Subscriber Archive
Some puppies are quick learners; others struggle to get clear on the concept. Don’t let frustration damage you and your canine youngster.
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Improvising Indoor Cat Question: My grandmother and I got my cat Remus in September. In the last few months he has been causing major problems by tearing up our toilet paper. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can break him of this bad habit? Dr. Nichol: Toilet paper???!!! Remus is a naughty cat. Have you tried scolding or spanking? I hope not. Punishment would damage your friendship with him and it wouldn’t change his behavior anyway. Remus is a normal cat (I was joking about him being naughty) whose claws must be maintained and put to use. Kitties make excellent companions but they have behavioral requirements beyond snuggling and batting catnip toys around the house. Beneath Remus’s fuzzy exterior beats the heart of a ruthless predator. He has adapted to life with humans but he is still a wild animal with an essential need to stalk, hunt,…
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Shouldn’t a cat, who’s livin’ the feline dream at your house, crave the answer to this age-old question? They do, sort of. It matters what the person wants but it’s about the cat’s needs too.
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House Rules & Freedom to Move Question: I just brought home an 8 week old puppy and want to ensure the best possible crate training. It’s been 4 days, however he is still having accidents. I believe the crate may be too big. How do you recommend starting a new puppy out when they need to have their space and for potty training? Dr. Nichol: Teaching a shiny new puppy how to find the bathroom can be challenging. Momma cleans up after her infants but as the kids mature their genetic programming motivates them not to soil their living area. This isn’t easy for everybody. A recent study confirmed that small breed dogs can be a lot harder, if not impossible, to fully housetrain. If you’re a Chihuahua person you already know this, not that I’m pointing fingers. Free-living dogs face hardships but they have canine-specific choices. Like having their…
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Puppies can be out-of-control on leash walks. Some are panicked. Forget corrections and jerks.
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Nausea is Nobody’s Friend Question: My dog recently had a lick granulomas removed by laser. He was placed in an Elizabeth (cone) collar. When I take off the collar for him to eat he stops eating to lick the wounds. I have tried to take off the collar and dress the wounds with gauze and duct tape, as well as Boundary. Each time he chewed and licked off the dressings. Dr. Nichol: Your poor dog licks incessantly partly because his wounds itch like crazy. Anxiety may be a factor but there is much more to his problem. Lick granulomas almost always occur on the front surface of one or both of a dog’s wrists. They can start with a small injury. The irritation of the tongue and saliva that’s loaded with bacteria results in a hairless, somewhat swollen, infected sore. Bad tasting concoctions, bandages, scolding, and public humiliation are pointless…
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Do you have a cat who, despite your good example, insists on prying open cabinets and wreak havoc on your stuff? Does she complain or pester you relentlessly at the worst times? I know the type.
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Who are the Carriers? Are pets capable of spreading COVID19? The SARS CoV 2 (cq) virus, the organism responsible for the human epidemic, has been investigated in cats and dogs. Here is what we know. “Natural SARS-C0V-2 infections, including virus isolation, among serially tested cats and dogs in households with confirmed human COVID-19” by Dr. Sarah Hamer and colleagues, found that a minority of cats and dogs got infected. Very few of them showed any symptoms. In another study, titled, “SARS-CoV-2 infection, disease and transmission in domestic cats” by Gaudreault, et al determined that cats became only transiently infected. They did not show the virus in their blood but it was detected in fluids from their noses and throats. These kitties developed antibodies but none of them had symptoms. In other words, had they not been tested, nobody would have suspected anything. Veterinary pathologists, like all scientists, understand that new…
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Some puppies are highly-stressed in their new homes. Helping the little rascal adjust starts with caring and love. There’s a whole lot more you can do to set the kid up for a well-adjusted life.
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