Season 2, Show #3 – Pet wellness

Dr. Caroline Gilje of the Barrett Station Veterinary Clinic and Dr. Dennis Cloud from Cloud Veterinary Center join guest host John in the studio to discuss pet wellness, Dr. Cloud's speaking engagements and answer caller questions.

• What is a wellness exam for pets?
• Throughout the nation, pet obesity is on the rise.
• A 14-year study by Purina proves that feeding to ideal body condition over a lifetime can help add up to 2 healthy years to a dog's life.
• It is possible to give your dog too much exercise. For eight- or nine-year-old dogs, moderation in exercise is important.
• A caller's dogs won't go out in the backyard when it's dark out, but they will go out in the front. How can he make them less frightened?
• Lenticular Sclerosis is a normal progressive change of the eye lens in older dogs. It appears as a bilateral bluish-grey haziness at the nucleus, or center of the lens. Often confused with cataracts, it does not necessarily point toward loss of vision.
• A caller's adult Chihuahua won't go outside to urinate or defecate in the wintertime. What's the problem? What can he do to re-housetrain him?
• Cushing's Disease in dogs is the production of too much adrenal hormone, in particular corticosteroids. Cushing's Disease causes increased drinking, increased urination, increased appetite, panting, high blood pressure and hair loss.
• Trivia question: A cat can jump how many times its height?
• Zoonotic diseases are diseases that can be transferred from pets to people.
• A caller's cat has a black sort of wax insider her ears. Is it ear mites?
• A caller's ten-year-old German Shepherd has a black growth on its head. Should he take it in to the vet?
• Trivia question answer: A cat can jump seven times her height.