Valerie Clark, The Frog Licker
Valerie Clark licks frogs because
she loves them.Animal Radio® Show #466 November 8, 2008
Where Is Her Prince Charming?
Valerie Clark, The Frog Licker
Valerie Clark licks frogs because
she loves them.
"Sometimes I just can't wait till I get back to the lab to do the chemistry, and I want to get an idea if there is something nasty," she said. Clark's habit isn't quite as rare, or as crazy, as it may sound.
Research opportunities in remote tropical forests are often limited, and only so many specimens can be taken back to the lab for detailed chemical analysis.
"[But] I don't recommend this," the biologist cautioned, "because if you lick the wrong frog it can be very bad."
Clark, 28, who recently earned her master's degree at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, studies the ecology and evolution of frog chemical defenses.
Her research comes at a critical time, when many frog species are in worldwide decline, victims of habitat destruction and a deadly fungus called chytrid.
"Some frogs smell so repulsive that you just wouldn't even consider licking them," Clark said.
These days you'll often find Clark in Madagascar, attempting to trace frog skin alkaloids-naturally occurring nitrogen compounds-backward through the food chain to their original sources.
Clark's love affair with frogs began while exploring parks near her home in suburban Ellicott City, Maryland. "I got into them at age seven or eight, just like most kids like to catch things and check them out," she said. "I kind of never grew out of that. "As you can imagine, kids made fun of my love affair with frogs, but who could blame them? I am a bit different."
Valerie's father Bill built a backyard frog pond where his daughter could raise tadpoles. The house soon became packed with a dozen terrariums filled with frogs, snakes, and other creatures, Valerie recalled. By 1990 Valerie was entering her hand-raised frogs into local jumping races.
When a photo of her blowing on her favorite frog-to encourage jumping-landed in the Baltimore Sun, it was both exciting and worrisome: She had skipped school for the contest. Luckily, the school principal "thought it was downright hilarious," she said.
Today Valerie is still kissing frogs in search of the one that will turn into her prince. Watch the video.
For more information on Clark's toxic
taste test, check out the November 2008 issue of National Geographic Magazine, and google Valerie Clark National Geographic
for additional links and photographs.
Be The Advocate Your Dog Needs
Dr. Nancy Kay Speaking For Spot
Dr. Nancy Kay
wanted to become a veterinarian for just about as long as she
can remember. Her veterinary degree is from Cornell College of
Veterinary Medicine, and she completed her residency training
in small animal internal medicine at the University of California-Davis
Veterinary School.
"I hate to tell you this Hal, but there are some of my own veterinary classmates that I wouldn't let near my dog with a ten-foot syringe" says Kay.
When asked "how to pick a good vet" - Kay suggest you go to the dog-park and be a fly on the wall. "Guardians talk about two things, politics and their vet. You'll soon know which ones are keepers."
Her book, Speaking for Spot, was a labor of love for Dr. Nancy Kay, fueled by her passion to teach people how to be effective medical advocates for their four-legged best friends. Gone are the days of simply following doc's orders-today's dog lovers are confronted with health-care decision-making on many levels.
Kay provides an insider's guide to navigating the potentially overwhelming, confusing, and expensive world of veterinary medicine. Speaking for Spot is the consummate guide on how to be your best friend's medical advocate!
Dr. Kay's personal life revolves around
her husband (also a veterinarian), her three children (none of
whom aspire to be veterinarians) and their menagerie of dogs,
cats, birds, horses, and goats. When she's not writing, she spends
her spare moments in the garden or riding along the beach atop
her favorite horse. Dr. Kay and her family reside in Sebastopol,
California.
http://speakingforspot.com
Vladae, The "World Famous" Russian
Dog Wizard
Puppy
Barks At Everyone
Behavior problems in dogs are the number one reason pets are given
up. When a dog barks, they are telling us something. They are
also saying that they are in charge. A bark is already a bite,
which hasn't been connected yet. This is something that should
be taken very seriously. Vladae explains how to nip this problem
in the bud!
Terrier Climbs Fence And Escapes
After asking several questions, Vladae find out that this male
dog is NOT neutered. And, it seems to be that this is the cause
of this dog's problem. If he is neutered, he is less likely to
want to run away to find a female. Plus, it is healthier for him!
Dog
Pulls on Leash
This is such an easy dilemma to deal with. In less than five
minutes, you can teach your dog how to properly walk on a leash.
Use a 6-foot leash and keep it slack. Let your dog go wherever
he wants to go, and just before it gets tight, momentarily turn
around in the opposite direction and do a quick snap of the leash.
This is a surprise for your dog and it immediately directs your
dog to pay attention to you. If your dog gets ahead of you, you
go in reverse and snap the leash and praise him when he turns
around and follows you.
Vinnie
Penn, Animal Radio's Resident Party Animal
Dog Visitation What's
Next?
I wanted to read this email to you. It's actually from a girlfriend
that I haven't talked to in a long time. I actually worked with
her many years back, and she's telling me how she recently broke
up with a boyfriend of hers, and that they had been together for
a long time.
At one point, this most ridiculous word pops up, and for all of you dog owners who got a dog together as a sign of commitment in a dating relationship, this word comes up and it is the stupidest word known to dog owners visitation. Yes, they've broken up and now they're trying to determine what the visitation rights will be so they can both spend time with their dog Sarah. Sarah is short for "Serendipity" because that is the first movie they went to see together, a John Cusack movie with Kate Beckinsale. That's trouble right there, when you're naming animals after this one wonderful romantic night that they have together. So now they're discussing visitation rights. He's keeping the dog, since he had just gotten it when they first started dating. But I imagine there was an adoption process, a little ceremony, perhaps even a doggie treat with a little ribbon around it whatever!
At this point, though, she wants to know when she can see the dog? Can the dog stay with her every other weekend? And, there's a lot of crying.
If you ask me, this is just another way to stay
in relationship. You don't need visitation rights for the dog,
as much as the dog may love the two of you. There's really no
debating this as far as I'm concerned. She got the CD's he got
the dog end of story! To come to this, especially for her,
who was a kind of "cut the chord woman," stating that
he needed to "cut the chord with his mother." Well,
she then needs to "cut the chord with Sarah" and move
on.
Visitation rights for a dog? What if you
bought an appliance together? "I need to see the refrigerator,
it's stainless steel, I remember the day we move it in, it was
a wonderful day, we ate Chinese food on the floor, it's the first
thing we bought. I'm coming over next Thursday don't be
there, leave the key under the mat I want to spend time
with stainless steel. I want to spend time with Dipity, the refrigerator!"
Llamas
at the Pumpkin Patch
I took my daughter and my son, I have a son too, his name is Luke
and he is 2-years old, out to the Pumpkin Patch, way back when
just before Halloween. And it was interesting because that had
llamas there, which half of the day I spent calling "Yamas,"
until finally an irritated parent corrected me.
My children were fascinated by the llamas behind the fence. They had scheduled times when you could see the llamas, which I thought was great because they would say at such and such an hour bring the kids by and they would bring a llama out. So we did it twice, because my kids wanted to go back and see the llamas a second time. They were so fascinated by this creature as they should be. And, I want my children to be fascinated by animals. But it seemed as if the Pumpkin Patch scheduled the times that the llama would come out with his bowel movements times, because every time the llama came out, he defecated right in front of all of the children and parents.
Couldn't they have gauged or gotten a
better handle on exactly when the llama would be having a bathroom
break and bring him out afterwards? No matter how cute I tried
to cover it by saying, "look Luke, there's the mama llama
eeewww!"
Dog Trainer to the Stars
Steve Brooks, K9U
LA based rocker turned celebrity
dog training guru, Steve Brooks, whose expertise keeps him booked
months in advance and sought after by Hollywood insiders and pooch-loving
stars like Robert Downey Jr., Sheryl Crow, music producer Rick
Rubin, William Petersen of CSI and Cheryl Tiegs, states, "My
schedule is so full that I had to turn down training with Hillary
Duff and her dogs!"
Steve tells us a story about Robert Downey Jr's dog, a Rottweiler named Bonie, whom Steve trained. When Steve trains dogs, he puts tags on the dogs that stay with him that say, "If Lost, Call Steve Brooks K9U" so if they do happen to become lost, Steve can be called. A few weeks afer Bonnie graduated, Steve got a call from some frantic people who had found a Rottweiler in their bed. Bonnie had broken through their screen door and was found sleeping in their bed when they got home. It turned out that Robert's girlfriend was watching the dog when it got out of her yard.
Brooks feels that training should be creative,
fun, consistent, and trust building. "Being the alpha is
really about providing resources things your dog wants,
like food, water, exercise, rest, attention and toys to
reward and reinforce good behaviors like waiting patiently to
be fed, making eye contact and not charging wildly out the door
before a walk. Your dog's listening skills and behavior are essential
to survival in an urban atmosphere. Your dog should never be deprived
of the basics, (food, water, attention, affection), but positively
encouraged by pairing these rewards at times your dog shows self-control.
This teaches your dog to have a mutually respectful bond and relationship
with you as person he obeys and trusts, not just a food dispenser.
"
Steve's inspiration is his dog Sven, who has passed on. Two young
girls had witnessed Sven as a puppy being thrown from a moving
car, and gave Sven to Steve while he was working as professional
drummer in Nashville in 1993. In fact, Sven performs vocals,
bass, piano and guitar on the K9 Fusion dog music CD "Who
Really Loves You?"
Steve Brooks offers canines and their human companions reward-based, private training and customized techniques to transform all breeds into well mannered members of the family. Steve is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT), a credential granted by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT).
Steve and his wife, Yasmine, currently
live in Los Angeles with their dog, Legali, and their cat, Fuego
Caliente.
http://www.stevebrooksk9u.com
Animal Radio® News with Bobbie Hill
Hart
Launches Recall
The Hartz Mountain Corporation, makers of chicken based rawhide
chips for dogs, is launching a voluntary recall of that product.
The company said earlier this week that there are concerns some
of the bags may have become contaminated with salmonella. The
recall affects only the two-pound plastic bags of rawhide chips
with the lot code J-C 23282, that's J-C 23282. So far, there haven't
been any reports of dogs becoming sick.
Pilot Program Helps Feed Homeless Animals
A Florida veterinarian has received a grant from Feeding Pets
of the Homeless to treat and vaccinate pets in his community.
The Ocala Animal Clinic will implement a pilot program with the
objective to help pets of indigent people of Ocala. Two local
agencies, Brothers Keeper and Interfaith, will provide veterinary
examinations, minor medical treatments and vaccinations to dogs
and cats every week.
Where is Ratchet, the Iraqi Puppy,
Now?
The Iraqi puppy rescued from a pile of burning trash by two U.S.
soldiers is now home in the Twin Cities. Ratchet, the six-month-old
puppy Army Specialist Gwen Beberg rescued, arrived at the Minneapolis-St.
Paul International Airport on Thursday and promptly took a nap.
The puppy reportedly was exhausted after the long flight from
Baghdad to Washington to Minneapolis and fell asleep near the
baggage claim. Beberg is due to leave Iraq in November.
Celebrities Rally for Pachyderms
Celebrities are rallying around pachyderms in California and Texas.
On the west coast this week Bob Barker and Alicia Silverstone
backed L.A. councilman Tony Cardenas' effort to move the elephants
from the Zoo to a sanctuary. Cardenas is asking the city council
to consider abandoning a three and a half acre 39-million dollar
exhibit, he originally voted for but now says is too small, and
instead use the money to build and operate a 60 acre sanctuary.
Zoo officials say the new habitat will be sufficient for their
elephants. The council will vote on the proposal next month.
In Dallas comedian Lily Tomlin paid a visit to Jenny the elephant who was pictured in a video showing signs of stress. Tomlin is supporting "Concerned Citizens for Jenny" who want to relocate the aging pachyderm to a sanctuary in Tennessee. But during last week's visit Tomlin said she was pleased to see a shade screen over Jenny's outdoor area which also had a full watering hole, treats and toys. Dallas Zoo officials say moving Jenny would be more stressful than keeping her where she is although they were planning to move her to a wildlife park in Mexico after her companion died in May.
Grey Wolves Return to Endangered List
Thanks to a court victory by environmental groups over the U.S.
Government, gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains have returned
to the endangered species list. A dozen groups challenged the
government's de-listing two months earlier affecting the wolf
populations in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming saying it would open
the door to hunting. There are now an estimated 1200 wolves in
the area where farmers consider them a threat to livestock.
Drug
Sniffing Dogs Come Out of Retirement
Dogs trained to sniff out drugs
are coming out of retirement and heading into the bedrooms of
teenagers in New Jersey and Ohio. The cannabis sativa sniffing
canines work for Sniff Dogs a company founded by a mother who
was shocked to find her son smoking the devil weed. For 200 bucks
an hour a handler will let the dogs sniff out illegal drugs in
what the company describes as "a discreet service".
The dogs can smell marijuana from 15 feet away as well as residue
from a joint toked two days earlier left on clothing. If the
dogs detect any contraband, they sit - leaving the final inspection
to the parents. Critics say the invasive service may break down
family trust.
NEWS UPDATE Brought To You By Simple
Solution Natural Line Of Products
Talk With
Your Animals with Joy Turner
Anabelle The Overweight
Mini-Dachshund
Lisa speaks with her mini-Dachshund
Anabelle, who she is just so attached to. In fact, she often
gets ragged a lot by family members for treating Anabelle like
she's human. While everything is good with Anabelle, Lisa is
worried that she might be a little bit overweight, and she feels
guilty.
http://www.talkwithyouranimals.com
http://www.joyturner.com
Animal Minute With Britt
Savage
Guinea
Pig Gets Unwelcome Haircut
A British woman was recently shocked
to find that someone had given her Guinea Pig, named Fluff, a
haircut. At first, she thought that her other Guinea Pig, named
Ginger, had actually eaten Fluff's hair off. She then took her
less than fluffy Guinea Pig to the vet who told her that his hair
was not cut by another Guinea Pig, but by a human. The mysterious
haircutting caper is being treated as a case of criminal damage.
She says it has been an upsetting ordeal for Fluff and for her
five-year-old son who keeps on asking where fluff's hair went.
She kept her Guinea Pigs in a cage in an unlocked garage, and
although the haircutting mystery hasn't been solved, she's installed
a lock to keep away any future haircutters.
Hated, Feared And Misunderstood
They're hated, feared and misunderstood. Still, they just keep
on laughing. They're hyenas, Africa's most common large carnivore.
That means they eat meat. But hyenas aren't picky; they also
dine on bones, hooves, hair and even the droppings over other
animals. They're also into cannibalism, which means they eat
other hyenas. Female hyenas are dominant and outweigh the males.
In ancient Egypt, hyenas were domesticated and eaten. Some African
folklore depicts hyenas as super-natural. They have their own
way of communication, using calls, howling, screams and that laughter
they do when they've found food. A sort of hyena dinner bell
that can be heard up to 3 miles away!
International Animal News with Kaye Browne
Dog Shut
Downs Airport
Boston's international airport was shutdown and flights delayed
not by terrorists - but by a tiny terrier a miniature
poodle called Choochy who escaped her crate while being unloaded
from a plane. More than a dozen state police, firefighters, operations
personnel and even electricians chased Choochy late into the night
although she could only be lured to safety some 17 hours
later with some dog food. Passengers on delayed flights were more
amused than annoyed as they watched the little white 'runaway
on the runway' evade her would-be captors in what they describe
as a key-stone cop type comedy she was just too fast for
them. Pity they didn't call Animal Radio we could have told
airport staff don't play chasey you'll never win unless
you can get the dog to chase you.
Killer Bees Attack Dogs
A 70-year-old South Florida woman has survived a rare attack
but her 2 dogs and a neighbor's pet weren't as lucky. Authorities
say Nancy Hill is lucky to be alive after she and the dogs were
attacked by a swarm of what's thought to be Africanized killer
bees. They also found 45 pounds of honeycomb in the sidewall
of her home.
Fisherman Catch Dog
Fishermen off the coast of Britain hauled in an unusual catch
a tiny Cairn Terrier - strongly dog-paddling against the
tide about a mile out to sea! Turns out Freddie is a 14-year old
dog who'd disappeared during thick fog while on his daily walk
with his human mum on the beach. Instead of heading for the hills
the 14-year-old pooch somehow figured 'home' was in the
opposite direction and started swimming even though his
owner says he hates water and even avoids puddles! Freddie now
has an additional name lucky!
Dog Risks Life in Fire to Save Kittens
Aussie fire fighters reckon a little dog named Leo is a bona-fide
hero after risking his own life to protect four kittens trapped
in a burning Melbourne home. Firefighters had to dodge fallen
power lines to reach the animals and found little Leo standing
guard over the month old kittens. However by the time they got
him out, Leo had stopped breathing. Fire fighters used their
own breathing apparatus to pump oxygen into the little dog
and were delighted to see him recover. Leo's human family also
escaped with only minor injuries.
The Color Red Drives Men Crazy
Scientists have discovered what male apes have known since birth
if a female wants to drive the blokes wild, she might want
to dress in red. A New York University of Rochester study discovered
that men rated a woman wearing red in photos as more sexually
attractive even if it was the same woman wearing a different
color. Professor Andrew Elliot says this 'red alert' is probably
related to the primate urge seen in baboons and chimps - where
females nearing ovulation display a red rear end which sends
the male primates gaga. Incidentally ladies the same study
showed that men on a date would spend more money on a woman wearing
red than when the same woman wore the same clothes but in
a different color. Now that's useful 'monkey business'!
Flatulence Translates to Great Blood Pressure
The next time someone passes gas particularly horrible smelly
rotten-egg type gas - don't complain it's actually sending
a message that the culprit has great blood pressure. How do we
know? Thanks to scientists who study mouse farts. Researchers
found that the cells lining mice blood vessels naturally make
hydrogen sulphide gas and this helps relax the blood vessels and
keeps the rodents' blood pressure low - preventing hypertension.
They're convinced this gas is also produced the same way in
humans a discovery they're confident will lead to new designer
drugs to stop humans getting high blood pressure. Who'd have
thought mouse farts could produce such great results!
Listen
to Current World News
Owners
May Pass Super Bugs to their Pets
SickCat.jpg
Dr. Jim Humphries, Veterinary News Network
People can get plenty of diseases from animals. Bird flu for
one. Now there are signs that dogs and cats can catch a super
bug from people. At a large Philadelphia hospital, scientists
report that over a three-year period 38 dogs and cats and other
pets caught a drug-resistant staff infection. They think six
of the animals caught the bug from hospital workers. But, it's
likely that at least some of the other cases were spread to pets
by their owners.
http://www.myvnn.com
Your Vet Questions Answered with Dr. Debbie
Dog
Has Started Limping
This 5-year old Lhaso Apso has been limping for the past two years.
X-rays showed no broken bones, but did show a mass that looked
like possible cancer. It was also thought to be a bacterial infection.
These both turned out negative and this mystery has been baffling.
As the dog seems to be pain free most of the time and only limps
occasionally, Dr. Debbie suggests to keep an eye on the mass through
regular x-rays and see if it changes in size.
Dog Just Diagnosed With Diabetes
This dog's diet has been changed and he is now on insulin. However,
the guardian is having financial problems with purchasing the
medications and the necessary tests that need to be done. Dr.
Debbie suggests contacting the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) Helping
Pets Fund at 866-443-5738.
Can I Use Venison To Make Raw Food
Diet?
This guardian is a hunter and as he recently switched his dogs'
diet to include raw food, he wants to bring back a deer and make
raw pet food out of the venison. Dr. Debbie states that she is
not a big fan of raw food diets as there is a lot of stress and
work on the guardian to become a pet nutritionist. She also states
that bringing this raw food into the home not only puts the pets
at risk for food born illness, but even the humans.
Are Nylabones Good For My Dog? 
This listener heard someone mention on the show that their
dog cracked a tooth after chewing on deer bones, and she wants
to know if Nylabones are good for her dog to chew on. Dr. Debbie
finds the Nylabone as an acceptable alternative to real bones.
But if you see the Nylabone getting broken down, toss it out
and replace it, as a piece could break off, be swallowed and can
cause an obstruction. But be careful, because a dog can still
crack a tooth on something like a Nylabone.
Rottweiler Has IBS
This 9-year-old Rottweiler has IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome),
which includes vomiting, and diarrhea and he cannot gain weight.
After blood tests that were done ruled out other possibilities,
Dr. Debbie suggests getting a biopsy as well as putting the dog
on a hypoallergenic diet.
Listen to the entire Podcast of this show (#466)
Listen to Animal Radio® - Go to the launch page
