Animal Radio® Show #637 February 18, 2012       Cho Dependant - Margaret Cho  Margaret Cho has had dogs for about 20 years and uses them as muses, sometimes even writing about them.  Her first dog Ralph was a big Shepherd Mix and was 14-years-old when he passed away.  Margaret states, "That he was just a wonderful, wonderful guy and I really miss him a lot!"  In fact, in her new CD, Cho Dependent, she dedicates her song, "Hey, Big Dog" to him.   Margaret was not alone during her interview.  With her were her Australian Cattle Dog Mix and Chihuahua/Pomeranian Mix. While Margaret is known for her stand-up comedy, she also sings and is a musician, which she calls an extension of her comedy. Margaret travels a lot doing her shows, and because she sleeps with her pets, she misses them terribly when she is on the road.   At home, her little Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix is adamant about the other dogs not getting on the bed!  She states that having the animals on the bed with her actually helps her sleep, and when she stays in a hotel; she puts pillows on the bed to simulate having the dogs there! Not growing up in a traditional Chinese household, Margaret was raised in San Francisco's Haight District in the 70's, where there were old hippies, ex-druggies, burnouts from the '60s, drag queens and Chinese people.   However, she states that it was an amazing place to grow up in. Maybe some of this rubbed off on her, because even though you might not know it just by looking at her, she has many tattoos.  However, most of her tattoos are not visible with her clothing, as she states, "They are mainly just for me!"   Some of her tattoos include birds, horses, snakes but no dogs as of yet, even though her late dog Ralph inspired one of her horse tattoos.   Margaret would take Ralph for long walks on a horse trail, and she believed he thought he was one of the horses.  He really responded to them in a very magical way.  And while he was a big and mighty dog, she felt he just wanted to be bigger.  She thinks the best way to remember him is as a horse, because that is what he aspired to be.  Margaret loves her pets and thinks the silliest thing she does for her them is to make them toys.  She takes fabric that she is not using and will make a toy where she can hide a treat inside.  This gives them a new dog toy everyday that they can completely destroy!  Who knows, maybe she can add dog toy maker to her resume! Margaret is one busy lady.  Besides doing stand-up, singing and acting, you might remember her from last year when she appeared on Dancing With The Stars.  While it doesn't look hard, she was wondering why she was paid such an insane amount of money to participate.  But, after doing it, she states she can now see why the pay was so high. "Because it was so hard!" Visit her website to see what she will be doing next! http://www.margaretcho.com http://www.myrocketscience.com   The Dogfather's Grooming Tip with Joey Villani How To Use Prescription Pet Shampoo Properly    Many veterinarians prescribe prescription pet shampoos for people to bathe their pet at home.  Some of these shampoos require weekly use, while other may require your pet to be bathed every day. But what your veterinarian fails to tell you, unless your pet's skin is clean (this means clean of dead skin and any scabbing or shedding), the shampoo is not going to work very well.  Even if these products work very well medically, they don't clean well.  So what happens is that when you use the product, half of it goes down the drain because it can't do its job.  It just can't remove the dirt, oil and buildup. You need to remove the dirt before using the medicated shampoo, in a way that is not going to harm your pet and will maximize the product that you've been given by the veterinarian, which is probably pretty expensive! Joey's cure-all for a lot of things is an oxygen-based cleaner, like Oxy-Clean.  In the pet industry, you can find it as Odor Handler.   There is also a website called Opaline, which is an oxygen therapy used on people.   All three of these will work well, but if you can find Opaline, it will work the best.  Just apply one of these products using one scoop to one gallon of warm water.  Then you mix this with some type of degreaser.   A couple of squirts of Dawn Dish Detergent works well.  Be careful when mixing this with certain pet shampoos, as it changes the chemical compound.  So if you use just anything, you can make it worse and it can actually burn your pet's skin.  Your best bet is to just stick to Dawn Dish Detergent.  Pour this mixture over your pet and scrub it in really well.  If your pet has any scabs, remove them.  The oxygen therapy gets down deep and will blast away everything on the skin and push it away.  You will now be left with clean skin to apply the medicated shampoo to.   Let the medicated shampoo sit on your pet for 5 to 10 minutes and then rinse completely.  If you do this properly, you will notice how the medicated shampoo lathers better, because it's clean and its not being broken down by the dirt and oil, which was already removed.  You will get 100% better results if you follow this procedure and it will save you a lot of money! DOGFATHER'S GROOMING TIP Brought To You By SeniorPetProducts.com.  Use the code "SAVE25" to receive 25% off.     Animal Radio® News with Stacey Cohen  Toto The State Dog One Kansas lawmaker wants to take a page from "The Wizard of Oz" and make the Cairn Terrier the state dog. That's the breed of Dorothy's dog Toto in the classic 1939 movie starring Judy Garland. Representative Ed Trimmer, who introduced the bill, joked that other lawmakers will probably bark him at the first time he takes the floor. Tarzan Looking For Jane     A former supermarket security guard is living the life of his boyhood hero. The U.K.'s Orange News says DeWet Du Toit has moved from England to Africa to live like Tarzan. The 24-year-old says he became obsessed with Tarzan as a child while living in Namibia. He now spends three nights a week living in the African jungle eating fruits and insects and hanging with the animals. Du Toit spends the rest of the week residing at his parent's home in South Africa. Du Toit is filming his life in the jungle with the hopes that he may be able to land a role in a Tarzan movie. But while he's enjoying life in the wild, Du Toit says there is something missing. He remarks, quote, "It does get lonely - I would love to find a Jane to help me pass the time."   Six New Breeds Added to Westminster Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show just added six new breeds to the dog kennel competition. The newest breeds include the Entlebucher Mountain Dog, the Norwegian Lundehund, the American English Coonhound, the Finnish Lapphund, the Cesky Terrier, and the Xoloitzcuintli (also known as Mexican Hairless). With 185 different breeds competing in the Westminster show, the competition should become more exciting. The goal of this show is to choose one winner for the main prize which happens to be a spot in the famous Kentucky Derby. The good news is that there is not a limit on how many breeds can be introduced every year, but in the previous history from the past 12 years, there have only been six new breeds accepted per year. In order for the American Kennel Club to approve a new breed, there has to be a weighty number of dogs in the United States.  The best of show competition for dogs is really rigorous. The animals receive points for the way they look, how they carry themselves and their obedience to commands is some of the criteria for points. The dogs must be purebred and have a verifiable pedigree. Awards Going To The Dogs  This awards season has really gone to the dogs — in a very good way. All eyes have been on Uggie, the soon-to-be-retired dog from "The Artist," who has been delighting the world with public appearances and awards show performances. The 10-year-old Jack Russell is even nominated for two Golden Collar Awards, an Oscars-type honor for Hollywood’s pups.  Cosmo from "Beginners," Denver from "50/50" and Hummer from "Young Adult" are also nominated in the film category.  Now, famed director Martin Scorsese has written an open letter, published in the Los Angeles Times, asking that Blackie, the Doberman from his film "Hugo," be considered for a Golden Collar Award.  Judging by the amount of activity on the Facebook's page’s wall, Blackie will be up for a Golden Collar in no time. Do You Brush Your Pet's Teeth?  Most people brush their teeth every day, but far fewer of us remember to do the same for our pets. This February, during Pet Dental Health Month, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is reminding pet owners that bad breath can be a sign of serious health problems.  "Periodontal disease is the most common health problem that veterinarians find in pets," explains Dr. Rene Carlson, president of the AVMA. "It's estimated that by the age of two, 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have some form of periodontal disease."  The AVMA recommends that pet owners brush their pets' teeth every day, or at least several times a week. The cost of a toothbrush and pet toothpaste is far less than treatments for dental disease, which can include x-rays, teeth cleaning and tooth extraction. Ambulance For Dogs   It's the first of its kind in the state. A pet ambulance, designed to respond to emergencies for man's best friend, is now in operation in Southwest Florida. Cindy Reece's dog Dudley needed help and he needed it fast. So his veterinarian sent for the pet ambulance to get him to the emergency room as soon as possible. Southwest Florida Veterinary Services Doctor Wendy Arsenault and her husband came up with the idea.  "It's piped for oxygen. Unlike a human ambulance, we actually have oxygen cages.  There's an ECG, a defibrillator, blood pressure, IV fluids, catheter supplies and first aid. Pretty much everything in a human ambulance is in this ambulance," says Arsenault. It's an ambulance designed to save lives. "Time is of the essence, and the faster that you can administer that aid, the better they can do," says Arsenault. One thing that would make the ambulance better is using sirens and lights. It's something there's not permission to do just yet. But that, and even more advancements, are in the works to keep tails wagging. NEWS UPDATE Brought To You By PetzLife.com.  Use the code "RADIO" to receive 20% off!         Listen to the entire Podcast of this show (#637)

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