Croc Hunter's Daughter Electrifies Airwaves
Bindi Irwin, the daughter of the late Steve Irwin, makes her debut in a full-length feature film. She co-stars with Beau Bridges in Free Willy - Escape from Pirates Cove. 11 years old going on 33, her energy penatrates Animal Radio airwaves.

Cat Hair Links DNA in Murder
A Canadian man who stood trial accused of murder was found guilty of the crime after DNA linked cat hair found on his jacket to the victim. Now comes word from Discovery News that an international team of scientists have completed an extensive cat DNA database.

Animal Radio's New Pet Product Special for 2010 - brought to you by KURGO
Live from Orlando, Florida and the Global Pet Expo, it's Animal Radio's yearly countdown of new pet products for your furry-friend. The best part of this annual special is the listener giveaways of everything in the countdown.

This year, we feature oddities like the 5 foot cardboard tiger furniture that doubles as a scratching post, guaranteed to last two-years!

Listen to this Animal Radio show now

Octomom and PETA: Perfect Match
(Animal Radio Newsroom - Apr. 1, 2010) The animal rights group PETA has offered Nadya Suleman $5000 to post a sign on her front lawn reading "Don't Let Your Dog or Cat Become an Octomom. Always Spay or Neuter."

Suleman accepted the offer which included a month's supply of hot dogs and veggie burgers in exchange for keeping the sign up for one year.

'Rear Gear' - Rear Enhancing Products
Lauren Shumaker is putting herself through college with her new creation called 'Rear Gear.' Shumaker says "These small medallion-like pictures are a fun and enchanting way of covering your pets rear while boosting their confidence." Don't worry, your pet can still go potty while showing off one of a dozen beautiful designs including a smiley face.

Two More Pet-Food Recalls
Pet food manufacturer "Nature's Variety" is expanding its voluntary recall of chicken based foods due to potential Salmonella contamination. Also this week, the FDA is all abuzz about "Real Ham Bone For Dogs," saying the bones splinter and can block a dog's intestines.

Dog Dies Within 30 Minutes of Flea Treatment
A Texas jury has sided with the owner of an Old English Bulldog awarding him damages after his dog died after using Hartz Ultra Guard Pro Flea and Tick Drops. Hartz told ConsumerAffairs.com that they would not appeal because of the cost and time involved but believed the case was "without merit."

Animal Radio's Top Vet for 2010
We're asking you to vote for America's Favorite Veterinarian. Tell us who it is, where they are and why they're so good. They could win big, including free advertising for their practice. VOTE

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Puppy Sales Bans Gain Traction
(Animal Radio Newsroom - Apr. 1, 2010) The city of Hermosa Beach, California is on the verge of banning puppy and kitten sales in pet stores. The measure passed a preliminary vote in March with unanimous support of the beach community's City Council. The final vote is set for April 13th.

Jennifer Fearing, senior director of California programs for the Humane Society of the United States said, "we encourage people to adopt pets from a shelter or rescue group, or to seek out a reputable breeder."

Listen to this Animal Radio show now

Top 10 Safest Pet-Friendly Vehicles for 2010
Topping the list for the first time, two American cars pick up Animal Radio's highest accolades. We even had to get the president of Dodge-Chrysler on the phone to thank him. Ralph Gilles is the carmaker's top-dog and he takes time out for Animal Radio listeners.

Canine Influenza Outbreak
The five year old strain of Canine Influenza (H3N8) is back with a vengeance. A major outbreak in NYC and several major metro areas has veterinarians on-alert. 30 pets have died so far from this preventable, yet deadly strain. Nearly 100% of dogs exposed to H3N8 will become infected. Dr. Paul Schwartz reports for Animal Radio

Doggy Chastity Belt
"Stop it, Block it, Lock it" is the tag line for Dexter Blanch's new invention, the Pet Anti Breeding System (PABS). It's a Fredericks of Hollywood-looking chastity belt for Fido. Dexter says "This way she can urinate and defecate, but can't let them penetrate to copulate and overpopulate."

Debarking Victory
The Massachusetts House voted to approve a ban on the surgical debarking of dogs or cats. The surgery which removes the vocal cords of animals is used as a last effort for chronic barkers and often times is unsuccessful in squelching the noise.

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Ann Leary Guests On Animal Radio
Author and all-around funny gal Ann Leary shares her love for the four-legged in a special AM/FM/XM Satellite Radio broadcast of Animal Radio(r).

Living in the shadow of actor/comedian Denis Leary (Rescue Me) comes easy to his wife, Ann Leary. When she's not working on her new book about people and their animals, she's blogging about her extended furry-family.

"Denis can't watch Animal Planet," Ann tells Animal Radio(r) listeners, "He's afraid of seeing any animal cruelty."

Ann told Animal Radio(r) producer Judy Francis that when Denis made it big, he bought her a horse. Her furry family includes 4 dogs and 3 horses. She says she constantly has to keep her animal hoarding tendencies in check at all times.

Ann says she loves being a guest host on Animal Radio(r). "You know how I ended up on this show? Your producer emailed me to get Denis on, I said how about me?' I pulled a real Lucy Ricardo move!"

Ann's writing and talking about animals is second only to her love for them. "As soon as I get off the air, I'm gonna tweet about Animal Radio, you need a lot more followers and I love to Twitter. I'm on all the time. There are so many people that tweet about their animals."

Hear Ann Leary on Animal Radio show now

Dog Clothes - Not Just For Paris Hilton Anymore
You wouldn't believe who's dressing their dogs up these days. The amount of over-the-top "get-ups" are filling the marketplace.

How Spoiled is Too Spoiled?
Sure we love our pets, but at what cost? Is throwing a birthday party complete with printed invitations more than you bargained for? Is cooking for Fido everyday too much?

Cooking for Your Furry Companion
If you occasionally like to treat your dog to a home cooked meal, then grab a pen and paper. Listeners share their favorite recipes for dogs.

There's a Hair-ball in My Throat
Cat guardians are mystified when their cat vomits. This is common, especially when expelling hair-balls. Just be sure not to step on the moist mess in the middle of the night. Dr. Debbie has tips for dealing with all the hair.

Listen to this Animal Radio show now

AT&T connecting with pet owners through wireless dog collars
Soon, AT&T will be offering the public more than just phone and Internet service. How? This communications mogul plans on connecting with pet owners through wireless dog collars.

The dog collars will be embedded with wireless SIM leveraged by the award winning geo-mobility company Apisphere. Through Apisphere, location-aware data will be transmitted to AT&Ts nationwide wireless network. As a result, dog owners who register in this new program and also have a wireless handset or personal computer will be able to track the whereabouts of their pet. They can also set parameters that alert them through text, e-mail, video or audio when their dog roams to far from home.

AT&Ts effort to connect with pet owners through wireless dog collars is just one reason why they continue to the meet the needs of their customers and also draw in generation after generation of new ones. This new service will surely help responsible pet owners keep a better hold on their four-legged family members and reduce the number of strays running loose.

Smoking to be banned in UK pet owners' homes
As part of the review of legislation concerning dogs, a new proposal has been released with the intention of banning smoking in pet owners homes. A spokesperson for DEFRA is quoted as saying Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, if a pet owner knowingly exposes a pet to a risk of disease, they are committing an offence. Smoking in the presence of a pet will inevitably expose the animal to known irritants and carcinogens, which are likely to cause both disease and suffering to the animal.

Local authority and RSPCA officers have already been instructed to investigate possible instances of smoking in pet owners homes. If smoking is proven to have taken place, the pet owner will be given two options: surrender of the animal into local authority care, or confiscation of all smoking materials.

Harvey Locke, vet and President Elect of the British Veterinary Association, said: Household pets can become very ill because of their owners smoking in the home. There is evidence that passive smoking in dogs causes chronic bronchitis and can aggravate feline asthma in cats. Animals dont have a say about where they live. We would urge the public to think about the effect smoking is having on their pets and for them to not to expose animals to second-hand smoke or to any smoking products.

Dogs are twice as likely to develop a cancerous tumour when living with a smoker the most common forms relate to second hand smoke including cancer of the nasal passage and lungs.

Cats can swallow smoke and soot when they groom themselves. The risk of developing feline lymphoma cancer is also two and a half times more likely for cats living with smokers.

Birds cannot filter the air that they breathe in, causing smoke to become trapped which blackens their lungs and can lead to pneumonia and secondary infections.

DEFRA accepts that implementation of the new proposal may be problematic, and liaison with local police forces, with powers of arrest and detention, is expected to be necessary in some instances.

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Canine Influenza Breakout in NYC
Dr. Paul Schwartz is a director of the Center for Veterinary Care in New York. Since early January, Dr. Schwartz has seen dozens of cases of Canine Influenza, H3N8. While the virus has been around for about 5 years, it has never been much of a problem until now.

A deadly strain of dog flu, the Canine Influenza, or H3N8, has stricken pets in 30 states across the country. Canine Influenza Virus (CIV), which poses no risk to humans, is extremely contagious to dogs and kills only dogs that are weak, aged or otherwise at risk.

The scary part, nearly 100% of dogs who are exposed to the virus will become infected. Of the dogs that are affected about 80-85% will actually show symptoms. The symptoms can range from being as mild as an upper respiratory type symptom and appear to be what is called kennel cough symptoms (a dry cough with a gag), with other symptoms leaving a dog awake at night coughing, a dog that is running a fever, a dog whose appetite is off or a dog that has a discharge that is yellow or green or even bloody from the nose.

About 30% of the dogs that have symptoms, have very severe symptoms. These dogs can have pneumonia, high temperatures or gastro-intestinal symptoms. Approximately 1-5% of these dogs will die.

The virus was discovered by Cynda Crawford, a University of Florida veterinarian and researcher and Edward Dubovi of Cornell University. Crawford says in epidemiological terms the virus is similar to a human flu strain. "It's like sending a kid to school," she said of the general risk. "They may get sick but it won't kill them."

Currently, a CIV outbreak is spreading across New York City and the entire state. This is also happening in many other states and reaching all the way to California. Unlike seasonal flu in humans, this can appear all year long.

There is a canine influenza vaccine that is now available. It is a 2-dose regimen at a 2-4 week interval, which can provide protection for a year. Just like human vaccines, it doesnt provide 100% protection, but it is going to reduce the duration of the illness, the severity of the illness and most importantly, it is going to reduce the amount of virus that can be shed from the dog. The vaccine needs to be given prior to any exposure. Dogs that have been exposed already or are possibly showing symptoms, cannot receive the vaccine. However, they should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

Hear Dr. Schwartz on Animal Radio

Ask the Animal Radio Dream Team

Listen to Animal Radio LIVE every Saturday at noon eastern and Sundays at 5pm eastern on XM ch. 158 (America's Talk) or on any of the 99 AM-FM radio stations. Call with your questions toll-free 1-866-405-8405 or email yourvoice@AnimalRadio.com

Bladder Infections

Randy: I have a Teddy Bear dog and she is prone to at least 2 bladder infections a year. I have researched and found through WebVet that this is more common in females due to their shorter urethra and weaker sphincter muscle. I am wondering if the bacteria that is causing these infections could be in our grass. I can't think of any other way she could get any bacteria in her bladder. I have purchased a UGODOG Indoor potty system in an effort to stop this.

My main reason for writing this email though is that I looked up the medicine Baytril. They always prescribe this for her and can't find any info on this medicine. My main concern is that when she is on it she hardly ever stays awake. Any info you could provide would be appreciated.

Doctor Debbie: A couple of thoughts come to mind when I hear of frequent urinary infections in female dogs. It is true that the shorter urethra can make females more prone to infections, but there are some other common causes that can get overlooked. Recurring bladder infections can be due to bladder stones...and the opposite can occur as well with frequent infections causing the formation of bladder stones. In any case, I would recommend an abdominal x-ray for any dog with frequent urinary infections. The other causative factor that I look at is the outer vaginal conformation. Some female dogs have "inverted" vulvas in which low grade vaginal or skin infections occur. These infections then travel up the urethra and establish as a full-blown bladder infection. For those dogs there are medicated wipes to keep the vaginal area clean- and even vaginoplasty surgery to deal with the issue.

As for Baytril, it is a generally a good antibiotic for urinary infections. Some pets can have side effects such as you describe with sedation- others can have vomiting or nervousness. If there is any concern about choosing the right antibiotic then I would make sure that a urine culture is done. This is especially important in a pet that has had recurrent infections. I've seen dogs treated for weeks to months with the wrong antibiotic- so a urine culture is well worth the cost to help ensure a speedy and complete recovery!

Lonely Cat

Allen: Our beloved 17-year-old female Seal Point Siamese passed away last week leaving behind her needy loving 12-year-old female Tonkinese sister. My wife and I are away from home regularly for several days and a few full weeks, and have someone care for them once or twice a day while we are gone. Please help us make a decision. Here are the options we have so far.

1. Cat will be fine by itself.
2. Get a kitten a.s.a.p. (male or female?)
3. Get an older cat a.s.a.p. (male or female?)
4. Take the cat with us 2/3 of the time to camper or boat. (not accustomed to long car rides).
5. Don't go away so often (Sorry, not an option).

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Doctor Debbie: Sorry to hear of your kitty's passing. She sounds like she lived a full life of 17 years! You didn't mention how your Tonkinese is coping so far in the first week. Is she eating/drinking okay? Any anxiety or vocalizing excessively? Any litter box accidents?

Many pets go through stages of mourning the loss of their housemates, so I try to address the situation individually and not rush into getting a new family member. It's hard to accurately guess how long a pet actually mourns- days, weeks, or even a month or more. I generally wait to introduce another cat until after the existing cat's behavior return to normal. In the meantime you can help your Tonkinese by giving her extra attention and playtime. If possible, it might be good to not take any major trips and leave her alone so soon after your other cat's passing. Also, during stressful or anxious times I like to use cat pheromones in the home environment (scent hormones) like Feliway spray or diffusers. Pheromones are a non-medication way to help easy anxiety in cats. You can ask your vet for Feliway or find it in pet stores.

Two things you mentioned would make me suggest getting her a feline friend. You mentioned that you travel/are away a lot and that she has a needy personality. Both would be good reasons to consider getting her another friend. For an existing female cat I would best recommend introducing a male cat. A kitten might be most adaptable to coming into the home, but a young adult cat could do just as well and not require the extra care that a kitten requires. Since she isn't used to travel, I don't think that it would be good to take her along on trips.

Listen to Dr. Debbie on Animal Radio

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The Fresh Air Fund NEEDS host families for the Summer of 2010
Every year, The Fresh Air Fund gives thousands of inner-city children the priceless gift of fun and opens the door to a lifetime of opportunities. Whether it's a two-week trip to visit a volunteer host family, or a fun-filled and educational stay at one of our camps, our programs make for unforgettable memories and open a world of new friendships and fresh possibilities.
We are a not-for-profit agency and depend on tax-deductible donations from people like you to keep our vital programs flourishing.

Celebrate your pets right now!