Albuquerque Journal Articles

Cat Bullies Puppy – Who’s House is This?

By drjeffnichol | May 20, 2024 | Comments Off on Cat Bullies Puppy – Who’s House is This?
Tootsie

Question: We were heartbroken when Oliver, our black Lab, passed after developing bone cancer. Even our 10 year old kitty Oriole got along with him. We adopted a chocolate Lab female puppy “Tootsie” who is frisky as all get-out. Life would be so peaceful if Oriole accepted her! But no! He brutalizes her, scares the h— out of her. The puppy stays safely in a cage at night but it is a constant vigil to ensure Oriole doesn’t maul Miss T. Our hope is that once Tootsie gets larger than kitty, she will stand up to him. Dr. Nichol: My…

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A Cat of the Cloth can Quit Cold Turkey

By drjeffnichol | May 13, 2024 | Comments Off on A Cat of the Cloth can Quit Cold Turkey

Question: My cat is 17 months old. He is a neutered male named Woody. He is a very nice kitty but not a cuddler. He is obsessed with chewing fabric, especially cotton fabric. We have tried to keep cloth away from him. Our veterinarian has started a fluoxetine trial. What will be the endpoint? Do we try to reintroduce a piece of fabric and see what he does? We already have holes in our clothes. Dr Nichol: You are being socially responsible in getting Woody’s problem under control. Trying to explain to an arresting officer that your cat ate your…

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House Soiling Perp Walk

By drjeffnichol | May 6, 2024 | Comments Off on House Soiling Perp Walk
Yellow Lab

Question: My 1 1/2 year old yellow Lab poops and pees in the house, sometimes after being taken outside multiple times and doing nothing out there. She knows she’s not supposed to potty inside; I can always tell by her “guilt” walk. I’ve never hit her, of course, but she is scolded and clearly knows she’s in trouble. Dr. Nichol: It’s a vicious cycle: crime, punishment, guilt, repeat. Your dog wants to do the right thing but she just isn’t clear on the concept. Many pet parents believe that the guilty look is proof of their dog’s stubbornness. We know…

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Food Fight

By drjeffnichol | April 29, 2024 | Comments Off on Food Fight
king charles

Question:
I have a 3 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He has been getting aggressive towards my other two dogs about his food.

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Bird flu for humans, cats, and cows? Parvo cure?

By drjeffnichol | April 22, 2024 | Comments Off on Bird flu for humans, cats, and cows? Parvo cure?
cat and bird

Today, I have good news and bad news. First the bad news. Dr. Samantha Uhrig, DVM, state veterinarian with the New Mexico Livestock Board, explains that “Since March 20, 2024, multiple dairies reporting an acute decrease in milk production in Texas and New Mexico have been diagnosed with highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1).” Should we haired humans be as worried as our feathered and uddered friends? Even if you’re not a dairy farmer you should know that birds and cats who contract avian flu may show neurologic symptoms. Dr. Uhrig added that, “Individuals with exposure to animals with suspected or…

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Can a dog who’s tasted blood ever be trusted?

By drjeffnichol | April 15, 2024 | Comments Off on Can a dog who’s tasted blood ever be trusted?
aggressive dog

Last in a series
Birds are rather different than mammals; it’s more than feathers vs. hair. Like us, it takes a male and a female to reproduce but their sex organs are internal.

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Tiny instruments; quick, steady hands

By drjeffnichol | April 8, 2024 | Comments Off on Tiny instruments; quick, steady hands
turkey

Fourth in a series Anybody with a major trauma, including a 5-day-old eviscerated turkey, is assumed to be shocky. Blood vessels lose their tone, meaning that their diameter expands – fast. Blood pressure drops like a stone. The best surgical skill is meaningless if the heart and brain fail because they’re oxygen starved. Feathered “John” (namesake of the aforementioned poodle) needed a rapid fluid infusion to fill up his vessels and raise his blood pressure. The little squirt weighed mere ounces; attempting to find a vein would have been an exercise in futility. Luckily, bone marrow can distribute fluids almost…

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Turkey Jerky?

By drjeffnichol | April 1, 2024 | Comments Off on Turkey Jerky?
turkey

Third in a series “John” the 11 year old poodle bounced in the door for his suture removal 10 days later. If it weren’t for his undignified tummy haircut you would never suspect that he’d been disemboweled by a dog 8 times his size. Happy endings is what we’re all about. It was shaping up to be a good day. The door had hardly closed when a man and his granddaughter arrived carrying a cardboard box – never a good sign. Martha at the front desk took a peek, raised a quick index finger, and grabbed the box. I was…

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The Geek Next Door

By drjeffnichol | March 25, 2024 | Comments Off on The Geek Next Door
Chicken

Second in a series
I admit to being an annoying adherent to the Queen’s English, having shaken my head when hearing the noun ‘geek’ misappropriated. In our highly digitized society people can be fondly referred to this way or even adorn themselves with this moniker. It was not always so.

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Bad Guts, Lucky to be Alive

By drjeffnichol | March 18, 2024 | Comments Off on Bad Guts, Lucky to be Alive
woman grey poodle

Early in my career my veterinary clinic had a feed store as a next-door neighbor. Being a backyard poultry farmer, I visited often for chicks (baby chickens, that is) and lay pellets. I lived the life of North valley chic. The only thing missing was the chic. This was the pre-emergency clinic era; veterinarians handled calls at all hours, day or night. If you had an associate doctor you could rotate nights and weekends. At my place, I was it. It was a weeknight around 10:30; I was just snuggling into bed after a long day when my pager beeped…

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