"Ruminations", a Newspaper Column

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#CC9966" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="039e5e32dkesoe.png"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Staff/Facilities"><U><B>Staff/Facilities</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News and Information"><U><B>News and Information</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Veterinary Services"><U><B>Veterinary Services</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id91.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ancillary Services"><U><B>Ancillary Services</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feedback"><U><B>Feedback</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id88.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Animal Clinic of Los Alamos, P.C."><U><B>Home</B></U></A><B> </B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> </B><A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PetCare Philosophy"><U><B><IMG SRC="07870250.jpg" border=0 width="112" height="37" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#990000" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Animal Clinic of Los Alamos, P.C.</B></FONT><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Animal Clinic of Los Alamos, P.C."><U><B>home</B></U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#663300" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B> </B></FONT><B>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>  |</B></div> <div> <B>"Ruminations", a Newspaper Column </B></div> <div> <B>    </B><B> <A NAME="_the_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B> The following articles have been </B><B>written by staff at ACLA</B><B> for a column in the Los Alamos Monitor called "Ruminations".</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>     </B><A HREF="#canine_communication" TITLE="Ruminations, a Newspaper Column "><U><B>Canine Communication</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>     </B><A HREF="#do_cats_need_to_have_their_nails" TITLE="Ruminations, a Newspaper Column "><U><B>Declawing Cats</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>     Euthanasia</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>RUMINATIONS</B></div> <div> <B>Bob Fuselier</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="canine_communication"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Canine Communication</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>     This is the first of hopefully many columns that the staff of The Animal Clinic of Los Alamos will be presenting. Our hope is to present veterinary topics of interest, answer questions that are asked of us, and offer ideas and thoughts regarding pets and the constantly changing relationship with us, their humans. While part of the column will be providing information and answering questions, the title of the column, “Ruminations”, suggests our overall theme: a presentation of ideas to consider and explore. We hope, of course, that you enjoy the column as well as learn from it.</B></div> <div> <B>     To initiate the column, I thought we'd start with a subject that affects all of us who own pets: behavioral problems. For this column, we'll be looking at dogs or, perhaps more honestly, at ourselves.</B></div> <div> <B>     I like the line from the warden in the movie `Cool Hand Luke': “What we have here is failure to communicate.” In the movie, the real question was who, exactly, had the communication problem. With behavior problems in dogs, that question is worth considering. </B></div> <div> <B>     While there are many different theories of why dogs misbehave, there seems to be one unified theory that is evolving: dogs behave in a predictable way to their environment. What this is saying is that what we see as misbehavior is only normal dog behavior that is happening in the wrong place or the wrong time. </B></div> <div> <B>     From my experience as both a dog owner and a veterinarian, it seems that the problem lies squarely with our inability to understand what the dog is telling us and, probably more commonly, with the fact that what they are hearing is something entirely different from what we think we are telling them. Sounds like me and my kids. Although, if we understand that dogs and people are communal species that have shared a long history, this might not be too surprising.</B></div> <div> <B>     The best and most trouble-causing example of how we miscommunicate with our dogs is the way in which we usually greet them when we come home. Think back to your last reunion with your dog at your home. There was probably a lot of jumping, barking and carrying on - at least by your dog. And you were probably talking, petting or playing with your dog in response. Let's translate that in man and dog language.</B></div> <div> <B>     In our language or custom, it is a sign of mutual respect to greet one another with reassuring vocal and body signals. Not doing so would be a sign of disrespect and would create tension. In dog (wolf) language, what we are saying when we greet our dog as in the above example is basically, “I can no longer handle the position of being in charge. I want you to take over.” If you watch closely, your dog will probably argue with you by licking, bowing and even urinating submissively in his or her attempt to get you to maintain your `alpha' position. And that's just the beginning of the problems.</B></div> <div> <B>     How should you act? The answer that your dog wants to hear is just like the alpha male or female of their pack should act. In wolf packs, the alpha male and female greet their subordinates at a reunion by simply `presenting' themselves as being in good mind and body. That is all they do. This reassures the subordinates that all is in order and there is nothing to worry about. Play may come later but the greeting is all about this `presentation of sound mind and body'.</B></div> <div> <B>     How should we act when we reunite with our dogs when we come home? Without talking to or looking at your dog, you walk into the house and take care of your things as if your dog was not there. If you do this, you will be `presenting' yourself to your dogs as being sound in mind and body. Your dogs may keep their greeting circus going for some time. But you should not interact with them until they have left you and have lied down in a relaxed position for a few minutes. You can then call your dog to you and greet him and reward him with play. You will find that your dog's greeting circus is more subdued with each subsequent reunion. Eventually, if you are greeting correctly, they may come up and sniff you but return to what they were doing without the circus.</B></div> <div> <B>     This is a brief overview of a concept that is well-described in a book by Jan Fennel called, “The Dog Listener”: a book I highly recommend.</B></div> <div> <B>     If you have any questions or comments about this article or another topic or have a veterinary concern that you think others would enjoy reading about, please feel free to write or e-mail us.  </B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#_the_" TITLE="Ruminations, a Newspaper Column "><U><B>Top of Page</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>      </B></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>     </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#663300" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>RUMINATIONS</B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Bob Fuselier</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="do_cats_need_to_have_their_nails"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Do cats need to have their nails trimmed?</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>     The simple answer to this question is “no”, unless you are trimming their nails to maintain the natural look of your own skin. In fact, whether or not you trim your cat's nails, you will find that he or she is always trying to `sharpen' them. This process involves removing some of the outer layers of the nail as they grow so that they will remain clean and pointed. Those cats that cannot sharpen their nails (older cats and cats with extra toes) may need to have their nails trimmed to keep them from overgrowing.</B></div> <div> <B>     To avoid having your cats tear up your drapes, rugs or favorite chair, provide them with their own scratching surface. This could be a wooden post with and/or without carpeting, cut corrugated cardboard packed densely in a low box (about two to three inches high) or something bought from the pet store designed to attract their scratching attention. Adding catnip will often encourage a reluctant cat to try to a new surface. Don't be discouraged if it takes a few items to find the right surface for you cat; it is an obligation of all cats to make things difficult for their owners.</B></div> <div> <B>     Cats also mark their territory as they scratch. This may be the case if you find them practicing their sculpturing techniques on the trim around your door and windows, especially if there is an `enemy' cat outside that is hanging around a lot. In addition to providing another object for your cats to release their artistic inclinations, using a synthetic cheek gland pheromone may help calm them and eliminate the drive to mark their territory.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>When is it necessary to de-claw my cat?</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>     Hopefully, never. De-clawing cats is my least favorite veterinary obligation. Well, to be honest, emptying anal glands outranks de-clawing. There is one thought that can pick me up whenever I'm feeling like life is a bit tough: we humans could have had anal glands.     </B></div> <div> <B>     If, however, it comes down to the cat must be de-clawed or the cat must go (too much shredded furniture or skin), de-clawing is something to consider. The procedure involves removing the entire third phalanx (the last toe bone) to prevent re-growth of the nail. Since this is more than just clipping a hangnail, it is important to make sure that your veterinarian believes in pain control.</B></div> <div> <B>     At our hospital, we place a pain patch on your cat the day before the surgery. We use a gas anesthetic for the general, IV fluids to maintain blood pressure and avoid dehydration, inject a combination of local anesthetics to eliminate the immediate post-operative pain, and bandage the paws for 24 hours to control bleeding. The following day, the bandages are removed, the IV catheter is taken out and your cat is discharged in the afternoon. It may be coincidental, but since the advent of pain patches, cats seem to be in a much better mood when they see us at their next visit.</B></div> <div> <B>     Home care involves preventing your cat from jumping onto high places (the jump down is a bummer for a couple of weeks), giving some oral antibiotics, using paper-type litter and removing the pain patch in three to four days.</B></div> <div> <B>     Because your cat has lost its best line of defense, keeping your cat indoors for the rest of its life is important for letting your cat have a long rest-of-its-life. Actually, this is good advice for all cats since cats that go outdoors live on average half as long as those that live indoors only.</B></div> <div> <B>     If you have any questions or comments about this article or another topic or have a veterinary concern that you think others would enjoy reading about, please feel free to write or e-mail us.  </B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#_the_" TITLE="Ruminations, a Newspaper Column "><U><B>Top of Page</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>     </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>     </B></div> <div> <B>     </B></div> <div> <B>     </B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Postal Address:  127-B Eastgate Dr., Los Alamos, NM 87544     </B></div> <div> <B>   Phone: 505.662.6622       Fax: 505.662.3552</B></div> <div> <B>e-Mail:  </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#990000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="mailto:aclapets@newmexico.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:aclapets@newmexico.com"><U><B>aclapets@newmexico.com</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>  <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> var sc_project=889920; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_partition=7; var sc_security="fc09d6ea"; </script> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter.js"></script><noscript><a href="http://www.statcounter.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://c8.statcounter.com/counter.php?sc_project=889920&java=0&security=fc09d6ea&invisible=1" alt="counter" border="0"></a> </noscript>   </B></div> <div> Site and all contents property of ACLA</div> <div> Copyright 1999-2007 all rights reserved.</div> <div> Site maintained by WyrmWyrks</div> </td> </tr></table></body>