With the ‘Perfect’ Dr. Laura Pletz up in the Big Apple, today’s show featured The Man From St. Ann, DOCTOR CLOUD!
Before Joe Hipperson was able to even get 30 seconds into the show—The Man From St. Ann had to hijack the microphone and make sure he announced why today, April 30th, was an event much bigger than any silly Royal Wedding…turns out that today is when CATFISH makes his first Communion. (no, Dr. Cloud is not sending any pet fish to church—‘Catfish’ is a nickname he gave his grandson)
After the Catfish announcement, Joe and Dr. Cloud discussed the weather. (no, it was not as boring as the statement sounds) With all the crazy storms we’ve had lately it is very important to REMEMBER and NOT FORGET about your pets! When you decide to hit the basement and take cover—don’t forget the four-legged friends!
Dr. Cloud pointed out the (GPS) micro-chipping your pet is essential. Not only is it a very smart move to prevent losing your 4-pawed pal if they dart out the door and decide not to run back, but if a very bad storm causes any separation—think how easy it will be to locate them afterward.
Before we could expand on the topic Dr. Cloud started 2 weeks ago – we decided to jump and grab a phone call.
“Guy” called up (seriously, that’s his name) and wanted to know if it’s normal/natural for a rescue cat to go into heat almost every 2 weeks. The Man From St. Ann made it simple for ‘Guy,’ and said that a cat NOT spayed will be a cat that gets pregnant. Bottom line—SPAY!
2 weeks ago, Dr. Cloud came in with the top 10 ‘pet insurance claims’ from 2010. We got through 10 down to number 5. So we picked up with NUMBER 4 today.
Number 4 = Vomiting. Yes, gross. Very gross. 90% of the time you will see acute vomiting come from dogs who eat things they simply shouldn’t. Now I’ve got 2 kids (11 & 5 years old) and I know ALL ABOUT how easily dogs can get into objects that cause vomiting. The other 10% of vomiting cases com as a result of reaction to medications.
We took a call from Mary Lee. She had an obedience / training issue with a 2 year old Pug – Shitzu mix. The dog is perfect in the house and around the other dog they have…but the second it goes outside—WATCH OUT! A mean gene kicks in. Dr. Cloud suggested a behaviorist. Joe Hipperson chimed in with doing some ‘command exercises’ in the house, before the dog turns into The Incredible Hulk.
A great place for training? Kennelwood. Just sayin. They’re amazing.
We took a call from Marlene. She has 2 cats. One is heavy—the other is not. She wanted to work on weight control with them. Dr. Cloud suggested the Purina OM food—you will need your vet to hook you up—and said she needs to feed them separately. She had reservations about that idea, until Dr. Cloud proved why he is The Man From St. Ann—and he suggested feeding them at the same time and next to a door that separates the two rooms they are in. Crack the door enough so they can see each other.
BACK TO THE LIST!
The number 3 reason people used Pet Insurance in 2010…HOT SPOTS! (no, we are not talking about cool places to go around town—we’re talking about serious pet stuff here)
(YES, Joe is writing the blog—and YES, he thought that was funny)
HOT SPOTS are often found around the neck and hip. The dogs are missing hair in these areas and 99 times out of 100 the reason is from Allergy/Environmental culprits. Dogs with thicker undercoats are more likely to fall victim to these.
The number 2 reason—SKIN ALLERGIES! Fleas and other things (that are gross) that cause your dog to itch, scratch and drive YOU nuts because they are driving themselves nuts.
I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THE TRIVIA QUESTION!
Today, Dr. Cloud asked: What is the PURE BREED dog of choice for Queen Elizabeth?
Joe Hipperson thinks the answer SHOULD BE the Maltese!
Yep…deal with it, Mum.
The REAL ANSWER is the Welch Corgi!
And those would be some of the Royal Corgs.
The number 1 reason for people to call a claim into Pet Insurance is 2010 was…(drum roll please)
EAR INFECTIONS!
Yes, gross…and (for Mrs. Hipperson—VERY GROSS…especially when ear mites are involved)
Before we split, let’s share the SOUNDTRACK of today’s show!
Joe Hipperson (that’s me…the guy writing this blog) provided the soundtrack today. My theme? SONGS THAT YOU KNOW AS CLASSIC BY THE ORIGINAL ARTIST – AND THESE ARE VERSIONS YOU’VE PROBABLY NEVER HEARD BEFORE!
Track 1: RED RUBBER BALL by Streetlight Manifesto
Track 2: PARANOID by Gus Black
Track 3: TINY DANCER by Ben Folds
All three very different and unique from each other and all very cool interpretations in their own right.
Be sure to tune in next week and EVERY WEEK from 9am – 10am. The Purina Animal Advice Show, Hosted by ME, JOE HIPPERSON,
and featuring THE MAN FROM ST. ANN DR. CLOUD
or THE PERFECT DR. LAURA PLETZ!
