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Animal Radio® Show #712
Flight Attendant Accused of Smuggling Animals
An American Airlines flight attendant is taking legal action to clear her name after being accused of hiding rats in her underwear and sneaking them onto a plane. Louann Giambattista has filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages, claiming the accusations have left her with "debilitating anxiety." Giambattista's problems began last year when one of her American Airlines co-workers allegedly noticed an unusual bulge in the admitted animal lover's pocket.
Don't Kiss The Lions!
That's the lesson for a Canadian teenager who was mauled by a lion in South Africa. Lauren Fagen was attempting to kiss the fur of a caged male lion at a wildlife rehabilitation center. Fagen says she's lucky to be alive. She'll be out of the hospital next week.
Dog Owners Are In The Majority In The U.S.
According to the latest American Pets Poll, 52-percent prefer pups as pets, while just 21-percent would rather have a cat. But few people believe in the stereotypical "crazy cat" lady or man. Just 23-percent think "cat owners are weirder than dog owners."
When Is "Too Many" A Problem?
Dr. Debbie becomes concerned when a listener calls in with 11 dogs. By all outward appearances, this pet lover is out-of-control and unable to care for so many animals. For some, this crosses the line from animal care to animal abuse and into the world of mental and psychiatric problems.
Taming Aggressiveness
After many dog maulings and attacks, the owner always says they never expected their dog to be so aggressive. "He's the nicest, friendliest dog I've ever known - I don't understand what happened." Alan Kabel understands a dog's mind and he'll tell you why Fido gets mad.
Listen to this Animal Radio® episode
Animal Radio® Show #711
Vet Locks Himself In Hot Car
Dr. Ernie Ward wanted to bring attention to how hot a car gets and how dangerous it can be for your dog. So he "shvitzed it out" inside his Coupe, all the while video taping it for posterity. He shares his experience with us.
Dr. Marty Becker Joins Animal Radio®
America's Favorite Veterinarian is such a frequent guest that we decided to make him part of the Animal Radio® family. Dr. Becker joins us as a Veterinary Correspondent, reporting on important stories from the world of all things furry. This week he'll take the fear of vet visits out of our pets.
Plastic Surgery For Pets
Pets and their owners do tend to look alike after a while but are some pet owners going to extremes to prove the point? Animal expert Kim Baker says we're seeing more and more pet owners taking their pets in for cosmetic surgery.
Pets Earn Frequent Flyer Miles
Pets are being rewarded for loyalty not just by their owners, but by airlines, as part of a growing number of pet frequent flier programs. Dogs and cats that travel on a Virgin Australia domestic flight can now collect points for their owners that can then be used to obtain discounts on future flights.
Overtime for the Dream Team
Can you give your pet Aspirin? Do our pets have the same blood as humans? How does Clicker Training work? Should there be a Cat Leash Law? Dr. Debbie, dog trainer Alan Kabel and Britt Savage tackle these curiosities. Where else will you learn this stuff?
Going the Distance
What are you willing to do or pay to keep your pet healthy? More and more of us are pawning our wedding rings just to afford the more expensive surgeries to heal our pets. Is $3000 too much to pay to fix Fido's torn ACL?
Del Monte Accused of Knowingly Selling Bad Treats
Del Monte Foods is facing a class action lawsuit over its Milo's Kitchen jerky treats for dogs. The treats contained Chinese chicken that poisoned many dogs, killing at least 360. The lawsuit charges the company knew the snacks were dangerous but sold them anyway.
World's Most Luxurious Cat Food At $40 A Can
British celebrity chef Simon Rimmer believes he's come up with the world's most luxurious cat food. He worked closely with animal experts to create a "once-in-nine-lifetimes" food experience featuring roasted duck, lobster sushi rolls and Beluga caviar.
Listen to this Animal Radio® episode
Animal Radio® Show #710
Pets Cause 3-Billion Dollars Damage
A new study shows that American pets have bitten, chewed, licked, drooled upon, and otherwise damaged more than eight million devices, which adds up to more than $3 BILLION in repair and replacement costs. The most commonly damaged device is the smartphone. Sandy Robbins shares the studies amazing results.
Cat Ruins Intimate Moment
What happens when an Animal Radio® listener's boyfriend is bothered by a cat when he's in the mood for love? Bottom line, your pet should not be in the same room when you're making love. Not only is it a "mood-spoiler," but according to Dr. Debbie, somebody could get hurt.
Poison Ivy
Leaves of three, let it be. A good tip to avoid Poison Ivy, unless your dog got it and gives it to you when you pet him. It's more common than you think. Joey Villani the Dogfather has Poison Ivy this week. He got it while grooming a dog. He has tips and cures for the itches.
Pampered Pet Resort Costs $72,000 For Two Weeks
Man's best friend now has a place to go if they need a couple days away from their two-legged companions. The new Paw Seasons canine holiday resort in Long Ashton, England offers dogs a luxurious vacation that comes complete with spa and grooming sessions. The actual owners, however, are not allowed to stay at the resort. The two-week package costs more than $72,000.
Del Monte Accused of Knowingly Selling Bad Treats
Del Monte Foods is facing a class action lawsuit over its Milo's Kitchen jerky treats for dogs. The treats contained Chinese chicken that poisoned many dogs, killing at least 360. The lawsuit charges the company knew the snacks were dangerous but sold them anyway.
Listen to this Animal Radio® episode
Animals Cause $3 Billion in Annual Electronics Damage
Dogshaming.com is full of electronics incidents. Coco the hound knocked a glass of soda onto a MacBook Pro. Levon ate his mom's new cell phone. Slim pooped on his person's laptop. These crimes against technology are pretty hilarious after the fact, but a new study by electronics warranty provider SquareTrade totals up some pretty serious damage statistics.
According to the survey results, pets damage 8 billion electronic items each year, with a repair and replacement bill totaling $3 billion annually. Good thing our pets are so cute. The most common offense is chewing, with two-thirds of accidents resulting from a pet placing a delectable phone, laptop, or other device in its mouth.
Another leading reason for pet-related device destruction (21 percent) was animals causing a person owner to drop a device while using it. This includes tripping over your cat and dunking your laptop into the sink, or getting knocked over by your overzealous dog as you're chatting on your cell phone.
On the grosser side of the study, 1 in 6 pet owners reported a vomit or potty incident on their electronics. Certain factors can increase the chance of a sorry end for your gadgets. Overweight animals are 72 percent more likely to cause an accident, according to the survey, while male pets are 50 percent more likely to cause damage than female pets. Dogs are also twice as likely to be the culprit as cats.
The survey involved 1,200 pet owners tattling on their four-legged companions. When I reached the CNET test cats for comment, they couldn't be bothered to wake up enough to make a statement.
So far, I've only had minor incidents to report. My sister's dog ate a pair of earbuds. My cat chewed the handle off a laptop case. My iPad survived another cat knocking it onto the floor. Let us know how you have fared with your furry companions.
Obesity-Related Claims Rise Among Companion Animals
Giving pets table scraps and treats may seem like a harmless reward for your cuddly canine or friendly feline, but it can lead to health problems down the road, including arthritis, diabetes and liver disease. Just like their human counterparts, excessive weight increases the risk of additional health problems and shortens the life expectancy of pets.
Over the last three years, Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation's oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, has seen pet obesity-related claims steadily increase. In 2012, VPI policyholders filed more than $34 million in claims for conditions and diseases that can be caused or exacerbated by excess weight. The company recently sorted its database of more than 485,000 insured pets to determine the top 10 dog and cat obesity-related conditions in 2012.
"Taking your pet to the veterinarian for regular wellness visits is the most effective way to monitor your pet's weight," said Dr. Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. "Routine exercise, a regulated diet and watching for signs of excessive weight gain are important steps in avoiding pet obesity and the additional health concerns that are associated with it."
In 2012, VPI received more than 34,000 canine claims for arthritis, the most common joint disease aggravated by excessive weight. The average claim fee was $300 per pet. For cats, bladder or urinary tract disease was the most common condition that can be aggravated by obesity. VPI received more than 4,200 medical claims for this ailment €“ with an average claim amount of $415 per pet.
In addition to taking pets to the veterinarian for regular wellness visits, below are simple tests you can perform to determine if your pet needs to lose weight:
You should be able to feel your pet's ribs without pressing.
You should see a noticeable "waist" on your pet, between the back of the ribs and the hips, when viewing your pet from above. When looking from the side, your pet's belly should go up from the bottom of the ribcage to inside the thighs.
Ask the Animal Radio® Dream Team
Listen to Animal Radio® LIVE every Saturday at noon eastern and Sundays at 5pm eastern on XM ch. 244 (America's Talk) or on any of the 107 AM-FM radio stations. Call with your questions toll-free 1-866-405-8405 or email yourvoice@AnimalRadio.com
Good Therapy for Healing Dogs
Rachel: My dog, Sasha, had back surgery. She can't move her back legs, and is learning to walk again. Is there anything we can do to help her walk again?
Doctor Debbie: Hi Rachel! You made it through the first challenge with Sasha's back surgery. Now the real work comes with the post surgical care....does your surgeon use a pet rehabilitation center in your area? If so, then this would be the best option for rehabilitation after a back surgery. Licensed veterinary physical therapists are schooled in exercises and movements to retain function after a major neurologic surgery such as Sasha's.
If formal rehabilitation isn't an option, then the best rehabilitation exercise you can offer is swimming. Swim therapy is non-weight bearing and allows the pet to work the full range of motion of the limbs. You can do this in a pool or even a stream or pond. Some metropolitan areas even offer mobile pet water treadmill and swim services! Swim therapy should only be done with doctor direction and after sutures are removed.
Other physical therapy tools for dogs include a balance board and physio-ball. These tools are used to build up strength and balance very similar to how they are used in people. You can check out some videos on how these are used online.
Let me know if you have any further questions. All our best wishes for Sasha to make a full recovery!
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Summer Discounts for Animal Radio® Subscribers
It's time for your Summer Discounts! We've partnered with the top pet product suppliers to bring you exclusive subscriber discounts. Here's what we've put together for Summer 2013:
Offer #1
WAHL
No one knows your dog like you do. And no one knows grooming like we do. Wahlpets.com is the only website dedicated to DIY grooming. It features tips on brushing, bathing, clipping, nail trimming, tooth brushing and eye/ear care for the more than 175 breeds recognized by the AKC®. Look up your dog by breed and coat type for breed-specific instructions, product recommendations and even how-to videos. We also offer a full line of high-quality grooming products. From shampoos and deodorizers to brushes to America's #1 selling pet clipper. And finally, because life gets a little hairy sometimes, we offer a grooming reminder email. Sign up, and we'll make sure you never skip a snip, dip or clip. Visit WahlPets.com. It's Wahl€”for the love of pets.
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Offer #2
DHERBS
Get 10% Off all Online Purchases! Dherbs is well known for its herbal products and now we are also reaching out to our animal friends as well! We have released a whole Herbal Pet Care section for help in healing of sick domestic pets. Many cats and dogs are like family members. Why shouldn't they receive the best food, care, and treatment as well? Our new herbal pet care line deals with pet issues such as: Behavioral problems; Immune systems; Joint, bone, and cartilage; Liver; Pancreas; Parasites and worms; Respiratory issues; Anti-radiation toxicity; and Tumors. We also have vitamin and mineral formulas. Use code 'animalradio' at checkout for a 10% discount.
http://dherbs.com/store/herbal-pet-care-c-42.html
Offer #3
PROLABS
ProLabs understands that you consider your pets family members. We also know that you want to play an active role in their health care by giving them high-quality products. For more than twenty years, ProLabs has provided safe, cost-effective over-the-counter canine and feline products, matching or exceeding quality standards of those used by veterinarians. And our staff of accessible and knowledgeable animal professionals are available to answer your questions. From joint care to skin health and vaccines, pet owners can trust the clinically-proven science and safety behind all ProLabs products.
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Offer #4
BAYER ADVANTAGE
Through its Flea Susceptibility Monitoring Program, Bayer is the only company to monitor fleas' susceptibility to an active ingredient, imidacloprid, and publish the results. We recommend Advantage® II and K9 Advantix® II parasiticides to help prevent fleas.
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Have a Safe and Happy Summer from all of us at Animal Radio®
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