A Diet Book For Cats
Dena Harris, Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big?

The very amusing Dena Harris joins us as she parodies all the self-help diet books with tips to reduce the fat in your cat and turn them into a lean, mean, sleeping machine. You'll hear purr-actical tips like, eat whatever you want; just throw it up at 3am right in the middle of the bedroom floor! Also, pooping or retching out most of your calories. Surprisingly, Dena tells us that she has fat cats.

This was Dena's 4th cat book, so everyone looks to her as an expert on cat health and diet. However, she admits that her cats are embarrassingly obese. Obviously, they haven't read her book! She also admits that she is allergic to cats - go figure!

Dena's book is a parody of all of the diet and health books for humans. It is more tongue-in-cheek on how to get your cat to lose weight, than it is actual diet tips. There is a chapter on body cleanses for cats and exercises on how many calories a cat can burn while climbing up and down the screen door.

Americans own more than 86 million cats, and the wild popularity of cat videos, from YouTube to the Internet Cat Video Film Festival, proves that cat-lovers can't get enough kitty humor. This book pokes fun at tubby tabbies —- the world's cutest (and surliest) fat creatures, with laugh-out-loud details that will tickle the funny bone of anyone "owned" by a cat.

Lampooning trendy weight-loss regimes and health gurus, this book will also make people feel better about their own battle of the bulge in comparison to cats' insatiable appetites and lazy lifestyles. By eating right for their blood type, sourcing raw and living foods, joining Weight Stalkers, avoiding toxic treats, and exercising while lying down, felines of every shape (round) and size (round) will soon be motivated to ditch the fifth serving of Beef Morsels in Gravy for fresh, local options like that vole in the backyard.

Searching for The Dead
Cat Warren, What The Dog Knows

Cat Warren trains cadaver dogs to look for dead bodies. How does she do it? And just how good is your dog's nose? So good they can sniff a corpse at the bottom of a lake for 100 years? Would "Ladybug" the Animal Radio Stunt Dog be good as a cadaver dog, because she likes rolling in dead stuff!

Cat Warren is a university professor and former journalist with an admittedly odd hobby: She and her German Shepherd, Solo, spent seven years searching for the dead. Solo was a cadaver dog. What started as a way to harness Solo's unruly energy and enthusiasm soon became a calling that introduced her to the hidden and fascinating universe of working dogs, their handlers, and their trainers.

A cadaver dog is a dog that goes out and tries to find someone who is missing and is presumed dead. Their only job is to pick up the scent of human remains and alert their handler.

To train these dogs, you would ideally want to use items that they would be searching for. These so called training items vary from state to state. Cat lives in North Carolina, where she states they have reasonable laws about items that can be used for training. For example, she has teeth, bone and dirt from underneath a decomposing body. Cat tells us in some states, you are not allowed to have these training materials, leaving some handlers to train with pseudo-scents.

It's easy to imagine these training items hidden for these dogs to find on land, but how do you train them to search in the water? Cat explains it the same for dogs. Once someone passes away in the water, they will decompose just as they would on land. This means that they are sending up gasses and oils to the surface of the water. Cat has seen dogs train on items placed in 200 feet of water, which is the equivalent of an 11-story building.

Large dogs make the best cadaver dogs, as you need a dog that can cover great distances. You also need a dog that has high energy and wants to work for a reward and has a great nose.

In her book, What The Dog Knows, Cat interviewed cognitive psychologists, historians, medical examiners, epidemiologists, forensic anthropologists, as well as the breeders, trainers, and handlers who work with and rely on these remarkable and adaptable animals daily. Along the way, Warren discovered story after story that proved the remarkable capabilities, as well as the very real limits, of working dogs and their human partners. Clear-eyed and unsentimental, Warren explains why our partnership with working dogs is woven into the fabric of society, and why we keep finding new uses for the working dog's wonderful nose.

What's Your Vet-iquette - How to Be a Good Veterinary Client - Dr. Debbie

Sure you think your vet visits go off without a hitch, but do you know how to be a good veterinary client, the kind veterinarians rave about? Follow these suggestions to participate as a vital part of your pet's medical care, to ensure your pet gets the most efficient care and to always be greeted with beaming smiles.

Be Prepared
Before you arrive at the office with a sick pet, know your pet's ins and outs. Without a pertinent history from you, your veterinarian may need more diagnostic tests to sleuth out the answer to the problem. That takes time and can cost you more in veterinary bills. Expect the questions your vet is likely to ask you. Has your pet been eating? What types and brand of food do you feed him? Is there diarrhea or constipation?

Bring Evidence
Nothing is more useful to your veterinarian as seeing something with her own eyes. Bring evidence like stool samples, vomited material and medications your pet is receiving. Has your pet chewed on some unusual plant in the backyard? By all means bring a sprig of that plant. Document video on your smart phone. This can be immensely helpful to your veterinarian to witness behaviors that may be intermittent. I've been thankful when owners bring smart phone video of seizures, separation anxiety behaviors and respiratory ailments. Video eliminates misinterpretation by pet owners and can permit a quick veterinary diagnosis. Vomiting and regurgitating may look similar, but are caused by different disorders. Pets strain to defecate with both diarrhea and constipation. Inspiratory wheezing, coughing, congestion and reverse sneezing are often described similarly by owners.

Trust Valid Resources
By all means do your research in advance of your veterinary visit. Know what questions to ask. But remember that the internet is abounding with both good and blazingly incorrect information, some based on opinions and conjecture without any sound medical basis. Pet owners who value Dr. Google's opinion over their veterinarian, who has examined their pet, could put their pet's health care in jeopardy.

Confine Your Pet
Make sure your pet is secure before entering the veterinary hospital. Don't underestimate the unpredictable things pets do in a noisy, crowded waiting room. Birds fly off shoulders landing in snack zone of nearby dogs. Dogs instigate fights and cats flee the waiting veterinary staff's arms. Pay attention to where your pet is and don't allow your pet to approach other animals without the owner's consent. Some animals are there because they are sick and could bite in unfamiliar surroundings.Dogs should be on a secure leash. Flexi leashes are dangerous in the veterinary hospital allowing dogs to bolt quickly toward another dog, or to entangle limbs of humans or other animals in the waiting room. Cats and exotic pets should be secured in an appropriate pet carrier. If you have a pet that has been or could be aggressive to veterinary staff, absolutely share that information before the visit starts. Veterinarians look out for the safety of people in their employment and appreciate a heads-up in advance to avoid potential staff injury.

Optimize Your Face Time
So now you are in the exam room with the doc, so make the most of it. Put the cell phone away and, by all means, don't waste time taking a phone call if medical staff is standing in front of you. Avoid distractions that will limit your ability to communicate with your veterinarian. This might include a roomful of boisterous children or other pets. If possible, arrange child care or pet sitting so your sick pet gets prime attention and you don't miss any details of the visit.

Emergencies Happen
At the vet office, we recognize how valuable pet owner's time is and try to minimize the wait. But recognize that emergencies are unforeseen and create delays for other pet owners. Most folks understand that emergencies happen and are accommodating during situations as this. But making a scene or outburst about your wait time, while the veterinary staff tends to a critical pet, is just inconsiderate. Recognize that one day your pet could be in that same place and you would be appreciative that your pet's medical emergency was triaged ahead of the waiting routine appointments.

Don't Attack the Messenger
Emotions can run high when you have a sick or injured pet, but it isn't an excuse to be abusive to hospital staff. Obscene language and overly aggressive behavior doesn't help your pet get the care she needs, nor does it endear yourself to those people working hard for your pet's health.

Own Your Own Reality
Pet owners have the daunting responsibility for the health and well-being of pets in their care. That means accepting the level of veterinary care you can pursue and recognizing choices if finances are limited. Pet insurance can help defer the cost of veterinary care, but there isn't government sponsored Obamacare for pets. Don't blame your veterinarian for your pet's health maladies, or expect her to cover the costs of treatment. People in the veterinary field do what they do because they love animals, but they shouldn't be expected to take financial responsibility for everyone's pets. I once heard a veterinary colleague respond to a client's question, "Doc, why can't you just do my Sasha's surgery for free?" His response was, "Because my staff needs to get paid and my kids need shoes." Recognize that veterinary offices aren't lending institutions, but rather are small businesses with pressing bills, just as anyone.

Share Your Feedback
Share feedback with the hospital management about service excellence or shortcomings. Every hospital appreciates the opportunity to improve, or the chance to pat staff on the back.

Featured veterinarian known as "Dr. Debbie" on national pet radio program, Animal Radio. Ebook author of "Yorkshire Terriers: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend"; "Pugs: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend"; "Mini Schnauzers: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend"; and "Shih Tzu: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend." Dr. Debbie's books.

Animal Radio News with Stacey Cohen

Man Grabbed Bear's Tongue And Survived
A man in Canada claimed grabbing a bear's tongue may have actually saved his life. The man said he was walking through the woods when the black bear attacked. He said it was on top of him before he knew it with a mouth full of teeth wide open in front of his face. He then instinctively grabbed the animal's tongue, thinking, "If you're going to hurt me, I'm going to hurt you too." He managed to escape the struggle and hid behind a tree, but not before suffering scratches on his stomach and a bite wound on his knee. He was treated for superficial wounds at a nearby hospital.

Wine For Cats
Wine drinkers in Japan were able to share a glass with their feline friends for a limited time. The pet products company B&H Lifes, released a wine for cats called "Nyan Nyan Nouveau." Apparently, in Japanese "Nyan Nyan" refers to a cat's meow. While the wine didn't actually contain any alcohol, it was made from Cabernet grapes. It was also blended with Vitamin C and catnip for a mixture that supposedly tastes similar to red wine. The limited edition wine set purchasers back four dollars.

Circovirus Found In Dogs
A virus that was once thought to affect only pigs and birds was also found in dogs. Dogs in Ohio, California and southeast Michigan were getting sick, and in some cases dying, due to a virus called the circovirus. Because the symptoms are similar to other common viruses seen in dogs, veterinarians believed dogs may not have gotten tested for circovirus. Pet owners don't need to be worried about the virus, but should use "common sense" and should educate themselves on what to look out for. You should also make sure your dog is up to date on vaccines.

Injured Kangaroo Hopped To Pharmacy
Officials at Australia's Melbourne Airport cornered and captured a kangaroo that was inside the facility's pharmacy. An airport spokeswoman said the animal made its way inside after a vehicle outside the building injured it. The kangaroo managed to get to the second floor and hopped into the pharmacy before volunteers from Wildlife Victoria were able to able to capture and sedate it. The rescuers said the animal was taken to a veterinarian to be examined.

Hardest Agricultural Workers In Crisis
Some of the hardest workers in the California agricultural industry are in crisis. Many crops are dependent on bees pollinating the trees, but honeybee experts say over the years bees have been steadily dying. There are various reasons bees are dying. They include pesticides and a mite that sucks bees' blood and spreads viruses throughout their colonies.

Listen to the entire Podcast of this show (#1300)