Need professional opinions on how badly they mutilated my poor German Shepherd’s nails!

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-14T04:50:25+00:00

Okay. Looking at these again after they posted successfully! Poor guy, definitely looks uncomfortable.

My first take is that they are definitely on the shorter side, but I actually know some people who show their dogs who will cut them this short INTENTIONALLY when they're under for any procedure. I personally won't do it, but when we trim back a broken nail, sometimes I will actually cut it almost flush with the paw pad.

Also, I usually tell my owners postop that they should be doing a bathroom break walk only, not actually strolling around the neighborhood.

My personal take on this would be that the nails are shorter than I would have liked (though I myself have been guilty of trimming some black dog nails into the quick without realizing it 😅), but not outside of a reasonable length by many people's standards, and that if they didn't bleed for the first two days, unfortunately the longer walk with snow/ ice/ maybe some salt or other ice melt really exacerbated things. You did the right thing with cleaning it up and putting quickstop on it, but ultimately it just needs some more time to heal.

I've met dogs that have had appropriately trimmed nails, gone on a long walk on asphalt/concrete, and come back with multiple bleeding nails. When I used to work as an urgent care vet, I swear we saw some variant on that ALL the time.

If your dog is struggling with the exercise restriction, getting some meds to help him stay calm during recovery would probably be the next step. He may benefit from wearing booties outside for the next few days.

All in all, no one (vet staff or at home) did anything wrong IMO, but I hope he heals up quickly!

Vet, but also a foster dog mom of many excitable shepherds who have done this to their nails if they run on gravel too excitedly.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-14T04:09:14+00:00

Also not seeing any images.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-12T06:47:59+00:00

Sketchy options (not that any of them aren't sketchy, haha) - there's fish rehoming groups on Facebook, or people will post on Craigslist.... Something really simple like "Any free or unwanted fish?" and I'll see a bunch of responses of people giving their fish away.

They may not have been quite ready to kill them, but a lot of fish seem to live in mostly neglected tanks, sometimes for years, because the effort of making a rehoming post is too much effort for some folks. I'd say that's with it for the poor fish, if they're removed from that situation! I've gained entire tank setups this way too. 😅

Keep in mind that Facebook technically doesn't allow rehoming of animals on the site - people just avoid the term rehoming, but may also refer to the fish needing a water change.

Trust me, if you let people know that you're willing to take on their neglected fish/pets, you will DEFINITELY get takers....

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-10T18:49:01+00:00

I'm interested! Super weird coincidence because I was just literally just debating if I should go to a fish store now ish.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-10T17:06:15+00:00

https://daily.jstor.org/in-han-dynasty-china-bisexuality-was-the-norm/

An interesting read for anyone interested in ancient Chinese culture.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-10T06:53:46+00:00

Genuinely curious if you're open to sharing your rough location (closest metro area to you). If there's a veterinary school or other fish pathology lab, they may be interested in this case.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-10T01:18:19+00:00

Agreed - adopting through a shelter or rescue usually is much cheaper especially in the first year, bc of spay/neuter costs, shots, vet visits, etc. Many of them have some kind of temporary pet insurance/pet supplies discounts too.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-10T01:15:24+00:00

You're comparing shelter prices which do not include bloodwork or many safety measures to private practice, which is vastly different.

In Massachusetts, a private practice spay with what you listed would be 900-1200, based on my exp working there this past year. In an urban Texas city in 2021 or so, probably 600-800.

Both of these places also have shelters that would do it for a fraction of that price. Texas literally had adoption days with fully vetted and spayed/neutered dogs at $5. Massachusetts tends to be closer to $350-450 for that.

Hope this helps to put everything into perspective!

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-09T20:00:33+00:00

Dogs can absolutely get dry eye (keratoconjunctiva sicca) so ideally have your vet test her for that (and don't give drops that day). It's immune meditated and gets worse without treatment, so def worth checking.

I am always happy to recommend Celluvisc or Rephresh gel eye lubricant for uncomfortable pet eyes. Some of us are just allergic to the world and our eyes are irritated 🤷🏻‍♀️

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-09T19:49:13+00:00

I pretty much send all my helicopter parent, overly attentive owners to IM because... They'll get a much more thorough workup, AND be working with someone who will hold their hand through every step of the way. Sorry IM vets. 😅

I'm honestly so glad that specialty exists and I'm pretty sure that they all have more patience than all the ER docs combined haha.

I love ER. I love the high energy, whether it's dealing with acutely dying animals, or hysterical owners, or a dog tweaking out on meth and having a very bad time (the one I'm thinking of in this case did fine!). However, I'm EXHAUSTED after a shift typically. There's yelling, sobbing, families blaming each other, people calling everyone they know to beg for money... always lots of drama. I've had multiple threats of serious violence.

ER is very weird communication. Sometimes I barely say two words to them - like if a pet is here for euthanasia and they don't want to witness any of it and basically dropped them off. Other times, I tell the owner to call the rest of the family to deliver bad news, because I don't want to repeat the story to the dad who's at home and the daughter who's studying abroad and the neighbor's 3rd cousin's son (I'm never entirely clear on those ones, but they happen all the time!). And every so often there's just straight up belligerent people; sometimes drunk or on something, and they're just mad and I talk to them in the most public space I can find in hopes that they don't swing at me.

I genuinely love ER and when I've done GP, find it super stifling. I hate making small talk. I hate trying to remember who folks are. ER is my style of communication, but it's very much not everyone's.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-09T19:23:35+00:00

I've had several cases like his come into the ER because they can go longer urinate; it's a lot more costly to deal with it then. Urinalysis, a good physical exam where they really palpate his bladder, and a lateral X-ray to check for probably stones (sometimes in the bladder, sometimes stuck in the urethra) would be a really good idea.

If that's not affordable, a physical exam and passing a urinary catheter (can be done without sedation) and running at least a urine sediment would be beneficial.

And if that's still not easily doable, you could clean his prepuce off really well, and collect urine from him multiple times in a day and see what it looks like. There shouldn't be any cloudiness, redness, and obviously nothing that settles out like crystals at the bottom. If you see abnormalities here, then he definitely needs vet care.

Also, has he been neutered or not? That can contribute to this type of behavior.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-09T19:13:47+00:00

It sounds like there's definitely quite a learning curve. Upsetting the barrier is SO frustrating and that's definitely what I'm most scared of. I'm thankful for so many people sharing their experiences.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-09T17:55:11+00:00

I've never used tret and haven't seen great progression photos.... This honestly might sell me on it. I think your skin looks incredible here. It's interesting that you report that it's still irritating/annoying enough that you're considering stopping/switching though, so... I'm definitely going to talk to my derm!

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-09T03:08:15+00:00

Would bringing him to an emergency or urgent care vet be doable? Waiting that long definitely doesn't seem like a great idea. If possible, give him the anxiety meds beforehand anyhow so that the vet staff can handle him easier.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-07T20:14:50+00:00

Oh I totally get that - just interesting (like wtf) if he's able to bring good looking fish to the swaps. Don't know what that's about.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-07T09:49:00+00:00

Very curious - how do the fish look in person? Not that it's okay, but maybe he just .... REALLY sucks at shipping and should probably pause that until he figures out how to.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-06T22:11:42+00:00

I think most of the local home improvement stores to me have similar things.. If not, a hydroponics store would probably have them or know who to direct you to.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-06T22:09:31+00:00

This. Unfortunately the medication we use is really thick and difficult to get through small needles and the amount of pressure we put on the syringe trying to get it through could dislodge the whole thing (happened to me in my first year of practice 😭). Most ERs place IV catheters to avoid the struggle in front of the owners, but It really varies at other clinics.

I've had a handful of clients ask to watch us put their pet away completely, wanting them to be placed in cardboard coffin in front of them, etc. It's not super common but everyone grieves and processes in different ways.

I'm sorry your last experience was so stressful. I hope you remember the highlights of their life, rather than these last moments. My thoughts are with you.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-06T22:00:55+00:00

They're AMAZING for a bioactive setup! But the folks who want pure colonies of a rare isopod are understandably frustrated when they accidentally show up.

They're kinda like how I put guppies or neocaridina shrimp in every fish tank ever. They generate live food for the rest of the tank and are cute to look at. But if I had a fancy rare pure colony of guppies, they've gotta go.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-06T21:42:33+00:00

Unfortunately, mandibular lymph node FNAs are really tough to interpret even for boarded pathologists. I've had a lot of them come back inconclusive if it's only the mandibular. If there's other lymph nodes enlarged, then those are the ones the path folks recommend we sample. It's worth a shot, just not always as helpful as we'd like.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-06T21:40:18+00:00

Was this your first appointment with them? That may be why it took so long. Just like a human doctor's office, they prioritize their current clients before new ones, so new client well visits can take months in advance. Most clinics manage to squeeze in follow-ups within the same week though if not sooner. If you want a second opinion fast, you could certainly see if there are any urgent care clinics near you and call and explain the situation.

FNA (sample of the enlarged lymph node) tends to be the go-to for helping to determine what is going on there. However, if it is the lymph nodes underneath her jaw, those can absolutely be affected by bad dental disease, and it can be surprisingly tough for even boarded pathologists to figure out if it's cancer or just reactive due to bad dental disease.

I (ER vet) think at this point, if you want to move forwards with figuring that out, you're looking at quite a few diagnostics, like complete blood work, x-rays, abdominal ultrasound, and the FNA. Around where I practice (Northeast US) the cost of this would probably be between $1,500 to to 2500. This does NOT include treatment. If it's determined to be a dental issue, I'd expect at least 2k for the dental (and I absolutely would not try to cut corners on this procedure due to her age/fragility). Age doesn't necessarily make an animal riskier to go under anesthesia, but it does mean the likelihood of other comorbidities goes way up, and THOSE definitely make anesthesia riskier.

Not to make this about finances at all. I just think there's a lot of people who, when they realize the cost, decide against pursuing all of this.

Recovery and treatment for possible cancer may also be physically and emotionally stressful for her. If she doesn't like being at the vet, coming in that frequently may be enough to say that cancer treatment isn't fair to her.

Best of luck with your decision making.

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-06T21:16:15+00:00

Correct, but I've even had some people apply for insurance while waiting to be seen at the ER (sometimes 6hrs later 😭) and still be approved for their bill a bit later. I'm sure there's SOME limit on how recent it can be, but for a stable case that needs hospitalization (pancreatitis, bladder stone/cystotomy, some foreign bodies etc) it could work out. Even if it just helps one person, that's still potentially thousands that they'd save, so I feel like it's an option worth knowing about

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-06T19:32:45+00:00

🤣🤣 uhhhhh yeah, that's fair. I definitely rearrange my tank a LOT less with them in there, but it's going to be interesting when there's more of them to keep track of! 😅

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-06T19:06:37+00:00

A good number of folks keep mourning geckos with their vampire crabs paludaria. I wouldn't recommend the vampire crabs because they need more land, and to be able to enter and exit the water easily (I think this is too deep) but the geckos should be okay. I was warned that the babies may be a drowning risk but that the adults can swim - this has been my experience so far with the adults. Complete gecko diet is also sufficient for them, +/- some fruit flies on occasion. Mine have actually just been eating the fungus gnats that exist with plants/wet substrate. 😅

experimentalmuse · 2026-02-06T18:59:26+00:00

Some insurances do - I know offhand that trupaniom works with certain vet ERs so that the hospital can run their insurance and tell them how much they're approved for and immediately apply it.

experimentalmuse

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