Subscriber Archive

Question: We adopted “Peaches” from Animal Humane 9 weeks ago. She is a 5 year old Australian cattle dog mix. She has escaped 4 times, like playing, but won’t come when called and bounds away covering lots of territory in a short time. She has crossed Tramway twice. Otherwise she completely blended into our home–so loving, cooperative, fun. Dr. Nichol: I understand how frustrating this is. Peaches means a lot to you. She needs to quit her gleeful and dangerous jail breaks. People like us love our pets like little children in furry suits but that special bond can fool us. Canine behavior is similar to ours in some ways and very different in others. Our dogs belong with us in our homes but their brains are also genetically programmed for survival in the wild. If Peaches were part of a free-living canine group she would spend most of her…

Question: My bulldog is 9 years old and losing hair. Her skin is dry and it smells bad. Her ears have gooey junk in them and they stink too. Is this just because she is old? Dr. Nichol: Dry skin problems and hair loss are not signs of good health and, except for humans of a certain age, aren’t considered a normal part of membership in AARP. Your bulldog’s foul odor and her infected ears are indicators of a serious skin problem. More than just exuding B.O. she may have seborrhea and chronic infection. I consulted with veterinary skin specialist Dr. Rebecca Mount of Dermatology for Animals. Here is her response. “This poor pup! The odor is a strong sign of a secondary skin infection. It is really important to have a microscopic evaluation of her skin to ensure we are treating the right infectious agent. I have seen hair…

Question: “Sage”, our female Lab mix, began to urinate on the bed during the night. She was diagnosed with a bladder infection, given antibiotics, and the problem disappeared. It reoccurred a couple of months later; another round of antibiotics fixed it. It reoccurred again, and this time the antibiotics had no effect. About the same time, my stepson, his fiancé, and their two dogs moved in with us. While the dogs seem to be coexisting harmoniously our hypothesis is that our Lab’s latest behavior is connected to the extra dogs. Her only issues seem to be at night, so our strategy is to have her spend the night in our garage. Are we missing something? Dr. Nichol: Actually, it is Sage who is missing something – her ovaries; they were removed during spaying, along with her uterus. Her bladder leaks during the night because her estrogen is diminished, weakening the…