What is Fear? Fear is a natural emotion that causes an animal to avoid situations and activities that may be dangerous. What or who the pet perceives to be dangerous may not be the same as the person’s perception, and can be independent of actual bodily risk. However, pets act on what they perceive. What is Anxiety? Anxiety is the anticipation of future danger that may be unknown, imagined, or real. It can result in the body responding as it does when the animal is afraid. What is Stress? Stress is the body’s physiologic response triggered by anxiety and fear.

At some point in many dogs’ lives, they will require eye drops. This might be a one-time event to examine the eye or it may be multiple times per day to treat chronic disease. Regardless of the cause, applying eyedrops need not be a struggle for you or the pet, whether at home or in a clinic setting. The same approach works in both places. Gather everything you need: A comfortable place for you and the pet. For small pets this might be on a table, on a chair, or even on your lap if the pet is comfortable there.

Many see their dogs as part of the family, their “fur babies.” Our dogs eat from our plates, sleep in our beds, and even lick the baby’s face — which is why we get concerned when these same dogs go out and eat their own or another animal’s feces (poop) in the yard. The technical term for this behavior is coprophagia. Why do they eat feces? The mystery is still unsolved. Some wonder if it is due to age since many feces eaters are puppies or young adult dogs and others wonder if it is due to poor diet. Could

     #2: Covered vs Uncovered: When given a choice, cats prefer uncovered to covered litterboxes. If you are unsure which your cat prefers? Place a covered box next to an uncovered one and see which one you cat visits more frequently.        Covered litter boxe Photo courtesy of Ben Bricker          #3 Low Sided vs. High Sided: Some cats prefer a low sided box to a high sided one. If you have a cat eliminating outside the box but right next to the box, try a low sided box. It may be your cat has some

Complaints about litter box use can often be prevented and usually be successfully treated if the client becomes good at observing their cat’s behavior. The key to resolving all elimination concerns is to recognize and be able to identify the pattern in the choices the cat makes about elimination.

Many dogs don’t enjoy having topical parasite (flea and tick) control medications applied. Even though these medications aren’t painful, like an injection, the dogs may not like the feeling of something wet on their skin or the smell. Some dogs just don’t like having to stay still. The easiest way to get past these obstacles without having to run through the house chasing your dog with a tube of medication in your hand, is to give your dog something else to do while you apply the medication. Ivan is given the choice of a couple of his favorite treats: spray