Subscriber Archive
Buds, bulbs, leaves, seeds and chocolate Easter eggs: What could go wrong?
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,…
Dogs who barely controlled their home-alone angst before COVID, may spiral into destruction, barking, soiling, and escape attempts.
Foil Foliage Filching Question: I have a rabbit living in my front yard and eating the leaves off my evergreen shrubs that are about 30 years old. He’s eaten all of the bottom leaves and I see him standing trying to reach the upper leaves. I have tried shooing him away every time I see him to no avail. I don’t want to hurt him and want to know a safe way to get rid of him. I can tell he’s a wild rabbit and not a store bought rabbit; he runs very fast when I approach him. I called a pest control company and they charge over $100. Dr. Nichol: Why, that wascally wabbit! I think you need to contact Elmer Fudd for this job, although he was never very good at pest control. To help send this rabbit packing, with kindness, I contacted Dr. Danny Levenson of the…
Does your dog fling himself at you? At visitors? Is he all over you like a cheap suit when you’re trying to relax? Establish boundaries with kindness – and get the message across.
Feel Better; Sleep Well Question: My cat will be fast asleep, then she wakes up suddenly and flies out of the spot she was in and acts very terrified. Is she having night terrors? Dr. Nichol: Your cat may be having a sleep disturbance but we don’t want tunnel vision. Her terror, as she is jerked out of a restful slumber, tells us that her brain is reacting with intense emotion but the real issue may be somewhere else in her body. Pain can come from almost anywhere. Cats with allergies may be startled by an intense itch. Whether deeply asleep or just sitting quietly they can suddenly bolt from the room as though shot from cannon. A stab of pain from an arthritic joint or an abdominal cramp may be jolting your kitty out of an otherwise gentle cat nap. This isn’t peaceful; she needs to feel safe. The…
House soiling, fighting, furniture damage – you don’t want it. A great cat’s life is not a random event. Good behavior starts with a healthy structure.
The Mind-Body Connection is Worth Investing Lulu is a sweet, 2 year old Australian cattle dog who was adopted from a shelter just 2 months before I met her. She had itchy skin and a rather delicate gut. She’d already started eating a special diet and was taking an anti-itch medication called Apoquel. Lulu landed in my exam room because of her reactive aggression toward men of all shapes and sizes. Actually, anybody who rushed onto the scene could trigger Lulu’s fear-related displays. She never actually bit anyone. Those histrionics were intended to send a message. “Scary monsters don’t belong here. Move to the next county and nobody gets hurt.” Poor Lulu was also anxious when she was home alone. She wasn’t destructive but she often urine soiled. Antianxiety medications, while not the entire solution, made it possible for Lulu to learn better behavioral responses but her person’s absences were…
Noisy dogs can trigger problems. Unhappy neighbors and animal control might visit and ruin your day. You can turn this around with kindness.