Albuquerque Journal Articles
Fifth in a series Who doesn’t love reunions? Princess needed to stay quiet the day after her open chest surgery but she and her family had never been happier. They gratefully accepted the fishhook she’d swallowed, promising to return the next day to keep their pupster’s spirits up. Free air was minimal, Princess’ lung sounds were good, her respirations normal. So I took the plunge on day 3 and removed her chest tube. She ate well, felt great, and went home with strict instructions for minimal activity. I’d called Dick Tracey for help with my other pressing dilemma but, sadly,…
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Third in a series The term free air may conjure filling stations of old, where you could pull up to the compressor and inflate your tires. Free air in a chest means that it’s not in the lungs where it belongs, keeping us alive; it’s outside the lung lobes but trapped within the chest cavity. Princess wouldn’t be able to breathe against that potential complication. But by inflating her lungs as I closed her ribs, followed by chest tube suction, we would eliminate this problem. As I set down my instruments I asked Amos to switch off the oxygen. That’s…
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Dementia is Best Treated Early & Thoroughly Question: My sweet dog and best friend, Isaac, was diagnosed with Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome. I watched your video on CDS, and it meant so much!! Isaac is a 15 year old Kooikerhodje. I am heartbroken. His symptoms are barking, confusion, losing control of bowel movements and pacing at night. He has lost his hearing and is having eyesight problems. My veterinarian prescribed acepromazine, Xanax, Prozac and he has been on Tramadol for pain. In your video, you mentioned Purina Neuro Care diet, Fish Oil, SAMe and Melatonin (for restlessness at night). Can these…
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Not your Typical Two Step Question: I have a male ginger cat, 9 years old, named Will. For the last 2-3 years he has had to have his anal glands expressed due to boot scooting and licking of the area. In the last year I have had his anal glands infused with antibiotics twice. After this last infusion he did receive relief but it seems to be for a very short time as he is already starting to boot scoot. Should Will have his glands removed? Dr. Nichol: A long, long time ago, as a much younger veterinarian, I took…
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Question: I have an adorable rescue named Quinn who does not like other dogs. He is good with people but he wants to attack every dog he sees. I put a basket muzzle on him when I walk him. Dr. Nichol: Other leashed creatures and their people don’t think Quinn is adorable. His basket muzzle prevents injury but invokes images of Hannibal Lecter. Somehow this makes folks nervous. It doesn’t have to be this way. Leashes are necessary but they often create trouble. The motivator for Quinn’s antisocial behavior is his frustration with that @#%&* tether! A rapid escalation of…
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Last in a series Acute hearing is among most cat’s best methods of detecting movement of nearby prey but not for fuzzy Mr. Lancaster. Like the majority of blue-eyed white kitties, he was genetically as deaf as a post. Despite this handicap he was an inspiration to all of us. We could have changed his name to “Mouse B. Gone.” Sadly, he was less adept at collaring thieves. After 3 years as an associate veterinarian I realized a life goal of owning my own practice. I’d saved and invested heavily; providing good medicine requires serious equipment purchases. I was an…
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“Bizzi” panicked with any handling – especially her paws. Her nails could only be trimmed under anesthesia. She got lucky when she was adopted by a credentialed dog trainer who knew how to gently teach her to file her own toenails. Never triggering fear by leaning over this good little dog, her new person encouraged her to dig in soft dirt. She then used treats to lure the kid to run up and down a ramp. That’s when she added a nail scratch board, reinforcing this happy camper with a tasty snack every time she scratched her nails on it.…
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Fourth in a series Mr. Lancaster Sr. was tall, lean, and spry, I’d guess about 80 years old. He was a quiet, likable man who typeset and printed our medical forms. Friendly chit chat revealed that he lived quietly with his daughter. There weren’t many veterinarians in Albuquerque in the late ’70s; everybody knew everybody. Of course, that made gossip a hot commodity. When Dr. Mike Adams encountered me at a continuing education conference he could hardly contain his excitement. Clearly feeling the power of knowledge he dropped the bomb that Mr. Lancaster was a convicted counterfeiter who’d been released…
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Third in a series Young Mr. Lancaster was a kitten whose behavior was sometimes, as they say in learning theory, undesirable. He did turn out to be a pretty good cat, hanging out at the reception desk, accepting attention from our clients. On the flip side, even at 6 months he was a wild animal masquerading as a cuddly pet. We love our kitties like little people in furry suits but they are stalkers, slayers, and devourers of helpless creatures. Even in our compassionate veterinary clinic there had to be somebody who needed killing. One fine summer day a couple…
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Does this first photo scare you? Pepper not only bared her teeth but lunged and sometimes bit her people when they reached for her on the couch or approached her when she had a toy. She had her reasons. Like many small dogs she was easily startled and became defensive-aggressive when a much bigger creature loomed over her. She also suffered from joint pain. Nobody gave up on Pepper. Her people learned to lure her for hugs and cuddling rather than inadvertently triggering her reactive fear. We also reduced her anxiety with safe medication. Antiinflammatory and pain meds helped too.…
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