The Pet Doctor - Keeping your pets healthy & pet wellness - Pets & Animals on Pet Life Radio (PetLifeRadio.com)

At least once a week I have a client tell me that they wanted to become a veterinarian when they were young, but never pursued the career. They just didn’t think they had what it took. There are so many tweens and teens who are starting to wrestle with the question ‘what do you want to do when you grow up?’ Many may entertain the idea of becoming a doctor of veterinary medicine but they also have doubts about what does it take? Could I handle the sights, sounds and smells of being around animals? What options are available if I like science but want to do more than tend to the traditional dogs, cats, horses and birds? How do I go about get hands on experience? Dr. Chris Carpenter is the founder and director of an amazing program called ‘Vet Set Go’ that incorporates his degrees in veterinary medicine and his membership in the National Science Teachers Association. It is unique and a great way for tweens and teens to explore all the veterinary medicine can be.

A boy, a dog and a ball... the quintessential trio for fun and also the basis of a wonderful animated movie that will touch your heart and help broach a topic for children that adults often find difficult to discuss... the circle of life. My guest is Kyle Logan, the writer for ‘Chase the Ball’, a Kickstarter endeavor you really need to become involved with if you have ever loved a person or a pet.

Have you ever walked through an animal shelter? It teams with hope... dogs and cats hopeful that you will take them home and love them. Heartbreak because last year an estimated 3 million dogs and cats across the United States found themselves alone, afraid and abandoned in such facilities. Animal shelter have greatly improved in the services they offer these animals but sadly, the majority of these wonderful loving pets will never find a forever home. They are destroyed because no one adopts them. There are just too many of them. A few months ago, my local veterinary association took part in a ‘Doctors Without Borders’-type pet wellness event sponsored by a spectacular organization founded by my guest, Teri Austin. This woman’s passion for helping some of the least served pets in the Los Angeles area will hopefully inspire you to help her foundation or who knows, you may want to use this model to tackle the same issues in your home town.

The population of China tops 1 billion people. The US has about 320 million residents. US pets, livestock and industry are served by approximately 100,000 veterinarians with China boasts between 300,000 to 1 million doctors of veterinary medicine. So why did an American born woman from New York feel the need to start the first government sanctioned companion animal referral center in Beijing? The story and what she has accomplished is fascinating. My guest is Mary Peng, the CEO and founder of the International Center for Veterinary Services, Beijing, China

You want your pet to live long and prosper- you feed an expensive food, it has a better bed than yours, its trips to the beauty shop exceeds the pampering you receive and it has its own pet psychic- but are you addressing its essential long term health needs? What are these needs and whose advice should you seek? Ms. Jeannine Taaffe, the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Banfield Pet Hospitals will explore with me their 2015 Annual State of the Pet Health Report. It has some extremely fascinating details highlighting the disconnect between what pet owners and veterinarians view as preventive health care for cats and dogs and what you can do to remedy the shortfall.

According to Webster’s dictionary, passion has several definitions. The more common is ‘a powerful or compelling emotion or feeling such as love or hate’. One less used but sums up a veterinarian’s passion for his or her chosen field is ‘the state of being affected by something external, especially something alien to one’s nature or one’s customary behavior. It has to be passion, why else would a sane human being place themselves in harm’s way from hooves, claws, teeth, beaks, inordinately long days, communicable diseases that can kill, field work and research that can take you away from your family for months at a time and all for benefit of others who rarely say thank you? Why? Because veterinary medicine is one of the most fabulous vocations one could ever be a part of. My guest is Dr. Joe Kinnarney. He is the 2015-2016 president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. We are going to chat about your passion for your pets and the role veterinarians play insuring the health of people, animals and the world.

Who knows maybe someday when you pick up a bag or can of pet food you may see a photo of a lost pets like the ones of children on the back of milk cartons. In the past when your beloved four legged member of the family wandered away from home, a pet parent could plaster telephone poles with posters, call the local shelters and drive around their neighborhoods peering under cars and bushes and crossing their paws that they would be reunited with their errant pooch or puss. But thanks to facial recognition technology, a photo and a smart phone app can no reunite pet and parent. I will be speaking today with John Palimeno. The heart and brains behind ‘Finding Rover’.

If you have listened to the Pet Doctor in the past, you may have heard an interview regarding how advances in veterinary medicine can translate into addressing the same ills for people and vice versa. Today I am going to be more literal... an American born and trained veterinarian who moved to China to work and live. My guest is Dr. Jennifer Repac. We will start what should be a fascinating conversation of a stranger in a unique land.

I can always tell the owner of the incessantly scratching pet as they wait in my reception area. I don’t even have to see their pet. The signs are unmistakable... the haggard look, the bags under their eyes, the tinge of irritability from lack of sleep and their furrowed brow from worrying about their dog or cat. Itching, biting, scratching, chewing and just plain futzing with themselves can drive a pet and their owner crazy. What are some of the most common causes of these skin issues and what can a pet parent do? My guest is a board certified veterinary dermatologist, Dr. Ursula Thomas. Dr. Thomas is also a veterinary service manager, for Ceva Animal Health.

Fits like a collar... acts like a guardian angel. That might be one of the best ways to describe a very unique advancement in wearable technology for your dog. While attending the 2015 American Veterinary Medical Association’s National convention in Boston, Massachusetts, I was introduced to a product that is blending technology with a heart- the Voyce Pro. It will assist the pet owner and veterinarian to provide a customizable approach to pet wellness without even putting your hands on the dog. My guest is Dr. Amanda Landis-Hanna, director of veterinary medicine for Voyce Pro.

Radar receiving cone, lamp shade, cone of shame or just plain Elizabethan collar... it is that source of broken tchatche, bruised legs and frustration for pets. Now it is a source of amazing art and charitable funds for several pet advocacy organizations... and you can get involved. My guest, Gabe Martinez is one of the master minds behind this extremely unique event to be held in Los Angeles... More Than a Cone.

My guest is Lance Hemsarth, an entomologist, and Sr. Director of Research and Development for Hartz Mountain Corporation. We are going to chat about two serious parasites that being causing disease and mayhem for people and animals for the past 35 to 55 million years... fleas and ticks. For full transparency, I am a paid spokesperson for Hartz. I have full confidence in their products as being safe and effective when used as directed.

The 2015 National convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association was the host to innovators of products and services that will allow veterinarians and pet owners to provide the best possible care for body and mind. Over the next several weeks, Dr. Cruz will interview representatives for these cutting edge advances.

It can wake you up from a deep sleep. That sound that fills your soul with terror... ummmfph...ummmfph...gblahhh! Your cat's about to hurl. Where's it going to land? On the easy-to-clean floor? Or on your freshly-cleaned carpet? If you're really lucky it's on your bed or pillow. Cats... and vomit... seem to go paw in paw. Must be those pesky hairballs for which they're notorious. My guest today is Dr. Jane Brunt, CATalyst executive director. We'll be chatting about the facts and fictions of hairballs in cats.

It is estimated that Americans bite dogs at the rate of over 7 billion times between Memorial day and Labor Day with the highest concentration being in the month of July. Those statistics may seem alarming and have been compiled by a very reputable organization, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. Every year, Americans eat an average of 60 hot dogs each and not all of those are eaten at your local Costco. Though dogs have been deemed to be one of our dearest companions, it has been estimated that dogs will bite man, and woman and too often children 4.5 million times a year. Are they all bad dogs? Were they are mistreated as pup? What do we do to aggravate the situation? My guest is Dr. Jose Arce. He is a delegate to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s House of Delegates representing Puerto Rico where he co-owns Miramar Animal Hospital.