Weekly article archive

The following questions and answers have appeared in my weekly column in the Albuquerque Journal since July, 1996. Each week a new one is added. You'll find information on the physical and behavioral maladies of dogs and cats and a few other species too. I invite you to use the search feature to find the specific answer that you and your pet need.

Media – Cat Urine Spray

aggressive cat

Are We Having Fun Yet? Question: I have indoor cats. One of the black cats (Toby) has gotten aggressive with the others and he started to spray about 6 months…

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Dr. Nichol’s Blog – Time-Out: Everybody Gets a Break

dog on leash

Dogs need Good Manners Some dogs follow their person’s lead and happily go along with just about anything. Others struggle to do the right thing, needing a bit more hands-on…

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Media – Sphinx calls Ork

sphinx cat

Regurgitation is Dangerous Question: Blue Boy is a Sphynx cat, 13 years old. Ever since he was a kitten he has scooped food into his mouth like a bull dozer…

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Dr. Nichol’s Video – Time Out for Nutball – Everybody needs to Feel Better

A dog will believe that any response from its person is an earned reinforcer. That’s why reprimands and punishments fail. To stop digging the hole even deeper you’ll need to…

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Media – Stop, pee, stop, pee, stop, pee, repeat

 Something for Everybody Question: My nephew and I both have large male dogs. I told him that when I take our 100# black Labrador for a walk, he sniffs, browses…

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Media – Overdose: Vitamin D in Dog Foods

Vitamin D recall

Check with FDA Mistakes happen. Multiple dog food brands have been found to contain excessive levels of the essential nutrient vitamin D. Some have 70 times the correct amount. Don’t…

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Dr. Nichol’s Blog – We Speak – Dogs Watch

dog listening to commands

They’re good listeners too Why do dogs follow commands like sit and stay if they don’t understand English? When we speak are they processing the words we’re saying or the…

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Media – Stinky Cat 3 AM

cat up late at night

Cat Daddy as Midnight Toy Question: Stinky, at the age of 5 months, adopted us by walking in the back door. The weird thing is his habit of waking me…

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Dr. Nichol’s Video – We Speak – Dogs Watch

They’re good listeners too Why do dogs follow commands like sit and stay if they don’t understand English? When we speak are dogs processing the words we are saying, or…

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