Albuquerque Journal Articles
Nicotine is a potent nerve toxin. Feeding cigarettes to any critters is deadly. Question: I think my dog Harvey has worms. He drags his rear end a lot. So a friend told me that I could get rid of the worms by giving him tobacco. Can I just give him pieces of cigarettes? Dr. Nichol: Only if he’s not a minor. (Sorry, only kidding). Please do not give tobacco to Harvey. Nicotine is a potent toxin that could kill him if given in high enough amounts. Besides that tobacco has no known effectiveness against worms. Why does Harvey…
What’s right & wrong on the discussion of money. Question: Two weeks ago our cat Walter was real sick and was in the animal hospital for 5 days. Each day, the veterinarian talked to us about how he was doing. He also told us how much we were spending on Walter. In fact when we left Walter for treatment at the beginning, the clinic wanted a deposit. I know they do good work there, but why do they have to talk about money so much? Did they think we might abandon Walter and they wouldn’t get paid? Dr. Nichol:…
A new dog with new lessons. Sometimes different is better. Question: I read a few weeks ago that they were trying to create an exact replica of someone’s pet dog. I would give a lot to have a clone of my Westie. I’m sure I’m not the only pet owner who hates the thought of a dog’s short life-span-and would love a second chance at training a smart but ornery puppy. Dr. Nichol: It certainly sounds like an intriguing idea. But think of the great personality traits of a new dog that you would never be blessed to have…
How to know if your veterinarian is doing the job right. Question: Why is there so little standardization between vets? The best ones do extensive prep work, blood testing, fine needle aspiration, etc. and have one person on the heart monitor, one anesthetist, with 3 kinds of anesthesia while others have only one assistant who answers the phone during surgeries. Wouldn’t it make sense to standardize veterinary surgery, like human surgeons are held to certain standards? Most people believe that one vet is as good as another but that just isn’t so. Dr. Nichol: You have raised some…
The Basics Question: What do you have to do to take care of a dog daily? Dr. Nichol: This is a great question. Give excellent food in two measured feedings each day. Pick it up when he or she walks away from it. If you have more than one pet, feed them at the same time but in separate places so they can’t see each other. This prevents competitive eating which leads to obesity. Water: Clean the bowl and refill with fresh water at least twice daily. Pets drink more when the water is fresh. This reduces wear on…
Cats, with only Two Blood Types have Good Success with Kidney Transplants Question: One of my students asked me if animals of the same species have different blood types like humans. For example: if you needed to give a cat a blood transfusion would you need to find another cat with the same type of blood (for example type A or B etc.) for the transfusion to be successful? Dr. Nichol: Yes, other species have blood types too. Dogs are known to have eight; cats have two. Determining the specific blood type is only important if a pet has…
101.0 F (+ or – 0.5 degrees) Question: I’m curious as to the normal body temperature of a dog. Dr. Nichol: 101.0 degrees Fahrenheit plus or minus 0.5 degree is the official answer, but 100 to 102 is fine. REALLY excited, but normal, dogs can sport rectal temperatures of 103.5. Forget using ear thermometers, though. It will annoy your dog and the darn things don’t even play music.
Dramamine or a prescription medication given before the car ride will prevent nausea. Question: My 6-month-old Silky Terrier is plagued with carsickness. We have tried traveling on an empty stomach to no avail. We’ve also only taken very short trips–so far 10- to 20- minutes traveling time. Part of our reason for getting a small breed was so he could join in on family vacations. Is there anything we can do to prevent the carsickness or a medication to help? Dr. Nichol: Sorry to hear about all that terrible traveling terrier trauma. The motion sickness that is hounding your…
Leave out food & water? Friends who visit your home? Expensive kennels? Here’s how to choose. Question: Soon our children will be back in school and our family has one last vacation planned. We have a cat and a dog but we don’t know where to turn for reliable pet care while we’re gone. Please advise us. Dr. Nichol: You show real concern for those other family members-your pets. Here are some bad ideas first. Do not leave a pet home alone (indoors or outdoors). It’s Murphy’s Law: anything that can go wrong will. The water bowl gets…
Get Advice from a Reliable Source Question: Conflicting advice for older dogs and parvo vaccination. I’ve recently been advised by a pet supply outlet that my older dogs (8 year old golden and 13 year old heeler) do not need annual parvo if they have regularly been vaccinated up to this point. The exception they noted was if they were to be kenneled. Is this correct or would you always do a parvo vaccination? Dr. Nichol: Gone are the days when all veterinarians recommended annual boostering. Vaccines have improved and so has the ability to accurately measure immunity. Infectious…