The NEW Animal Radio® APP is available for Android and iPhone! Get it NOW!

Animal Radio® Show #683

An Emasculating Rooster
When Brian McGrory moved in with his girlfriend, he also moved in with a Rooster that did not like him. If Brian was to "make-it-work," he would have to learn a lot about how to befriend a foul with ruffled feathers. He joins us and we have copies of his best-selling book, "Buddy, How A Rooster Made Me A Family Man."

Does Your Dog Know You? I mean Really Know You?
A certain bark, a certain posture, a certain look. Your dog can tell a lot about you. They know when you're being unfair-to some extent. Researchers found that when dogs saw other dogs getting treats for a trick they€™d been performing unrewarded, the uncompensated dogs became visibly distressed. It can even lead to depression.

New Years, Schmoo Ears, Who Cares?
With all of our New Years resolutions already stuffed. Is your pet bitter they didn't get what they wanted from Santa Paws? Fret not, your friends at Animal Radio® still have gifts for you and your furry-child. How would you like a TAGG Pet Tracker or a Frolicat Bundle?

I Don't Brush, Why Should Fluffy?
Home dental care is one of the best ways to help keep your pet's teeth and gums healthy. And unlike us, not brushing could be fatal for your pet. Start as early as possible in your furry friend's life so he or she will become accustomed to having the mouth handled. Use a moistened, soft, pet or child's toothbrush, finger toothbrush, gauze around a finger, or even a cotton swab. Stay away from human toothpaste....unless your pet has learned to spit afterwards.

Listen to this Animal Radio® episode

Animal Radio® Show #682

Bringing In The New Year
What better way to bring in 2013 than to look back at what made 2012 so special at Animal Radio®. With over 8 months of great celebrities animal lovers, we're re-broadcasting some of the best interviews that aired this year. Joining us is comedian Paula Poundstone, television host Bob Barker, actress Kristen Chenoweth, the voice of Bart Simpson Nancy Cartwright, actress Glenn Close, actress Betty White, the late musician in his last interview Davy Jones, rocker Bret Michaels, and actress Jenna Fischer. Make it a resolution to join us for this history-making program.

Dog Toys Can Cause Health Problems
Certain dog toys contain chemicals that studies suggest could lead to health problems in your dog. The worst offenders appear to be plastic fetching batons, called "bumpers," which are used to teach dogs how to retrieve. It is suspected that bumpers, and other dog toys, could leak a toxin called BPA into the mouths and bodies of dogs.

Do Dogs Feel Sorry For Us?
Dogs originated from wolves, which are highly social animals that engage in cooperative activities and are believed to have some ability to empathize with their fellow wolves. Biological changes produced during the domestication of dogs may have allowed them to synchronize their wolf-inherited empathic capacities with those of humans.

Pet Medication Errors
We've all heard stories of someone being prescribed the wrong medicine, or the wrong dose, with devastating consequences. Now, a warning has been issued for pet owners. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said these deadly mistakes are also being made with pet prescriptions. Investigators discovered errors stemming from simple issues, including unclear medical abbreviations on vet prescriptions, drugs with similar names and packaging, and simple penmanship errors, all leading to mistakes where the pet paid.

Apps Aren't Just For People Anymore
Here is a roundup of popular pet apps for mobile devices. For the iPhone, iPod or iPad: Dog Park Finder Plus, a list of more than 6,000 dog parks and beaches in North America. Fido Factor is a mobile guide to dog-friendly locations. The Pet Poison Help app lists poisons, what to do and how to get help.

Listen to this Animal Radio® episode

Animal Radio® Show #681

Picking Up After Your Dog Becomes Law
A company called Poo Prints claims Dallas and other cities can cash in on dog waste through DNA tracking. Dallas City Council members chuckled Wednesday when they heard about the plan, but the company is dead serious about the opportunity to find irresponsible dog owners by lab testing turds. Eric Mayer describes to listeners how his plan works to clean up your city.

Underwater Dogs
Award-winning photographer Seth Casteel, also known as "The Underwater Dog Guy", has been featured in National Geographic, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Good Morning America, The Today Show and now he's giving listeners his best-selling book on Animal Radio®.

Dogs Shot By Police on The Rise
In response to an alleged increase of dog shootings by police officers, several people, including owners of murdered pets, are using Facebook as a tool to increase awareness of the problem and seek change to police policies toward dogs. Videos of dog shootings are all over the Internet and it seems like there's a new one every week.

Millionaires Have Gone To The Dogs
Dogs and Millionaires have a lot in common. They are relentless opportunists (especially when it comes to rewards). They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They defend their turf. And in general, they don't like cats. Perhaps that explains a new survey that shows that millionaires are far more dog-friendly than the rest of Americans. According to a study by Spectrem Group, 58% of millionaire pet owners have a dog.

Rent-A-Puppy
Business is booming for a Brigham Young University student who recently started a puppy rental service. Jenna Miller says she's had more than 100 rentals since August. The business has stirred some controversy, with the Utah Humane Society concerned about the health of the dogs.

Listen to this Animal Radio® episode

Animal Radio® Show #680

Don't Let Your Pets Sleep In Bed With You?!
Probably one of the most contested topic ever on Animal Radio®; should your pets be allowed in bed. Dr. Russell Rosenberg from the National Sleep Foundation says it's a bad idea. From sleep deprivation, transmission of diseases to behavior issues, we'll give you the information - you decide.

Choosing The Perfect Gifts
America's favorite Television Veterinarian, Dr. Marty Becker is back and he has some good ideas when it comes to picking out a holiday gift for your pet. In fact, if you're reading this, you probably already have your furry-companion on your shopping list.

Film Attacked For Cruelty To Animals
Just a few days before the film premiere of The Hobbit in New Zealand's capital, Wellington, the long-awaited Peter Jackson adaptation of JRR Tolkien's first foray into Middle-earth is under attack from several quarters. Its Hollywood producers stand variously accused of cruelty to animals, suppression of the press and exploitative merchandising. Jackson has been forced to defend against claims that 27 animals died due to mistreatment during production.

Paralyzed Dog Walks
A pioneering treatment for spinal injuries has helped a paralyzed dog walk again. Jasper injured his spine in 2008. He couldn't move his hind legs. Scientists at the University of Cambridge took cells from Jasper's nose and injected them into his damaged spinal cord. He started walking again with a harness, and was eventually able to walk on his own.

The Ethics of De-Barking
Dog debarking surgery is being performed at animal hospitals across the country, including Colorado, but at least one veterinarian says it is a touchy issue. Castle Rock resident Dawn Hern said she had no choice to do the surgery because her dog simply would not stop barking. Most cities have a noise ordinance, and Hern had already received complaints, fines and even a court summons. She doesn't care who thinks she's cruel; she simply didn't want her dog taken away from her.

Listen to this Animal Radio® episode

Animal Radio® FREE Pets & People Drug Discount Card
SAVE NOW ON ALL UNINSURED MEDS!! For both you and your pet!

You may already know how expensive pet medication can be. Especially when pet insurance doesn't cover drugs.

All of us at Animal Radio® are doing our best to help out. After all, we're all in the same financial boat and don't want the pets to suffer because a medicine's cost is prohibitive. We made a deal with the top pharmacy benefits managers. Here's what we came up with:

- The Animal Radio® Pets & People Drug Discount Card is FREE.
- It offers 15-55% discount on pet medicines or uninsured human medicines.
- It's usable at almost 60,000 pharmacies, including Walgreens, Wal-mart, Rite-Aid, Target, Costco, CVS...all the biggies!
- Card is pre-activated and never expires.
- Great for small businesses that can't afford benefits for employees, or even your church or local Senior Center. We will gladly send you as many cards as you need.
- You can print out the FREE card online at: http://animalradio.com/Pets_People_Discount_Drug_Card.html

Or, if you would like us to mail you a free card, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

Animal Radio Drug Card
699 Paula Street
Morro Bay, CA. 93442

Please help spread the word. Your friends will thank you.

Print Your Free Drug Discount Card

Ask the Animal Radio® Dream Team

Listen to Animal Radio® LIVE every Saturday at noon eastern and Sundays at 5pm eastern on XM ch. 166 (America's Talk) or on any of the 102 AM-FM radio stations. Call with your questions toll-free 1-866-405-8405 or email yourvoice@AnimalRadio.com

Crazy Kitty

Karen: I have a 6 month old kitten which I found in the middle of September. I was told that he may be a MaineCoon. My question is, I have another cat who is 14 years old and my kitten keeps attacking him. I'm thinking that maybe he thinks this is his mother maybe. But he jumps on top of him and bites him and also he can be so calm and sweet but, then he acts like he just guess crazy. Do you have any answers?

So if you have any good answers to why she might be eating dirt would help, also I got some doggie vitamins but if I crunch it up in her food she won't eat.

Dr. Debbie: Hi Karen! What you have going on is simply a kindergarten kitty trying to play games with a grandpa cat. Your kitten has abounding energy, cannot realize grandpa cat isn't enjoying the same games, and doesn't have an outlet for all that energy. Part of cat play behavior is mimicking predatory behaviors, so just because he attacks or bites him doesn't mean his behavior is truly aggressive in nature. The crazy behavior you mention is truly that electric feline energy that can't help but come out at unexpected times!

I suggest getting this kitten an outlet for his activity needs. Check out the interactive cat toys from Frolicat that will keep him moving. We talk about these products a lot on the show- and honestly they really are great for kittens that need a place to direct all that crouching, pouncing, leaping and biting. Other types of cat toys to keep them busy are the food dispensing toys like kitty kongs, Pavlov's Cat, and Roll-a-Treat balls.

Some cats are somehow more entertained by inexpensive home-made toy items like wadded up paper or foil balls... or investigating paper bags and cardboard boxes.

Your goal is to tire out the young kitty so that their contact time together with be more harmonious. We can't expect your older cat to want to play in the same manner as the young guy, but hopefully he is tolerant of the young fellas play. There hasn't been any aggression by your adult cat, right?

Of course one other idea is to consider getting another kitten for your younger cat to play with :) Then you'd have a play partner for your spirited little guy.

Let me know if you have any followup questions. Have a wonderful holiday season!

Some dogs with anemia will also eat dirt, but I'm assuming your vet would have detected on routine lab work.

Occasionally I have seen dogs on phenobarbital develop an increase (not a decrease) in appetite which causes them to eat dirt or other unusual things. For those dogs, I'll switch from phenobarbital to another seizure medication like Zonisamide or Keppra.

You didn't mention the manner in which she eats dirt. If she is just walking around and eats it or if she is obsessed, ravenous or out of sorts when she does this. Some dogs ingest dirt during a seizure of sorts.

Sounds like more info and testing will be needed to track down the cause of this behavior. I don't think a vitamin will hurt, but it's unlikely to stop this behavior. Hope everything works out okay for her. Let me know if you have more questions or info.

Liquor Problem

Tobi: Hey, My Border Collie Mix licks the T.V, any idea on how to get her to stop?
P.S She also licks the walls and floors.

Dr. Debbie: There are 2 basic reasons why dogs lick surfaces excessively- 1)medical disorders and 2)behavioral or obsessive compulsive disorders

Dogs with digestive disorders like inflammatory bowl disease, parasites, colitis, etc may have low grade nausea that causes them to lick things excessively. I usually try a hypoallergenic diet and parasite testing/treatment for these pets. In rare cases, licky behavior can be a manifestation for liver or seizure problems, so blood-work is helpful to screen for those problems.

On the behavioral side, some dogs truly have obsessive compulsive issues (OCD) which causes repetitive behaviors like licking. Dogs with this may have excess energy relative to their exercise, may lack adequate mental stimulation and some breeds are just "wired" and prone to obsessive behaviors.

To manage behavioral approach for these guys I may try using several steps. First, we have to make these dogs tired- like, really tired! Get her running on a treadmill, go jogging, or take her to doggie daycare to burn off energy. Playing in the backyard doesn't allow enough sustained aerobic activity, so you have to take things up a notch. A tired dog is has less mental and physical energy and less apt to display repetative behaviors.

Don't reward her licking behavior by paying attention to her when she does this. This means no yelling at her to "stop it", and don't even talk to her when she does it. You can offer her a substitute activity or chew item when you find her licking, but it should not become a "reward" for her behavior. Dogs will quickly learn that naughty licking behavior will bring treats from mom, so you have to be watchful.

Next we need to provide alternative behaviors to do in place of licking. Start offering all her food through use of food dispensing toys instead of just putting in a bowl. (Busy buddy and Kong carry many such items) By making her work for food and use her mouth, she won't have as much time to devote to licking. Just think of a person who is trying to quit smoking- they need something to keep their hands & mouth busy from putting a cigarette in their mouth.

Lastly, some dogs just can't do it with just the above steps. For some dogs behavior medications are an essential step in managing through this licky behavior. Ask you veterinarian if behavior medications are appropriate for your dog.

With a herding breed dog like yours, they sometimes are more prone to these kinds of behaviors, unfortunately.

Let me know if you have follow up questions.





Celebrate your pets right now at AnimalRadio.com

Get Animal Radio® Headlines emailed to you, or catch us on Twitter and Facebook.
"Like" Animal Radio® on Facebook - and win goodies for you and your pet.

Copyright 2003-12 Animal Radio®, its logo and Animal Radio Network(TM) are registered trademarks of Animal Radio Network LLC. All rights reserved. Submissions for newsletter, programming, editorial comments and opinions may be sent to: YourVoice@AnimalRadio.com. See our website for additional information.