Animal Radio® is America's Most Listened To Pet Talk According To ArbitronAnimal Radio® Show #658 July 14, 2012

 

 

 

 

Bret Michaels – Pets Rock Collection

Bret Michaels with his PetSmart Pet Rocks Collection.658Bret Michaels first rose to fame playing in the band of Poison and then became a reality star, spokesperson, businessman and philanthropist.

Bret currently has two dogs, Diesel and Phoenix, a male and female German Shepherd who he loves dearly. Then there are also Marley and Harley the rats. As far back as Bret can remember, perhaps when he was 5 or 6 years old wearing his flood plaid pants, he remembers a picture with his first German Shepherd dog named Tarkus Arlicicus, and states, “I don’t know why I named him that!”

Bret states that, “People that like animals and love animals, and I say this in general, really love music too, and it’s a great combination!” When asked if he ever wrote a song about his animals, he states he has written songs about his daughters, but hasn’t’ written any songs about his pets, just yet!

However, he states that his animals “Have helped me in my recovery when I was real sick a couple of years ago with the brain hemorrhage and all of that stuff.” He states that, “It is truly one of those things where they bring a certain amount of not only unconditional love, but a certain amount of patience and security that come with having an animal that you love and they will lie there with you and hang out, and they’re your friend through thick and thin!”

Dog with Bret Michaels Pet Rocks Collection.658Bret has recently teamed up with PetSmart, creating his own line of pet toys and accessories called Pets Rock Collection. When he was doing the accessories for his Pets Rock Collection, he thought how fun it was, because over the years he states, “Just being creative, I’ve just made stuff that I thought was fun to play with my dogs.” “I’ve had Malamutes and Huskies, but for the most part, I’ve always had German Shepherds, but always multiple dogs, cats and horses.

Bret claims that PetSmart has been great and made it fun to do his collection. He mentions that, “I’m one of those guys that’s a dreamer. I dream up these crazy ideas and I get creative, and then I almost reel myself back in when I know it’s getting ridiculous!”

When asked if he created the dog dresses for his line, he admits that he had a little bit of help from his daughters! He actually had a Chihuahua, who belong to one of his daughter’s friend, model some of the clothes. He states it is, “Funny, because when you dress an animal up, being very realistic, some of them love it and they’re like okay - and others look at you like, What are you doing!”

Bret says his Pets Rock Collection is very Rock N’ Roll. He actually calls it, ”Rock and my country, because I’m sort of a combination of both, rock and I’ve also had cross-over country singles as well.”


http://www.petsmart.com/bretmichaelsrocks

 

 

No More Scaredy Cats or Dogs!
Phil Blizzard, Thundershirt

Thundershirt logo.649Thundershirt’s founder, Phil Blizzard, has a 12-year-old, 50-pound mutt named Dosi who will make friends with anyone. But Dosi was extremely frightened by loud noises like thunderstorms and fireworks. Even when the skies were clear, Dosi’s behavior would let her family know if a thunderstorm was coming. Her tail would go between the legs and the shakes and panting began. If it was during the night, she would plant herself on Phil’s chest and keep her family awake for hours.

They visited three different veterinarians over the years to find a remedy. The only suggestion was to sedate Dosi, but even the veterinarians didn’t think drugs were an effective solution. You have to anticipate the storm by 1-2 hours for the sedatives to take effect, not an easy task for storms that arrive in the night. And worse, while sedated, dogs can be very unstable on their legs and become a danger to themselves. Dosi would try to jump off the bed and risked breaking a leg, and she would remain groggy and unstable for many hours after the storms had past. So after a couple of uses, the sedatives were set aside.

Finally, someone suggested using gentle pressure around the torso of the dog, and that Phil could do this by putting on a snug fitting shirt. Even though Phil is an engineer, it sounded ridiculous to him and he couldn’t understand how it could possibly work. But, he tried it one night (wrapping it tightly with duct tape!) and it was like flipping a switch! Dosi’s shaking went away, she laid down, which is something she normally would never do during a storm, and she pretty much rested through the duration of the storm. Phil tried the shirt few more times during subsequent storms, and since it worked so well, Thundershirt was evolved from there.

Dor wearing Thundershirt.649Cat wearing Thunderhsirt.649Before putting Thundershirt on your dog for the first time, they recommend offering a small amount of food to your dog using the Thundershirt as a “plate.” Dogs typically become more comfortable and trusting of something that “brings” them food or anything that they associate with food. So this is an easy little trick to quickly create a positive association with Thundershirt for your dog.

Thundershirt has helped so many dogs around the world, so the next natural step was to create a Thundershirt for cats. Cats can also get stressed out from things like going to the vet’s and car travel as well. Thundershirt for cats works jut like it does for dogs, by applying gentle, constant pressure t the torso, which has a dramatic calming effect for cats.

The Thundershirt for both dogs and cats is sort of like swaddling a newborn infant. Experts believe that an endorphin or oxytocin is released while wearing the Thundershirt, which has a calming effect.


http://www.thundershirt.com

 

 

Pet Wound & Infection Treatment
Dr. Debbie – Vetericyn

Vetericyn Logo.648Vetericyn is a one-step wound and infection product available to pet owners. It is not a steroid, antibiotic, bleach or toxin. Vetericyn is a scientifically engineered topical solution that kills virtually any infection, yet is completely non-toxic and environmentally friendly. It is is also bio-compatible because it mimics the body’s natural immune system’s response to an infection.

Vetericyn is safe as water making it completely non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Therefore your animal can lick its wounds or infections after application without any adverse affects. It will not stain clothing or furniture and there are no special disposal requirements. Vetericyn contains no steroids or antibiotics, which can hinder the healing, process or weaken the immune system.

We have used Vetericyn here at Animal Radio on our Stunt Dog Ladybug when we removed a tick and when she had a little cyst on her leg. Vetericyn helped heal her wounds extremely fast and it doesn’t burn or sting!

Vetericyn Wound & Infection Treatment Spray.658Vetericyn also makes a stronger concentration for veterinarians, which Dr. Debbie uses religiously at her office. She uses it in special situations for more resistant infections. She states that it can kill most bacteria infections within 30 seconds. This helps her stay away from antibiotics and steroids when treating pets that may not be ale to tolerate these medications; for those animals who have a resistance to antibiotics; or for those who have built up a resistance to them.

Vetericyn will not harm your pet if they lick their wounds. Don’t fall for the old wives tale about animals licking their wounds to heal themselves. Dr. Debbie states that there is nothing necessarily healing about licking. It is actually an irritant to a wound.

Vetericyn is an extra benefit for even small cuts and scrapes to help get them in a healing phase before they get out of control and necessitate a trip to the vet’s office.

And don’t forget about hot spots. Vetericyn is great for hot spots because it kills the bacteria and the organisms associated with the infection. Remember, hot spots aren’t just an irritation, but are actually a deep infection. Vetericyn will not only improve the appearance of the wound, but also the odor that goes along with it.

Dr. Debbie doesn’t use Vetericyn on just cats and dogs, but also on exotic animals as well.


http://www.vetericyn.com

 

 

The Dogfather's Grooming Tip with Joey Villani

Joey Villani

How To Properly Brush Your Dog
Joey recently received an email from a woman who has a Maltese. She is a regular listener to Animal Radio and hears Joey frequently talking about brushing your dog. However, she gets overwhelmed when she brushes her dog, as he has a lot of hair. She doesn’t want to cut it, but it is driving her crazy because she can’t remove the knots and tangles. She likes the look of long hair, but is having trouble maintaining it.

This is a question that Joey frequently gets. When people bring dogs into Joey’s grooming salon all knotted, they insist that they brush their dogs on a regular basis. Joey believes there two things they are doing wrong. First, they may be only brushing the surface and not reaching down to the skin. Or, they are taking on too much hair at a time.

Maltese with long flowing coat.658Most brushes are about 3 and 1/2 to 4 inches long and about 2 inches in diameter. This means you are really taking on a large area, especially on a small dog. These days you don’t see too many large dogs with long flowing coats, as most of the long coats are on smaller dogs. But for whatever reason, the brushes were never downsized to fit these smaller dogs.

To make it easier, start with a spray bottle of water. This will help keep the “fly away” hair down and will keep it from breaking. Just mist your dog’s coat lightly. Then, brush a 2-inch section of your dog’s hair at a time, going all the way to the skin. Start at the top of your dog and work your way straight down below. This means you start at the shoulders and brush downwards to the floor. Re-mist your dog as needed. You will continue this until you have worked you way down their backside and have completed everything from the head to the tail. If you follow this pattern, you shouldn’t have problems that will overwhelm you.

It may take a little more time to do a proper brushing, but if you want that beautiful coat, you have to take the time!

 

 

 

Animal Radio® News with Stacey Cohen 

Uggie with his pawprints at Grauman's Chinese Theater.658Uggie Makes Hollywood History
TooFab.com says the canine star of "The Artist" is the first dog to leave his paw prints in cement outside Grauman's Chinese Theater. Uggie rode to the ceremony in a fire truck, and celebrated the occasion with a cake in the shape of a fire hydrant. Dog stars Lassie and Rin Tin Tin were among those on hand for the event. With the Grauman's honor, Uggie is officially retired from show business. His ceremony also coincides with the DVD release of "The Artist." Uggie's paw prints at Grauman's are cemented alongside hand and footprints left by famous names like John Wayne, Jack Nicholson, John Travolta, Will Smith, Meryl Streep and other Hollywood legends.

Bret Michaels Shares Challenges Of Designing Pet Products
Bret Michaels admits some of the ideas he had for his line of pet accessories didn't pan out. The Poison frontman tells "People" that he came up with a dog bed adorned with metal studs. The singer says he really wanted to include it in his "Pets Rock Collection," but he "realized very quickly" that it had safety issues. Michaels explains that while his goal is to create unique and original products, he also understands that they also have to be practical. The rocker adds that he did his own product testing, trying out the merchandise on his own dogs. The first installment of the "Bret Michaels Pets Rock Collection" is available at PetSmart locations now. The line of dog products features collars, clothing, food and water dishes, bandanas and doo-rags, and toys -- including a vinyl boot, a guitar and a tour bus complete with a security guard and fans. Bret says he's now working on his next slate of products, which will include a cowboy hat. But Michaels admits he's having some trouble with the design, explaining that he's still trying to figure out how to "get it around the ears."

Shanti painting.658Painting Elephant Supports Elephant Sanctuary
One elephant in the Czech Republic is earning her keep, and helping other elephants at the same time. "The Prague Post" says Shanti, a 36-year-old Indian elephant, is developing a reputation as a painter. Her caretaker at the Prague Zoo says it took Shanti two weeks to figure out how to hold a paintbrush and a couple of months to learn how to paint. But now she'll complete a work of art in 15-to-20-minutes. And there's interest in her artwork. Originals sell for more than $1,700, while reproductions go for just over $90. Monies raised through Shanti's paintings are going to an elephant sanctuary in Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Shanti is getting some new digs as well. The Prague Zoo is also currently constructing a new elephant pavilion.

Tori with her pet chicken, Coco, wearing matching outfits.658Tori Spelling Has A Passion For Fashion -- And So Does Her Pet Chicken!
Expecting her fourth child with husband Dean McDermott, the actress and reality star, 39, is no stranger to donning chic vintage looks, and Spelling tells Lucky magazine she's dressing one of her family members the same way. No, not 4-year-old daughter, Stella -- her pet chicken, Coco! "I call her a pocket chicken because she loves to be held and go places with me. A silkie bantam chicken, Coco has quite the wardrobe thanks to Spelling and her crafting skills. "I make her outfits to mimic my vintage dresses. She also has little caplets!" says Beverly Hills, 90210 alum Spelling. Coco isn't the only animal roaming around Spelling's home along with McDermott and kids Stella, Liam, 5, and Hattie, 8 months. The family also has a goat -- aptly named Totes McGoat and a pet pig named Hank, who Spelling told E! News sleeps in bed with her and McDermott.

Millie the Security Cat.658A Security “Cat!”
While it's not uncommon for a business to have security dogs on hand for protection, one toy warehouse in Britain is using a cat to safeguard the inventory. The UK's "Orange News" says Millie, a Bengal cat, was picked for the job in part for her climbing abilities and her loud purr. A spokesman for the warehouse says Millie has an important job, as retailers are starting to place their holiday orders. But he believes that with Millie on the job, the toys "are now very well protected." Milie's owner isn't surprised that the cat has been chosen to be a security guard, explaining that Millie "has always had a very vigilant personality." Millie is being compensated with cat food and fish.

Mugly the "Ugliest" dog.658Mugly The Ugly!
An eight-year-old Chinese crested named Mugly is receiving the dubious honor of being the world's ugliest dog. Mugly took first place in the 24th World's Ugliest Dog Contest. The competition is held annually at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California. Mugly is described as a rescue dog who does therapy work with children. Owner Bev Nicholson brought the pooch from their home in Britain for the contest. Mugly beat out 29 other competitors. The first-place winner receives a trophy and a thousand dollar prize.

 

 
 
 
 

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