Albuquerque Journal Articles
During Luna’s earliest weeks of life, long before being left at the shelter, she missed out on gentle social exposures, causing her to be afraid when approached by anyone. Well-meaning human attempts to make friends triggered defensive lunging and snapping. She got lucky with her second family; they were committed to teaching her a better way. Luna is a calmer dog now; her fear-driven aggressive reactions rare. There were gifts in this come-from-behind story. Luna’s people, Hope and Brian, grew closer from their shared mission of investing themselves in another creature. They knew they were Luna’s last chance. In the…
Remember Luna from last week? She actually liked people, despite her panic and potentially dangerous freak-outs. She desperately wanted to be free of feeling trapped, ample reason to repeat her reactive lunging and snapping. These aggressive displays had chased off so many “scary monsters” that they became her default reaction. Setting Luna up for success would mean avoiding her fear triggers. Abandoning these situations would be essential because every time her arousal ramped-up the responsible neural circuits in her brain became stronger and more thickly networked. With more repetition she would react even faster and inch closer to her threshold…
Luna’s life with Hope and Brian began with great promise. They weren’t ready to start a human family but they loved pets. They’re socially conscious people who wanted to make a difference so off they went to the local shelter in search of a canine companion. That’s where a 6 month old Papillion-looking waif stole their hearts. Luna seemed perfect until she started reacting to well-meaning dog lovers who approached or reached to pet her, causing her to tremble, growl, and dribble urine. Hope and Brian believed that exposure to more people would help bring out her best so…
Basic Obedience Skills will make a Difference Question: How do you improve the quality of life for a blind cat? Dr. Nichol: Caring for this special needs cat can be rewarding. Instead of adopting a Seeing Eye dog for her you can motivate her with food and guide her with your voice. Start with the highest value cat treat, held just a few inches in front of your kitty’s nose. Slowly make a front-to-back arc over her head toward her shoulders. As her nose follows the scent of beluga caviar her neck will arch back as her rear end begins…
Make it Easy to Reduce Fear Question: Your columns convinced me to take my cat to the veterinarian for regular exams. Now I need your advice on how to corral him to get him to there. He will not go near a carrier (although he did investigate it after I put in some catnip and sprayed it with Feliway). At night he wants affection. But during the day he acts afraid. He resists by biting and scratching any effort to restrain him. He isn’t attracted to food or treats. He runs from unfamiliar people. He has never taken medicine…
Age is Not a Factor for Improved Quality of Life Question: My Chihuahua is 13 years old. Last week he ran and started limping on his rear leg. We took him to the veterinarian and she said that his knee is popping in and out. She said he is actually too old for surgery. Is there something we can do? Dr. Nichol: Luxating patellas (dislocating knee caps) are common in the small breeds. Depending on severity they can cause a dog to carry a rear leg, often for only a few steps, before resuming normal use. A problem that…
Restrictions on fireworks won’t stop the earsplitting blasts that turn otherwise stable pets into trembling, panting emotional disasters. Some will get so overwhelmed that they‘ll drool, cry or howl, urine soil, vomit, or pass diarrhea. Most get clingy but a few may escape the yard and risk getting hit on the road. A freaked-out dog or cat needs reassurance, but shelter from the bombardment is even better. Allow an anxious pet to find relief anywhere she feels better. A bathroom, dark closet, or an open pet crate, located away from windows and exterior walls, should be available. To protect her…
Better Alternatives will mean Better Choices Question: My cat has a thing about sleeping in her litter tray even when it has been used. How can I get her to stop without her not wanting to use it for what it’s for? Dr. Nichol: Cats find boxes irresistible but your girl, sleeping in the latrine, can’t be making snuggle time a pleasant experience for her person. I agree that change is in order. Start with good management. Your cat needs a fresh-as-a-daisy place to eliminate whenever the whim strikes. Whatever your feline population, you’ll need one litter pan per…
Question: Our 6 year old, mostly red heeler was rescued from an Indian reservation, then rescued again with her companion dog after her owner died, then rescued by us because of dominance issues in her adopted home. She came without her companion. She had serious separation anxiety and some nervous urination. We moved and now she is urinating on the beds whenever she is threatened (emotionally) by visitors, i.e. grandkids or houseguests. We can deal with her anxiety, but we sure would like her to quit peeing on the beds. Dr. Nichol: What? You don’t like sleeping with dog urine?…
Veterinary Treatment is Best – Question: I put hydrogen peroxide on a cat wound, ooops, now I know. What can I do now? The wound looks like a gouge. A veterinary visit is not an option right now. Dr. Nichol: Hydrogen peroxide is a time-honored wound treatment that does not deserve his wholesome, innocuous reputation. Largely relegated to the dust bin of potentially dangerous folk remedies I suspect that it may have been used by June Cleaver or even George Washington’s physician. Along with blood-letting it’s no longer considered current medical practice. Hydrogen peroxide isn’t even particularly good at…