Subscriber Archive
Foil Foliage Filching Question: I have a rabbit living in my front yard and eating the leaves off my evergreen shrubs that are about 30 years old. He’s eaten all of the bottom leaves and I see him standing trying to reach the upper leaves. I have tried shooing him away every time I see him to no avail. I don’t want to hurt him and want to know a safe way to get rid of him. I can tell he’s a wild rabbit and not a store bought rabbit; he runs very fast when I approach him. I called a pest control company and they charge over $100. Dr. Nichol: Why, that wascally wabbit! I think you need to contact Elmer Fudd for this job, although he was never very good at pest control. To help send this rabbit packing, with kindness, I contacted Dr. Danny Levenson of the…
Read MoreDoes your dog fling himself at you? At visitors? Is he all over you like a cheap suit when you’re trying to relax? Establish boundaries with kindness – and get the message across.
Read MoreFeel Better; Sleep Well Question: My cat will be fast asleep, then she wakes up suddenly and flies out of the spot she was in and acts very terrified. Is she having night terrors? Dr. Nichol: Your cat may be having a sleep disturbance but we don’t want tunnel vision. Her terror, as she is jerked out of a restful slumber, tells us that her brain is reacting with intense emotion but the real issue may be somewhere else in her body. Pain can come from almost anywhere. Cats with allergies may be startled by an intense itch. Whether deeply asleep or just sitting quietly they can suddenly bolt from the room as though shot from cannon. A stab of pain from an arthritic joint or an abdominal cramp may be jolting your kitty out of an otherwise gentle cat nap. This isn’t peaceful; she needs to feel safe. The…
Read MoreHouse soiling, fighting, furniture damage – you don’t want it. A great cat’s life is not a random event. Good behavior starts with a healthy structure.
Read MoreThe Mind-Body Connection is Worth Investing Lulu is a sweet, 2 year old Australian cattle dog who was adopted from a shelter just 2 months before I met her. She had itchy skin and a rather delicate gut. She’d already started eating a special diet and was taking an anti-itch medication called Apoquel. Lulu landed in my exam room because of her reactive aggression toward men of all shapes and sizes. Actually, anybody who rushed onto the scene could trigger Lulu’s fear-related displays. She never actually bit anyone. Those histrionics were intended to send a message. “Scary monsters don’t belong here. Move to the next county and nobody gets hurt.” Poor Lulu was also anxious when she was home alone. She wasn’t destructive but she often urine soiled. Antianxiety medications, while not the entire solution, made it possible for Lulu to learn better behavioral responses but her person’s absences were…
Read MoreHelp Faster, Better, Cheaper Retching and vomiting or straining to pass diarrhea is pretty miserable. Some dogs struggle often with these symptoms. When does it become too much? You can try different diets or give probiotics, antibiotics, or supplements and still make little progress. Fouling the living space is not natural canine behavior. The stress that besets these dogs needs to evaporate. They need relief from their cramping and belly aches. Nobody should have to endure this. I’ve treated a whole lot of these sick dogs. I have hunted long and hard for the underlying causes, often with the help of x-rays, ultrasound exams, and endoscopic biopsies. It can be exhausting and expensive for pets and their people. Our dogs’ guts are important and so are their brains. Chronic pain has a major impact on unhealthy behaviors like anxiety, reactive aggression, and noise phobias. We have good news; there has…
Read MoreHave you thrown a can of pennies? How about yelling and jerking? A different home? You’re breakin’ my heart.
Read MorePeace & Privacy Question: I need advice on displaced aggression in my 2 cats that are normally very loving to each other. It started after a neighborhood cat started appearing in my back yard. It’s gotten much worse with them fighting and I’ve tried the Feliway plug- ins. Dr. Nichol: Your cats have done just fine indoors together and they don’t need no stinkin’ visitors. Unable to lunge through your windows to drive-off that alien monster your frustrated kitties have redirected their aggression toward the closest target with a pulse – each other. This is a serious problem. Fights can occur more often with worsening injuries. Mending these broken relationships can take months to years. This conflict needs to be brought under control ASAP. Most cats who are raised indoors, with little or no exposure to those outside their private “colony”, react badly when seeing kitties who look and smell…
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