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Our dogs are special to us. None of us wants there to be any problem. They need to stay well and enjoy a great long life with us. If you learn to examine your own dog at home and you’ll be able to uncover concerns early so they can be checked out by your veterinarian. You’ll also find what’s working just fine. You can feel good about that. It’s easy and we’ll make it fun. Chewy treats like jerky are great reinforcers for good behavior. Start at the front end and work your way back. Use a light to check your dog’s eyes. Watch her pupils constrict with the light. Check for redness, discharge, or uneven pupils. When examining your dog’s mouth you want pink for the color of her gums. Pale suggests poor blood flow or anemia. A deep red color usually means that the gums are inflamed, most…
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Retrievers can retrieve tennis balls until exhaustion. An Australian shepherd might herd you until you hide in a closet. At the Western Veterinary Conference last month I attended presentations on neurology, nutrition, and behavior medicine. Almost everything influences behavior. Environment and personal encounters are big but it all starts with genetic coding. Dr. Leanne Lilly is head of behavioral medicine at The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center. She explained that beyond an individual’s inherited tendencies, events surrounding its birth, called epigenetics, can alter the way DNA drives behavior. It’s complicated but the apple often doesn’t fall far from the tree. Working breeds are more excitable and energetic but interested in learning and play with their people. Many are aggressive toward other dogs. Jack Russel terriers, Chihuahuas, Rhodesian ridgebacks, American Staffordshire terriers, and Bernese Mountain dogs can be harder to train but, as Dr. Lilly stressed, the statistical differences are…
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Puppies and dogs of any age can be unrelenting chewers and destroyers of all things we may hold sacred. We can love man’s and woman’s best friend like a little person in a furry suit but they are actually members of a different species. Chewing from a carcass for survival is hard-wired into their brains. Rather than trying to put an end to a natural behavior, give your pupsters a productive, canine-specific job: survival by extraction of sustenance from food-dispensing toys and/or puzzles. Mick, the Nichol family Border collie, is working hard at being a real dog. And having a good time doing it. To keep him on the straight and narrow we load all of his food into gizmos like this Twist ‘n Treat. He never gives up while exercising the muscles of his face and paws. He also focuses his brain on this challenge. A tired dog…
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Last in a series For many dogs, separation anxiety has a hereditary basis but changes in their environment often worsen the problem. It turned out that Newt had been adopted from a shelter, followed by a few moves with his new family. Videos of him home alone showed him not barking or vandalizing but quietly pacing, nonstop – except for the occasional indoor restroom break. There was no changing Newt’s genome or his life story but we could reduce his anxiety triggers. That confident visiting cat, who routinely scared the daylights out of this nervous little dog, needed to snack at someone else’s cafe. Sadly, it wasn’t that simple. When I flatly stated that this interloper had to go, the sour looks on Anna’s and Tom’s faces made it clear that this was not some annoying stray; they regarded him as one of their own. I would have felt…
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Third in a series Newt did well on his antianxiety medication. He was alert, happier, and playing with a new puppy but there was no home run. He continued to douse the house when his people were out of sight, although somewhat less often. He certainly suffered from separation anxiety but I was still missing something. We needed to gather intelligence on Newt’s activities when his people were away from him. Drones? They’d only cause paranoia. So I advised Anna and Tom to purchase a home surveillance system like a Nest Cam. Of course, this was an invasion of Newt’s privacy. We assured him that his secrets, some of them anyway, were safe. I swear. Watching the video, I knew right away that we were onto something. The great Dane mix and older golden Retriever snoozed on the furniture. And there, in the corner of the screen, was Newt pacing.…
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Second in a series Our dogs are not little people in furry suits. We love them that way but their upstairs wiring is somewhat different. With his significant anxiety disorder, Newt the Bichon Frise, struggled mightily with life in a human world. He was strongly bonded to his people, Anna and Tom, but his mind overflowed with angst. Contrary to what they had come to assume, urine marking was not his favorite pastime. Newt was often on the edge of losing impulse control; almost anything could set him off. If Anna reached for him while they sat on the couch together he might curl his lip and spew nasty epithets at the woman in his life. He’d urinate on his water bowl and his people but then suddenly abandon these targets in favor of the walls and furniture. He’d even jumped onto the dining room table and, well, you know.…
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First in a series The anxiety and blood pressure spikes of white coat syndrome aren’t fun for us. Most pets have the same problem. That long walk to the exam room, running a gauntlet through other jumpy dogs, is especially harrowing for those already losing their grip. Instead, I emerged through the side door of the clinic to invite “Newt” and his folks, Anna and Tom, inside for their behavior consultation. Bichon Frise’s are usually bouncy dogs but this 3 year old slunk in and immediately crept under Anna’s chair in my consulting room. You’d think he was headed for the gallows. I kept one eye on Newt as I gathered a history of urine soiling, fear of visitors, clingy attention-seeking, and aggression. When I peeped over the table for a better look I saw him focusing on my feet. He growled and trembled. He would rather file his knuckles…
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Pets who age gracefully bring comfort to their doting pet parents. But not all of them do well in their golden years. Some get dementia that their families mistake for normal aging. Alzheimer’s disease is pretty common in older people. The symptoms of dementia and the unhealthy brain changes seen in some older dogs are similar. In dogs it’s called cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). Like nearly all physical and behavioral problems we can make a bigger difference with early diagnosis and treatment.
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Question: l have a 17 year old Pomeranian. She is in heat and no, l never had her fixed. She is bleeding way more than usual. It’s not bright red like blood but l know she’s uncomfortable. She is usually very active but I know she’s hurting. Should I be concerned? Is there something l can give her for pain? Dr. Nichol: I am concerned about your senior girl. Unlike humans, a normally aging female dog’s reproductive cycle continues throughout life. There is no canine menopause. The normal, somewhat bloody, vaginal discharge from a dog “in heat” should reoccur in a similar way about every 6 months, interrupted only for a few months if she finds herself in a family way. Any change causes us to suspect trouble. Reproductive problems are common in aging girl dogs, more often seen in those who’ve never had puppies. If your Pomeranian’s cervix (the…
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