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.

Aggression toward a moving man

First in a series Evie was a 5 year old cattle dog when we met. Now she’s 7 but she’s still a cattle dog. Vicky and Richard adopted her from…

Dogs & Cats who Hate the Veterinary Clinic

Most of us are nervous at the doctor’s office and so are our pets. Some get fearful and defensive. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Urine soiling cat – bladder damage

Question: One of our higher-density foster homes has a cat who had a UTI, which has now cleared up after medication.  She is now on gabapentin, but is still not always…

Stalking for sport

Mick is our family dog, an active Border collie. Like others of his ilk his brain is genetically programmed to herd (normally sheep) by stalking them. This innate behavior is…

Once-a-year flea & tick prevention: too easy?

Your dog wants nothing to do with fleas because they’d make her itch. What she’s unaware of is that these narrow-bodied little broad jumpers can carry tapeworms and plague. She…

Visitor Aggression? Focus!

Fear and anxiety are miserable emotions. Whether a threat is real or imagined a freaked-out dog wants drive off the scary monster who might retaliate. But if he could stay…

Fiendish eating and vomiting cat

Question: I have a cat who eats too fast and throws up. I bought a slow feeder bowl, but it doesn’t seem to be working. Are there any slow feeder…

Dogs who Never Listen

Just because you love your dog doesn’t mean they do as they’re told. Frustrating. People yell, jerk the leash, and repeat commands. Any dog can learn to earn its person’s…

Cat brain genetics for survival

We have no idea who came up with the idea that cats have 9 lives but we know from research that they are inveterate survivors. A recent study published in…