10 Sex/neuter status: not neutered Breed: Samoyed Body weight: 20kg History: nothing serious Clinical signs: bloody discharge from 1 nipple Duration:”

“Hi, I have a 9 year old labrador, male. He’s energetic and fun and we thought was healthy up until yesterday. There was no change in behaviours etc. until yesterday morning when i noticed he didn’t want to eat, was trembling, panting and his belly felt quite hard. I brought him straight to the vet and they found a 5cm growth on his spleen. It was explained to me that these can be malignant or benign. He is currently undergoing surgery to remove his spleen as i type this. I guess im just looking”

“My 19 year old yorkie chihuahua mix was diagnosed with a liver problem at 4 years old. He would throw up bile sometimes and act afraid and like he was hallucinating at times. Finally after many ER trips and bloodwork etc and 4 vets, finally found one who did a bile acid test and he failed. He was put on a hepatic diet and did great all these years. Fast forward to 6 months ago. I always titer him and we only get vaccines when necessary, if his immunity is low, which has been very few over the ye”

“Hey! Long time VA here with a question in regards to my own furkid. I have a 12 yr old healthy FS mixed breed on Hydrolyzed Food. Over the past handful of years her ALKP has steadily increased, the most recent value was 1802 U/L. The rest of her bloodwork is unremarkable. We have done bile acids which were normal, negative for cushings and ultrasound only showed gallbladder sludge (started on Ursodiol) and irritation of her pancreas. Her liver appeared small but normal. I’ve avoided anesthesia i”

“Hi everyone. I'm looking for some advice. I have an 18yr old shih tzu. She is quite spry for her age but in the last 36hrs has had light brown, liquid diarrhea. She is still drinking and willing to eat human food, but not her raw dog food. She essentially fasted herself for the first 24hrs but we started giving her plain boiled potatos and ground turkey (allergic to grains and chicken) today and she's eating. She has been drinking lots of water. No known health issues otherwise. She does”

“I got my dog from a family member a couple years ago, I’m not sure how old he is or what breed but he’s around 14 years probably. Medium size white dog looks very similar to an Indian spitz. Anyways, he’s been forming these weird crusts that kinda look like dried blood on only his belly area but they don’t come off when I wipe them so it could be skin discoloration? Also, he’s recently began forming these tiny bumps on his head. Mostly behind his ears. They’re small, they look like some of them”

“Less than a month ago I adopted a senior dog. He’s in otherwise pretty good health. When I adopted him, I was told he had internal lipomas and “slightly” elevated liver enzymes that might call for an ultrasounds in 3 or 4 months. He was showing signs of some minor arthritis, so I found him a vet, got him seen. They agreed, he seems in excellent health, just a touch of old guy arthritis. They sent in routine bloodwork as a formality. I got a phone call directly from the veterinarian herself telli”

“My 11 year old lab is restless all night. Pacing and asking for food, etc. He is so chill during the day but as soon as the sun goes down he can't settle. He is about 75-80 lbs. We have tried: - 300 mg of Gabapentin in morning and another 300 mg at night - 400 mg of Gabapentin at night only - 50 mg of Trazodone in morning and another 50 mg at night - 100 mg of Trazodone at night only Nothing seems to really fix the problem. He has high liver enzymes so the vet won't put him on a higher d”

“Hi everyone, I’m hoping some vets or experienced dog parents can help me make sense of Fia’s reports. Fia is a 10-year-old mixed-breed female, 25 kg, spayed , and we’re based in Delhi. She is doing well otherwise — she eats very well (and definitely lets us know when she wants a treat!), drinks and pees as usual, and only pants when it’s hot. She’s not on any medication or steroids, just joint supplements. She does take a little longer to get up after resting, but otherwise seems like herself. L”

“**Prefacing all of this with saying I know this is a very long, detailed post. I love my dogs more than anything and my anxiety is pushing me to get the most info I possibly can, so have included any/ all details I think are relevant here. I appreciate everyone’s time. * Species: Dog * Age: 12, 13 in January * Sex/Neuter status: male, Neutered * Breed: small mixed * Body weight: ~18lbs * History: generally healthy but outlined in detail below * Clinical signs: multiple bumbs * Duration: 1.5 mont”

“Hi guys, I have a really important question in light of tomorrow’s trip to the vet. German Pinscher, almost 13 yrs old Backstory : I took the dog when he was already an adult (6 years old), originally just for temporary fostering (someone asked in a breed group). It quickly became clear that no one was actually planning to take him back. They said he was just “stubborn.” In reality, he turned out to be a dog with a completely traumatized psyche - anxious, reactive, and a biter. When I started di”

“Hi all, wondering about thoughts on what to look into next if the ultrasound (hopefully in next few days) doesn’t show anything or thoughts on anywhere in particular for ultrasound to focus. Also, I don’t suppose anyone’s ever seen any research indicating potential issues with calcium associated with cystinuria-related abnormalities and diet or any other atypical causes? (NAV but comfortable with research literature via related research and other domains.) Our treating vet is great; I’m mostly g”

“For the context, my dog's a 9yo mixed breed and is spayed. Around 3 months ago (May 20ish), we had her bloodwork done for medications to address her leg injury. And that's where we first found out about her elevated ALT. It was 311, which is about 3 times higher than the normal range. We decided to monitor her while giving her Zentonil, because she was acting normal. After two months of the monitoring (July 16), we did the blood test again. It has decreased a bit to 221 but is still high”

“Hi all, thanks in advance for any helpful advice, Sorry it is long I just really need answers & am worried sick :( I am a very worried dog mom to my 9yo black lab George. In true lab fashion he is extremely food motivated and has never turned his nose to food or a treat, but within the past week and a half or so he has not been interested in eating. He normally jumps up for his kibble but nothing, we have added pumpkin and “kibble sauce” which is dog friendly beef broth, but he is still relu”

“My lab just recently started act weird he can’t stand without back legs shaking and if falls over if trying to walk almost like a drunk person or a baby deer submitted by /u/stickitinmyass36 [link] [comments]”

“Hello! My akita/chow mix is almost 15. We recently had a cardiology scare that we managed to overcome and I’m so happy he’s still here with me. I really want to ensure he’s got the best life I can give him with the time he has left. I saw a comment about throwing some kibble in the backyard to let them forage, but my boy isn’t super food motivated (and also doesn’t really like kibble). Maybe I’ll try with some high value treats, but I also wanted to see if anyone had any ideas for enrichment, pa”

“I’m hoping for some advice on my 9 year old black mouth cur mix, Axel. I have been in contact with my vet, as well, but just looking for other potential things to try in the meantime. We have been dealing with loose mucus-y stool and diarrhea for several weeks. He had some liquid diarrhea and one episode of regurgitation on July 15th. I took him into the vet and they said his blood test was suspicious for pancreatitis. They prescribed an antibiotic, probiotic paste, probiotic powder and some low”

“My 9 year old pit/golden mix was taken to the er on Thursday night due to him urinating very dark rust color. We had noticed it 1x about a week and a half prior literally as we left his primary vet for his annual blood work and shots, but I thought maybe he was just dehydrated and anxious from the visit. Well Thursday my husband said when he took him out earlier it looked really dark again almost like blood so I grabbed a wad of paper towels and put it in his stream while he went out for his nig”

“It seems several people’s dogs I’ve interacted with in the past 6 months (including mine) has officially been diagnosed with a heart murmur. My dog is 7. 4 years ago, vet told me to stay away from grains in my dogs diet. This past November, new vet said he needs grains otherwise he can get a heart murmur. Fast forward to this past July, me and 6 other people came in for a heart murmur check up and medication. Seems odd and someone had the exact same story as I did (with vet saying to refrain fro”

“My dog started urinating blood overnight. I am taking him to the urgent care in a little over an hour when it opens. Looking for any insights or range of outcomes, signs to look out for that things are escalating, or what to prepare for at the vet (could this be expensive to diagnose? could this require a euthanasia decision?) My hope is that it's a clot/stone of some sort that can pass and doesn't create a complete blockage (which I'm assuming it's not given that his urinations”

“My 14.5 year old has had CKD and has been on a strict renal diet for 2 years now. I believe his labs put him at stage 2/early stage 3, but luckily he is not showing any signs (no vomiting, lethargy, or loss of appetite. Occasional soft stool that gets better in 24 hours). His teeth have gotten worse since his diagnosis. Ive asked about a dental cleaning a couple of times, but was told that since he is not showing any signs of dental discomfort, its not worth the risk. This week, he lost a tooth.”

“Our 7y.o pit mix was prescribed laverdia for her lymphoma and tomorrow will be her first day taking it. We have one other dog and two cats in the house and wondering what type of risk they will be at as far as interacting/playing with her. We know we have to feed her separately but what about water dishes? It would be hard to keep that separate from the other pets. What type of risk will we be at if she wants to snuggle us on the couch or bed? Also what type of luck have people had with laverdia”

“Hi, I will start by saying I’ve just done a bile acid test and will get results tomorrow. I will also be doing an ultrasound if that is inconclusive. My female poodle, 9 years old and in good health, She seems completely normal clinically and her physical exam was normal, but two of her liver-associated enzymes came back elevated: • ALT: 229 IU/L — high • AST: 100 IU/L — high • ALP: 117 IU/L — normal • GGT: 4 IU/L — normal • Total bilirubin: 0.1 mg/dL — normal My understanding is that ALT/AST el”

“My sweet, wonderful, loyal, eight year-old dog has cancer and I, a woman who is proud to be a nurse, missed two really big signs. For at least six months or maybe a year she’s had loose, flatter stools and I thought “well maybe it’s her new food.“ And she’s a husky dog so her tail is up and her anus is always visible. And literally two weeks ago on a walk I said “baby, why is your butt hole off center?“ and I did nothing. She has anal gland cancer. She had a mass the size of a lacrosse ball in h”

“Our senior dog is a small rescue. We assume she's 11, so early-mid senior. We took her in 3rd week of June for dental. Did all the pre dental blood work and such. The vet told us her BUN was around 90. Because her mouth is tiny and the guns were in rough shape, we opted to go forward. She took her post dental meds like a champ for 10 days. A few days after the July 4 holiday, her eating slowed way down. We noticed all she does these days is sleep. Had her checked again at her regular vet and”

“Hello all, I’m sharing a series of events from this past week and would really appreciate any veterinary opinions. I adopted Winston in fall 2023. He is a beagle mix, 43 lbs, and his age is unknown, but it’s assumed he may be around 12 now. He has a low-grade heart murmur (responding well to Vetmedin) and arthritis. We tried all the available medications and ultimately settled on Librela before switching to Lenivia on July 15. He also had bloodwork done to check his kidney function because the p”

“This is Arfy and I’ve been extremely concerned about him over the last 2 days. Is Arfy going to be okay? submitted by /u/Massive_Ad_9444 [link] [comments]”

“hi all! i am posting on behalf of my brother/SIL (neither have reddit accounts) as they are seeking advice on what could be happening with their dog. He is a 6y/o maltese un-neutered. SIL types this out to explain the situation: “My dog has been acting very strange. He keeps looking up at the sky, backing up, and sometimes seems like he's ‘stuck.’ We took him to the vet, where they did blood work and a urinalysis, and everything came back normal. The vet said it appears to be neurological be”

“Hi everyone, I'm looking for advice from anyone who has been through something similar with a dog. My dog is a 16-year-old male Cocker Spaniel. He has a large perianal adenoma that has grown significantly over time. My veterinarian recommends surgery to remove it because they are concerned it could eventually obstruct his bowel and potentially lead to a serious infection if left untreated. The main concern is that the tumour is very close to the anal sphincter. The vet explained that surgery”

“We've been to our vet and are currently waiting for a follow up EKG and ultrasound in a few weeks. We took our almost 14 year old dacshund in 8 days ago because her belly was distended and she wasn't pooping. They did an x ray and blood work. She wasn't constipated, instead she had a huge gas bubble and diarrhea. But the x ray showed her heart was swollen and pushing on her treacha. And her spleen was swollen and pushing her intestines out of place. We were told to get the EKG and ul”

“I have never posted on Reddit but I’m a bit desperate. My dog was diagnosed with MMM in mid February, I feel I definitely caught it too late because she had a lot of wasting around her head and jaw. But somehow she was still able to eat and drink so they put her in 40mg of prednisone (She was about 85-90 pounds then) and it had gotten a bit better. The vet basically said she probably wouldn’t ever get her full muscle back at that point it was just about not seeing regression. So a couple months”

“4-year-old Terrier mix with persistently rising ALP (1842 → 3200) despite treatment, asymptomatic. Looking for advice/experiences. Hey everyone, I'm looking for advice or to hear from anyone who has been through something similar with their dog. Never DNA tested our dog but most likely terrier/jack russel/whippet mix. Otherwise healthy, very active, competes in agility. Normal appetite, energy, thirst, urination, and bowel movements. No vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, jaundice, abdominal pa”

“I’ve been taking care of my friends older dogs for many years now & so I’ve gotten to see just how quickly they’ve declined in just the past few weeks. One can’t stand, so it makes going potty extremely hard (“walking” is more of a “if I stop I’ll go down but if I keep waddling around I’ll be fine”). The other has kidney disease & a collapsing trachea, so constant stream of pain meds & diapers. I’ve been okay with this for a long time, but I’m at the point where I’m nervous. I’ve voi”

“I'm currently watching a maltese who has cancer and is on chemo. Her people are in Europe for the next three weeks, and they left a care credit card and told me that if she takes a turn for the worse to "Do whatever it takes to keep her alive until we get back". She is doing fine right now, but this freaks me out and seems so cruel! If she does take a turn, I think it would be a better just to let her go. But she's not mine, and this is not sitting well with me. Thoughts? ETA:”

“My dog has been doing this weird thing more often lately. It's kind of hard to explain, but you know when you're about to puke but you're not gagging. He's been doing alot of that he's nodding his head, licking lips and salivating. I'm not quite sure if he wants to throw up, he doesn't gag. But this doesn't seemed normal for a dog. I'm not sure how to describe I'm sorry. But yeah any isights, before I take him to the vet again? submitted by /u/”

“My dog has been doing this weird thing more often lately. It's kind of hard to explain, but you know when you're about to puke but you're not gagging. He's been doing alot of that he's nodding his head, licking lips and salivating. I'm not quite sure if he wants to throw up, he doesn't gag. But this doesn't seemed normal for a dog. I'm not sure how to describe I'm sorry. But yeah any isights, before I take him to the vet again? submitted by /u/”

“I've posted here before and was flooded with incredible advice and support....thank you again.. and again in advance now too... I'm posting in regards to my 10 yo female cocker spaniel mix again. She gets her teeth brushed by me with the rubber finger thing weekly, but the plaque still builds up and the end teeth usually need professional cleaning every 2-3 years...she needs a cleaning now. However, she just got diagnosed with degenerative heart disease and congestive heart failure...it”

“My 6 year old sheltie got a surgical liver biopsy today. I brought him home late this afternoon and fed him his pain/ anxiety meds w/ dinner but he will not lay down. He has not laid down since I brought him home. He will sit down and attempt to lay down but then will sit back up. He is so restless. Any advice? • ⁠Species: Canine • ⁠Age: 6 • ⁠Sex/Neuter status: Neutered • ⁠Breed: Shetland sheepdog • ⁠Body weight: 40 lbs • ⁠History: elevated liver enzyme levels submitted by /u/Cucumbe”

“Please help, as I feel we are running out of options since no vets have been able to identify a diagnosis. Our 9-year-old Brittany has been sick since mid-May and we still don't have a diagnosis despite an extensive workup. If any of this seems similar to a case you have seen please comment! Species: Dog Age: 9 Sex/Neuter status: Spayed Female Breed: Brittany Body weight: 26lb and dropping History: Only incontinence Duration: Roughly two months since first syncope episode Your general locati”

“Hi, I wanted to ask if anyone here has experienced their dog having not only a low red blood cell count, but also low white blood cells and low platelets at the time they were eventually diagnosed with IMHA. My best friend is currently hospitalized, and the veterinarians are still trying to determine what is causing his condition. Because of how critical he is, they are not able to perform a bone marrow biopsy yet, so the main goal right now is to stabilize him. At this point, the vets believe i”

“I have a 17 year old dog with a heart murmer. We are at the point where we are seriously considering end of life options. She's not eating which is not that unusual for her (she has been on and off her food her whole life). But now she's much older and has no fat reserves. The only thing I'm seeing is that she seems interested in her food, but reluctant to eat so maybe a dental issue? She's still getting zoomies like usual. We are going to the vet today and are very likely going”

“I have an 8 year old mini aussie- Luno. Some brief context: Luno has always been a relatively healthy and active dog. He enjoyed long walks, eating, and going crazy in the backyard. During the last week of May, Luno got a hot spot on one of his paws. We treated the hotspot and kept him in bed rest for 2 weeks. After those 2 weeks, I tried to get him back to walking but noticed he was being very lethargic and we couldn’t even make it down the drive way. His hot spot was healed, but I figured he w”

“Anyone have any information on false negative test results? My dog has all the symptoms of disseminated valley fever, but recently did an antibody test which was found to be negative. I’ve read that false negatives can be moderately high, and sometimes the dog does not mount a robust enough immune response for detection. Anyone have any insight? submitted by /u/IMAlien [link] [comments]”

“We took our guy to get groomed at the vet today and they wanted to do a liver scan, since his numbers have been slightly elevated the last 2 years, but not over worrisome. He has a 6cm mass in the right side of his liver. He will be 13 this fall and I have had him since he was 1.5, in devastated, but trying to think about the life we have built around him as a couple DINKs, he's even the witness on our marriage license. I'm not sure what I'm needing from this post, but just wanted to”