Albuquerque Journal Articles
Dr. Jeff Nichol answers your questions about the pets in your life on News Radio KKOB. Listen here: https://omny.fm/shows/the-bob-clark-podcast/cats-and-dogs
Read MoreLast in a series When anybody feels trapped and panicked there’s an adrenaline surge that can trigger fight or flight, and maybe a bite. Avoid the whole debacle. Dogs who aren’t happy with guests should hang out some other place. Put a nervous pupster in another room prior to the arrival of visitors so she can relax away from the action until those alien creatures depart. Everybody’s boundaries should be respected, including nonhuman members of the group. I was a fortunate 4 year old; Buster the Boston terrier could have inflicted a severe facial injury. The resulting abrasion bled slightly,…
Read MoreThird in a series Fear is the driving force in nearly all dog bites to humans. Really? Fear of a toddler or preschooler? Don’t bother trying to apply human logic to a split-second canine reaction. Dogs think differently. They share many social traits with us but they are members of a different species, not little people in furry suits. Instead of taking up residence in a human domicile Buster the Boston terrier could have lived in a feral canine social group. (Dogs, by the way, don’t live in packs. Wolves do.) Like others of his ilk he would be free…
Read MoreSecond in a series I was not scarred for life when Buster the Boston bit me but it was certainly an eye-opener on canine and human behavior. All 4 parents leapt out of their chairs like they’d been shot from canons. Fusillades of reprimands descended upon poor Buster, now cowering even deeper into his erstwhile hideaway. An immediate consequence was essential. Vicious dogs would not be tolerated! Solutions were bandied about like a ball in a free-for-all tennis match, emotion-driven remedies masquerading as informed logic bouncing off the walls. Give Buster away? Put him to sleep? It was overwhelming; I…
Read MoreFirst in a series Visiting the Grahams was always exciting although, in retrospect, it was pretty ordinary. Kenny Graham was a funny kid, the same age as my big sister Martha. Their family was like June, Ward, and Beaver Cleaver. Life was simple. I was 4 years old; Martha was 6 – average baby boomer kids. I thought the Graham family was really lucky because they had a dog, a black and white Boston terrier named Buster. I loved Buster and I was sure he loved me back. We didn’t have pets. One day the grown-ups were playing cards and…
Read MoreRetrievers can retrieve tennis balls until exhaustion. An Australian shepherd might herd you until you hide in a closet. At the Western Veterinary Conference last month I attended presentations on neurology, nutrition, and behavior medicine. Almost everything influences behavior. Environment and personal encounters are big but it all starts with genetic coding. Dr. Leanne Lilly is head of behavioral medicine at The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center. She explained that beyond an individual’s inherited tendencies, events surrounding its birth, called epigenetics, can alter the way DNA drives behavior. It’s complicated but the apple often doesn’t fall far from the…
Read MoreThird in a series Newt did well on his antianxiety medication. He was alert, happier, and playing with a new puppy but there was no home run. He continued to douse the house when his people were out of sight, although somewhat less often. He certainly suffered from separation anxiety but I was still missing something. We needed to gather intelligence on Newt’s activities when his people were away from him. Drones? They’d only cause paranoia. So I advised Anna and Tom to purchase a home surveillance system like a Nest Cam. Of course, this was an invasion of Newt’s…
Read MoreSecond in a series Our dogs are not little people in furry suits. We love them that way but their upstairs wiring is somewhat different. With his significant anxiety disorder, Newt the Bichon Frise, struggled mightily with life in a human world. He was strongly bonded to his people, Anna and Tom, but his mind overflowed with angst. Contrary to what they had come to assume, urine marking was not his favorite pastime. Newt was often on the edge of losing impulse control; almost anything could set him off. If Anna reached for him while they sat on the couch…
Read MoreQuestion: l have a 17 year old Pomeranian. She is in heat and no, l never had her fixed. She is bleeding way more than usual. It’s not bright red like blood but l know she’s uncomfortable. She is usually very active but I know she’s hurting. Should I be concerned? Is there something l can give her for pain? Dr. Nichol: I am concerned about your senior girl. Unlike humans, a normally aging female dog’s reproductive cycle continues throughout life. There is no canine menopause. The normal, somewhat bloody, vaginal discharge from a dog “in heat” should reoccur in…
Read MoreLast in a series I’m residency trained in veterinary behavior medicine; I have no business venturing into the brains of humans. But, in this case, I did it anyway. Looking back on Kendra, it was clear that our effigy planting, blood gutter knife displaying, wicca enthusiast, short-term employee arrived with her own agenda. I don’t believe she was proselytizing her spiritual inclinations; her behavior was attention-seeking. She was good with clients at the desk and helpful in caring for pets like Princess, the fishhook swallowing poodle, but her shenanigans had become a serious distraction. Owning a veterinary hospital was harder…
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