If You Got A New Pet At Christmas…
Dr. Marty Becker, America's Veterinarian

Did you get a pet for the holiday? Dr. Marty Becker has tips that every new puppy or kitten owner should know. These tips could save you a lot of grief.

So many people don't get or give pets as Christmas presents because of all of the distractions. But if you did get one, it is a great bonding time with all of the family gathered together.

If you got a dog from the shelter, the first thing you need to do is to see if it is a fit for you. Too many times we try to make a pet work, even if it doesn't get along with other animals in the household. There is nothing wrong with trying a different dog while the bond is still young. If it's not going to work, now is the time to correct it.

Because it's winter, you might think that you don't need to worry about parasite control, like heartworms. But heartworm is a year-round problem in many parts of the country. You can purchase heartworm medication anywhere, even from Costco. It doesn't matter where you buy it, just ask you veterinarian for the proper product for the area you live in, and use it every month.

You should also consider putting your pet on probiotics. Eighty-percent or more of a pet's immune system is in its gut. So ask your veterinarian for a recommendation.

Also make sure that your dogs are up to date and current for their vaccinations so they don't get any deadly diseases, which are preventable. This will not only protect your dog, but protect other dogs they come in contact with as well.

Food puzzles are also a good idea. Food puzzles are food-dispensing devices, without using any type of food bowls. There are a variety of these puzzles that you can find in pet stores or online that makes the pet go on a hunt for their food. This also allows them to feed their minds as well as their bodies. So instead of taking a few minutes to wolf their food down, these puzzles can extend that time from 5 to 30 minutes to eat.

Probably the most important thing is to take your pet to the veterinarian for a visit not related to medical care. No one, including our pets, like to get injections. So if we just take our pets to the vet where they will always receive an injection, they might become fearful. So just take them in there when they are hungry and put them on the scale, weigh them and then give them a treat. Recreate the things that are going to happen and make it a positive experience. This will lead to fear-free vet visits in the future.

Listen and Explore the Fear Free Expert Series

Donna Jenkins pioneered a movement allowing visitation of patient's personal pets during long-term treatment in hospitals. She formed Zachary's Paw For Healing after her son passed from a terminal disease. During his final hours he requested a visit from the family pet, but didn't want to sneak the dog into the cancer treatment facility.

Zachary's Paws For Healing was the first organization of its kind in Canada. They facilitate companion pet visits, mainly dogs and cats, with the patients at Juravinski Hospital in Hamilton. Juravinski Hospital is a state of the art cancer and orthopedic hospital, which tends to have long-term patients.

The dogs and cats are the actual companion pets of the patients. Patients start feeling a little isolated and lonely when in the hospital, especially on extended stays, and they long to see their pets. Of course their pet is also wondering what is happening to their owners, and want to know where they've gone and when they're coming back. So bringing the two together is really a positive experience for both the patient and the pet.

It all starts with a social worker or the staff at the hospital contacting Zachary's Paws For Healing and letting them know that they have a patient that wants to see their pet. They in turn contact a family member or friend and make arrangements for them to meet them at the hospital with the animal.

Being the first medical facility in Canada to provide this type of service, Zachary's Paws For Healing has a lot of policies and procedures and infectious protocols to follow.

First of all, since these animals are not therapy animals, the pet's veterinarian needs to be contacted and sign off that the pet is current on vaccinations and is free of any illnesses or open wounds.

The pet is then taken to the hospital where it is transported in a huge crate on wheels, which is covered. This ensures that there is no contact with other patients or visitors, which may have a fear of animals or allergies. This is also for protection, as these animals are not trained therapy animals and they don't want people to have any contact with them, as it may bring anxiety to the pet.

Once the animal is in the patient's room, a sign is placed on the door stating that the patient is having a private pet visit and no one is allowed to enter. This is a special visit for the patient, and no one should be coming in and out, disturbing that visit. Not even the medical staff comes in, unless there is a medical emergency.

A volunteer stays in the room with the animal during the entire visit, but tries to be as unobtrusive as possible. They are there to make sure all protocols are followed and to clean up any accidents that may occur. All patients are allowed a one-hour visit with their pet once a week.

Donna tells us that there is a lot of interest in this type of program all across Canada. Previously, companion pet visits hadn't been allowed in medical facilities.

Zachary's Paws For Healing is named after Donna's child, Zachary, who was autistic and passed away. Zachary was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Hodgkin's Lymphoma at 23 years old. Over the course of a little over two years, he was in and out of the hospital a considerable amount of time.

His last hospitalization was for a stem cell transplant, which left him feeling extremely sick and he so needed to see his dog. Donna actually snuck his dog into ICU undercover. That bothered Zachary a lot, because he felt like we don't have to sneak our relatives in, and our dogs are also part of our families, so they shouldn't be snuck in either. Also when animals are snuck in, no protocols are being followed.

Hello everyone, it's Robert Semrow, your pet world insider here with this week's Animal Radio List - New Years Resolutions That Can Make This Year The Best Year Ever For Your Pet.

The new year is upon us and it's time to make some resolutions, not only for ourselves, but also for our pets. And unlike the one's I make for myself, which seem to last for a month or so, the resolutions I make for my pets are something I'm much more committed to.

Where to start? For me it all starts with knowledge. So, my first resolution is that I'm going to learn more about issues that impact my pets. I'm going to accomplish this by attending a seminar, taking a course or reading a book from a true expert in the field that will benefit my pets. It might be learning a new training technique, a health issue I know my pets are susceptible to, maybe learning about nutrition or even keep it as simple as learning to read a pet food label. Ok, maybe that's not so simple, but I know that if I learn something actionable and put it to use, I'm going to improve my pets' lives.

My second resolution is to commit to special time with each pet I have once a week. So often the time we spend together is at an event, a dog park or shared among family members. So, this year I am going to make sure that Sugar, Zoey, Hatch and Faith all get their own focused time with me on a weekly basis. Each of them is individually specially to me and this year I'm going to commit time to that unique special bond.

My next resolution is to find a new activity that I can do with my dogs Sugar and Zoey. We are all so busy that we find ourselves getting in to a routine that can become stale. This year, I'm going to find a new activity we can participate in, maybe it will be agility, dock jumping, disc dogs, flyball, or some other activity that excites and invigorates Sugar and Zoey. Most dogs need mental and physical stimulation to be satiated. These activities are also great ways for me to bond with them as well.

Finally, what's a New Years Resolutions list without a reference to weight, exercise and health, right? So this year, I'm going to make the resolution to feed my pets healthier foods, extend our exercise sessions by 5 additional minutes a day and to continue my use of supplements to help provide healthy boosts to their aging bodies. As they get older, their needs change and I want to make sure I'm providing their bodies and minds with the proper nutrition and exercise to keep them healthy for many more new years resolutions to come.

As with any resolution, it's only as good as the effort I put forth. I know my pets will do their part, so these resolutions are for me to accomplish.

The Dogfather's Grooming Tip with Joey Villani

How Often Can You Wash A Dog With A Skin Condition?
People frequently ask Joey how often they can bathe their dog. He claims that the real answer is, "As many times as your heart desires, as long as you're using the right products."

But what if your dog has a skin issues, such as seborrhea, which is an oily skin condition? Joey states you still want to then bathe them to help break the grease barrier.

When you take your pet to a veterinarian with this type of skin condition, they will give you shampoo and usually tell you to bathe them once a week. They will also give you antibiotics to clear the problem. But what they fail to tell you is that the baths are really important, because if you don't keep the skin clean and degrease the pet, it will just keep getting worse. The antibiotics may do the job, but most likely won't.

New Year's Resolution for Cat Owners - Don't Forget Kitty - Dr. Debbie

Animal Radio News - Lori Brooks

What Would The World Be Like If Dogs Could Talk To Us?
Melody Jackson was a computer scientist at Georgia Tech who worked on developing innovative new ways for animals to communicate using technology. According to WIRED, she built special computerized vests for service dogs, "So that in an emergency they can find another human and pull a mechanical lever on the vest that triggers an audio message that says: My handler needs you to come with me!" Some other cool things at the Open University's Animal-Computer Interaction Lab, was a device for cancer-detecting dogs, which measured their sniffing patterns and showed how strong a scent they're picking up. They also worked on adapting household items for use by service dogs, like dog-friendly doorknobs and light switches.

Tests Show No Safe Travel Seats for Pets
Years ago in a first of its kind crash test, the leading pet harnesses, which were trusted by owners, failed again and again. This was in a test done by The Center for Pet Safety, who tested pet travel seats. So are there any safe pet seats? Really, the answer is No. The Director at the Center for Pet Safety said they, "Do not recommend pet seats at this time for pet owners" to use for their pets in cars. Their tests showed pet seats, which generally attach to a pet's collar or walking harness, don't offer much protection during a crash. What should you do? They recommended buckling up your furry best friend while in the car.

Puppies Conceived Through IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
A litter of puppies was born conceived through in vitro fertilization, unlocking a reproductive secret in domestic dogs that helped researchers solve a decades-old canine biology puzzle. The eggs-ceptional process produced seven healthy puppies, five with two beagle parents and two with a cocker spaniel father and a beagle mother, born by scheduled caesarian section to a host female dog. In vitro ("outside the body") fertilization, also known as IVF, combines the egg and sperm in an artificial environment, creating an embryo that is then implanted in a host that carries it to full term. IVF success in dogs remained elusive, primarily because when it comes to reproduction, dogs are weirder than you might expect. Dogs only come into heat once or twice a year, which creates unique scheduling challenges for scientists. Also, in most mammals, an egg enters the fallopian tubes primed for fertilizing. Female dogs, however, produce immature eggs that must hang around in their oviducts for one or two days before they're viable.

Listen to the entire Podcast of this show (#1256)