Speaking of Pets Podcast

06/10/2026

Behavioral problems with your pet? Dr. Carlo Siracusa, veterinary behaviorist, answers your questions and explains differences between our pets and us! We need to think more like our pets! Janet Novotny King Alice Jeromin

Animal behavior is pretty difficult to understand. Our cats and dog...

06/09/2026

What’s the deal with CATNIP? A new interesting finding…
Vet Candy reported in their recent June 8, 2026 episode some interesting findings about catnip. We all know that cats seem to lose their minds (not all, however as it’s genetically determined) over catnip…rolling, salivating, staring! But from this research, it actually appears to be FUNCTIONAL!
Wait..what??!! Yes, A study by behaviorist, Masao Miyazaki and chemist Toshio Nishikawa found that a similar chemical in catnip, nepetalactol caused endorphin release in cats. Catnip contains a relative of nepetalactol-nepetalactone. They subjected zoo cats, leopards, lynx, jaguars to this chemical and they all acted similarly to our domestic cats.
Nepetalactol and nepetalactone are actually insect repellants so scientists wondered if cats were using catnip as an insect repellant by rubbing all over it. Researchers exposed cats (and humans) that were treated topically with nepetalactol then exposed them to mosquitoes. You guessed it—both cats and humans had significantly less mosquito bites than the untreated cats and humans.
So it appears that the euphoric rolling and rubbing that cats do when exposed to catnip may serve to transfer the nepetalactol to their fur, coating them in insect repellant! When cats bit, licked, and rolled in the catnip plant, even more of the insect repellant was released.
Perhaps cats are actually responding to their ancient instinct of when they lived in the wild. Not only was catnip euphoric, but it repelled insects! We all knew cats were smarter than us…now, this proves it!!
Give your cat a big kiss today, oh, and yes…some catnip, too!

06/06/2026

06/03/2026

Your prescription medications are in child-proof containers, but does that guarantee your pets’ safety???!!!

Child-proof doesn’t mean pet proof! Think about it-with their teeth, nails, and chewing capabilities, it’s a no brainer for a pet to get into a child-proof prescription vial!
When traveling, please don’t place your human medications in zip lock bags! Pets love to check out grandma’s luggage including zip lock bags with pills inside. Cats love to climb on dressers and counters to knock down pill vials so keep Rx vials in a locked area if possible.
Keep medications in their original labeled containers so you know how many are in there, how old the meds are, and which ones are which.
Discard safely and appropriately outdated medications. For example, tetracycline becomes more “toxic” after it is expired which is a reason not to use once out of date!
Never think that “pets are small humans” meaning what is safely used in humans is not always safely used in pets. Acetaminophen which is safe in humans is toxic to cats and Ibuprofen which is safe in humans can cause stomach ulcers and kidney failure in dogs.
Don’t shake or rattle a pill vial to get your pet’s attention. They can view this as a treat or toy and want to partake of prescription vials and contents when you’re not around.

Medications and supplements are some of the leading causes of pet poisonings every year. We need to think ahead with our human medications as far as storage, availability, and expiration dates to keep our pets safe!

06/03/2026

Dogs sniffing out cancer from other dogs?! Who trained the 9/11 search and rescue dogs? Find out all about this on today's episode with Drs. Clara Wilson and Cynthia Otto from the Penn Vet Working Dogs Center. They're doing some fabulous work to help us as humans and our pets! Alice JerominJanet Novotny King

Dr. Cindy Otto and Dr. Clara Wilson show how trained dogs detect hemangiosarcoma in blood with over 70% accuracy, transforming early cancer detection.

05/31/2026

What to watch for when buying supplements for your pet:
1. “Tested by an FDA approved laboratory”-The FDA DOES NOT APPROVE laboratories! A lab can register with the FDA but that entails other accreditations.
2. “Pharmaceutical grade”-manufacturers may claim ingredients meet a USP (U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention) standard, if one exists but there is no such thing for a “pharmaceutical grade” for most supplements.
3. “Contains clinically tested ingredients”-Just because something is “tested”, does not mean it has been “proven” to work. Anything can be “tested”…BUT DOES IT WORK ONCE IN THE PATIENT??!! If the ingredient has been proven to work, is it in the right dose of the product?
4. Supplements are not legally considered drugs and cannot claim to cure, treat, or diagnose a disease. Supplements that claim any of these are illegal as there are no drug studies behind them to prove this (no FDA drug application with studies needed for approval).
5. Gummy formulas may enable ingredients to be less stable than those in tablets and capsules and the USP holds gummies to lower standards than tablets and capsules.
6. “Proprietary brands/formulas/complexes” may in fact, contain little of the ingredient listed. Products such as curcumin, chondroitin, SAMe may actually have less of that ingredient to which the manufacturer claims in the formula. Always look for the exact amount of the ingredient i.e. magnesium 110mg vs. magnesium bisglycinate which contains only 14% of magnesium.
7. Herbs such as 200mg turmeric EXTRACT may contain only 36mg curcumin-good labels show how much of the active ingredient is in the extract.
8. “Quality tested” or “Third Party Tested” mean nothing if the third party is not identified.
9. While many products sold on Amazon.com are good, there have been reports of counterfeit supplements which contain only a fraction of what is advertised. Examples include: Berberine, Bromelain, SAMe, Quercetin, Turmeric/curcumin, and Immune Support products. Try and purchase supplements and prescription medications from your veterinarian as they know where they came from, have proper storage of the products, and most have a high turnover keeping them “fresh”.
10. Thanks to consumerlab.com (Dr. Cooperman) and the NASC seal (Bill Bookout) on supplements for their guidance on what to watch for in supplements since they are not FDA regulated.
National Animal Supplement Council

05/27/2026

Thinking of getting chickens as pets? Get the lowdown from Dr. Pitesky, AKA Dr. Cluck on this week's episode. My Pet Chicken The Chicken Vet - UK Backyard Chicken Coops

Have backyard chickens or already have a flock? Dr. Maurice Pitesky shares science-backed tips from his book on care, nutrition, Marek’s disease, & egg safety.

05/26/2026

How do you store your pets’ food? Do you heat the food before serving? Consider these factors:
1. Wet pet foods are safe to eat upon opening but…discard after 2 hours unless you refrigerate.
2. If you moisten dry pet foods with milk, water, or broth to enhance flavoring, discard after 2 hours unless refrigerated.
3. Raw meats such as poultry should be used within 1-2 days.
4. Raw meats such as beef, lamb, or pork can last 3-4 days.
5. Microwaving pet foods can reduce some of the vitamin content up to 40% and lead to oxidation of fats/oils in foods in spite of controlling bacterial overgrowth.
6. Microwaving pet foods (or any foods) in plastic can leach chemicals from the plastic into the food unlike when microwaving in glass.
7. Provide fresh water daily and wash pet food bowls at least once daily to prevent bacterial growth.
8. Follow package directions for feeding and storage. Keeping dry food in the original bag is favored over emptying into plastic containers as food bags are designed to NOT leach into pet foods.
9. Once opened, canned pet food should be covered with an airtight lid and can be stored under refrigeration for up to 3 days.
10. Freezing once opened canned pet food is generally safe for up to 2-3 months if properly stored in the freezer.

05/24/2026

Sometimes healing doesn’t happen through medicine alone… sometimes it happens through friendship. ❤️🐾

Meeko and Rufus have both been through more than most will ever know, yet somehow they found comfort in each other. No words, no expectations… just two senior souls curled up together, reminding us that even after heartbreak, neglect, illness, and uncertainty, love still finds a way in.

This is one of our favorite parts of rescue — watching scared, tired dogs slowly begin to feel safe again. Watching them rest peacefully. Watching them form little friendships that help heal invisible wounds.

Senior dogs have the purest hearts. 🥹

Thank you for helping us give dogs like Meeko and Rufus a soft place to land, heal, and be loved. 🩷

05/23/2026

Don’t miss this webinar with Dr. Cynthia Otto, Penn Vet Working Dogs! She’s on the podcast in early June. 9/11 search dogs and dogs sniffing out cancer are just a few of her passions!

💼 Join us for the PGR Seminar Series Finale! Ahead of our summer break, we are honored to welcome Cynthia Otto, DVM, PhD, DACVECC, DACVSMR for an inspiring and insightful presentation. Dr. Otto is the 2025 recipient of the Hill’s Jack Mara Scientific Achievement Award. Dr. Otto will take center...