Subscriber Archive
Love cats enough to bring out their inner snuggle bunny? For some it’s a walk in the park of catnip, for others it can be more like a briar patch.
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Second in a series Can’t We All Just Get Along? Veterinary behaviorists treat a lot of aggression between family dogs. Tandy and Atticus had already endured multiple mutual maulings without bloodshed but their intensifying hostility, fear of annihilation, and the adrenalin surge of self-preservation would soon exceed somebody’s threshold for self-control. Disaster was imminent. There’s a complex system of circuits, neurotransmitters, and hormones upstairs that can be altered permanently following physical injury. Pain often leads a good brain in a bad direction. I told Jason and Sylvia that even one penetrating wound would send the prognosis south. Life was good until one fine evening when Sylvia was frying chicken. Both dogs were camped out at her feet, hoping to share the experience. Atticus moved in and stood against his dog momma’s leg to get a better sniff. His higher ranking competitor, Tandy, saw things differently. There was only one pan…
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First in a series
Quizzes are fun when I know the answers. Fights between family dogs are caused by:
a) Dominance
b) Resource guarding
c) Jealousy
d) Bad juju
e) Sometimes a) and/or b)
Cats are predators wherever they live. Satisfy those essential primal urges with this cool Indoor Hunting Feeder.
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Question: I have a cat who yells and yowls while riding in the car. He starts as soon as I push him into his cat cage. He hates the veterinary clinic. Dr. Nichol: Spewing obscenities and invective during car travel is cat-speak for “I’m homicidal. No, I really am.” Your boy knows that his destination won’t be a feline amusement park, more likely an exam with vaccinations. He’d rather file his knuckles with a cheese grater. There is a better way. Despite their protected lives, our cats hide their illnesses to avoid appearing vulnerable to predators. They’re selling the idea that they have the magic to heal themselves. They’re lying. Deep down, they know at early diagnosis and treatment saves lives. They need modern medicine to feel good and live long as much as you and I. Fear of travel and the funky smelling destination derails this good train. It…
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This is serious business. We want our dogs to be trustworthy with children despite kids being, well, kids.
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Question: I have 2 cats, 2 years old, that I got at a shelter 1 1/2 years ago. They had at least one feral parent and they are fine except they are almost impossible to be lap cats. I have one trained to sit on my lap but she is very skittish and finicky. The other one won’t sit on a lap unless she kneads my female partner’s underarm. It can get quite irritating. Dr. Nichol: Your kittens might have been cuddle bugs but who they turned out to be was the product of multiple factors. The sensitive period for their socialization to people dogs, and other cats was 2-9 weeks of age. It was during this window of time that their immature brains formed early memories and neural connections that became indelible parts of their personalities. It’s a safe bet that they missed out on exposure to nice folks…
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A twisted stomach, filling with gas is a painful medical and surgical emergency. If you have a large breed, deep chested dog you need the facts on bloat, also called gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV).
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I stole a few minutes between appointments to call the hospital phone number Greg Trujillo had given me. I’d committed to updating him on Sadie. I drummed my fingers on the desk while waiting for the receptionist to track him down, knowing my next client was also waiting. When Greg picked up I explained his dog’s so-far, so-good status. It turned out that the same was true for Susan, his wife. The poor guy was stressed to the max. I wished them both godspeed and promised to stay in touch. Sadie’s temperature had dipped to 99 degrees but by 7 PM was hovering around 100 – low normal for her species. Her eyes were open and her paws were moving a little. She hadn’t seizured for several hours. I knew that with overnight care, we had a shot at getting her through this. Under normal circumstances, the pet parent would…
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