Subscriber Archive
Some puppies are highly-stressed in their new homes. Helping the little rascal adjust starts with caring and love. There’s a whole lot more you can do to set the kid up for a well-adjusted life.
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Third in a series “John” the 11 year old poodle bounced in the door for his suture removal 10 days later. If it weren’t for his undignified tummy haircut you would never suspect that he’d been disemboweled by a dog 8 times his size. Happy endings is what we’re all about. It was shaping up to be a good day. The door had hardly closed when a man and his granddaughter arrived carrying a cardboard box – never a good sign. Martha at the front desk took a peek, raised a quick index finger, and grabbed the box. I was irrigating an ear canal as she zipped into the treatment room. The 5 day old turkey, looking confused but active, had a loop of intestine hanging from an open abdominal wound. OMG! Was this “John” with feathers? While examining the hapless poult I asked Amos to fired up the warm…
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Do you have a cat who, despite your good example, insists on prying open cabinets and wreaking havoc on your stuff? Does she complain or pester you relentlessly at the worst times? I know the type.
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Second in a series
I admit to being an annoying adherent to the Queen’s English, having shaken my head when hearing the noun ‘geek’ misappropriated. In our highly digitized society people can be fondly referred to this way or even adorn themselves with this moniker. It was not always so.
Puppies can be out-of-control on leash walks. Some are panicked. Forget corrections and jerks.
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Early in my career my veterinary clinic had a feed store as a next-door neighbor. Being a backyard poultry farmer, I visited often for chicks (baby chickens, that is) and lay pellets. I lived the life of North valley chic. The only thing missing was the chic. This was the pre-emergency clinic era; veterinarians handled calls at all hours, day or night. If you had an associate doctor you could rotate nights and weekends. At my place, I was it. It was a weeknight around 10:30; I was just snuggling into bed after a long day when my pager beeped on the cramped bedside table right next to my head. (Remember pagers?) An 11 year old miniature poodle had survived an argument with a German shepherd. The female voice on the phone was distraught, jabbering. She told me that her little dog, “John”, had intestines hanging outside his abdomen. Desperately…
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Dogs who are happy to follow instructions are a pleasure to have as your best friend. But a lot of them just aren’t clear on the concept. Spare the frustration.
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Question: I have a 15 year old male cat about 7 kg. In the last 8 months his fur has been falling out in small chunks. He has not been licking or scratching himself. He has a very good appetite. He is drinking much more water than usual and urinates a lot. He has bad breath. The veterinarian checked his mouth and teeth. They did some tests and said he is OK. I do not know if a thyroid test was done. Dr. Nichol: Your cat is not OK; he actually should be licking himself at least some of the time. Those rows of barbs on the surface of his tongue are good at pulling loose dead hair and skin flakes. Hunks of fur falling off suggests no grooming. He had been well-coifed. Why is he neglecting his appearance now? Halitosis is more than just poor form on a first…
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Do you see a fuzzy white cat? The correct answer, for this invisible kitty, is no. He’s hiding, not because he is afraid, although that can be a very good reason. This is my cat, Gaston. He’s being invisible because he is a cat. They need to hide and view the world without anyone being the wiser. Solitude is essential for them, at least some of the time. If your kitty spends most or all of its time indoors be sure to provide multiple hide boxes at various heights in different rooms. You will give the gift of choice. We want that. Our cats need feline-specific choices.
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