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Good Management Prevents Infections Question: I have southwest box turtles. I don’t even know how many anymore, since I find them mating and occasionally find a baby turtle. At one time I had them named but now have lost track. They live in an enclosed yard. I have found a couple of them with a white spot on their shell. I no longer have a large pond for them to swim in, but I do have a couple of submerged bowls with water. Dr. Nichol: Finding babies really shouldn’t be surprising; your turtles are breeding like, well, like rabbits. Don’t…
Reevaluate Diagnosis & Treatment for Best Results Question: My 5 year old beagle has a grade 4 heart murmur. She is on 3 medications: furosemide, enalapril, and spironolactone. Do all these drugs really help, or just make her gain weight and add to her lethargy? I don’t take her on true walks anymore, as she tires so easily. She has a little bit of fluid in her lungs, but as yet is not coughing and to my knowledge has not passed out. Dr. Nichol: I’m sad about your beagle’s struggles. The medications she is taking are often safe and effective…
Check first for Bladder Disease Question: I read with great interest (and often amusement) your weekly column. I have two female Llaso Apsos. They are sisters and are ten years old. One is quite docile and the other one can have an attitude. In our bedroom, I have placed runners on three sides of the bed. One of the girls is urinating on them. I don’t know which one is the culprit. Dr. Nichol: I’m sure you’ve sat these two young ladies down but that no one is talking. Now they’ll both have to go to the doctor for a…
Avoidance & Antianxiety Treatments Question: Help! My dog is terribly afraid of hot air balloons, causing him to bark uncontrollably. The occasional balloon I could deal with, but my home is directly under a regular balloon flight path. Dr. Nichol: You and your petrified pupster are not alone. There is nothing in the evolutionary adaptations of Canis familiaris (domestic dogs) that prepares them for this annual Albuquerque aerial assault. We humans may regard balloons as beautiful, peaceful, and profitable but many nonhuman creatures see only flying monstrosities. Dogs like yours suffer from a true phobia, defined as an extreme, irrational…
Good Treatments depend on Age & Severity Question: My husband and I are the owners of a beloved one year old Airedale terrier. Toby has been x-rayed and diagnosed by our local veterinarian and by Dr. Michael Wey as having hip dysplasia. When Dr. Wey checked him out some months ago he said he didn’t recommend surgery just then. However, in the ensuing time he’s been spending more and more time getting around on three legs. Toby has hip dysplasia in both hips and we wonder if we should consider stem cells for our little guy. Dr. Nichol: Toby’s age…
Act Early & Be Careful Question: I have 2 dogs that have been together for 2.5 years. The female has always be passive before the male, however in the last month she has become extremely aggressive, taking his food, even growling when he attempts to get close to us. The male is now showing up with cuts from fights that are happening during the day when we are gone. There have been no changes in their routine. Dr. Nichol: Aggression between family dogs is common and potentially disastrous. The intensity of this type of hostility can advance fast, making it…
Dangerous but Not Difficult to Control If left to fend for themselves in the wild our cats would survive on prey, displaying their prowess with buff physiques. Instead they park themselves on the couch and eat fast food for felines. The results are often not pretty. It’s estimated that over 35% of cats are overweight or obese leading to diabetes, joint damage, skin disorders, and fatty liver disease. Too corpulent and uncomfortable to run, climb, and jump fat cats live stunted lives. Quoting the late Joan Rivers, can we talk? The World Health Organization’s definition of obesity, “an excess of…
Accommodate Natural Needs Question: I saw your web post about why indoor cats like to roll in the dirt. I work out of town. Is there any way to bring this “outdoorness” inside while I’m away? Maybe a box of sand or tiny pebbles like in fish tanks? But will he confuse it with his litter box? I’d appreciate your thoughts, even if you think I’m being silly! Dr. Nichol: Silly? Caring for the essential behavioral needs of wild animals kept as pets should be required of all cat owners. Pets are more than entertainment; they promote better physical and…
Vaccination is Safe & Effective Have you ever questioned the significance of “emerging” disease threats? Some stay for years while others seem to fade with yesterday’s news cycle. Real epidemics can wax and wane because of changing weather patterns. Generous summertime rainfall is a beautiful thing but standing water can harbor leptospirosis, an almost forgotten risk in New Mexico but a serious problem for dogs right next door in Texas. “Lepto” is a bacterial infection that’s carried in the urine. Cattle and pigs, with their bad table manners and questionable personal hygiene, can quickly spread this disease through contaminated water…
Watch Carefully for Clues If I could change one thing about cats it would be their communication skills. They are certainly a social species but in rather different ways than dogs and humans-the champions of chatter. Many cat lovers treasure their pets’ aloofness. Few cats nag. Well, the Nichol family cats do but that’s because we reinforce their bad habits by capitulating to their whims. That cool feline exterior is actually an evolutionary adaptation; betraying a lameness or other infirmity could be a fatal mistake if predators are lurking. But for a house cat, with no risk of becoming lunch,…