Subscriber Archive
Splendid Excavating Alternative Question: We have a self-watering backyard. Our 1 ½ year old very tall, very strong, mixed-breed Doberman-Great Dane tore up all the lines! So now we are in the process of getting a landscaping contractor to redo them. How do we keep her from doing it again? All I can think of is going around the yard with her, pointing and showing her the lines, and saying, “NO” in a very loud voice. Even if she figures out what I mean I’m afraid she won’t apply it to the other lines. Dr. Nichol: Your dog won’t get it. Members of her species don’t communicate by pointing and scolding. Even worse, it won’t teach her what to do instead. She’s a natural born digger. She will dig again, with conviction and enthusiasm, just as sure as she will breathe. Your Doberdane needs a better alternative. Build a 10…
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Most dogs would never intend to pass urine inside – but some lose bladder control. It could be a physical problem or it may be behavioral. We can help them succeed.
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Question: Our large back yard is shared by our Russian tortoise and our 5 pound (11 month old) poodle. Last spring, when “Tortie” came out of hibernation, our puppy started spending a lot of time outside. I then discovered why: the puppy was finding and eating Tortie’s poop!! Gross. Can she get sick? Dr. Nichol: Your poodle puppy, that delicate little flower, has become a tortoise stalker, motivated by her taste for – well, the good news is that her scatological proclivity is most likely benign. For expert advice I contacted reptile specialist Dr. Robin Lane. I learned that Tortie most likely carries a species of pinworms that can only set up housekeeping in tortoise intestines. Unlike pinworms that bedevil unlucky school children Tortie’s would be harmless to dogs and humans. Tortie may also be involved in a synergistic relationship with a single celled parasite called nyctotherius. Covered in cilia…
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Mouthing? Playful nipping? Or is that youngster snarling and lunging? Get control now – without punishment or fear.
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Cooperation Earns Food Question: My wonderful, elderly Ellie (13 years) is difficult to work with when she has an ear infection, eye infection or other medical problem. She wiggles and I cannot properly medicate her. She’s not above taking a nip at me. There are no muzzles for Shih Tzu’s because they have no snout. When I take her to the veterinarian, it takes me holding her front legs, an assistant holding her snout and body down (making it difficult for her to breathe). It’s most disturbing to me and Ellie. Dr. Nichol: You and Ellie are not alone. A recent study showed that 78% of dogs suffer from anxiety and fear in the veterinary clinic. Never mind that no one intends to harm them. When restrained, many of them are overwhelmed with a desperate need to escape. Some are so panicked that they become defensive aggressive. And they don’t…
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The doctors, staff, and volunteers at Albuquerque’s Animal Welfare Department do what it takes for the homeless pets they treat but post-operative recovery is sometimes harder than the procedure itself. It can be tough on everybody. My work with the Placencia Humane Society in Belize put my skills to the test. We came well equipped for field medicine thanks in large part to my readers. Donations included electric clippers, an otoscope, and cash for vaccines, heartworm prevention, and antibiotics. Most Belizeans are pretty stoic in their acceptance of the bugs, hurricanes and floods visited upon the one-room wooden houses on stilts many of them call home. One afternoon a frantic local resident came to us for help with his 85# dog named Tequila. She had jumped off the porch, landing chest-down on a small stump. As we lifted her off the bare metal bed of the pickup truck I heard…
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Buds, bulbs, leaves, seeds and chocolate Easter eggs: What could go wrong?
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Be Careful this Easter Everybody loves springtime flowers and plants but some buds, bulbs, leaves, and seeds can be unsafe for our pets. Swallowing any plant material can cause a dog or cat to vomit or have diarrhea so the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has provided a list of potentially dangerous plants. If you suspect a plant problem with a pet, contact your veterinarian or the 24-hour emergency poison hotline at 1-888-426-4435. Here are some common plants your pets should avoid. Don’t try to teach them what not to chew and why; just keep them safely separated. Lilies are highly toxic to cats. Eating even small amounts may cause severe kidney damage. Amaryllis are popular around Easter but sampling any part of it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, decreased appetite, lethargy, and tremors in cats and dogs. All parts of the sago palm, a common landscaping plant,…
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Dogs who barely controlled their home-alone angst before COVID, may spiral into destruction, barking, soiling, and escape attempts.
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