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I encountered this lovely creature while hiking in the Weminuche Wilderness in Southern Colorado. This female dusky grouse was trying to mind her own business while I stalked her. I’d hoped she wouldn’t notice but if you listen carefully you can hear her complaining. Now I know how she got her name.
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Third in a series – I felt bad for Raymond, assaulted through no fault of his own, but it was Brandi the big hound who spent nearly every waking moment on the edge of hysteria. She watched Raymond with one eye, anticipating that this kindly Dr. Jekyll’s might transform into the murderous Mr. Hyde at any moment. But there was more going on in that confused canine cabeza.
Read MoreTiger Mama Needs Babies
In a zoo in California , a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set of triplet tiger cubs. Unfortunately, due to complications in the pregnancy, the cubs were born prematurely and due to their tiny size, they died shortly after birth. The mother tiger after, recovering from the delivery, suddenly started to decline in health. Although physically she was fine the veterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into a depression. The doctors decided that if the tigress could surrogate another mother’s cubs, perhaps she would improve. After checking with many other zoos across the country, the depressing news was that there were no tiger cubs of the right age to introduce to the mourning mother. The veterinarians decided to try something that had never been tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of one species will take on the care…
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Second in a series If a saber toothed tiger is charging at you, an adrenalin surge is well justified. But Brandi, the 3 year old hound recently adopted by Sally and Raymond, had no logical cause for fear. Raymond treated her well since the moment she’d arrived in her new home. Studies show that most women carry themselves more gracefully, speaking with quieter, more evenly modulated voices than men – who crash around like bulls in a china shop. (Who’s ever heard of a cow in a china shop?) A well-adjusted pet can accept these differences but Brandi struggled to adapt. She was immediately hypervigilant, ready for any threat that lurked around the next corner. Raymond was a quiet man but tall and quick in his movements. His demeanor was enough to establish him as an axe murderer, well, at least in Brandi’s eyes. Most canine anxiety disorders are genetically…
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Feline acne starts as comedones on the chin and lower lip. Poor grooming may be a factor. Stressed cats may just hunker down and neglect their personal needs. When a cat doesn’t rub his chin naturally, dead skin cells can plug the hair follicles. The upshot can be inflammation and infection. An accurate diagnosis should start with a bacterial culture. In addition to a carefully chosen oral antibiotic cats with chin acne will need a benzoyl peroxide gel like Oxydex. I hope you’ve found this information on cats helpful. And I hope you’ll share it with your cat loving friends. If they check their kitty’s chins and find lumpy bumpies, or black heads, they’ll be glad to have this information.
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First in a series Multiple choice: Dogs adopted as adults, who are aggressive toward the man in the home: (a) Were previously mistreated by a male (b) Are jealous, wanting the woman all to themselves (c) Are frightened by the macho, but gentle dude who guzzles battery acid instead of coffee in the morning (d) Are trying to be dominant (e) Have an Oedipus complex. In my veterinary behavior practice I see a wide variety of disorders; the most common are manifested by aggression. Some dogs declare war on strangers, family members, cats, other dogs, hot air balloons, even TV animals. The targets of these hostile acts aren’t happy but neither are the perpetrators. Everybody wants the problem solved at least 10 minutes ago. Sally and Raymond brought their 3 year old hound, Brandi, to me because she was chasing Raymond around the house while barking, growling, and snapping at…
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Dr. Nichol visits Animal Humane New Mexico with some advice on how to pick the greatest kitten for your life.
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Avoid the Mess: Set your Cats Up for Success The scent of urine in all the wrong places is a drag on everybody’s wellbeing – your cats’ and yours too. They need easy access to clean litter pans because they really hate stepping around in a stinky soggy mess, holding their little noses to get it over with as fast as possible.
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Always on the lookout for new and better treatments, I follow the research. At the recent conference of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in Philadelphia I listened as experts presented their findings on CBD. The biologically active components of the hemp plant, cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) are fascinating. Rather than THC, the ingredient in marijuana that’s used for human pain and the recreational buzz, CBD and CBDA are extracted from certain strains of hemp. For dogs with arthritic pain it’s been added to medications like carprofen with some benefit. Research in rats has found that CBDA inhibits vomiting and may reduce inflammation and anxiety. There are currently two pilot studies using a mixture of CBD and CBDA “showing a 30–40% reduction in seizure incidence” in dogs whose epilepsy was not adequately controlled with other medications. There is also clinical evidence supporting the use of CBD/CBDA to…
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