Albuquerque Journal Articles

Vibrissae Help Animals Feel their Environment Question: Dogs have warts on their jaw or under their chin or both. They seem to have inherited these from their wolf ancestors. What evolutionary purpose do you think these may play? Perhaps at one time they were identification marks?   Dr. Nichol: Rather than warts, those mounds of skin around our dogs’ muzzles have an important function. The long, thick hairs that protrude from them, called vibrissae, help dogs, cats, rodents, and lots of other creatures sense movement and feel their way around in the dark. Even a slight draft can be detected…

Severe flea infestations can cause blood loss anemia. Shock & death are a big risk.   Question: I have a small dog who has been passing out! She comes out of it when I pick her up . Yesterday she went into convulsions but again snapped out of it when I picked her up. The fleas are really bad this year, she was okay for one day after bathing , I sprayed the carpet and all was okay until she went outside and again was covered with fleas. Is it possible this can be caused by a reaction to the…

Dogs can Catch them from People This is an interesting reflex we share with our pets, quite literally with our dogs. It has long been recognized that when you yawn after seeing someone else do it you are showing empathy. Until recently it was believed that only other humans and great apes could catch human yawns.   Now we know better. Research has shown that dogs catch human yawns; of 29 pet dogs tested, 72% yawned when they observed an unfamiliar person yawning. This is better than the rate of catching yawns between humans. Maybe our dogs are more empathic…

Pets, without question, feel pain just as we do. Better pet hospitals treat & prevent pain.   Question: I have often wondered about cats and dogs and pain, especially when Skippy, our wonder cat with 3 legs, had most of his hind leg amputated to the hip.  He came home the evening of surgery and my wife and I took turns holding him all night.  He did not seem to be in pain, but rather out of it or a little crazy from the anesthetic. Isn’t pain medication typically given for this kind of thing, and for such procedures as…

Good Hygiene is Essential but other Humans are the Greatest Risk Question: When the Europeans came to America they brought diseases that we as a people only scarcely survived. Because of the Europeans’ close association with their animals they were immune to most of the diseases that we were not. My question: A lot of people kiss and do other questionable things with their animals, the animals kiss and lick other animals’ butts and parts, is this how diseases were and still are transmitted to humans?   Dr. Nichol: Zoonotic diseases are central to our concerns about worldwide epidemics. There…

Hidden problems like joint pain, organ disease, & thyroid trouble can be found with lab testing. Proper treatment can improve life quality & life expectancy.   Question: My 14 year old Brittany Spaniel, Beckett, is beginning to show her age, a lot like her owners. Cataracts, hearing loss, and arthritis are among her maladies. She has gone from a very frisky youngster to a timid little baby in the last year or so. Her latest quirk is chattering her teeth, both when she is awake and asleep. I don’t think she is cold, since she has decided to become a…

Associate the Name with Obedience & Food Rewards Question: I’ve been perusing the available dogs at various shelters and found a gorgeous white shepherd, but his name doesn’t suit the quite regal fellow he is. How difficult is it to change a dog’s name?   Dr. Nichol: Not hard at all if you pick a name that sounds like dog food hitting the bottom of a bowl. Start on day one teaching simple commands. Say “George, Sit!” as you move a treat in a front-to-back arc over his head. When his cheeks hit the floor say, “Good dog, George!” and give him…

Avoid the Ire of Neighbors by Rewarding your Dog for Eliminating at her Territory’s Boundary Question: I used to be a professional dog sitter and when a dog lifts his leg on a fence post I’ve had screaming banshees run out & shoo us away. When a dog defecates on a neighbor’s rock garden, do you drag the dog to the street as he’s performing his dirty work? How do you train a dog to eliminate in an appropriate place?   Dr. Nichol: It’s easy to forget that our neighbors have to live with our pets’ deposits. We do have…

Vinegar & Diatomaceous Earth are In; Round-Up is Out Question: I have two dogs, George & Gracie, whom I love dearly.  I am working under the assumption that there are no safe products to kill weeds and insects that would be safe to use around G&G.  Is this correct? Dr. Nichol: Your question stimulates my brain; we veterinarians are taught how to recognize and treat chemical poisonings but we know little about safe alternatives. For reliable information I contacted entomologist Richard Fagerlund, the Albuquerque Journal’s very own “Bug Man” columnist. For starters, commercial weed killers like Round-Up may not be…

Numerous Health Risks plus Overpopulation Make Spaying the Right Choice Question: A friend recently got a lab X puppy.  When I asked if he was going to spay her – he said he wanted to let her have a litter first because it makes a “better dog”.  I’d like to be able to argue that point.   Dr. Nichol: It can be tough debating folks who are sure of things that aren’t so. Start by explaining that mixed bred puppies (and often their purebred brethren) can be difficult or impossible to place in good homes. It’s easy to get excited…