I need a way to search but not include an _id which is already on the screen in front of the user. For example, I have 3 pet profiles one which the user is already viewing.<
You need to do a $ne (not equal) to make sure the current pet you are viewing is excluded from the search by owner.
Example in the mongo
shell:
var viewingPetId = ObjectId("515535b6760fe8735f5f6899");
var ownerId = ObjectId("515535ba760fe8735f5f689a");
db.mypet.find(
{
_id: { $ne: viewingPetId },
owner: ownerId
}
)