Albuquerque Journal Articles
Question: I hope you can help me and my cat “Lucky,” who I adopted 8 months ago. He is 5 years old and weighs 16#. He hides under the furniture and attacks my feet and tries to bite my ankles as I walk by. If I ignore his screams for food he’ll sit on the back of the sofa and hit my head with his paws. If I ignore that he will bite my head. He never cuddles or sits in my lap. I have thought of declawing and maybe having his teeth filed down. If I get another cat…
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Teach Avoidance without Electric Shock Question: I need information on humane rattlesnake “proofing” techniques for dogs. It seems to me that keeping your dog on leash would be a better solution, so I don’t need it for myself. In Santa Fe they are using shock collars, and I would like to suggest an alternative method for a person who is not comfortable with having his dog shocked. Personally, I am shocked that anyone is instructing dog owners in that method. Dr. Nichol: Shocked? I’m incredulous. I love my dog. No way would I subject him to painful electric current. The…
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Third in a series Our pets have good lives: a comfy bed, 3 squares, and flat screen TV. But they aren’t little people in furry suits. Beneath that cuddly exterior beats the heart of a predator. Tom and Andrea’s dog, Alita, like any self-respecting savage was always ready. A toad in the garden, minding its own amphibious business, suddenly hopped. Then it hopped again. Wow! A snack! Toads, consumers of insects, snails, and slugs are beloved by gardeners. They move suddenly and quickly, making them fun backyard toys for dogs and cats. The species found in our corner of the…
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Second in a series “Alita”, the spaniel mix on the treatment table, wore the expression of a dog who knew she needed help while wishing she were anywhere but in a hospital. Her deeply reddened gums, heavy salivation, back-and-forth eye movements, and trembling suggested the correct answer to last week’s quiz. I instructed Amos and Dougie to put Alita in the tub and rinse her mouth with a gentle stream of cool water. Why not break out the firehose and eliminate the oral irritant ASAP? Or make it more comfortable for the poor dog by using warm water? Any toxin…
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First in a series It was about 8 in the evening. I was juggling one appointment after the next, along with sick pets who needed to be worked into the flow. As usual I was falling hopelessly behind. I had already poked my head into the waiting room; it bordered on standing room. Then Martha interrupted me in the exam room. I’d been clear: our clients time with me was sacred. But I knew she would never break that rule without good reason. I excused myself from the wellness exam in progress and closed the door behind me. “Martha, what’s…
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Question: We have a 12 year old German Shepherd female who started chewing on her tail! She sits on it between her back legs and chews until the hair is chewed off and it sometimes bleeds! Is she just bored? She has 3 Min-Pins and a little terrier so she shouldn’t be bored and we give her a lot of attention as she is ‘Queen Bee’ at our place! Dr. Nichol: Your big elderly dog is not self-mutilating because she’s bored. She incessantly licks and chews her tail because it’s painful and possibly itchy. All that saliva plus heat from her…
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Last in a series M. Scott Peck began his seminal book, The Road Less Traveled, with “Life is difficult.” Old Scott was right. Daisy, itchy to the point of agitation, felt trapped indoors whenever that arrogant racoon violated her yard, leading her to treat her affable roomie Astro like a feline punching bag. He, in turn, communicated his angst by spraying urine, the feline version of ‘talking it out.’ The humans in this political nightmare had assumed that their sofa soaker was their only problem pet. They finally understood that everybody’s life was difficult. Claritin reduced Daisy’s urge to crawl…
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Jangled by earsplitting blasts, many pets endure almost continual terror. Dogs may hide, tremble, drool, cry, vomit, and urinate or even pass diarrhea. Some will escape their yards. Freaked-out pets need our comfort for sure; shelter from the bombardment and light flashes will also be essential. Allow them to find relief anywhere they’ll feel better: a bathroom, closet, or a crate, covered on top and all 4 sides (door open), nestled away from windows and exterior walls. Close the blinds and turn off the TV. You can mask the racket with white noise or a loud fan. “Through a Dog’s…
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Something for Everybody Question: My nephew and I both have large male dogs. I told him that when I take our 100# black Labrador for a walk, he sniffs, browses and ‘marks’ his territory. My nephew indicated that letting males do so ‘shortens’ their lifespan since they are under duress. I would think that fighting the urge to ‘go’ would be more of a negative effect than the natural urge to go, to sniff and mark things. Dr. Nichol: There is plenty of misinformation on canine behavior, in this example, involving the human frustration with our male dogs’ incessant sniffing,…
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Question: I have two 15 year old cats who are both well toilet trained. Recently I moved from the city to the country. Since then I have been getting nightly visits from a possum, she is lovely and I hand feed her my excess veggies (avocados are her favourite). She now also brings her baby with her. The cats and the possums get on fine. However, since the baby has been coming around, there has been an ever increasing smell of what I think is possum urine. The urine smell is in the study. I now find the possums in…
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