Albuquerque Journal Articles
Immune Suppressive Diseases like Feline AIDS, Leukemia, & FIP are Important to Consider Question: We have the best cat in the world, his name is Bing. He has chronically goopy eyes. We’ve tried anti-allergen food, but it doesn’t reduce the discharge. We also tried an organic, non-silica kitty litter, which did no good. Is the eye stuff a big problem? Dr. Nichol: Bing thanks you for caring about his uncomfortable eyes and for bragging on his ranking in the world of cats. He is lucky to have you. That said, I’m concerned about that persistent infection. There are lots…
Read MoreInfectious upper respiratory diseases can linger & run rampant in multiple cat households. Question: I have a litter of white kittens who are approximately 3 months old plus 6 cats. They have never been outside but they have developed a discharge from their eyes and scabs around their noses. Only two of them are infected. They have not had any shots as of yet. Their behavior has not changed and they run and play and eat really well. And now another cat is getting the same symptoms. I am concerned it might be distemper even though they never go…
Read MorePossible Injury, Possible Birth Defect Question: I am in the process of purchasing a Lab puppy from a litter of 8. The one I picked seems to have a small amount of tearing, the others do not. Should I be concerned that might lead to eye problems later on? Or is this normal? Dr. Nichol: You may have reason for concern. If that new baby has a minor infection (conjunctivitis) it should be easy to manage with ointment or drops. On the other hand, tears may be overflowing onto your puppy’s face because the tear ducts are blocked with discharge…
Read MoreLet Go of Fears of Expense or Losing Cat-Get Treatment ASAP Question: A homeless, male tabby that comes by our home is such a sweet boy. Poor Goober has had a very bad infection in one eye for about 3 weeks. It’s very pink and it looks raw. I came close to hauling him to the animal hospital but I’m afraid they’ll fine us (he’s not really our kitty and he’s not microchipped). I’m not prepared to pay hundreds of dollars. What if they decide to keep him or euthanize him? I just want some medicine for Goober. Dr. Nichol: Goober…
Read MoreDon’t goof around at home. See the doctor fast. Question: I just noticed today that my cat’s eyes were tearing and one was infected with green pus. Is there any way that I can treat her myself? She is kept indoors. Dr. Nichol: Please do NOT monkey around with eye disease. Discharge coming from just one eye suggests a possible injury to that eye. Without thorough diagnosis and appropriate treatment she could end up with big time pain and blindness. Go directly to the nearest veterinarian. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. 233d Question:…
Read MoreHere is how to Train to Eliminate Anywhere Question: We adopted a puppy in March at 3 months old. We had no problem house training Duke. The problem is he will not eliminate when we take him for a walk, go hiking, go to the dog park, etc. He will hold until we get home and he went to the area we trained him to eliminate. How can I train him to eliminate when we take him for a walk or hiking? Dr. Nichol: Duke follows the letter of the law. He connects that one location in your yard…
Read MoreCaretaker has no $ for Dog’s Expensive Eye Medication Question: I hope you will remind your readers about the importance of making provisions for their beloved pets should they die before the pets. A friend recently diagnosed with terminal liver cancer committed suicide last week. Prior to that, I promised him I would care for his two dogs (he had originally planned to kill them first). I had no idea one of the dogs is on Xalatan (a $100 vial lasts three weeks). He did not give me a clue about the cost. It is an exorbitant expense for…
Read MoreVibrissae 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…
Read MoreDogs 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…
Read MoreGood 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…
Read More