Albuquerque Journal Articles
Question: I discovered that Rocky (5 month old Jack Russell) is growing his adult canine teeth however his baby teeth are not coming out. Will they come out on their own later? Dr. Nichol: Retained baby (deciduous) teeth is a common bump in the road of adolescence for small breed dogs. At age 5 months, those little choppers may not fall out on their own. If they’re allowed to stay beyond the toddler phase, the much bigger permanent teeth will arrive right next door. Food particles, hair, and even plant material can get jammed in the gap between them. This…
Question: Our 5 year old German shepherd, Barney, is nearly the most perfect pet except for when he goes for a ride in the car. Every time he sees a pedestrian or, even worse another dog, he goes ballistic. He barks like he’s the most viscous creature, ready to devour everything in his path. I think he enjoys being this bad ass. He’s obedience trained and has an AKC good citizen certificate. Dr. Nichol: A-hem. This is a family newspaper, you know. You could have described Barney as a bad rear end or perhaps a bad hiney. We’ll let it…
Question: Three months ago we adopted a spayed 5 year old female cat. She’s very loving and we adore her. But lately she gets these wild streaks and has scratched and bitten our legs, even drawing blood. It’s usually preceded by meowing and sometimes yowling. We spray water on her and scold her. In a few minutes she’s loving and sweet again. We’re retired homebodies so she gets lots of attention. Dr. Nichol: Springtime can bring out the call of the wild. There are risks to life in the great outdoors but that is your cat’s innate habitat. Her natural…
Can’t you just share some love or a snack without all the pushing, shoving, or maybe even a growl or worse? You can but your canine leadership will need some refinement. Keep your dogs in line without hurting anyone’s feelings.
Has your cat ever had a fight? I don’t mean with a spouse or HOA but with a marauding feline neighbor or housemate. Squabbles may start and end with spitting, verbal putdowns, and posturing but when it’s game-on, an altercation can turn dangerous. Feline behavior is complicated and, in many ways, quite different than our species or our dogs.’ Some cats prefer to be part of a group (colony) but they can just as easily go it alone. Except for females and their young, kitties don’t need each other to survive. Unlike us and our dogs, they don’t cry out…
The Food and Drug Administration, along with independent researchers, have discovered a possible link between grain-free, “legume-rich” pet foods and a potentially life-threatening heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Deficiency of the amino acid taurine may be another significant factor. Specific categories of diets have been linked to heart disease. A group of Newfoundlands, who were fed a lamb and rice diet, have developed reversible DCM linked to taurine deficiency. Golden retrievers, American cocker spaniels, and Dalmatians also appear to be vulnerable. Vegan and vegetarian diets have been implicated but limited ingredient foods manufactured by Hills and Royal Canin have…
Last in a series Rather than indulging in frivolous ego-driven jealousy, like humans, our dogs live in the moment. They compete because they’re programmed to worry that food or proximity to their leader might vanish, causing them to wander aimlessly in the abyss, wither, and die of starvation, isolation, and heartache. Polly’s aggression was turbo charged by her severe anxiety disorder, very likely genetic in its origin. Her squabbles with Holly were already beyond name-calling and hair pulling; a shootout with life-threatening injuries, or worse, was right around the corner. My clients wanted an immediate end to the hostilities but…
Third in a series Polly and Holly, our canine pugilist protagonists, were first brought to me for help several years earlier. Their hostility had already become dangerous. Holly the victim was done quaking in her boots when Polly the bully threatened. It was game-on at first sighting. Most people are oblivious to the pecking order among their dogs. And that’s fine. Members of this species communicate among themselves almost continually, nearly all of it with subtle body signals. Those with more stripes on their sleeves quietly require their underlings to step away from the food, toys, or leaders. Ego isn’t…
Second in a series We want our pets to have peaceful lives, getting along well with others in our home. Dog fights are deeply disturbing. Everybody wants these conflicts solved fast, simply, and reliably. Sadly, it’s never that easy. Every situation is different and complicated. Aggression between family dogs, more often among females, is the most common problem treated in veterinary behavior practices. In an earlier life, prior to my residency, I surgically repaired some really heinous wounds. Most of these participants in canine domestic violence survived, a few, often involving big dogs assaulting smaller pets, did not. It’s hard…
First in a series The brain is considered the most complex organ in the body. No one is perfect because, with 86 billion active neurons in the human mind (only 3-4 fewer cell layers in our pets’) there are a whole lot of ways for behaviors to be different or abnormal. Polly is a 10 year old Australian shepherd mix who shares her home with Holly, a dog of similar age and parentage. They’ve lived most of their lives together and have always, sort of, hated each other’s guts. In addition to two doting pet parents, this active family includes…