Albuquerque Journal Articles
Teach, Don’t Punish Question: My 2 year old female Corgi will fight any dogs or people that get too close. While she’ll let me pet her, she will not get on my lap. She will get on my husband’s lap, nuzzle his hand, and sleep (with one eye open) but if he tries to hand me the TV remote she’ll growl and snap at him. If he passes by my chair she scurries over and growls and snaps. House creaks or my husband moving anywhere in the house causes her to sound the high pitched yapping alarm. Dr. Nichol: Yikes!…
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Regular High Quality Pet Food is Best Question: Dr. Nichol, what are your thoughts on grain-free diets for dogs? Dr. Nichol: Well, I thought you’d never ask. Considered a fad diet by many, grain-free has been dogged by controversy from the get-go. There are a small number of dogs suspected of gluten intolerance who’ve improved with these special foods but we have little in the way of research supporting their value outside of this small subset. Information from the FDA, on the other hand, shows a link between grain-free pet foods and a potentially fatal disease of the heart muscle…
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Mutual Disdain Likely to Fester & Explode Question: Apparently this cat found us. She is part of Community Cat Program here in El Paso. She is not feral; she is more of a stray and very social with humans. She’s around 5. We are trying to acclimate her to an indoor environment. Our older cat is 13. She is being territorial. There is no serious confrontation, mostly growling, hissing, and chasing. The new cat “Baby” gets stimulated easily. For correcting we’ve been using the water bottle, with treats when she is good. Dr. Nichol: Foisting a younger free-spirit on an…
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This Senior Cat could Feel Better Question: The eye discharge in my 15 year old male cat has slightly diminished with Neopolydex ophthalmic suspension. A senior profile exam at Animal Humane revealed a benign thyroid lump said to be common in older cats. He does not stroke his eye with his paw. Can pain be ruled out? If it could be expensive to treat, is there any harm in letting it go untreated for life? Dr. Nichol: Your cat didn’t reach age 15 by accident; you’ve been good to him. His eye discharge is uncomfortable and it’s a red flag…
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Women yes; men no Question: I just watched your YouTube video on dog PTSD. I realize that my dog’s trigger is men. We’ve had her three days and she is absolutely terrified of my husband. We don’t know her history and she is just over one year old. I’m wondering if my husband is causing her to relive her trauma and if she may be better suited for an all-female household. Dr. Nichol: I’m sad that your new dog is terrified. It’s hard to imagine but some pets have been abused. Dogs who have suffered that way typically associate fear…
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Yeast & Bacteria + Skin Oils Question: We have two small dogs – a Chihuahua and a terrier mix – that have a “body odor” problem. We can give them a bath today and within two days the odor is back. I have owned a number of dogs in my lifetime (I’m 81 years old) and this has never been a problem. Is it their food? Dr. Nichol: Even during times of social distancing B.O. can be a family stigma. The good news is that while your dogs’ odorousness does not indicate a character flaw bit it shouldn’t be their…
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Social Distancing is Best Question: My mother-in-law is living in nursing home/hospice. We are seeing her Miss Pearl twice a day for feeding and social time. We would love to move Pearl across the dirt road to our home. She loves our pair of Goldies, but loathes our calico with ululating passion. We are considering bringing her over to the yard (1 acre orchard) and letting her play with dogs and accept the scent of our cat. Will successive approximations of approach break down the barrier? Rehoming is not an option for the shy, 11 year old Pearl. She was…
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Wet your Cat Question: I have two kittens about nine months old. They have access to water and dry food all day and I give them wet food in the morning and evening. Is that too much? Should I change their feeding habits? I’ve noticed that when one of them visits the water bowl it seems like she drinks forever. The other one rarely visits the water bowl at all. Should I cut down on the dry food? Dr. Nichol: Have all the dry food you want. Your dietary proclivities are none of my business; I’m a veterinarian, for cryin’…
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Modern Treatments – Better Healing Question: I have a 3 year old cockapoo and she was trying to jump and did something to her leg. She cried for about 30 seconds, it was horrifying. She was born with loose kneecaps. My veterinarian told me about stem cells. I’m skeptical with any new procedures. Are there side effects or future problems? She loves to play and I’m afraid it might happen again. Dr. Nichol: That missed jump may have strained the tendons that support and guide your girl’s knee caps (patellas). Rest and anti-inflammatory medication can help in the short term…
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Work with COVID19 Restrictions Question: With stay home in place, what do we do if we get an 8 week puppy who needs classes and socialization? Dr. Nichol: You are right to make this a priority. The sensitive period for puppy socialization is ages 3-12 weeks. This means healthy, happy play and handling with lots of gentle people, dogs, and cats of various descriptions. A series of classes, with each puppy pupil current on vaccinations, is the gold standard. The developing canine brain will accept – for a lifetime – nearly any creature who treats them well. Dogs who missed…
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