Albuquerque Journal Articles

Secretly Sick

By drjeffnichol | July 21, 2025 | Comments Off on Secretly Sick
kitty

Don’t Let Your Cat Fool You Do you examine your cat’s mouth? That would mean putting him on a table under a bright light with an assistant gently holding his shoulders as you slowly open his mouth big enough to see all of his teeth. Actually, about the only time that really happens is during the annual physical exam. What? Your cat doesn’t see the doctor every year? Mmmm. Well, don’t feel bad. Pretty much everybody hates going to the doctor. There is a widespread disinformation campaign, surely promulgated by our cats, that they need little in the way of…

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Smart puppy makes bathroom errors – juvenile delinquent?

By drjeffnichol | July 14, 2025 | Comments Off on Smart puppy makes bathroom errors – juvenile delinquent?
puppy

Question: My 4 month old blue heeler puppy is crate-trained perfectly. He always pees and poops when he’s outside. Then he comes inside and pees on the floor every 20 or 30 minutes. He eats fine and doesn’t drink excessively, but it’s as if he’s doing it on purpose. He’s completed obedience class with flying colors. I lived in NM for years and am now in Louisiana but I remember your on-point answers. Dr. Nichol: Aw shucks. Your adolescent heeler’s brain is the most complex organ in his body. He’s very good at learning obedience skills but there are different…

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Missing the litter pan – bad aim?

By drjeffnichol | July 7, 2025 | Comments Off on Missing the litter pan – bad aim?
litter box

Question: I recently adopted a 1 1/2-year-old cat. She’s as sweet as can be but she defecates just outside the cat box on the floor so I named her Lou. She tries to cover it up but she’s pawing at the floor! She urinates in the box. I’ve tried different litters and different boxes but the behavior continues. There are 2 other cats in the house but they live in their own sunroom. Dr. Nichol: Your new kitty knows how fortunate she is in her new home but she needs to get her %$&# together. There can be a variety…

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Fireworks phobia – What works, what to avoid

By drjeffnichol | June 29, 2025 | Comments Off on Fireworks phobia – What works, what to avoid
fireworks

Is everybody ready for earsplitting blasts? Mick, the Nichol family Border collie will do OK; he knows his folks will be on duty. There are pure bred and mixed dogs, and plenty of cats of indeterminate parentage, who are genetically programmed for noise phobia. And because the brain is a plastic organ, meaning repetition tends to strengthen its circuits, July 4th freak-outs can worsen each year. It’s a problem that often shares canine cabezas with separation anxiety. Shelter from the aerial bombardment and light flashes will be essential. Dogs may hide, tremble, drool, cry, vomit, urinate or even pass diarrhea.…

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Help this long-suffering sweet cat

By drjeffnichol | June 24, 2025 | Comments Off on Help this long-suffering sweet cat
cat

Question: A year ago I emailed you about Amber, my female cat. She had an ear mite infection and severely scratched the right side of her head. The veterinarian gave her an injection to kill the mites and steroid and antibiotic injections for the wound. The wound on her face is still a problem. Every time it heals and I remove the cone, Amber ends-up scratching it again, thusly requiring wound care and the cone.  After your response in the Albuquerque Journal, the veterinarian put Amber on a special diet for sensitive stomach and food/skin allergies. The results were negative.…

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A fly in your lunch? Bon Appetit!

By drjeffnichol | June 16, 2025 | Comments Off on A fly in your lunch? Bon Appetit!
insect

Question:
I know that AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) has accepted a certain kind larva as an approved ingredient in pet diets. What are your thoughts about insect-based food formulations as an alternative protein source?

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Fear & anxiety can improve – but happily ever after?

By drjeffnichol | June 9, 2025 | Comments Off on Fear & anxiety can improve – but happily ever after?
dog

Last in a series
Jerry was already getting help with his own struggles when I met him, Charlene, and their dogs Izzy and wee Rosie and Willa.

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Teach a dog like a dog

By drjeffnichol | June 2, 2025 | Comments Off on Teach a dog like a dog
dog

Fourth in a series
I could only help Charlene and Jerry with the fighting among their dogs if I had their buy-in. They were both feeling pretty low. So, I shared the game plan.

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Dog fight desperation – Could it improve?

By drjeffnichol | May 27, 2025 | Comments Off on Dog fight desperation – Could it improve?
dog hiding

Third in a series
If one event quickly follows another, every time, our dogs connect the dots. Jerry’s past rage-infused tirades against Izzy, when he caught her menacing the smaller dogs, taught her to avoid them in his presence.

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Punishment teaching good behavior?

By drjeffnichol | May 19, 2025 | Comments Off on Punishment teaching good behavior?
lion

Second in a series Izzy, Willa, and Rosie could have been allowed to fight it out until the last dog was standing. Wouldn’t the thumping the smaller dogs endured teach them to mind their place in the pecking order? Really? Some people actually believe that. The more common mistake is to punish the perpetrator. Izzy had been severely reprimanded but not for a long time; it had been over a year since she’d been busted for bullying. Back in the day, though, Jerry had gotten really upset when seeing her push the small fry around. He’d yelled and contorted himself…

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