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.

Bored dog? Barking? Chewing? Digging? What’s his Sport?

Dogs in the wild survive by their wits. But as our pets they may live lives of quiet desperation because they can’t engage their natural brains and bodies. I tried…

Voodoo Veterinary Medicine?

Fourth in a series Work flow during the infant months of my veterinary practice was intermittent but with time we got busier. Martha needed help at the desk. In the…

Human Suction Machine

Third in a series The term free air may conjure filling stations of old, where you could pull up to the compressor and inflate your tires. Free air in a…

Catch & Release

Second in a series A lot of important stuff happens in our chests. Adding a fishhook is not a positive. We premedicated Princess with a pain reliever and sedative, administered…

Crawdad Fishing–What they Caught

First in a series I’d arrived home, made myself dinner (at that point in my life it might have been of the TV variety), and was starting to unwind when…

Senior Soiling, Confusion, & Barking

Dementia is Best Treated Early & Thoroughly Question: My sweet dog and best friend, Isaac, was diagnosed with Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome. I watched your video on CDS, and it meant…

Feline Boot Scooting

Not your Typical Two Step Question: I have a male ginger cat, 9 years old, named Will. For the last 2-3 years he has had to have his anal glands…

Does your dog want to attack every dog it sees? Here’s why, and what to do

Question: I have an adorable rescue named Quinn who does not like other dogs. He is good with people but he wants to attack every dog he sees. I put…

Mr. L – Somebody got Lucky

I was wearily motoring home, down unlit El Pueblo Road, when my Triumph’s headlights lit up a slow moving small while object. Grocery bag in the breeze? Ah, no. White…