Animal Radio®

Nicole Sullivan Guests America’s Favorite Dog Walker, actress & comedian Nicole Sullivan (King of Queens - MadTV) is our guest this week. She wants you to know about the Kitty Bungalow Charm School for Wayward Cats. She’s also wants you to know her sleeping arrangements. Caring for Fukushima Pets Left Behind Shortly after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan five years ago, residents who lived near the plant were immediately evacuated because of the risk of radiation exposure, but did you know they were forced to leave their animals behind? Fortunately a man named Akira Honda raced to the disaster area to help. Creating a Foster Revolution The mastermind behind the world’s largest pet adoption website, Petfinder, is working to change the way unadaptable animals find homes. Betsy Saul has started the website 911FosterPets.com to unite transitional pets with foster parents. DON’T Give Your Dog a Bone Vets are now warning people not to give their dog a bone because it could kill them. And, if you’re thinking that only applies to cooked bones, which break and splinter much easier, that is not always the case. Surgery is usually needed to remove any blockage and in some cases, the damage caused by bones is so serious that it can be fatal. 120 Pound Rodent The word rodent implies ugly unwanted, little creatures that sneak into your home and freak out a lot of us. There is a 120-pound rodent in Texarkana that is genuinely loved, hugged and even given home-cooked meals. His name is Chico and he’s a Capybara, a species National Geographic says is, “The World’s Largest Living Rodent.”

Don’t Drink Alone Brandon Zavala was enjoying a glass of cat-themed wine when he came up with the idea to create a wine for cats. Now he produces a MosCATo and a Pinot Meow made from beet juice and infused with catnip. He did this so you could enjoy a glass of Vino with your Gato. Your welcome. More Reasons To Celebrate Robert Semrow, our Pet World Insider actually found 5 October Holidays for Your Pet. Man, this kid can be creative when it comes to Listomania. But, who’s going to complain about more time to celebrate with our pups? Skunked The Animal Radio “Dogfather,” Joey Villani has tips on dealing with dogs (or cats) that have been sprayed by a skunk. He says the biggest myth is that tomato juice fixes that problem. He also says “stay away from water, as that could make the problem worse.” Dawn Dish Detergent seems to be the solution, again! Battling Fleas No doubt the U.S. is dealing with a bad flea season. What are your natural remedies? How are you ridding your house and pets from this nasty parasite? We have some strange and unusual methods for removing fleas and stopping the scratching. Furry Family Instagram Sensation Steve Greig’s Instagram account blew up after he started posting pictures of his extended family. He lives with 10 dogs, 2 ducks, 2 chickens, a rabbit, pigeons, cats, Koi fish and a pig. All were rescued. About a half-million people subscribe to his Instagram feed.

I Could Pee On This Sally Forth writer and author of I Could Pee On This Too, Francesco Marciuliano is back for more abuse. He’s transcribed more poems and verse from cats. Is he a single man with a lot of cats? We’ll see. The Better To Hear You A four-eared cat named Batman found a new home this month within hours of being put up for adoption at a Pittsburgh animal shelter. This unique cat’s extra ears are the product of a recessive gene mutation, which is needed by both parents in order to reproduce extra ears. Celeb Photographer Helps Pets Richard Phibbs is known as a celebrity photographer to Merryl Streep, J-Lo and many more. But he’s decided it’s more gratifying to take picture of adoptable animals, in turn helping them find homes. He says they’re also easier to work with than the celebrities or their publicists. Google’s Double-Sided Duct Tape Google has patented a new car coat that allows pets and people to stick to it. Officials say the most injuries from being hit by a car are when the person or pet hits the ground. This coating ensures that the victim will stick to the car when they’re hit, keeping them from falling to the ground. This is for real folks… Google it. Duck Befriends Grieving Dog Two years ago George, the dog, lost his best friend, a Labrador named Blackie. George’s owner, Jacquie, said that George was overcome with grief. But then a few weeks ago a duck showed up and everything changed. The duck and dog formed an instant bond and are now inseparable, going on walks together, sleeping next to each other in the kennel and spending quiet time together when George needs a rest.

Some People Like Dog Breath Comedian Paul Reiser is our guest as he waxes prophetically about his dog’s breath and other quirky canine behaviors. The Dogs of 9/11 Robert Semrow celebrates the dogs that were an integral part of September 11,th 2001. From the search and rescue dogs to the service dogs that helped people escape from the World Trade Towers, we pay tribute to our furry companions. Another Bad Flea Season We’re smack dab in the middle of another troubled flea season. Many of us don’t want to put harsh chemicals on our pets. Dog father Joey Villani has some smart tips for treating your pets naturally. Protecting Your Pets From Hawks You might have thought that high flying hawks hunting for innocent smaller house pets down below in people’s yards was an urban myth, but it does happen! In 2011 a hawk plucked two small dogs from their Boston area yard and dropped them from the sky, resulting in some pretty serious injuries. Lori Brooks will tell you what to do to avoid hawk-trouble. Proof That Dogs Understand Us. For all of us dog lovers this is proof of what we have always wanted to hear! The average dog has the ability to understand human speech. Scientists in Hungary claim to have found proof that dogs use both sides of their brains to understand the meaning, as well as the intonation of words, in much the same way that we humans process language.

Neurotic Dogs, Compulsive Cats, Anxious Birds Dr. Nicholas Dodman is back. He is the world’s foremost expert on animal psychiatry. He’ll tell us about a horse with Tourette’s and dogs with Attention Deficit Disorder. He says our pets suffer from the same psychiatric maladies as humans and are often treated with the same medications. What Country Has The Most Pets? Who has the most pets? The United States? No, but we are in the top 5. According to a new survey of more than 27,000 people across 22 countries, pet ownership is highest in Latin America. In Russia, cats are much more popular than dogs with 57% of Russians having a kitty. Any guesses on which country takes the title of having the most pet fish? Teaching the Funny for the Furry Comedian Christine O’Leary not only teaches comedians how to be funny, she uses her powers for the greater good. Her shows raise money to rescue dogs from Aruba. She’ll tell us why comedy is like watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Best Performing Stocks Are Pet Related Americans’ attachment to their pets has fostered a $60 billion industry that is producing best-in-show stock performance. Shares of several companies that sell pet food, develop diagnostic medical tests for animals and offer veterinary care, have far outrun the many other types of stocks this year, with an average total return of nearly 35% versus around 8.3% for the S & P 500. Airline Flies Rescue Pets For Free Virgin Australia Airlines is positioning itself as the “Pet Friendly” airline and you won’t believe what they’re doing to back up that claim. They have offered to fly rescue dogs across the country to new owners for free! Not bad in a day and age when most airlines ‘nickel and dime’ you for everything.

Pound for Pound Shannon Kopp spent the good part of a decade with an eating disorder. She would eat large amounts of food and then vomit 20 times a day. No therapist, doctor, or even rehab could cure her. She didn’t find relief until she met a dog. Pet Insurance Company Fined $150,000 The Washington State’s Insurance Commissioner has fined a pet insurance company, American Pet Insurance, which goes under the name Trupanion, $150,000 for violating state laws. The violations include a failure to cancel policies in a timely manner in cases such as a pet’s death, after a customer no longer owned a pet and when the pet owner canceled a policy. TSA Rejects Alan Kabel tells us about dogs that were trained to work for TSA but ended up failing their certification. Now, these animals are finding new homes through a unique adoption program. Get Your Licks on Route 66 It’s time again for the 8th Annual “Get Your Licks on Route 66 Adoption Tour.” Fido Friendly publisher Susan Sims is getting ready to start the nationwide journey in Los Angeles with CBS’s Emmy winner Brandon McMillan. Do Dogs Love Us or Do They Just Want Our Food? In an experiment further investigating the relationship between humans and dogs, researchers wanted to find out if it is a true bond or a love of food. They found most dogs anticipate the praise of their owner as much or more than a food reward. Catty Wagon Aimee Gilbreth comes up with some pretty unique ideas to raise money for her animal welfare organization. On the heels of the successful ‘6 Packs & 9 Lives’ calendar featuring buff men with cats, now she’s unleashed the Catty Wagon, adopting felines from a converted food truck that looks like an orange kitty.

Animal Radio Episode 873

Pet Friendly Retirement Communities Watermark Retirement Communities and Assisted Living are perhaps the first in the country to embrace pets. Founded by pet lovers, they encourage residents to bring their pets along to live with them. Staff’s companion animals meet those that don’t have pets. This has made a big difference in patient’s disposition. Whales Gain 200 Pounds A Day While the book is titled Sad Animal Facts, it’s hardly a sad book. Cartoons drawn by Brooke Barker unleash the unknown and curious truths behind some of our favorite animals. Did you know Turtles breath out their butt, or that Giraffes only sleep 3 hours a day? If There Were Olympics For Animals Pet World Insider Robert Semrow imagines a world where the Olympics were for the animals. What would the sports competitions be all about? Perhaps an animal Olympic event would unite pet lovers worldwide? Sanctuary Wants Rapper To Pay Support For His Tiger Rapper Tyga had a pet tiger a few years ago, but it was taken from him when authorities found out that he had no legal permits for it. The tiger was then given to an animal sanctuary. The sanctuary named Lions, Tigers & Bears, which takes care of Tyga’s former tiger, says the rapper has not made any effort to help out with funds to care for the animal. It costs over $10k a year to feed it, not including vet costs and other expenses. Choosing The Right Bra When Horseback Riding Women and girls who ride horses, but do not wear a sports bra, could be causing undue stress to the horse, according to a study by Portsmouth University. Apparently a lot of women give no regard to what kind of bra they wear while riding. They did a survey of females who ride horses in various disciplines and found that less than one in five regularly wore a sports bra for riding even though it can lead to poor posture and musculoskeletal problems, which are sensed by the horse.

Eliminating Fear of Vet Visits Going to the Vet can be a traumatic experience for your pets. Following Animal Radio Veterinary Correspondent, Dr. Marty Becker’s instructions can make the Vet actually a fun place to go. We call it Fear Free visits. First Ever Cloned Puppy on U.S. Soil Top Dog at Viagen Pets, Blake Russell is here to announce the birth of the first-ever cloned puppy here in the United States. While the dog is being weaned, the new guardian is watching the pup via the Internet. Lily And The Octopus Steven Rowley tells us about his close relationship with Lily and how a tumor on her head eventually took her life. He’s was offered one million dollars to write a cathartic book about the experience on spec. Not bad for his first major published novel. Thief Unwittingly Saves Dog in Hot Car It all began when a man left his laptop and his dog locked in his pick-up truck while he went into a local pub. It was super hot that day, but luckily for the dog, a pack of thieves were casing the street for easy to grab loot and spotted the laptop sitting on the truck’s passenger seat. They smashed the window, grabbed the laptop and ran off. Internet Outage Causes Starving Pets The Internet of Things may be touted as the next big thing in technology, but those Internet connected solutions designed to make your life easier can cause huge problems as many pet owners recently found out. PetNet, an Internet-connected feeding service, experienced a server outage last week that left many pets hungry for hours and many pet owners very upset!

Sailing The World With A Hen 24-year-old Frenchman Guirec Soudee is sailing around the world with a strange companion, his chicken. He’ll check in with us from Greenland and explain why he chose this first mate. This Is Your Brain On Parasites Science author Kathleen McAuliffe explains the link between Toxoplasma, a parasite cats can transmit, and it’s potentially profound effects on humans, including schizophrenia and even suicide. Even dogs can be responsible for transmitting fatal parasites. This is not fiction. Every pet owner should be aware. The Lick Of Death Lori Brooks reports on a strange story about a senior that ended up in ICU after her Greyhound licked her. This cautionary tale may have you thinking twice about letting your dog lick you all over. Top Pets A new study researched all the animals that would make good pets. Believe it or not, cats and dogs are NOT even in the top 25. You may be surprised to learn what the best pet is according to this study. But you won’t be able to get one in the United States. Dog Car Sickness Dr. Debbie White takes on canine car sickness. Whether your pup is scared and anxious of traveling in the car, or they actually get motion sickness, the good doctor has practical solutions for conquering the common problems.

I Tried The Weirdest Pet Products On The Internet From the Licki brush to the Puppoose, The Washington Post’s Sadie Dingfelder tried some the oddest pet products for sale online. She’ll tell us how it went. For instance, give your dog a toy - a rawhide chew, a tennis ball, or even this little plush figuring of Donald Trump - and your dog, regardless of political affiliation, will immediately tear it to shreds. Cats, on the other hand, dispose of their belongings by looking at them with such disdain that the toys self-destruct in shame. Why Would You Want To Genetically Preserve Your Pet? Melain Rodriguez from Viagen Pets says there are lots of reasons you should think about Genetic Preservation. Collecting a sample of your pet’s DNA could be helpful if there are medical advances that could potentially help your furry-friend. Of course, you could also use the DNA to clone your pet too. How My Cat Made Me A Better Man Jeremy Feig was at rock bottom - broke, alone, and living in a shoe box-sized apartment. At the same time, his cat was perfectly content. What was her secret? She couldn’t say it out loud, but it was clear she had all the answers to living a good life. Jeremy will share those answers with Animal Radio listeners. Jewel Thief Alan Kabel reports on a dog that swallowed their guardian’s wedding ring. What happens next is quite amusing. He’ll also tell us about an alligator that loves pizza. Vet On Call Animal Radio’s Veterinarian, Dr. Debbie White will answer your questions about your pet’s health, because that’s what we do. Make sure to call us toll-free at 1-866-405-8405 or even ask your questions from the free Animal Radio App for iPhone and Android.

The Vet Life Dr. Diarra Blue from Animal Planet’s hit show, The Vet Life, is our special guest. He’s an over-the-top charismatic professional that has some great stories about his unusual practice in Houston. Pet Flipping Animal rights groups say pet flipping is becoming a growing problem because of a rise in social media use. Pet flipping is when a person sees a pet on social media websites, like Facebook or Craigslist, they get the pet with phony information, then sell the animal to make money off of it. The really bad news is that pet flipping is legal because pets are considered personal property, so people can sell them like anything else. Helping Pit Bull Owners Find Rentals Pet owners know how difficult it is to find housing, but for pit bull owners it can be nearly impossible to find a place where you can have your pet. A new non-profit called “My Pit Bull is Family,” provides resources for dog owners across the country with a database listing all pit bull-friendly properties. The website MyPitBullisFamily.org features an interactive map where pet parents can click on their state and a list of contact information for potential rental leads will pop up. Statistics show that nearly 30% of people give up their dogs because their landlord does not allow dogs; making it the number-one reason people give up a pet. My Pit Bull is Family also offers users a list of insurance companies that do not participate in breed-specific discrimination against pit bull-types, Rottweilers, German Shepherds and Chow Chows. Emmy’s Hope This young lady is a breath of fresh air in our crazy world. Meet 11-year-old Emmy Perry, who was recently featured in a national Kleenex campaign for her work saving animals. She has saved 250 animals to date. She also received an award from the City Of Orange for her work with animals. What Goes On When You Leave Animal Radio’s Pet World Insider, Robert Semrow, has the Top 5 Secret Things Your Pets Do When You’re Away. We can only imagine what goes on when you leave home… or can we? Lick My Face! Have you seen David Duchovny’s video, which launched the “Lick My Face” campaign to support the nonprofit organization Target Zero? It’s a great idea and fun for an admirable cause so here’s how it works: Just put some peanut butter on your face - the more the better to get more licks - let your pet loose and let the licking begin. There are more details on the LickMyFace.org website. Read More… Next Week:

Personal Pet Check Up You know your pet better than anyone else, including your vet. Doc Halligan has part two of her weekly “once-over” exam. Follow these steps and you’ll be on top of any problems before they become serious. Doggy DNA Nabs Poop Offenders A luxury apartment community near Grand Rapids, Michigan says it will use DNA technology as a way to sniff out dog owners who fail to pick up their pets’ poop. The Ridges of Cascade complex is asking dog owners to swab their pet’s mouth so it can build a DNA database that will allow it to identify residents who ignore its strict cleanup policy. The management company as already contracted with the Tennessee-based company PooPrints to collect DNA samples of each dog in the development. Violators will face a $350 fine. Sloth Love Most every social media butterfly has seen at least one cute video of a sloth (if not, check out our Facebook page). These litter critters are so cute, that many people want one as a pet. Photographer Sam Trull says she “went to Costa Rica for the primates but stayed for the sloths.” She has the lowdown on sloths, and she says people think they’re slow. She says “they can be fast when they want to, and their nails are pretty scary too.” How Do I Clone My Pet? Pet Cloning is now available in the U.S. through Viagen Pets. Melain Rodriguez is back to talk about mentally preparing for cloning your pet. She’ll talk about what the process involves and if genetic preservation hurts your pet. The Cat’s Got More Than Your Tongue A pet feline in New Zealand has been stealing men’s underwear and socks from other people’s homes! In just 2 months, the 6 year old cat named Brigit, acquired 11 pairs of underwear and more than 50 pairs of socks. Brigit’s owner says she has put notes in every mailbox on her street to warn her neighbors.

What Happens To Your Pet If Something Happens To You? You don’t have to be Leona Helmsley to plan for your pet if you should die. Estate Attorney AJ Fudge is our guest. She says it’s easy to plan for any eventuality, but you should know how. Simply putting your pet in your will isn’t enough, as that may be contested. Funny Vet Stories Dr. Bo Brock has just about seen it all, despite living in the middle of nowhere. He’s treated just about every animal, from Ostriches to Elephants. He’ll tell us several hilarious stories about strange but true cases from his peculiar practice. When Ugly = Cute The winner of this year’s World’s Ugliest Dog Contest is a wrinkled; wispy- haired, bony Chinese crested Chihuahua named Sweepee Rambo. The tiny girl is 17 years old, blind in both eyes and at only four pounds, is not much bigger than two hands put together. She was a crowd favorite at the Petaluma, California contest. Sweeper’s favorite thing to do is ride with her dad on his motorcycle. He won $1,500 and a six-foot tall trophy for Sweepee’s win. Giving Your Pet A Check Up Doc Halligan will teach us how to give your pet a weekly check up. Knowing exactly what to look for could mean the difference between life and death. Early detection gives you the best odds when it comes to your pet’s health. 5 Summer Outings That Include Dogs Do you want to take your dog with your for some summer fun? Why not? Animal Radio’s Pet World Insider Robert Semrow has compiled a list that you and your furry-friend will find useful and exciting. Most Pet Friendly Companies Many companies offer perks to their employees to keep their workers happy and boost their productivity, perks like gym memberships, foosball tables, free snacks and stuff like that. But if you are an animal lover who yearns to work in a pet-friendly office, Fortune Magazine has come out with a list of the most pet-friendly companies to work for.

Virtual Chicken Petting Imagine leaving your dog at home while it turns on the smart TV and chooses a program to watch. Lori Brooks will tell you about the new technology. She’ll also tell you about Virtual Chicken Petting that artificially replicates physical interaction between chickens and their farmers. Relief For Orlando Shooting Victim’s Pets After the mass killing in Florida, The Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando Shelter, says it will offer assistance to the pet of people affected by the shooting at the Pulse nightclub by providing short-term care for the pets of those who were injured in the shooting. Share A Glass Of Wine With Your Pets So, you love your cat and you love your wine. A Colorado company called Apollo Peak wants to help cat owners enjoy the experience of sharing a glass of wine with their pets, so they’ve come out with a non-alcoholic, beet-based, catnip infused wine for cats. Making Training Your Dog Enjoyable Zak George is back and he has tips on making training your dog enjoyable for both you and your furry-friend. He believes that if your dog likes to do what your training them to do, you will be more successful. He’ll also talk about Service Dog fraud. What You Need To Do Before Your Dog Goes Missing Animal Radio’s Pet World Insider, Robert Semrow has a short list of the things you should do so that, if and when your dog or cat disappears, you’ll be prepared for a prompt and safe return. Don’t forget, 4th of July is one of the biggest times for shelters and lost pets.