Your retriever mix Rocky is a confirmed food hound. Your four-year-old canine housemate takes every opportunity to ferret out a free bite. At mealtime, he inhales his kibbles before scarfing down the cat’s leftovers. Throughout the day, he trolls the kitchen counters; and recently he snatched some crackers from your hand. However, this week Rocky’s food-scrounging antics escalated to a new level. After your family gathered for dinner, your determined dog settled down beside a … Read More
Archives: Behavior
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How to Teach Your Cat Proper Scratching Habits
Does your feline friend have a habit of scratching on your couch or carpet? Scratching is a very common complaint among people who own cats, or rather, people who are owned by cats. In this article, a Shawnee veterinarian offers tips on how to teach Fluffy proper scratching ‘petiquette’. Reasons For Scratching The need to scratch is a very deep-rooted instinct in our feline buddies. In the wild, those sharp little claws are crucial to … Read More
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What’s Behind Your Cat’s Meowing and Crying Behavior
ReplyYour ten-year-old orange tabby Peaches has developed a maddening new behavior. Your otherwise-charming feline housemate has recently begun meowing and crying to excess. During any time of day, and frequently at night, she clears her throat and launches into multiple rounds of plaintive vocalizations. Sometimes, she emits an eerie wailing that sounds like a horror movie soundtrack. Although she occasionally stops for food and water, Peaches seems determined to continue for hours. Since you’d like … Read More
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Foil Your Household’s Feline Bully
Your husky gray cat Smoky has terrified every one of your home’s residents. Smoky hides behind furniture and rakes your family’s ankles; he attacks your golden retriever Jack’s nose when the poor pooch tries to eat; and Smoky often drives your two foster cats under the couch. Smoky clearly relishes his role as the household bully. You’re desperate to make Smoky stop his obnoxious behavior, but you need some expert help. You’ve asked your veterinarian … Read More
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How to Tell if Your Cat is Sick
Does a kitty live in your home? These cute furballs have been our friends and companions since the dawn of history, when they used to help us by eating the vermin that fed on our crops. Nowadays, Kitty doesn’t live in the wild anymore, and she has traded her lifestyle of being a free-roaming predator in for lounging about on your furniture, but some of Fluffy’s old habits persist. When cats lived in the wild, … Read More
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What has Your Pet Eaten Lately: Curbing Inappropriate Behaviors
As most of you know, I recently acquired a crazy new fuzzy family member. Since my pets have all come from shelters, it’s been a very long time since I had a puppy in the house. As I deal with all the issues I’m always discussing with clients, some of my old blogs have become very relevant. So here’s one from last spring that is currently near and dear to my heart. :) Welcome … Read More
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Socializing Your New Puppy
Welcome back to Tales & Tails with Dr. Andrea Ferrell. As a lot of you know, I’ve recently added another small furry ball of crazy to my family. She’s a 17 week old French Bulldog/Shih tzu mix and she’s hilarious. Apparently a “breeder” had decided to “hybridize” the two breeds, but when they arrived, she unfortunately didn’t think they were cute enough to sell at a premium and dumped the four … Read More
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Back to School Tips for your Pet
By: Dr. Regehr (edited and reprinted from 8/14/13) Wow, wasn’t it just Memorial Day? Didn’t we just talk about 4th of July safety and now many of us are sending our kids back to school? Both my kids are excited about school this year. Last year my daughter was reluctant about kindergarten as she didn’t know all her words. Now she understands that school is for continued learning! Our pets can continue to keep their … Read More
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Improve Your Health With Pet Ownership
Your cocker spaniel Maggie is your sweet little ray of sunshine. She licks your face each morning, and reminds you that it’s time for her (and your) morning jog through the neighborhood. Everybody loves Maggie, as she greets humans and other canines with a happy smile and a wagging tail. Your Shawnee veterinarian thinks that Maggie’s daily exercise and regular social engagements make her a pretty well-rounded dog. Not surprisingly, Maggie’s sunny personality also contributes … Read More
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Causes of Your Dog’s Aggression
You’ve recently adopted Chaz, a handsome dog you found through a regional animal rescue group. While Chaz is generally very loving and affectionate, you’ve noticed that he occasionally becomes aggressive when he feels cornered or otherwise threatened. Since Chaz is part of your family for the long term, you want your Shawnee veterinarian to address Chaz’s aggressive tendencies through some behavioral counseling. Aggression Displays You’ve seen your share of canine aggression displays, and all … Read More