Albuquerque Journal Articles
Question: My 2 year old cat has separation anxiety. When he sees me getting dressed he starts crying and follows me, holding my leg, and when I get to the door his legs shake. Dr. Nichol: I’m sad just reading about your kitty’s angst. It could be worse. Most cats with separation anxiety give themselves away by urine soiling when home alone. Others cry or over-groom, resulting in bald patches. Quit your job? There’s a better way. Cats are hard-wired to stalk and hunt helpless rodents. Yours isn’t bored; he needs to engage his brain and athletic body rather than…
Read MoreLast in a series
Ignore bad behavior? Am I crazy? Sally and Raymond, like a lot of us, loved their dog like a little person in a furry suit. In many ways, that’s healthy for pets and for us but different species have different behavioral genetics.
Fourth in a series
By calling Brandi and rewarding her with a treat Sally was able to preempt this big hound’s fear-driven assaults on Raymond. Her good man could now walk around the house without igniting a barrage of canine invective and hostility. Our patient had become somewhat more manageable but her people were getting tired of constant constable duty.
Third in a series – I felt bad for Raymond, assaulted through no fault of his own, but it was Brandi the big hound who spent nearly every waking moment on the edge of hysteria. She watched Raymond with one eye, anticipating that this kindly Dr. Jekyll’s might transform into the murderous Mr. Hyde at any moment. But there was more going on in that confused canine cabeza.
Read MoreSecond in a series If a saber toothed tiger is charging at you, an adrenalin surge is well justified. But Brandi, the 3 year old hound recently adopted by Sally and Raymond, had no logical cause for fear. Raymond treated her well since the moment she’d arrived in her new home. Studies show that most women carry themselves more gracefully, speaking with quieter, more evenly modulated voices than men – who crash around like bulls in a china shop. (Who’s ever heard of a cow in a china shop?) A well-adjusted pet can accept these differences but Brandi struggled to…
Read MoreFirst in a series Multiple choice: Dogs adopted as adults, who are aggressive toward the man in the home: (a) Were previously mistreated by a male (b) Are jealous, wanting the woman all to themselves (c) Are frightened by the macho, but gentle dude who guzzles battery acid instead of coffee in the morning (d) Are trying to be dominant (e) Have an Oedipus complex. In my veterinary behavior practice I see a wide variety of disorders; the most common are manifested by aggression. Some dogs declare war on strangers, family members, cats, other dogs, hot air balloons, even TV…
Read MoreAlways on the lookout for new and better treatments, I follow the research. At the recent conference of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in Philadelphia I listened as experts presented their findings on CBD. The biologically active components of the hemp plant, cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) are fascinating. Rather than THC, the ingredient in marijuana that’s used for human pain and the recreational buzz, CBD and CBDA are extracted from certain strains of hemp. For dogs with arthritic pain it’s been added to medications like carprofen with some benefit. Research in rats has found that CBDA…
Read MoreQuestion: I am perplexed as to what type of aggression “Barley” has. He has tried to bite both my husband and I when we tried to lead him by the collar. After researching collar anxiety, I thought it was this. He responds well to positive reinforcement but if my husband or son shout at him he barks back forcefully. I have felt that he is a bit of a bully and we have to stand our ground. Dr. Nichol: Ah, my esteemed colleague Dr. Google. Take it from your local veterinary behaviorist (me): There is no research supporting the concept…
Read MoreLast in a series Most of us would rather file our knuckles with a cheese grater than face surgery but “Chase,” the full-body itching Old English sheepdog, was running out of options. I infused her chronically infected anal glands and irrigated her ears one more time during her next follow-up, all the while managing her allergies with at-home medication. Anatomy evolves to promote survival of a species but that doesn’t make it friendly to modern medicine. Dogs’ ears have a long vertical canal that makes an “L” shape with the horizontal portion. With lots of damage to all that tubing,…
Read MoreFourth in a series It was time to address Chase’s rear. Beyond her side scratching, paw licking, and head rubbing, she was a serious scooter on her painful derriere. I sedated the big girl, thoroughly irrigated her ears, and manually emptied her two angry, pus-filled anal glands. Consider yourself and your pets fortunate if you’ve never heard of anal glands. Standard equipment on all dogs and cats, these two cesspools of bacteria live beneath the skin at the 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock positions relative to the anus. I know how gross this is; I hope you’re not trying to…
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