Vet Talk Radio

If you ever thought the topic of dentistry was boring, wait until you hear ARH Veterinary Dentist Dr Christine Hawke speak! - For instance 'Fangs' is not a word that usually comes to mind when talking about dogs and cats, but Dr Christine throws it around like an old sock in this very informative chat about Dental Braces.... Oh and she also shares a very funny personal story about wearing braces herself as a child and ignoring her own dental specialists' 'warning' about eating lollies!

Is a Poodle healthier than say a Chihuahua?. What about a Cavilier King Charles Spaniel compared to a Beagle or a Boxer? Dogs are not 'dogs' when it comes to health issues. Sometimes it's just genetics -eg; "in the breed" - at other times it could be poor breeding generally or even cross-breeding. So which breeds are generally more expensive to insure? Nadia Crighton from Pet Insurance Australia explains more

OOOWWWCCCHH!... Poor little Gigi... this gorgeous little 11yr old French Bulldog just put her owners through absolute hell and nobody seems to know how it happened. Basically, Gigi's dad came home and found her blood soaked, standing like a statue totally frozen with what turned out to be an entire hanging basket hook lodged under her tongue. The photo clearly shows the hook poking out of the skin from under her jaw. No doubt it was extremely painful if she moved! Without even wondering how or why, Gigi's dad rushed her to the ARH Emergency Centre at Baulkham Hills. Lucky for Gigi he did! Combined with dad's quick thinking and our overnight ARH Emergency Team Vet Nurses Alex & Jess and of course Emergency Vet Dr Karyn Wesselingh, Gigi seems to have recovered nicely. Hopefully Gigi will stick to playing with tennis balls from now on! :-) Meantime - We finally managed to track down the very busy ARH Emergency Vet Dr Karyn Wesselingh to tell us in person all about this amazing case that confronted her

'Poodlelicious' is one word to describe this awesome breed :-)... Ok, we're a little biased because we have had several over the years - and continue to be hooked on Poodles with our latest rescue 'Chica' - who you will also see in this short Podcast with Pictures as we chat with Dr Jo Sillince from Pets Australia about the Poodle Club of NSW's 'Poodle Fun Day'!

Timmy - a 13 year old Spaniel is the unlikely symbol of hope for Dementia sufferers around the world after receiving a unique form of stem cell therapy which appears to have restored his memory…and in so doing… saved his life! In this podcast you'll hear Timmy's 'dad' Tony Leeder-Smith explain how Timmy behaved at home before treatment. Assoc. Prof. Michael Valenzuela from the Brain & Mind Institute reveals how the stem-cell therapy works and Dementia Trial Co-ordinator Dr Sarah Toole outlines the process of determining whether the therapy has worked using a sand maze! You can also watch the video version of this story to see the 'classic' signs of CCD in dogs. http://bit.ly/1NUeyNm

You have a dream, you work hard studying then start work... So what's it really like after all that... being a veterinary nurse in Australia's largest 24hour Emergency Animal Hospital? ARH Vet Nurse Jess Thorpe explains in part 2 of 'Inside ARH'

Ever wondered what motivates people to do the work they do? This is the first in a series of short podcasts called 'Inside ARH' featuring Vet Nurse Jess Thorpe. The VIDEO VERSION can be seen here: http://www.vettalktv.com/vet-speak/1175-inside-arh-how-i-got-started-vet-nurse-jess-thorpe-part-1

Pet Insurance Australia has revealed an almost 600% increase in claims for Osteoarthritis related conditions over the past 5 years and nearly 700% increase in Cruciate Ligament claims due mainly to overweight and obese pets. Pet Insurance Australia spokesperson Nadia Crighton explains along with special guest appearance from ARH Surgical Specialist Dr Sarah Goldsmid

Ever had a dog impounded by your local council just because it was deemed a 'stray' because the delivery guy left the gate open? Council fees in Australia can be in the hundreds of dollars - part fine, part cost of care - just to get your dog back and this increases on a daily basis making it hard for many people on lower incomes to actually get their dogs back. This then means the dog is surrendered and put up for adoption. Team Dog is an initiative of Mel Isaacs who has some great ideas how both councils and pet owners can ultimately be 'winners'.

Older dogs are often the last to be adopted and end up being 'just another statistic' in our already overcrowded pounds and shelters. But one lucky 11yr old boxer caught the eye of long time ARH team member Sue Thompson who chose to take the 'old girl' on. But Sue also has a 'gripe' about her experience she wants us all to think about. Also in this story you'll hear Mel Isaacs Founder of Team Dog, a registered charity passionate about changing how people recover impounded animals.

Paralysis ticks… In Australaia they're more deadly than sharks or crocodiles but with the help of Surgery Nurse Kasey Findlay and Emergency Nurse James Perez-Christie from Sydney's Animal Referral Hospital, we’ll show you how searching for them can also be fun! Listen to this podcast of watch the video! http://bit.ly/ParalysisTicks

FEATURE STORY... Both pets and humans rely on our kidneys to deal with waste products without missing a beat. However some species are more prone to kidney problems than others… like cats, particularly older felines… So it was a shock when 4 year old Molly startled her veterinary nurse mum by displaying classic symptoms of chronic kidney disease. LISTEN to this podcast or WATCH the video here http://bit.ly/CatKidneyDisease as ARH Surgery Nurse Kasey Findlay shares her story. TIP: Ask your own vet for early symptoms to watch out for and how to use nutrition and annual wellness checks to keep your own pet's kidneys healthier for longer

In this podcast we chat with well known Whippet breeder and long time champion dog show enthusiast Toni Comerford about her pup Cherry - who - during a routine procedure to remove her baby teeth that had not come out 'crashed' under anaesthetic. Her blood was not clotting, blood pressure down and she was discharging bloody mucous. Have a listen to find out what happened next and how the specialists at Sydney's Animal Referral Hospital were able to save Cherry's life!

This Week... @ 01'13" - Are Genetics Making Labradors Fat? - Dr Anne Fawcett @ 06'12" - Pregnant? Get Rid Of The Cat! (True or False?) - Dr Jo Sillince @ 09'24" - Pets Who Drink Excessively - Nadia Crighton

VETtalk #53 - This week: @ 00'15" - Get Plucked! - Dr Jo Sillince @ 04'45" - Cats Vs Toddlers - Dr Kim Kendall @ 09'13" - What's Zoonosis - Dr David Jenkins @ 12'40" - Busy? Try Exotics! - Dr Jayne Weller

This Week... @ 00'31" Epilepsy Vs Seizure. Is there a difference? - Dr Jo Sillince @ 06'50" How To Make Vet Visits Stress Free - Vet Behaviour Team @ 12'36" Revealed!... Pet Friendly Exterminators - Pestec @ 20'17" Horse Massage?.. Too Ezzee! - Kylie Ebbett

Ok - how often do you take your dog for a walk?... While the idea sounds great many of us make all sorts of promises to our dogs (& ourselves!) but the reality is that we often just don't get around to it - The result is either a dog that starts to put on weight because of a lack of activity or other issues such as a torn leg ligament because they start running around all very excited WITHOUT a pre-run warm-up! We know from personal experience the latter and how easily this can happen and thought we'd ask former DOGSLife editor Nadia Crighton from Pet Insurance Australia to share a few ideas with you.

This Week... @ 01'04" - August Is Pet Dental Health Month - Nadia Crighton @ 06'15" - Doggy Dental Braces! - Dr Christine Hawke @ 12'49"- Why Are Cats Going Under The Radar? - Dr Jo Sillince @ 15'30"- Do Chooks Make Good Pets? - Dr Jayne Weller

We often joke about 'doggy breath' but the reality is it can lead to not only major dental disease and the subsequent costs involved but also other major health issues. Every year in Australia we talk about August being 'Pet Dental Health Month' - a chance to remind all of us pet owners whether we have dogs or cats - that we really should see our vet for a pet dental check. You can also read a blog about this story here: http://www.petinsuranceaustralia.com.au/blog/

Put a young kid and a cat together and it makes a pretty cute photo right? Maybe… unless you’re the cat! Young kids, especially toddlers and especially boys can a cat’s worst nightmare. This story is very close to home... Not too long ago our daughter needed help to solve a problem with her much loved 9 yr old cat Smokey and her then almost 3 yr old son Tyler. Smokey would disappear for the best part of the day then come out after young Tyler had gone to bed only to be all over mum and wanting 100% attention. So we thought we'd check in with Dr Kim Kendall – the Cat Vet from the Chatswood Cat Palace to help put some perspective on the problem.