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

The other week I spoke to an infectious disease expert on the current novel corona virus pandemic. Today my guest and I are going to chat about issues that can arise as a result of us hunkering down during our self-quarantine social distancing. Our pets are loving it...finally their humans are home and can pay more attention to them...whooopeee! But with this closeness can come potential problems, in and outside the home.
My guest is Dr. Tina Wismer. She is a veterinarian, board certified veterinary toxicologist and diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology. Dr. Wismer is also the Medical Director of the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center.
EPISODE NOTES: DIY Poison Remedies

I was a pretty sickly kid. At 3 1⁄2 years of age my appendix ruptured and the doctors didn’t figure it out for 14 days. I spent a lot of time around physicians and found medicine fascinating. But it wasn’t until I was in college that I changed my major from pre-med to pre-vet. I realized that rather than just taking care of males and females, adults and kids and variations on the theme, I could be a veterinarian. I would be able to care for a zoo full of creatures. I could be a pediatrician to gerontologist, behaviorist to surgeon and get kisses from puppies with sour milk breath...what could be better?
You might know of a tween or teen who has already made up their mind that veterinary medicine is the career path for them. Getting exposure to all the vet med can be is extremely helpful in the journey of dream to reality. But where can these youngsters get that experience?
Dr. Chris Carpenter, the founder of Vet Set Go is helping kids in 6th to 8th grade discover the myriad of opportunities that veterinary medicine encompasses. Besides books, communities and blogs, Vet Set Go is providing scholarships to 3 lucky kids so they can attend the upcoming week long Auburn Junior Veterinary Camp. Vet Set Go is covering tuition, room and board.
EPISODE NOTES: Summer Camp for Would Be Dr. Doolittles

Daily news reports warn us of the impact that our carbon foot print is having on our planet. We are told to change how we live and what we drive. But could our pets themselves -what and who we feed them contribute to their detrimental environmental pawprint? We pamper our dogs and cats like children and are told by pet food companies that we need to feed them like wolves and bobcats. But is this the best diet for them? Could these ancestral diets be contributing to the rise in obesity in our pets and climate destruction? What can we do for our pets that is easy, safe and nutritious and possibly reverse climate change?
My guest is Dr. Ernie Ward, an internationally recognized veterinarian, author and lecturer from North Carolina with expertise in senior pets, pain management, nutrition and founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. He will soon be releasing a book that is sure to be paradigm shifting for all pet parents who are concerned with providing the best possible care for their furry family members and the veterinarians who care for them.
EPISODE NOTES: How What and Who We Feed Our Pets Affects Them, Us and Our Planet

If an earthquake, fire, flood or storm were to affect your neighborhood, would you be able to save your human and animal family members? But you have time. What are the chances that you need to worry about it?
As emergency situations seem to be affecting more and more people more frequently, fire, police and emergency first responders can easily become overwhelmed. You need to prepare and you need to prepare NOW. But what do you need...at home, at work and in your car?
My guest is an expert in emergency preparedness. Sadly, she has recently been involved in too many events that have put her knowledge into action in her hometown area of Southern California. Darleen Geekie is a registered veterinary technician, veterinary practice owner and president of VEMA, Inc., Veterinary Emergency Medical Assistance, makers of the only pet emergency kit made specifically for animals by veterinarians.
EPISODE NOTES: Could You Save Your Pet’s Life?

Diversity in veterinary medicine has traditionally been viewed as the inclusion of more women in the profession. The first woman, graduated from McKillip Veterinary College in Chicago in 1903. Very slowly more women entered this field of medicine. 1970-89% of veterinary college enrollment was held by men. 2007, only 37 years later was dubbed ‘the year of the female veterinarian’ with 75 percent of that year’s graduates being women. 2009 was the tipping point for the profession with 55% of the licensed DVMs being female. As of 2017, 80% of all veterinary students were women, and currently 64% of the practicing veterinarians you’ll encounter will be women and 90% of the veterinary nurses are also women.
Improving inclusivity is a major focus of veterinary medicine recruitment and advancement. But the question remains as to how we got to our current status, what is being done to have the profession more closely mirror the general population and why it is important.
My guest is Dr. Tierra Price. She is part of a very elite cadre of veterinarians. Dr. Price is also is one of the 2.1% veterinarians in the United States who are African American. We are going to discuss the challenges in becoming a veterinarian when no one looks like you, how she and the profession are attempting to remedy this disparity and the organization she founded, the Black DVM Network.
EPISODE NOTES: Diversity In Veterinary Medicine...