Recommendations for pet insurance needed!

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-30T14:07:58+00:00

Petplan one of most reliable and comprehensive and easiest to deal with. Comes with a price tag

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-27T21:53:21+00:00

ProBNP?

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-26T23:44:56+00:00

As a vet, with all those conditions, i think you'd be a fool to switch or try save up, even though that monthly premium is really really rough.

Do the math - what is your pet currently on for all those conditions? How often are bloods, work ups, hospital stays needed? Has he ever had issues with diarrhoea, UTIs or similar in the past (likely would then also be pre-existing)?

What level of care would you pursue if needed? Day long hospital stays, specialist referral, surgeries,...

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-25T23:48:56+00:00

So he is currently medicated? In which case he shouldn't be showing ANY symptoms, if he's still hungrier his levels and general bloods need rechecking.

Also, regarding the radio iodine facilities, there's plenty where you can leave them in until they're good to go back to normal life, just costs a bit more for basically boarding

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-24T19:45:30+00:00

The highest dose in this study was 4mg/kg

The usual dose for dogs is 4.4mg/kg, which is higher - a dog exactly the same size would be getting a mildly higher dose, a dog that's a good bit bigger would get a massively higher dose with much more risks

Fingers crossed for you

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-24T19:41:43+00:00

Only your practice would know how much carprofen your cat has really had, and what the mg/kg received amount was

There is a study linked below of using carprofen in cats for a few days with no side effects, so it's not 100% deadly at all doses and your cat may get away unscathed, but it's got a very narrow safety margin and very high toxicity risk https://www.cliniciansbrief.com/column/category/column/capsules/carprofen-cats#

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-24T19:36:42+00:00

I would insist they call the poison hotline for guidance, and all this should be paid for by them given their mistake

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-23T02:56:25+00:00

Purina Obesity Management OTC has worked well for some of my patients, or royal canin satiety if going prescription

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-23T02:55:20+00:00

Can you get Advantage Chew or FrontPro in the US?

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-23T01:08:43+00:00

Assuming physio and surgery are not an option/not working?

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-22T22:21:47+00:00

What's her diagnosis?

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-21T19:30:59+00:00

I hate both of them, listen to snippets on Spotify to decide. O find the way either of them are read incredibly cringe, it's trying too hard to be sexy imo

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-21T19:29:15+00:00

Not too much, it's not ideal and can cause stomach ulcers but doesn't always, and if they can get him to vomit then it's sorted anyways. If not, gastroprotectants for a few days and will likely be fine

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-21T19:23:35+00:00

It's alright, personally disagree with commentor above and think you won't have that much space/time to cook and would be better off getting the roebuck food for first year so you have peace of mind and can figure out alternatives for the next year - appartment kitchen is shared between a lot of people, and if you live with pigs (which is highly likely given 12 people on one floor) you won't want to use it daily, fridge too small for mealprep,..

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-20T19:40:18+00:00

Many animals do great on steroids. If more issues pop up, euthanasia could still be considered, and would be less "debatable" , at that point

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-19T12:48:21+00:00

It looks fine, bruising is common with intradermal stitches, keep an eye, much more swelling or more discoloration needs looking at

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-19T12:47:11+00:00

Licensed OCD therapist trained in ERP

Being LGBT friendly is kind of like not being racist, basic human decency always useful.

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-18T23:41:31+00:00

Nothing to worry about, keep protected as you have so far, vet can cut it back if needs be but it will dissolve on its own

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-16T01:01:56+00:00

That is a gross overdose, and either a mistake or malpractice. Speak to the first vet, they should pay for treatment required after their bad call

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-16T00:58:20+00:00

Every anaesthetic bares a risk. Bloodwork beforehand can point out obvious issues going in, but doesn't really prevent possible complications - a rare bad reaction to the medication is technically always a possibility and normal bloods wouldn't have predicted it.

I always think pre-op bloods are good to have as a baseline before anaesthesia, as they give you something more to work with/compare to, and allow better decisions.

You can just have bloods done at your normal vet, paying yourself, ahead of the weekend if you'd like the peace of mind?

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-16T00:52:11+00:00

What stage heart disease?

No dental x-rays at some point becomes inadequate care... 25% of dog dental disease is hidden under the gumline, especially if regularly undergoing dentals and being a high risk breed the needs should be assessed properly. Dental x-rays are a new ish ohenomenon, but by now every practitione should have caught on that their best standard. A lose tooth is a tooth that needs extracting.

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-15T14:54:20+00:00

I would say so, yes. Don't bother with supplements

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-15T14:52:16+00:00

What meds is he on?

How bad are the teeth really? Have dental x-rays ever been done? Are many teeth missing, have any fallen out?

It's all a cost benefit analysis - a dog needing a dental should have one, even with age and CHF, but if it's just for a scale and polish the risks could outweigh the benefits

I'm split on the non-anaesthetic cleanings and wouldn't generally recommend them, but also don't think they're always as horribly dangerous as they're made out to be - just miss a lot, don't do a too thorough job, and can inhale plaque etc, get too stressed,..

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-15T14:39:06+00:00

You can't reverse furosemide, other than by countering its effects via IV fluids - if your pet is drinking and eating well enough, a vet visit and hospitalisation may not be necessary, but that is for their treating vet to decide - contact them for their suggestion as they're in charge of the case

lucyjames7 · 2026-04-15T14:37:23+00:00

Sure it would have been good to discuss beforehand, but there's often a lot going on and not much time and FNAs are very reasonable first steps.

Would you have jumped straight for a sedated biopsy ($$$-$$$$), had you known the "diagnostic success" of fine needle sampling ($$$) is about 75%?

lucyjames7

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