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Question: I have a 55# pit mix, Molly, with food guarding. I have pet gates set up for feeding to avoid conflict but recently the gate got left open. Molly walked over to my 10 pound dog to eat her food, the little dog growled and Molly attacked. I intervened immediately and no one was injured. I took Molly to a trainer. They put an electric shock collar on her. This doesn’t sit right with me. Molly was extremely uncomfortable and the shock collar does not seem like a long term solution to me. Dr. Nichol: Most dogs are sure that a famine is only about 20 minutes away. If they don’t get all of the food right now, they won’t get any of it. Their concept of scarcity is genetically programmed – and it’s served them well for millennia. Electric shock for Molly’s natural behavior won’t rewire her brain…

Last in a series Jamie’s mandatory retirement from obedience competition at age 11 was followed by an acting gig, appearing in the Albuquerque Little Theatre production “Of Mice & Men”, to rave reviews, I might add. Not even the casting director noticed her two missing teeth.  Cathy and Jeff have said that she may have been the best dog they ever had – but they’ve thought that of each of their dogs. Jamie was nobody’s fool. She never chased another horse. When Jeff and Cathy went rummaging through stacks of old photos it came to them why Jamie’s massive facial/skull remodel would have been worth it to her – the great jack rabbit chase north of Cheyenne, Wyoming. They’d pulled off the road to see the original ranch house of the “My Friend Flicka” book, in the midst of nowhere, and let their 4 dogs out to sniff and investigate.…

Third in a series When Jeff and Cathy Robb brought their first collie puppy to me for vaccinations, back in the early 80s, I remember proselytizing on the benefits of training class from my exam room pulpit. They picked up the dog obedience ball and ran with it. When they added Jamie several years later it was clear, early in the game, that they had a stand-out. Jamie was more than a great working dog; she was a cherished pet. In the competition ring she watched Jeff constantly, never missing a cue. At age 11 she was still scoring in the high 190s but she’d lost her edge in the game of dodging horse kicks. She was lucky. I’ve known head injuries to end much worse. As the post operative weeks progressed I could palpate a hard, healing callus bridging the fracture site of Jamie’s lower jaw. I also kept…

Second in a series When Amos rolled Jamie, prepped and sleeping, into surgery I was already scrubbed, gowned, and gloved. I remember standing in front of the x-ray view box (pre-digital) studying the films and planning my strategy. Every case is different. A bone plate might have worked well, had that evil equine been a bit more considerate in aiming his kick. We’d play the hand we were dealt. With Jamie’s blood pressure and heart rhythm stable and her breathing steady, I made my approach. Carefully elevating her gums away from the site of her broken mandible I saw the problem up close and personal. The break was diagonal and jagged. We could work with it. Amos had the orthopedic drill ready. I handed him the sterile end of the hose to plug into the nitrogen cylinder. Then he scrubbed and gowned. Our nurse Shannon would take over anesthesia monitoring.…

First in a series We were just wrapping up a routine day of limping, itching, and diarrhea (ah, my patients, not me) when Jamie arrived. She’d been frolicking in the pasture with the neighbor horses when she was kicked by a creature 20 times her size. I remember her sad gaze from the treatment table. This 11 year old black and white Australian shepherd was no stranger. Jamie was one of 3 dogs in Cathy and Jeff Robb’s home, each an obedience competitor. They meant everything to their people in part because of the years they had all invested in building trust and commitment. Cathy and Jeff wanted only the best medical care for them. Sweet, smart, and gentle Jamie was my favorite. With my steady and competent veterinary nurse Amos holding our trauma patient’s shoulders I carefully examined every other part of her anatomy first. Had I gone for…