The animal/human bond is strong, but it appears to be even stronger in Senior Citizens. In this episode of The Vetpodcast, I have a closer look at the relationship between senior citizens and their pets.

A lazy obese dog sitting in the sun all day. Does it need a diet, or could there be more going on. Hypothyroidism, probably an under diagnosed disease.

For those of us males "of an age", I am sure we know exactly where our prostate is. Our doctors gloved finger has pointed it out. Prostatic disease is common in older male dogs, but usually, once found, there is a happy ending.

As a young pre veterinary student, I remember making an absolute idiot of myself by going to my doctor and asking for worm tablets to treat the ringworm lesion I had. It was then that I learned that ringworm was not caused by a worm at all, but by a fungus.
In this episode of The Vetpodcast, we take a closer look at ringworm.

Often an owner will find a round lump under the skin of their dog, and quite rightly, bring it to the clinic for us to check. Although there are some nasty skin tumours that dogs can get, luckily, one of the most common causes of these lumps it a benign tumour called a lipoma.

Increased thirst, increased urination, increased hunger while losing weight, lower activity and thinning, dry or dull hair can all be signs that your cat or dog is suffering from diabetes. As this month has been designated Diabetes awareness month, I thought it would be a good time to have a talk to Doug Passmore, a veterinarian with MSD Animal Health about diabetes.
For more information on diabetes visit the following links:

www.petdiabetesmonth.com

www.pet-diabetes.com

Enter any pet shop, supermarket or veterinary surgery and you will be faced with a wall of flea products. How do you decide which one is right for your pet? Perhaps a little knowledge of the creature we are trying to kill may help.

Do you have a disaster plan for your cats and dogs if there is a natural disaster? After seeing what happened in the Christchurch earthquakes I think you should!

There is a whole industry based on catnip. What is so special about this plant?

Vet nursing is a very rewarding and challenging career. It does however require a lot more attributes than just the love of animals.

A really common reason for visiting the vet is the thought that your animal may be drinking more than it should. In this episode we examine what may be causing this.

Some dogs seem to spend their life at the vets with skin and ear problems. One of the underlying causes of chronic skin problems in dogs is Food Allergy Dermatitis

The benefits of micro-chipping have come to the fore following the recent Christchurch earthquakes. Animals that have been chipped can be easily reunited with their owners. There is more to micro-chipping than animal identification though.Do you remember Star Trek when Bones would run a machine over the body of a patient and make a diagnosis? Well guess what, Destron are working on chips that can detect hormonal changes, blood pressure and eventually even disease processes. This is no longer science fiction. It’s a new world.

One of the hardest decisions both veterinarians and owners have to make is choosing the right time to euthanase an old or sick cat or dog. I am afraid there is no easy answer!

If someone calls your dog mangy, they are probably right. Although usually not causing any clinical problems, most dogs carry demodex. This podcast looks at the ones where demodex does cause a problem.

Most veterinarians strongly advocate spaying or desexing female dogs. One of the nastier conditions we see in non spayed bitches is called a pyometra. After seeing this podcast, if you haven’t done so already, you may want to get your girl spayed.

As vets, we get the odd case that although we are sure of the diagnosis, and the treatment we have prescribed should be working, the animal just isn’t improving.
It may not be that we have got it wrong. We could be looking at something that is known as “poor compliance”
This podcast firstly shows how to give a pill or tablet to a cat and dog, then discusses ways to improve client compliance with medication.

Although they look like small adult dogs, puppies actually have different dietary requirements to adult dogs. In the final of our series on nutrition, Dr Danielle Bernal discusses good puppy nutrition.

Are the senior pet diets available necessary for your pet? Dr Danielle Bernal, the veterinarian for Eukanuba pet foods in Australia and New Zealand joins us for the second programme in our series on pet food to explain the different food requirements for our older pets.

Half of all dogs and one third of all cats in Australia and New Zealand are considered to be obese. Why, and what can we do about this? I discuss pet obesity with Dr Danielle Bernal, veterinarian for Eukanuba pet foods in Australia and New Zealand.

As long as there are cats and dogs and as long as there are cars there are going to be injured animals.

Dr. Carla Litchfield has a PhD in Animal Psychology, is a conservationist, an author and is a former zoo inhabitant. We discuss, amongst other things, The Human Zoo, tourism and the Great Apes, zoo design and how we can enrich our pet’s lives
Carla's Homepage is http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/staff/homepage.asp?Name=Carla.Litchfield

Carlas publisher, Black Dog Books can be found at http://www.bdb.com.au/authorsandillustrators/index.php?creator=litchfield_carla

For thousands of years, it has been reported that animals can predict earthquakes. Following the recent Christchurch earthquakes, I thought I would see what actual evidence there is for this.

Again, with the help of Bayer graphics, we look at the life cycle and control of the cat tapeworm Dipylidium caninum.

With the help of some really good computer graphics from Bayer, we look at the life cycle and control of the cat roundworm Toxocara cati

De-sexing a female dog is a very common veterinary procedure. With the use of pictures, we run through how this surgery is done.

When you walk into your pet food retailer you will probably be met with a wall of different pet foods. It is often hard to know which the right one for your pet is. Let’s at least try and narrow your choice down a bit by looking at the principles of “Life stage diets”.
Also in this episode is a quick overview of weight loss in overweight pets.

Happy and hungry is a term that is often given to diabetic cats and dogs. In the early stages of the disease, the only symptoms that may be seen are an increased thirst, and perhaps an increase in appetite. As this condition has the ability to be well controlled, early diagnosis can greatly increase your pets quality of life.

Dogs are pack animals. When they join your family they are becoming part of your pack. Unless they are socialized properly, they can show some major behavior problems. Your local vets' "Puppy Preschool" class will help make your puppy a "well rounded individual".

Its a shame when things that taste so good are often bad for you. This can be doubly true for your dog. Did you know that raisins, chocolate, coffee and onions are all poisonous to your dog?

Toxoplasmosis is a very common cat parasite. Part of its' life cycle affects other species. Can it really make rats attracted to cats, make human males less intelligent, and human females more affectionate. Intrigued? I was!

Dogs learn to explore by using their mouths and is perfectly normal behaviour. However dogs often chew inappropriate things and need to be taught what is acceptable and what is not.

Responsible pet ownership these days really dictates that your pet should not be able to breed. As a profession we strongly advise that you desex your pets. Here is why.

Pets cannot tell us what is wrong with them so it is up to you to speak for them. When you visit the vet with your pet, by following some of the advice given here, it will make the visit a lot easier for everybody.

Television programmes such as CSI have shown us the power of forensic science. This same science is being used for criminal investigations involving animals. We again talk to George Sofronidis from Genetic Technologies in Australia.
For more information, have a look at http://www.animalnetwork.com.au/forensics/

Ever wondered what breeds are in your cross bred dog? This information may be more important than you may think. Different breeds have different characteristics. A Labrador Weimaraner cross will show different behaviour than for example a Labrador German Shepherd, although they may look similar. Certain breeds may be genetically more likely to suffer from a specific condition. If we know the breeds in your dog, we may be able to control these conditions. Is your pure bred dog actually pure bred. George Sofronidis from Genetic Technologies in Australia may have some answers.
The BITSA website is http://www.animalnetwork.com.au/bitsa/

Most people think of vets as the animal health professionals that look after cats and dogs and cows and horses. The normal domestic animals. There is another breed of veterinarians that look after wildlife and zoo animals. This work normally goes on behind the scenes.
Wellington Zoo has just opened an interesting new facility that they call “The Nest”. “The Nest” is an animal hospital and centre for native wildlife care. The innovative thing about this facility is that the public can, and are actually encouraged to watch what goes on in an area that is usually “behind the scenes”. On a daily basis the expert team will talk visitors through operations as they happen, providing a unique insight into their profession and dedication.
Dr Francois Lampen is the manager of veterinary science at the Wellington Zoo.
The Nest website is www.wellingtonzoo.com/thenest

A cat straining to urinate may be the indicator of a serious health issue. Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease is a nasty condition that may require urgent treatment.

Corneal ulcers are seen quite commonly in most veterinary practices. As common as they are, there is always the potential for them causing permanent eye damage, but with the correct treatment, usually there is a good outcome.

Dogs dont dig holes in the ground to annoy you, it is simply in their nature. As frustrating as it is, there are ways this behaviour can be addressed.

With more people living in apartments meaning less space for conventional pets, keeping an aquarium is a lot more common these days. Added to this, fish farming is also big business. There are now veterinarians who have taken their training to a new level. In this podcast I talk to Dr Fiona MacDonald, who is the secretary of the United Kingdom Fish Veterinary Society

The link for the UK Fish Vet Society is www.fishvetsociety.org.uk

The Link for Fionas' Fish Treatment Ltd website is www.fish-treatment.co.uk

That faintly fishy metallic smell from the back end of your dog is probably its Anal Glands. What are they there for and what can go wrong with them??

Farm animals as we know them today have been selected for desirable traits or characteristics such as fast growth rate, heavy muscling, good fibre production, good milk production or perhaps temperament. Along the way, some breeds may have been discarded from main stream farming for a variety of reasons, and their numbers have dwindled, perhaps even to the point of extinction. Some domesticated breeds may have returned to the wild, and in doing so returned to a free living state.
In New Zealand the guardians of these animals are The Rare Breeds Conservation Society, whose role is to conserve, record and promote these breeds with the particular aim of maintaining genetic diversity within our livestock species.

In this interview, I talk with Mike Willis, a spokesman for this society, and himself, a custodian of a number of rare breeds.

Have a look at the New Zealand Rare Breeds website at http://www.rarebreeds.co.nz/

The trouble with seizures in dogs is that often the owner may miss them. They may be a very transient occurrence lasting perhaps only 30 seconds, and unless you see the event occurring how would you know? When you do see them, they can be a very scary thing. Today we have a look at symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of seizures.

Have you ever walked into someone’s house and it absolutely stinks of cat urine. Worse still, have you noticed this in your own home. This is not necessarily a reflection of the cleanliness of the owner, but often caused by a behavioural problem in their cat we refer to as urine spraying.

We have probably all seen pictures of Greyhounds racing around a track. What is the history of this sport, and more importantly for me, what sets Greyhounds apart from other dogs. I discuss this with Dave Matheson, a veterinarian in Christchurch, New Zealand, who has administered veterinary care to racing greyhounds for years

In a previous Vetpodcast on Physical Therapy, mention was made in passing of the use of braces and prosthetics in the treatment of animals. Just as is the case with physical rehabilitation, this is another area of treatment where the knowledge and techniques gained over the years from human medicine are being modified and applied to veterinary medicine. Ben Blecha works in this field at a company called AceOrthoSolutions in Nebraska and discusses his work in this field.
For more information, Ben’s wbsite is www.aceorthosolutions.com

Many people know of the work that Doctors without Borders do. A little less well known (but I stand to be corrected here) is an organization called Veterinarians without Borders.
In this episode, I talk to Dr Enid Styles, the vice president of Veterinarians without Borders Canada about the work of this organization, and more specifically, about their contribution towards controlling rabies worldwide.

Follow this link to their website:
http://www.vwb-vsf.ca/english/index.shtml

Urine is usually seen as a waste product of the body, but as veterinarians we often use it as a simple window into what is going on in the rest of the body.

Unfortunately because the life expectancy of our pets is much shorter than our own, most pet owners have to deal with the death of a pet. There is a very practical problem here. What do you do with the body. There are several options. In New Zealand anyway, most veterinarians have, for the want of a better term, a disposal service. Many owners will take the pet home for home burial. Often though, this may not be an option, especially if the owner shifts houses regularly, lives in an apartment where burial is not an option or just doesn’t like the idea of their dead pet lying at the end of the garden.
From our records, probably about 50% of the euthanased animals are cremated. In this podcast I talk to Andrea Guillemot from Fond Farewells pet cremation in Christchurch, New Zealand about Pet cremation.
For more information on Fond Farewells go to:
http://www.gribblesvets.co.nz/info/general/Document/get/465/documentId/

It is a fact that cats are living longer than they used to. The American Veterinary Medical Association in their 1996 survey of pets in the US found that when looking at the records of veterinarians, cats over the age of 6 years comprised 47% of the cat population on their records. 15 years ago, a 10 year old cat was doing well, now we are seeing cats in their late teens and early 20’s. Why has this happened, and what are the ramifications of this trend?

Physical rehabilitation or physiotherapy has been the mainstay of injury management in humans for decades. Historically, as vets we have been reluctant to urge early mobility after surgery with the perhaps misguided thought that the animal will use the limb when it is good and ready. Along with the greater awareness of pain control taken from our medical colleagues, physical rehabilitation is being seen as a very useful, if not essential part of injury management.
I discuss physical rehabilitation with Danielle Robbins, a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist.
For more information, check out Danielle's website at http://www.americandogrehab.com/

Where do you store your pets medication? Obviously out of the reach of the kids, but is it better in the refrigerator, in the kitchen or in a cool dark place? What do you do with it if any is left over?

There are many different methods of flea control. With the modern products we have available, we should be able to eliminate fleas from your pets.

Sharon Newmarch, our go to veterinarian for eye problems discusses catarracts.

Lets have a look at allergic dogs and see the problems dialing a wrong number can cause.

A Clucky Hen is a hen that sits on eggs trying to hatch them. This is fine if you actually want her to hatch eggs, but what if you want her to keep laying?

Just as humans can be infected with HIV and develop Aids, there is a very similar disease of cats which has been around a lot longer!

"By the time I saw her at the clinic, she was laying flat on her side, and if she was a human, you would swear she was singing. I guess she was also telling me she was really really sorry, I was the best friend she has ever had, and she will never do it again!"

I relate an unusual visit to the clinic and discuss veterinary acupuncture with Gunhild Gregor, a veterinarian and qualified veterinary acupuncturist.

Rat bait poisoning is probably the most common poisoning we see in dogs. Although it is usually easily diagnosed and treated, it is equally easily preventable.

What are your options if your in season female dog is visited by the local roaming Casanova?

As veterinarians, we are often presented with animals that should have been seen earlier. In this podcast, I discuss some of the veterinary emergencies that may require immediate veterinary consultation.