Albuquerque Journal Articles

Lonely Cat Needs to Get a Life

By drjeffnichol | August 28, 2023 | Comments Off on Lonely Cat Needs to Get a Life
scared cat

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…

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Correct by Not Scolding? Find out How!

By drjeffnichol | August 21, 2023 | Comments Off on Correct by Not Scolding? Find out How!
play ball

Last 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.

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Bite the Food, Not the Person

By drjeffnichol | August 14, 2023 | Comments Off on Bite the Food, Not the Person
man with a wrench

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.

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Who had to Change? Everybody

By drjeffnichol | August 7, 2023 | Comments Off on Who had to Change? Everybody
dog

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.

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Why are Men the Dog Devil?

By drjeffnichol | July 31, 2023 | Comments Off on Why are Men the Dog Devil?
devil

Second 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…

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Challenge Your Knowledge of Canine Behavior

By drjeffnichol | July 24, 2023 | Comments Off on Challenge Your Knowledge of Canine Behavior
brandi

First 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…

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CBD – Is it Safe? Does it Work?

By drjeffnichol | July 17, 2023 | Comments Off on CBD – Is it Safe? Does it Work?
cbs

Always 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…

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Punish Biting & Barking for Collar Grabbing?

By drjeffnichol | July 10, 2023 | Comments Off on Punish Biting & Barking for Collar Grabbing?
aggressive dog

Question: 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…

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It all Came Out Fine in the End

By drjeffnichol | July 3, 2023 | Comments Off on It all Came Out Fine in the End
sheepdog

Last 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,…

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Facing the Rear – What’s Back There?

By drjeffnichol | June 26, 2023 | Comments Off on Facing the Rear – What’s Back There?
skunk

Fourth 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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