Albuquerque Journal Articles
Assertive Personality must Learn to Earn Everything Question: My five month old Australian Shepard mix is constantly biting and chewing. If he’s not trying to eat rocks on his walks, he’s snatching tissues out of our hands, trying to gnaw on our arms/hands/legs/shoes/furniture. We have an arsenal of chew toys, bones and rawhides but when we try to correct him, he bares his teeth and snaps. Dr. Nichol: Sounds like the terrible twos. Not truly aggressive, your high-status, assertive puppy expects to get whatever he wants. If you’re hoping for a personality change you’ll need to invest in a brain…
Lab Work & Treatment should be Started Soon Question: I have a male cat, 20 months old, who gets sneezing fits, sometimes sneezing 9 times in a row (all without the courtesy of screening his nose with a paw!!). He was a stray we got through Animal Control. This morning he sneezed several times, then had a string of mucus from his nose with a black spot that looked like dried blood. When he sneezes at night he manages to sneeze in my face! He seems to be feeling somewhat lethargic today. Dr. Nichol: The gross volumes of cat snot…
Car Trips can Improve Question: About 4 years ago we adopted a Lab/shepherd mix, Maggie. We’d love to take her places but anything other than a short trip to Grandma’s causes frothing at the mouth and eventual vomiting. Having the windows wide open seems to help. Is there any hope of being able to go several hours in the car without a catastrophe? Dr. Nichol: Poor Maggie’s motion sickness has her green behind the gills with vertigo as she drools copiously from nausea. This embarrassment has been visited upon her so many times that she now anticipates the misery of…
Your Dog is Not a Wolf; You Don’t need to be Alpha Question- I added a rescue Labradoodle to my pack about a year ago. She’s always looking for something to eat. She’s well fed but when she gets something in her mouth she’s not supposed to have she won’t drop it and will growl at me if I try to take it from her. She scares me. I don’t know if she’ll bite me and I am clearly not alpha with this dog. Dr. Nichol: You can abandon the power struggle. It is actually rare for a dog to…
Porky Pussy Cat needs to be Re-Litter Trained Question: We adopted Kiki from the City Shelter. She’s about 7 years old and was obese. Jaundice was noticed and she was to be euthanized. She stopped eating and was diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis. She’s doing better now. It nauseated her to walk to the litter box, so she just squatted where she was lying. She’s able to walk around now, but continues to squat in her/my bed to urinate. Dr. Nichol: Obesity is miserable for cats; their liver cells get infiltrated with fat, often leading to big trouble. Even a couple…
Use the Right Treats or Risk more Surgery Question: My little Shih Tzu could not urinate because he had stones in his bladder. The veterinary hospital that cares for him removed those stones but they are the kind that will return without proper diet so they recommended Hill’s u/d non struvite dog food. Can I still give him dog treats once in a while? I am sticking to this diet heart and soul, but he likes his treats every now and then, so is it o.k.? I do not want those stones to return. He was in a lot of…
Thorough Dental Treatment is Essential Question: Our cat is 10 years of age and lately started to salivate a lot, having trouble eating and her tongue slightly protruding. Don’t know if she is in pain but sleeps a lot. My problem now is worrying if it is dangerous to give her anesthesia for dental scaling .Her veterinarian said her gums are severely infected and one tooth appeared to have broken off. Please help me in my dilemma .My daughter is so attached to her and worried. Dr. Nichol: I understand your concern for your cat’s anesthetic safety but there is…
Hip Dysplasia more likely than Spinal Disease Question: Our German shepherd who is 5 years old suddenly jumped down from her (our!) easy chair and fell in a heap! Her legs seemed stiff and she was in pain. She was scared till she got up and wanted to go outdoors. Next day she was chasing around like normal. Last night she came in and collapsed in a heap on the floor! After a few minutes she gradually got up and wanted outdoors again and walked fine. Could this be a spinal problem? Dr. Nichol: I’m glad to hear that your…
More Exercise, especially Herding, would be Perfect Question: I’ve a blue heeler/Lab mix, altered. He tries to herd people and drives me nuts barking when I’ve got to go out. I’ve considered finding someone more active than me because my health prevents me from activity I used to do with him but would miss him so much I’m torn. Heard of Zylkene but unsure of using it. Dr. Nichol: You describe a big active herding dog who came hard-wired, right out of the box, to engage in behavior that is innate to his genetic code. He is a heeler, so…
Time to Cat-Proof for the Holidays Canine dietary indiscretions like chocolate, raisins, grapes, and turkey carcasses are well known. Let’s be fair; cats are sneakier; their Christmastime binging can go unnoticed until they’re sick. Tinsel tops the list. Once swallowed, peristaltic movements usually advance it safety toward the proper exit but if a strand gets hung up, those back and forth gut motions create trouble. Wads of tinsel cause obstructions. Lengths of it saw holes in the intestinal wall. Choose wisely: decorate with tinsel or have a cat. There is no tinsel at the Nichol house. The silica gel packs…