Subscriber Archive
Question: I discovered that Rocky (5 month old Jack Russell) is growing his adult canine teeth however his baby teeth are not coming out. Will they come out on their own later? Dr. Nichol: Retained baby (deciduous) teeth is a common bump in the road of adolescence for small breed dogs. At age 5 months, those little choppers may not fall out on their own. If they’re allowed to stay beyond the toddler phase, the much bigger permanent teeth will arrive right next door. Food particles, hair, and even plant material can get jammed in the gap between them. This can cause rather unpleasant breath, a faux pas during summer vacation. Normally, it is the emergence of the adult teeth that pushes the baby teeth out. Watchful waiting could result in painful inflammation of Rocky’s gums and possibly tooth loss. According to board certified veterinary dentist Dr. Kris Bannon, retained…
Some dogs have excellent manners in the car. Others? Not so much. Drooling, vomiting, barking, rambunctious canine travel companions need help. YOU need help.
Question: Our 5 year old German shepherd, Barney, is nearly the most perfect pet except for when he goes for a ride in the car. Every time he sees a pedestrian or, even worse another dog, he goes ballistic. He barks like he’s the most viscous creature, ready to devour everything in his path. I think he enjoys being this bad ass. He’s obedience trained and has an AKC good citizen certificate. Dr. Nichol: A-hem. This is a family newspaper, you know. You could have described Barney as a bad rear end or perhaps a bad hiney. We’ll let it go – this time. Although lunging and snarling at people and other dogs from the car is not consistent with good citizenship, it’s a common canine behavior. Badly behaved humans usually just cuss and honk at other drivers. Like my pets, Barney is loved like a human family member but…
By the time they’re reached their golden years most dogs have pretty good bathroom etiquette. If they start leaving urine and stool around the house, it’s a problem.
Question: Three months ago we adopted a spayed 5 year old female cat. She’s very loving and we adore her. But lately she gets these wild streaks and has scratched and bitten our legs, even drawing blood. It’s usually preceded by meowing and sometimes yowling. We spray water on her and scold her. In a few minutes she’s loving and sweet again. We’re retired homebodies so she gets lots of attention. Dr. Nichol: Springtime can bring out the call of the wild. There are risks to life in the great outdoors but that is your cat’s innate habitat. Her natural prey skulks on the other side of your windows. Besides the helpless varmints she needs to stalk and kill, there may also be predators out there that scare the @#%& out of her! She lives in a fishbowl. Our cats are domestic pets who belong with us but they have…
Has your cat ever had a fight? I don’t mean with a spouse or HOA but with a marauding feline neighbor or housemate. Squabbles may start and end with spitting, verbal putdowns, and posturing but when it’s game-on, an altercation can turn dangerous. Feline behavior is complicated and, in many ways, quite different than our species or our dogs.’ Some cats prefer to be part of a group (colony) but they can just as easily go it alone. Except for females and their young, kitties don’t need each other to survive. Unlike us and our dogs, they don’t cry out to their comrades when they’re sick or hurt. They hide-out in hopes of getting well on their own. Our cats and dogs come from different planets. When the politics between pussy cats goes sideways, everybody’s adrenaline surges. Claws and canine teeth inflict multiple deep, contaminated stab wounds in just a…
From the Sunday column in the Albuquerque Journal, and Dr. Jeff Nichol.com, Veterinarian Dr. Jeff Nichol joins TJ to discuss good pet care and welfare for your cats and dogs He talks about protecting your pets from certain human foods, and your prescription drugs, pet insurance, and are roadrunners dangerous to your pets?. All this and more on News Radio KKOB.
The Food and Drug Administration, along with independent researchers, have discovered a possible link between grain-free, “legume-rich” pet foods and a potentially life-threatening heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Deficiency of the amino acid taurine may be another significant factor. Specific categories of diets have been linked to heart disease. A group of Newfoundlands, who were fed a lamb and rice diet, have developed reversible DCM linked to taurine deficiency. Golden retrievers, American cocker spaniels, and Dalmatians also appear to be vulnerable. Vegan and vegetarian diets have been implicated but limited ingredient foods manufactured by Hills and Royal Canin have not caused this problem. An FDA announcement pointed out that, “The potential association between diet and DCM and dogs is a complex scientific issue that may involve multiple factors.” Of dogs who ate only one type of food – a grain-free diet – 90% developed DCM. Of the 9 diets…
If you’re a cat lover like me you may want even more of them. But kitties stuck inside together can struggle badly: threats, aggression, and house soiling are miserable for everybody. Let’s get ahead of these conflicts.