Pets Stack Exchange
Pets Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [health]

Specific problems or concerns regarding the physical well-being of a pet.

Addressing specific problems or health concerns that may negatively impact the well-being of a pet. Requests for general medical information are appropriate; however, personal medical advice is not.

Examples of appropriate general medical information questions:

  • What are the advantages/disadvantages of these three different treatments commonly used for $disease?

  • How often do indoor-only pets contract FIV?

  • $professional_publication had information about a promising new treatment for $condition a year ago; what further work has been done?

  • We suspect food allergies; what alternatives are there to the expensive prescription diet?

  • What is the general prognosis for $diagnosis?

Examples of off-topic personal medical advice:

  • Should I subject my elderly pet to surgery for $problem?

  • Should I vaccinate my indoor pet for FIV?

  • If I accidentally skip a dose of $medicine should I just skip it or double up the next one?

  • (Many personal details here, ending with) what should I do?

Related tags: , , , .

1321 questions
60
votes
19 answers

How can I fix my relationship with my 7 month old cat after I've constantly abused her the past month?

My kitten is 7 month old, and I... [Content Warning: Descriptions of animal abuse behind spoiler] ...critically abused her the last month (including throwing her hard on ladders and hitting her hard, many times, with almost no apparent…
Anonymus
  • 741
  • 1
  • 5
  • 3
59
votes
1 answer

How much purring is too much purring?

I have an adolescent cat that I adopted as a kitten. For some time now I have noticed that he is purring a lot. I know that when giving affection this behavior is normal but my cat seems to start purring whenever I'm in the same room as him or even…
Lix
  • 1,459
  • 2
  • 12
  • 26
54
votes
6 answers

Can cats safely eat raw meat?

Is it safe to feed my cat raw meat, or should we cook the meat first? Or should we stick exclusively to factory produced cat food instead?
Timtech
  • 3,271
  • 6
  • 25
  • 48
37
votes
3 answers

Why do dogs eat grass?

I have always been told that dogs eat grass because they have upset stomachs. My dogs, however, eat grass every single time they go outside. I constantly need to remind them that grass is not for eating. Are they just hungry? Do they always have an…
nicolefurlan
  • 645
  • 6
  • 8
37
votes
3 answers

Why do cats lick plastic bags, and is there any harm in it?

Most of my cats (past and present) have liked to lick plastic trash bags and grocery bags. Assuming that they are not tearing off bits of plastic and swallowing them, but just licking, is there any harm in this? What are they getting out of this --…
Monica Cellio
  • 8,285
  • 6
  • 43
  • 83
34
votes
5 answers

Is it ok to pick my adult cat up by the scruff of the neck?

We have a 18 month old male, neutered cat. (His full name is Mr Sid Cuffuffle- Sid to his friends - no lie!) A mother cat carries her kittens by the scruff of the neck, as the skin is very loose. I am wondering if it is ok to pick a full grown adult…
user6796
33
votes
2 answers

Can my dog get sick from my human illness?

When I'm sick in bed, nothing feels better than my dog snuggled up under my arm (except when my arm is hurt, or whatever I have this time gives me an aversion to pet-derived warmth). Based on the illness I have (the flu, for example), I expose the…
JoshDM
  • 9,003
  • 11
  • 51
  • 108
32
votes
1 answer

Does neutering have any negative effect on the health of a dog?

After asking Can a dog contract a sexually transmitted infection?, I want to advise my friend to neuter his dog and I want to do the same with my own dog. I want to ensure my dog is still safe, so I want to know if neutering my dog will affect his…
user34
32
votes
6 answers

When is declawing a viable option for cats?

We recently acquired a kitten, and we've found that in playing with her we tend to get a lot of scratches, often severe enough to draw a bit of blood. These scratches are not hostile in nature, but more of a side effect in playing with her. We…
Gigazelle
  • 885
  • 3
  • 11
  • 19
31
votes
2 answers

Is dry food better for pets’ teeth?

I had always heard that dry food was better for my dog and cat because it helps keep their teeth clean, I even remember TV commercials about dry treats that would clean the dog’s teeth. In the question Is there anything beyond preference that…
James Jenkins
  • 29,385
  • 40
  • 135
  • 246
30
votes
3 answers

How can I stop my dogs from scooting / dragging their butts?

I currently have 3 dogs and all of them will periodically scoot their butts, slam their butts hard on the ground, and drag themselves. When it happens, I know their anal glands are bothering them and they're trying to relieve the pain and itchiness…
Taryn
  • 1,021
  • 3
  • 12
  • 22
28
votes
4 answers

What happens if cats drink coffee?

I was drinking my coffee the other day and I accidentally spilled some on the floor (a couple of drops). My cat licked them. I don't really think this is a big deal because it was only two drops, but can anything happen to cats if they drink a…
Shev
  • 1,573
  • 5
  • 17
  • 28
28
votes
11 answers

My cat seems to dislike the idea of a morning walk. Should I continue?

In recent days I've been trying to develop a habit in my cat of a morning walk with me. It is to be noted that letting the cat alone outside to roam independently is not an option. Here there are lots of stray dogs who attack cats. She will be dead…
Sonevol
  • 4,245
  • 6
  • 23
  • 55
26
votes
2 answers

One month old puppy pacing in circles and crying

I picked up a stray puppy from the side of the road 3 days back. She is an Indian breed. She was crawling on her belly into shade when I found her. I picked her (brown) up along with 2 other (black) puppies. The other two black ones are healthy and…
mad_greasemonkey
  • 771
  • 6
  • 12
26
votes
2 answers

Why is iceberg lettuce bad for rabbits?

I have read that rabbits should not be given iceberg lettuce. Why is that?
James Jenkins
  • 29,385
  • 40
  • 135
  • 246
1
2 3
…
88 89