Albuquerque Journal Articles
First in a series Behavioral research shows that 75% of dogs are anxious in veterinary clinics. We’re ethically bound not to make it any harder for them. I quietly opened the door into reception and spied my clients. Jerry Cline was seated next to his wife Charlene. Izzy, parked between them, was a 48# spotted mix of some kind but rather a pretty girl dog. She sat evenly on both hips, head up but a little back. Her ears were also back but not pinned to the sides of her head. Her tail was tucked around her rear end, its…
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Question: Ben is our 2 year old indoor cat. We adopted him when he was 6 months old. We added a second cat 3 months ago. That was when Ben started overgrooming. He is now almost bald on his sides. Is he stressed? Dr. Nichol: Ben is certainly stressed. Watch him closely. His skin may occasionally ripple like a horse’s or he might suddenly lick with intensity or jump up and race out of the room. Often diagnosed with feline hyperesthesia syndrome (FHS) these kitties are frantically trying to jump out of their own skin. Indoor cats can get seriously…
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Question: We have a yellow Lab, “Tootsie”. She eats leaves, sticks, and other detritus including rocks, gravel, concrete chips, Hot Wheels and Legos. She minds the command to “Drop” but chews until it goes down the hatch and is seen in her droppings. She’s had diarrhea a few times. She has passed 6″ of nylon leash! Do these habits diminish over time? Dr. Nichol: Everything about Tootsie’s behavior is unhealthy. I’ve retrieved a variety of interesting objects from the GI tracts of dogs who’ve made it to my operating table. We see fewer of these cases now; the science has…
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Last in the series The biggest reason Irene developed arthritis is because she’s reached her golden years. This would not have occurred in the wild. As she aged in that competitive environment, with pain and stiffness, partial blindness and diminished hearing, she would have lost her edge. There are no veterinarians in the tropical forests of Asia. Her 58th birthday would not have arrived without the Biopark’s excellent animal care staff. Because of them her good quality of life should extend into her 60s and maybe her 70s. Dr. Carol Bradford started Irene on a safe and effective antiinflammatory/pain reliever…
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Third in a series We suspected Irene’s legs were too uncomfortable for her to stay lying down long enough for quality shut eye. But there was more; she’d accumulated additional maladies over her 58 years. And, hey, which AARP member among us hasn’t? The ABQ BioPark’s elephant herd includes Alice, born in 1974, and her daughter Rozie, a 1992 model. And, much as their natural ranging sisters would, they get along fine. Albert, the stud with tusks, was born in 1998 to Calvin and Lilly at African Lion Safari in Ontario, Canada. Albert moved to the BioPark in 2003. Irene…
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Second in a series A highly skilled, and tired elephant Will Rogers once said, “I have always felt that the best doctor is the veterinarian. He can’t ask his patients what is the matter…he’s just got to know.” Old Will had a point. When I queried Irene, the Asian elephant, about why she wouldn’t lie down long enough to catch a few Zs, she just smiled. Who knew elephants could be smart alecks? Clearly, we would have to resort to modern medicine. Dr. Carol Bradford, of the ABQ Biopark, had already x-rayed Irene’s feet and found them normal. She would have…
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First in a series A big, older girl with a gentle soul was having a hard time sleeping. She laid down during the night but popped back up after a few minutes. She was also getting easily startled. There had been a lot of birthdays along the way, accompanied by a thick medical record. Everybody was worried. Her doctor contacted me for behavioral advice. No, not for herself – for her patient. Jeez. Sleep happens in the brain but problems elsewhere in the body can have an impact. Veterinary behavior medicine includes all of it. So I offered to have…
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Last in a series Right away, after Atticus and Tandy were separated in different parts of the house, everybody relaxed and exhaled. There had been plenty of smack downs but, so far, no perforated pets. Sylvia and Jason were committed to doing whatever was necessary; I was cautiously optimistic. Tandy’s anxiety disorder needed research – based behavior modification. Her brain’s neurochemical imbalances also required treatment. I started her on an antianxiety medication called Reconcile, the canine-approved chewable fluoxetine. Her folks reported her much calmer about 4 weeks later. She was no longer spooked by little noises. Rather than her head-on-a-swivel…
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Last in a series Larry’s teeth and gums felt much better; modern medicine also lifted his oppressive anxiety. Curley gained confidence and was learning to relax – out from under the bed. They were still kept separated from Moe, while swapping halves of the house with him. Perching on floor-to-ceiling cat trees and venting their predatory proclivities on stalk and pounce toys had all of them feeling like real cats. Fulfilling lives for these former feline foes reduced their collective angst and diminished the risk of nuclear conflict. Keeping the peace, on the other hand. would be a lifelong challenge.…
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Last in a series As Scott slowly recovered from distemper he began to eat on his own and even play. It was a huge relief; my best friend was going to be OK. To my parents, though, he was “a dog.” Actually, they were right. We love our pets like little people in furry suits, so shouldn’t they comport themselves like good children? Canine brains are hard-wired differently. Scott was genetically programmed to point and retrieve birds with mental focus, along with a generous helping of physical stamina. Confined to the kitchen, only allowed outside on-leash to prevent damage to…
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