Subscriber Archive
Horses and dogs communicate with us – even if we don’t notice. They can love what we do and repay us with joy or they can react badly. Smart dogs and angry horses have lessons for us.
Question: I hope you can help me and my cat “Lucky,” who I adopted 8 months ago. He is 5 years old and weighs 16#. He hides under the furniture and attacks my feet and tries to bite my ankles as I walk by. If I ignore his screams for food he’ll sit on the back of the sofa and hit my head with his paws. If I ignore that he will bite my head. He never cuddles or sits in my lap. I have thought of declawing and maybe having his teeth filed down. If I get another cat I’m afraid he’ll be mean to it. I am 75 years old and have multiple orthopedic replacement parts. Dr. Nichol: I agree that Lucky may treat another cat shabbily, much like his predatory behavior toward you. You could escape his crosshairs by importing a mischief of mice. Does serving up…
Tunneling, climbing, running off – OMG! Raise the fence? Electric wire? Let’s figure out why this is happening and help your good dog stay home and succeed. Serious anxiety needs serious care.
Teach Avoidance without Electric Shock Question: I need information on humane rattlesnake “proofing” techniques for dogs. It seems to me that keeping your dog on leash would be a better solution, so I don’t need it for myself. In Santa Fe they are using shock collars, and I would like to suggest an alternative method for a person who is not comfortable with having his dog shocked. Personally, I am shocked that anyone is instructing dog owners in that method. Dr. Nichol: Shocked? I’m incredulous. I love my dog. No way would I subject him to painful electric current. The stress to the decoy snake matters too. Tossing a wild reptile on the ground to be menaced by an agitated dog, who’s been set up to fail, is inhumane on all fronts. Prevention is much better. I’ve treated plenty of snake bites involving severe tissue damage and worse. It is…
Cats are simpler pets to care for than dogs, right? Uh, no. They are every bit as complex and just as prone to pain as any of us. We can help but we must recognize their needs as early and help them carefully.
Third in a series Our pets have good lives: a comfy bed, 3 squares, and flat screen TV. But they aren’t little people in furry suits. Beneath that cuddly exterior beats the heart of a predator. Tom and Andrea’s dog, Alita, like any self-respecting savage was always ready. A toad in the garden, minding its own amphibious business, suddenly hopped. Then it hopped again. Wow! A snack! Toads, consumers of insects, snails, and slugs are beloved by gardeners. They move suddenly and quickly, making them fun backyard toys for dogs and cats. The species found in our corner of the world, Bufo alvarius, is somewhat less poisonous than its cousin Bufo marinus that resides in Florida. Bufo toads are most active during their breeding season (March through September). Encounters with pets often occur following a good rain, during dawn, dusk, or nighttime. Also known as Colorado River toads or Sonoran…
Dogs need to spend time doing dog stuff. They are natural scavengers. They need to use their brains, mouths, and paws to survive. Food-dispensing toys and puzzles keep these little devils occupied because they stimulate their brains. My puppy Mick is working his lunch loose from a Twist & Treat toy.
Second in a series “Alita”, the spaniel mix on the treatment table, wore the expression of a dog who knew she needed help while wishing she were anywhere but in a hospital. Her deeply reddened gums, heavy salivation, back-and-forth eye movements, and trembling suggested the correct answer to last week’s quiz. I instructed Amos and Dougie to put Alita in the tub and rinse her mouth with a gentle stream of cool water. Why not break out the firehose and eliminate the oral irritant ASAP? Or make it more comfortable for the poor dog by using warm water? Any toxin remaining in Alita’s mouth would absorb into her system faster across blood vessels dilated by warm water. And with neurologic symptoms, she could inhale water into her lungs. Better to stay cool and go slow. When my good staff had our patient over this first hurdle I asked them to…
A dog can act out in embarrassing, destructive, or even dangerous ways. If you could just teach them to stop those bad behaviors! Training can help but you’ll need to understand the problem in order to bring out the best.