Subscriber Archive

Nail Trim Nirvana

December 5, 2022
dog

“Bizzi” panicked with any handling – especially her paws. Her nails could only be trimmed under anesthesia. She got lucky when she was adopted by a credentialed dog trainer who knew how to gently teach her to file her own toenails. Never triggering fear by leaning over this good little dog, her new person encouraged her to dig in soft dirt. She then used treats to lure the kid to run up and down a ramp. That’s when she added a nail scratch board, reinforcing this happy camper with a tasty snack every time she scratched her nails on it. Bizzi’s nail trims don’t cause her to panic anymore, they make her mouth water.

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Assassin on the Job

November 28, 2022
mouse grain

Fourth in a series Mr. Lancaster Sr. was tall, lean, and spry, I’d guess about 80 years old. He was a quiet, likable man who typeset and printed our medical forms. Friendly chit chat revealed that he lived quietly with his daughter. There weren’t many veterinarians in Albuquerque in the late ’70s; everybody knew everybody. Of course, that made gossip a hot commodity. When Dr. Mike Adams encountered me at a continuing education conference he could hardly contain his excitement. Clearly feeling the power of knowledge he dropped the bomb that Mr. Lancaster was a convicted counterfeiter who’d been released from federal prison only 3 years earlier. The old timer’s history did not diminish our esteem for him. He’d gotten himself on the wrong side of the law and he’d paid the price. Mr. Lancaster Jr. – our new cat –, on the other hand, was a horse of a…

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Barking & Instigating Mayhem

November 28, 2022
Barking and instigating thumbnail

OMG! Yell, swat, yell some more? Samantha, a sweet basset hound, was the highest-ranking dog in her home but she was not a stable leader. Her pushy, overbearing behavior toward her subordinates was caused by her anxiety not some desire to drive her people crazy. She often lost her impulse control and lashed out aggressively at her canine housemates. Safe antianxiety medication reduced this hound dog’s anxiety, her impulsiveness, and her aggression. Applying frosted window film to the lower portions of the front windows (available at home improvement stores) helped a lot by preventing Samantha and the other dogs from seeing those outside scary monsters.

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Are Predators Gentlemen?

November 21, 2022
Duckling

Third in a series Young Mr. Lancaster was a kitten whose behavior was sometimes, as they say in learning theory, undesirable. He did turn out to be a pretty good cat, hanging out at the reception desk, accepting attention from our clients. On the flip side, even at 6 months he was a wild animal masquerading as a cuddly pet. We love our kitties like little people in furry suits but they are stalkers, slayers, and devourers of helpless creatures. Even in our compassionate veterinary clinic there had to be somebody who needed killing. One fine summer day a couple arrived with a Pekin white duckling with a fractured leg. In their futile attempts to avoid veterinary bills they had fashioned a homemade splint that failed miserably. The little guy’s mother and siblings, crowded in a muddy pen, had stepped on him, sat on him, and pushed him away from…

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Biter Rehabbed

November 21, 2022
Raven 1

Does this first photo scare you? Pepper not only bared her teeth but lunged and sometimes bit her people when they reached for her on the couch or approached her when she had a toy. She had her reasons. Like many small dogs she was easily startled and became defensive-aggressive when a much bigger creature loomed over her. She also suffered from joint pain. Nobody gave up on Pepper. Her people learned to lure her for hugs and cuddling rather than inadvertently triggering her reactive fear. We also reduced her anxiety with safe medication. Antiinflammatory and pain meds helped too. No side effects. The result was a happier dog who still occasionally reacts and shows her teeth but she never tries to bite anymore. A better life for everybody.

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A Cat & a Gentleman

November 14, 2022
white cat

Second in a series My practice was in its infancy in 1978 but we were ready for anything. I had an ECG, x-ray machine, and a full array of surgical instruments – everything but stationery and business cards. The equine veterinarian next door recommended a printer, so I called Mr. Franklin Lancaster. He offered to come by to design my spiffy new letterhead. When this senior gentleman arrived he cordially greeted Martha at the front desk and waited patiently as I finished with a client who had brought in an duck with diarrhea. That’s right – a duck named Harley (not Donald) who recovered just fine, thank you very much. I washed my hands of feathers and duck droppings and invited Mr. Lancaster into my slightly-bigger-than-a-phonebooth-sized office. Despite being old enough to be my grandfather he treated me with deference. I was struck by his courtly manners. Examples of good…

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Ever met a cat who urinates in the wrong places?

November 14, 2022
AUS cyst calculus

Veterinary behaviorists, like me, see them often. There can be many different reasons for this aberrant behavior including crowding with too many other indoor cats, messy litter pans, the stress of nearby outdoor creatures, the list goes on. Our first job is to rule-out internal physical problems. An abdominal ultrasound of this 3 year old female tuxedo kitty showed the problem; bladder surgery removed it. There is no amount of behavioral treatment that can eliminate a bladder stone.

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Somebody got Lucky

November 7, 2022
cat

First in a series I was wearily motoring home, down unlit El Pueblo Road, when my Triumph’s headlights lit up a slow moving small while object. Grocery bag in the breeze? Ah, no. White kitten on 3 legs. The day wasn’t over yet. Cats are predators for sure, but they are also a prey species. When sick or injured the wild ones tend to hole-up to avoid being coyote bait, making them impossible to catch. I made a U-turn and rolled to a stop on the gravel shoulder. As I approached the little guy he blinked slowly at me and then limped in my direction. Martha and Amos, my two staff members, had left for the day. I threw the deadbolt, switched on the light, and carried my 6# runaway to the treatment table. He actually looked good on exam – except for that right femur fracture. I’d need some…

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Go Ahead – Challenge that Puppy

November 7, 2022
river crossing

Are there any helicopter pet parents out there? Well, of course there are. There is such a thing as healthy stress. Moderate risk is essential to confidence building. And so, at age10 months, Mick Nichol, shouldering his backpack, was faced with a stream crossing. With the encouragement of his family, all of us ready to step in and rescue the situation if necessary, our boy mustered his courage and made it across. We repeated the same crossing the next day. Mick is happily building his backcountry skills.

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