Weekly article archive
The following questions and answers have appeared in my weekly column in the Albuquerque Journal since July, 1996. Each week a new one is added. You'll find information on the physical and behavioral maladies of dogs and cats and a few other species too. I invite you to use the search feature to find the specific answer that you and your pet need.
The Food and Drug Administration, along with independent researchers, have discovered a possible link between grain-free, “legume-rich” pet foods and a potentially life-threatening heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Deficiency…
If you’re a cat lover like me you may want even more of them. But kitties stuck inside together can struggle badly: threats, aggression, and house soiling are miserable for…
Last in a series Rather than indulging in frivolous ego-driven jealousy, like humans, our dogs live in the moment. They compete because they’re programmed to worry that food or proximity…
Chronic arthritis, surgery, bad teeth, back and neck pain – lots of cats and dogs suffer. There are safe, modern treatments that can make a big difference. Know what to…
Third in a series Polly and Holly, our canine pugilist protagonists, were first brought to me for help several years earlier. Their hostility had already become dangerous. Holly the victim…
Crying, scratching at the door, chewing furniture and woodwork – these are not the behaviors you were looking for when you fell in love with that cute, wriggling puppy. You’ll…
Second in a series We want our pets to have peaceful lives, getting along well with others in our home. Dog fights are deeply disturbing. Everybody wants these conflicts solved…
Dogs need a place of their own. That makes crate training valuable. And you don’t want your stuff damaged. Can they stay in there for a few hours? All day?
First in a series The brain is considered the most complex organ in the body. No one is perfect because, with 86 billion active neurons in the human mind (only…