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Animal Radio® Show #700

A Dog and a Comic Walk Into A Bar
Comedian Brian Donnelly has taken on a new job-that of dog owner. And his MSPCA rescue pet named BT will soon be showing off his acting chops on the comedian's new web series called "StepFriendz."

Pups at LAX
Los Angeles International Airport launched the PUP program (Pets Un-stressing Passengers) a new customer service initiative designed to un-stress passengers. Spokesperson Heidi Huebner says the program revolves around passenger encounters with one of several dogs throughout LAX boarding gates, baggage claim and ticketing lobbies.

Current Day Noah's Ark
Rodolfo Almira and three friends have begun to build a replica of Noah's Ark. Apparently, Almira was inspired by the images of animals in need following Hurricane Katrina. Following measurements laid out in the Bible, Almira and his three buddies set out to make the ark a reality. But the project hasn't been without its setbacks. Almira has been slapped with building code violations.

Legal Marijuana A Problem For Dogs In Colorado
Veterinarians are warning Colorado dog owners about the possibility of their animals overdosing on marijuana edibles. Health officials say they've seen a steady rise in marijuana toxicity cases as the drug becomes more readily available.

Listen to this Animal Radio® episode

Animal Radio® Show #699

It's Me Or The Dog
Animal Planet's Victoria Stilwell is back and debating the two schools of dog training. Do you really have to be mean to your pup to get him to do what you want. There's a change in the way we're getting our dogs to behave.

Ferrets Passed Off As Toy Poodles
Shoppers may not be getting what they bargained for. Vendors at a market are trying to pass off bulked up ferrets as toy poodles. The move has reportedly tricked several people into shelling out $150 for the rodents.

Fearful Fido
What do you do with a dog that's afraid of everything from lawn sprinklers to rain showers? Alan Kabel explains the process of de-sensitizing your dog and re-training him to be a more confident animal.

Internet Vet Shut Down
Dr. Ron Hines used to answer medical questions at his website. That is until the state of Texas shut him down. Now he's part of a lawsuit to restore his first amendment rights. This litigation will set the tone for those that give advice, from Dr. Oz to Dr. Debbie.

Groomers Aren't Just for the Rich
Dogfather Joey Villani has five great reasons why you should bring your dog to the groomer regularly....even if your dog doesn't need a haircut.

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Animal Radio® Show #698

Once Upon A Flock
Do Chickens make good pets. Lauren Scheuer thinks so. She got several chickens with plans on eventually eating them....until she named them. Now they're here pets and she shares her house with them and a dog.

Man Retrieves Sons Finger From Dog's Stomach
A Florida man gets criticized for his quick thinking after a caged dog bit his eleven-year-old's finger off. According to a police, the boy stuck his left hand through slots in the cage trying to pet the dog. The animal bit him, completely severing his pinky finger. The boy's father immediately pulled the dog from the cage and shot it then cut into the dog's stomach, retrieving the finger.

Stupid Pet Tricks
We welcome David Letterman's Talent Producer Ryan Williams to the airwaves. He's looking for a few good pets that do amazing....or just plain silly tricks. He's casting for another episode of Late Night Stupid Pet Tricks on NBC. If you think your pet has what it takes, he'll tell you how to get them on TV.

Dog Hits Pedestrian With Car
Police in Pennsylvania say a dog that was left in an unattended vehicle knocked it into gear and the car struck a pedestrian. The pedestrian was found lying in the street. Police say the car had been left running when the dog inside pushed it into drive, causing it to slowly start moving.

Pet Speed Dating
Dating these days has gone to the dogs, at least it did one night at the Cumberland County SPCA's first-ever Pet Speed Dating event. The shelter designed the event to give the pet-loving public a simple way to get up close and personal with many of the dogs and cats available for adoption.

Listen to this Animal Radio® episode

Animal Radio® Show #697

Punxsutawney Phil in Legal Trouble
Prosecutor Mike Gmoser is indicting the famed groundhog for misrepresentation of spring, a felony against the peace and dignity of the state of Ohio. So what's the penalty? "Death" said Gmoser tongue firmly in cheek.

Cat Video Festival
Cat video got a major boost with the first-ever Internet Cat Video Festival. Over 10,000 people attended and its success is leading to a number of copycat events. Curator Scott Stulen explains our curiosity with cats and You Tube.

Marking Territory
Cats and Dogs mark for different reasons. Once these behaviors start, it can be near impossible to stop unless you act fast to correct the behavior and clean up past markings. In cats, inappropriately urinating can mean something is medically wrong.

Animal Arthritis
Just like us, aging can mean Arthritis in our pets. Can it be prevented? What can we do to treat it? Is palliative medicine our only choice? The Animal Radio® Dream Team and Dr. Joel Ehrenzweig explain what is known about Arthritis and what can be done to make our older furry-friends more comfortable.

Missing Dogs
Dogs are vanishing in one part of Idaho and police don't have a clue where they're going. About 40 dogs have gone missing over the past few months near Twin Falls in southern Idaho. Lisa Kauffman, the state's director of the Humane Society of the United States says "Someone is coming around and plucking animals out of people's yards."

What's For Dinner - Road Kill
In the future, Montana road kill might end up on dinner tables rather than going to waste. The state's Senate has given thumbs up to a bill allowing residents to harvest deer, elk and moose killed by vehicles. The so-called Road Kill Salvage Bill has already been approved by the House and only needs Governor Steve Bullock's signature to become law.

Listen to this Animal Radio® episode

Emmylou Harris Guests on Animal Radio®

(Los Angeles CA., April 25, 2013) Grammy-toting musician Emmylou Harris returns to guest-host on the nationally syndicated Animal Radio® show on XM Satellite Radio and 106 AM/FM stations across the U.S.

This is Emmylou's second time guesting on Animal Radio®, which is celebrating its 600th show and twelve years of being America€™s most-listened-to pet talk.

Emmylou Harris not only has earned 12 Grammys, she's founded, and in her spare time assists at, Bonaparte's Retreat, her very own shelter in Nashville.

Animal Radio® host Hal Abrams welcomes Emmylou back again, "Emmylou has always been a friend of the animals and a regular guest. It only seemed appropriate to have her back to celebrate our 600th."

Emmylou will be promoting the Second Annual Woofstock Concert - A Benefit for Bonaparte's Retreat. Last year's musical lineup included Buddy Miller, Mike Farris, and herself. She may announce this year's lineup on Animal Radio®.

Catch this special broadcast Saturday May 11th at noon eastern, and re-broadcast on Sunday the 12th at 5 pm eastern on XM Satellite Radio channel 166 America's Talk, or any one of 106 AM/FM stations from Los Angeles to New York. Go to http://AnimalRadio.com to find a station near you.

You may also hear it on the Animal Radio® App for iPhone and Android.






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 106 AM-FM radio stations. Call with your questions toll-free 1-866-405-8405 or email yourvoice@AnimalRadio.com

Canine Salad

Steve Worsley: I have a 5 month old Maltipoo that loves, loves to be outside; however, he likes to eat fresh cut grass...I am so afraid that this could be harmful to him. Can you please share if this is something that I should be concern about every time he goes outside? Thanks for your time. I really enjoy your show and all of the great advise you provide.


Dr. Debbie: Grass eating is a completely normal doggie behavior. There are many theories why some dogs eat grass, and the honest truth is that nobody knows with certainty why they do it. Theories include...instinct to ingest more fiber in diet, desire to induce vomiting, gastrointestinal disease, boredom or just plain because its fun!

Is your Maltipoo having any tummy issues like vomiting or diarrhea? If not, then I wouldn't worry about this behavior. Puppies particularly like to explore their environment and will ingest grass just for the enjoyment. If the grass eating is very excessive and a concern, then monitor him when outdoors and keep him active and playing to avoid nibbling on grass.

Make sure you have regular deworming and stool testing at your veterinary office though, since grazing on the ground increases the possibility to ingest parasites. Avoid allowing your pup to play or chew on the grass if fertilizer is just applied. But fortunately a thorough grass watering will wash the fertilizer concerns away.

Give your little lawn mower pup a big hug from me!

Pugger

Sarah: My little pug baby has a collapsed trachea, he is 10 years old, we adopted him at 7 years old. His previous owner thought he had allergies and that is why he coughed. When we got him we took him and got X-rays and it was in fact a very small trachea. We have had it under control with a daily cough suppressant pill prescribed by his vet and steroids one round a year in the winter when it gets a little worse. We have opted not to have surgery because our research shows the outcome is not very favorable in almost half the cases. Our vet is experienced on animal acupuncture and Offered to give Duke a round and see if she can help with his cough. Our question is what can we expect for a little pug man getting needles stuck in him? I'm afraid he won't like it, or it might be too much of a hassle for something that might not work. If anyone over there has any experience or knowledge of this We would love to hear some feedback. We absolutely love our little man so much we want him to be comfortable for many many more years of pugging!

Dr. Debbie: Oh! The toughest part of being a pug can just be breathing comfortably!
Collapsing trachea is just one of the many respiratory conditions that makes it tough for these wrinkly guys to catch a good breath. Weight loss is a huge help for easing breathing even if the pet is just a few pounds overweight. By managing other airway abnormalities in brachycephalic (short faced) dogs, we can minimize how bad the collapsing trachea affects the pet. . Surgical correction of stenotic nares and elongated soft palate are advised if those conditions are present. Those surgeries are less complicated than the tracheal stenting you are referring to for collapsed tracheas.

To be a candidate for collapsing trachea surgery (tracheal stenting) I usually look on chest x-rays to see if the trachea diameter collapses to over 50% it's total diameter. From there if the dog doesn't respond to medical treatment, or he suffers bouts of respiratory distress/emergencies, then I suggest surgery. If your pug fella responds well to medical therapy, then I don't know if I'd encourage the tracheal stent option unless he fits those other criteria.

Success of tracheal stent surgery really depends on the patient and surgeon. In my area, the surgeons report over 70% improvement with surgery, but are upfront with those pet owners whose dogs may not benefit a lot from surgery. Usually those pets have other issues: severe collapse, other upper airway obstruction issues, overweight, and main-stem bronchi collapse. A consultation with a surgeon might answer your questions about your individual pet's chances of improvement with surgery.

As for acupuncture, sure it might help some. But you are oh so right about wondering whether your pug will tolerate the sessions. With their wiggly, stout bodies pugs definitely are challenging patients to keep still. There are some calming points that a veterinary acupuncturist might start with at onset of a session to help him relax. Most pets calm during acupuncture, so he might surprise you. If you're up for trying it, I'm sure your vet will know soon within the first session if it's a go in the future.

Give your pug man and hug from me!

Over Easy

Steve: My dog love egg whites is it ok? He will eat them all day.

Dr. Debbie: Egg whites are an excellent source of protein, most of which is utilized efficiently by the body. Just make sure you are cooking your doggies egg white snacks, since raw egg whites contain Avidin, a glycoprotein that blocks the absorption of certain B vitamins. Frequent feeding of raw egg whites could potentially cause a B vitamin deficiency- leading to issues with skin problems, lethargy, poor growth, and even neurologic issues.

Avidin is destroyed by cooking, so go ahead and cook up some egg white treats for your pal. But just like all things keep this treat a small part of his overall diet and ensure he is on a balanced dog food.

Ask your questions of the Animal Radio® Dream Team. It's easy. Call in 1-866-405-8405 or email YourVoice@AnimalRadio.com or ask your question directly from the Animal Radio® App for iPhone or Android.

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