Albuquerque Journal Articles
How to Manage the Feeding Frenzy Question: My 4 year old pug is obsessed with food. She turns into the Tasmanian devil. I tried just filling up the bowl and she gobbled down five bowls and was totally miserable. She would eat herself to death. I have gone back to 1/2 cup morning and night. My pug is a good normal weight. How can I stop the feeding frenzy? Dr. Nichol: Managing food intake is important. Overweight pets live less active lives because their joints break down from the extra load. Obesity also affects the heart, kidneys, and liver.…
Read MoreIt’s Complicated and Risky to try to Duplicate Mother Nature Question: I’ve heard good things about a raw food diet. Are there any negatives to raw food for our cats? Dr. Nichol: In principle it’s fine; cats are true carnivores. They don’t need to build little fires to cook their meat because they eat their kill raw-on the spot, allowing no time for spoilage. For nutritional balance they consume the entire rodent: bones, intestines, you name it. Duplicating Mother Nature in your kitchen won’t be easy. Consider that 20-35% of raw chicken intended for human consumption is contaminated with…
Read MoreA Disaster in the Making Question: In your Journal article on July 30th, you comment about people food for dogs. I have a friend who has a “handicap assistance dog.” It came with a very specific diet that includes raw chicken backs, vegetables and vegetable oil. They were told it would extend the life of the dog. Do you have any comments about this type of diet? Dr. Nichol: Self anointed experts in pet nutrition are not new. Many animal breeders, in the belief that their diet holds the key to health and longevity, require buyers of their…
Read MoreIf the ingredients match & the analysis looks as good, why pay more? Because you won’t get what you don’t pay for. Question: I read an article in last week’s paper that got me to thinking about how much money I spend feeding my animals. The article talked about “designer” pet foods and said that regular food like Dog Chow was just as good but that a lot of people buy the pricier food because it’s recommended by their vet. Isn’t it really all the same? Dr. Nichol: I wish more people asked this question. There is an…
Read MoreLarge Breed Puppy Food Cuts the Risk of Bone & Joint Growth Disorders Question: I have a 7-month old Labrador retriever. How long should I feed puppy food, and at what age should I switch her from three meals per day to two? Dr. Nichol: Important question. More than just managing your puppy’s weight, the diet you feed can influence her risk of skeletal defects. Labs and other big breeds continue growing until they’re 14 months or older. A large breed growth diet is best until they reach full size, although changing to an adult food sooner is…
Read MoreBeing overweight is unhealthy. Here’s how to get it right. Question: How much should I feed my cat? I thought I was doing the right thing by following the recommendations on the bag but when I took “Shalako” for his shots, he weighed over 12 #. Now I feel guilty that he may not get as old because his doctor said that overweight cats usually don’t. How much is the right amount? Dr. Nichol: This is a very good question. Please don’t feel guilty for trying to do the right thing for Shalako. There are many things in…
Read MoreDifferent Species Have Different Needs Question: I read in your column, three weeks ago, about the reverse opinion about feeding cats dry food. Would this advice, also, apply to dogs? Do pet owners just feed canned food? Would a really lean piece of meat without the spices and gravy suffice for a healthy diet? Dr. Nichol: If we treat our dogs like big cats with long ears we’ll get into a lot of trouble. Both species are fuzzy and walk on four legs but that’s where the similarities end. They function in different and mysterious ways. Cats are obligate…
Read MoreCat with Different Needs Should have Individual Diets to Manage their Individual Health Question: I live with 3 cats: a 7-year old spayed female with a tendency to UTIs, a 5-year old spayed female who is, at 18.5 lbs, grossly obese, and a relatively normal 2-year old neutered male. The most pressing question is how to help Calypso, my obese cat, lose weight. I’m hearing great things about canned kitten food, but isn’t the protein content too high for Jubilee, the cat with urinary tract problems? Dr. Nichol: You’re right to be concerned. Jubilee’s bladder pain is miserable and…
Read MoreA Good Start but the Best Diets are Balanced Question: I’ve had a shelter cat for a year now. I recently stumbled onto some basic information about pet nutrition and was horrified by the stories of dry food. I switched Knickknack to a raw meat diet. In just three weeks her energy is way up, she is keenly interested in her food, her coat is far more glossy, and she has stopped shedding. Is this change in hair/skin condition a benefit of the better diet? Why is proper pet nutrition not part of our discussion about pet health and behavior?…
Read MoreAvoid Cheese. A High Protein, Low Fat, Low Carbohydrate Diet is Best. Question: Is cheese bad for cats? Are there foods cats should not eat? Dr. Nichol: Cats should not eat cheese, Cheetos, chocolate, nor chicharrones. They need very little in fat in their diet. It turns out that dry cat food doesn’t work well for them either. Veterinarians, like me, have extolled the virtues of dry food for years. We’ve been wrong. The problem is that dry food only sticks together to form those little biscuits (kibbles) if it has lots of starchy carbohydrates in it. Recent…
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