HEADACHES

aura. Tension-type headaches last from 30 minutes to seven days.

Migraine headaches are considered a neurologic condition. They last four hours to multiple days and frequently recur. The pain of a migraine is considered moderate to severe and may affect one or both sides of the head. The description is throbbing or pulsing and usually associated with nausea, vomiting and light or sound sensitivity. Some will experience an aura prior to symptom start.

One effective preventive measure for primary headache is identifying triggers. Common triggers include caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, cheeses, environmental allergens, secondhand smoke and chemical smells. Keeping a headache log to track activities, food, stress, sleep and phase of menstrual cycle when headaches occur can aid in identifying triggers. While recognizing and avoiding triggers is beneficial, headaches cannot always be prevented.

Sufferers have numerous treatment options for primary headaches. What is most effective will be unique to each person. Natural options may include heat or cold applied to the head, stretching the neck and shoulders, massage, sleep, physical therapy or light exercise. There are several over-thecounter medications available for headache as well. If these interventions are not effective and the headaches are frequent and severe, a medical provider may recommend a prescription medication. Triptans are the classic prescription headache drug, but there are other types that have shown to provide relief for certain types of headaches. These include medications for blood pressure, seizure and depression. If your health care provider is not successful in alleviating headache symptoms, they may refer to a neurologist or headache specialist. ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/headache, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9639-headaches, uptodate.com/contents/evaluation-of-headache-in-adults

Secondary headaches are of varying risk. Minor causes may include dehydration, allergies, medication overuse or just the common cold. More serious conditions include head injury, stroke, brain tumor or meningitis. If you are seriously concerned about your headache, seek emergency treatment. The only cure for secondary headache is addressing the medical problem that has led to the pain.

Being aware of headache symptoms and triggers as well as communicating that information to your health care provider are the best ways to get the personalized help you may need. Check with your medical provider before starting any new over-the-counter medications to ensure they are safe for you.

Hailey Saunders, APRN, MSN, FNP-C, is a family nurse practitioner and Kansas City native who is passionate about evidencebased health education.

As always, please consult your health care provider with any questions or concerns.

Our six-year-old Beagle/Coonhound mix loves to lift his leg all over the house. What gives?

- Katherine B.

It appears that he might be marking his territory. Urine marking is when a dog urinates in multiple spots in the same area, usually a small amount of urine at a time. It is normal for them to not fully express their bladders when they mark. There are many reasons for this behavior such as stress, new pets in the home, environment changes, being an unaltered (not spayed or neutered) pet or around other unaltered pets. I recommend going to the veterinarian to rule out anything medical like an infection. Clean soiled areas well so the scent is removed from the area and handle him like a puppy that needs housetraining. Provide lots of potty breaks, positively reinforce when he urinates outside, and keep an eye on him all the time. I find it helpful to leash dogs to my belt and have them walk around with me so that once they start sniffing, I can take them outside immediately.

- Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

I have two seven-year-old schnauzers. My husband and I are retired so we are normally home with them all day. The dogs are very protective and territorial. Our three-year-old granddaughter does not have any pets at home and is coming to our house for the week for the first time. Any suggestions on keeping the peace?

- Ellie W.

I recommend talking to the kids before introductions and asking them to remain calm and quiet to not scare the dogs. Teach the children to be gentle and go slow with the pets. If your dogs are nervous, separate them as needed. Always supervise children around dogs and go slow with introductions to set everyone up for success. Taking a family walk with everyone and the dogs before going into the home can make introductions go a little easier. There are tons of online resources on how to acclimate dogs and children to one another, so check them out.

- Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

Both of our dogs hate our neighbors’ dogs. At first our dogs responded with curiosity and attempts at playing/running with them, but it has escalated to our dogs fully barking and snarling back at the neighbors’ dogs. We have tried introducing the dogs through the fence, erecting a secondary three-foot fence to create a buffer zone and a squirt bottle with water. None of these have stopped their instinct to escalate. What can we do to get them to just ignore the other dogs. Any ideas?

- Dorena G.

Teach your dogs the “leave It” command when they are inside. Once they have learned this command reliably, take them outside on a leash and get close enough to the fence so that your dog is still listening to you and will follow basic commands, but can view the dogs in the other yard. Once the dog barks at the other dogs, say “leave it” and make them sit. Reward calming behavior and redirect them into “watch me” when they are reacting to the other dogs. Do this routinely until they learn the command, then try it closer to the fence. This will take patience but is highly effective. It would be even better if your neighbors practiced this with the dogs on their side of the fence. Train your dogs individually for even quicker results.

- Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

Noah is a two-year-old terrier mix who is a bit shy when he meets new people, but his foster family has new people over all the time, and he does great with them! He is still getting the hang of the whole “family dog” thing. What really helps him open up is having another dog or two around! He absolutely loves being with other dogs, and being with them helps build confidence!

Along with being super dog-friendly, he also does well with kids! Younger kids may make him a bit more nervous, so he would still like to meet all the children in the home before being adopted! Noah is also super smart and absolutely loves being with his toys and learning new things. If you are interested in meeting Noah, please email foster@ greatplainsspca.org for more information!