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The 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…
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Noisy dogs can trigger problems. Unhappy neighbors and animal control might visit and ruin your day. You can turn this around with kindness.
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Help 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…
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Have you thrown a can of pennies? How about yelling and jerking? A different home? You’re breakin’ my heart.
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Peace & 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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Research on cats and dogs in households with confirmed human infections found that a minority of pets got infected. Will they be OK? How about the rest of the family?
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A Fecal Exam may Reveal the Cause Question: My 5 month old adopted kitten is Pimienta “Pimi” and she is such a good girl. I waited for a kitten that chose me and it is the best thing I have done because she is so cute and she sees me as her mummy (I think). At the beginning Pimienta drunk water from the bowl but now she just wants to drink from the tap. I’m worried she won’t drink enough. The other problem is that she farts. This is obviously very disgusting. Her veterinarian suggested a diet change. Dr. Nichol: Pimi sounds like a sweet kitty with an odiferous social handicap. Flatulence (farting) is normal in moderation. Breaking wind “to beat the band” is an unhealthy symptom. While Pimi’s diet may be at fault I am more suspicious of a parasite or an imbalance of intestinal bacteria. I suggest submitting…
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Dogs who are happy to follow instructions are a pleasure to have as your best friend. But a lot of them just don’t seem clear on the concept. Spare the frustration.
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Simplify the Politics Question: We adopted a jenny to be a buddy for our elderly horse. At first she was happy to share food, but with time and confidence she has become rather bossy. I have to lock her out of the shelter at feeding time or she would aggressively devour the horse’s food. When he is done she can go in, but will state her displeasure by peeing the place up. Dr. Nichol: Horses and their ilk (including donkeys) are social creatures who generally do best in groups. But confinement to a pen or even a generous-sized pasture, in some cases, can set the stage for bad behavior. Lower ranking animals have no escape. Whether we’re talking dogs, cats, equines, or humans, crowding and close confinement are crazy-making. Your elderly gentleman needs a break from his pesky little companion. There is more than boredom to blame for this young…
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