Albuquerque Journal Articles
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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Third in a series Problems with any organ system can impact the firing of the brain’s neurons. Oral pain is a frequent offender but arthritis, ear infections, itchy skin, and nausea are also common. Moe, the 2 year old feline interloper, passed his physical exam with flying colors. Curley’s was normal too. But Larry? His gums were suffering from nasty, long-standing infection. It even hurt when he laughed, poor guy. I told Karen and Richard how insidious dental disease can be while assuring them that Larry would be OK. When he felt better we expected him to behave better too.…
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Third in a series
It was with gravitas that I began young Scott’s feeding regimen. I knew I was up to the task.
Question: A therapy dog has a developed a phobia of his owner’s vehicle. Maybe something traumatic happened at the groomer, since that’s when it started. It’s a 2 year old collie named “Laddie”, related to the movie dog(s) Lassie. I thought of feeding him in the vehicle for a week or two, tossing hot dogs inside, using a ramp with a line of hot dogs. I’m pretty sure forcing him into the vehicle is a bad idea. Dr. Nichol: Wow – related to Lassie? I’m star struck just answering your question. You have the basics but you’ll need to slow…
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Second in a series The combatants were in their corners; the cacophony of cussing and the hurling of insults had ended. Somehow, each cat was remarkably unscathed. Their well-intentioned humans, on the other hand, suffered blood loss, although relatively minor. Richard and Karen had made the common mistake of hoping for a Disney ending to a complex behavior challenge. Their plan had been to quickly and easily integrate Moe into Larry’s and Curley’s lives. They’d had cats for years and had never seen this problem. Couldn’t everybody just join paws around the campfire and sing kumbaya? Their emotions in tatters,…
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The time honored American tradition of conspicuous Christmas consumption isn’t just for humans. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center provides the following list of holiday hazards for pets: Alcoholic beverages, chocolate, coffee (grounds, beans, chocolate covered espresso beans), moldy or spoiled foods, onions, onion powder, fatty foods, salt, yeast dough. Lilies are potentially deadly for cats, poinsettias may cause vomiting or nausea, mistletoe can cause heart problems but usually just stomach upset, and eating Holly leads to vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and lethargy. Drinking fertilized tree water results in stomach upset. Stagnant tree water (and, hey, whose isn’t?) is a bacterial…
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Egg shortages, bird flu, cat flu, sick people – OMG! We have a serious problem with no end in sight. Here’s an update. Just 12 cats in the US tested positive for avian influenza (H5N1) in 2023. There were 49 last year and 13 already last month. Some of these were barn cats, many more lived in cities and suburbs; a few had never been outside. Bird flu strikes cats fast with lethargy, poor appetite, coughing, sneezing, eye and nose discharges, and in the worst cases, loss of balance, walking in circles, and even seizures. It’s been fatal in 71%…
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