KSCO Pet Radio

Kelly Diehl, Morris Animal Foundation

Dr. Kelly Diehl of the Morris Animal Foundation visits with us about once-a-month. She is a vet and scientist who helps decide what animal medical studies receive funding.

Topics include:

Vegetarian dog food "is becoming a big problem." We talk about how alternative diets can hurt dogs -- including heart disease and grain-free diets. Taurine discussion and the importance of the amino acid that saves animals' lives.

How changes in the biome -- gut bacteria -- can hurt or benefit health.

Long discussion of issues related to CDB and to types of pet studies the foundation is seeking to fund.

A fascinating history of the Morris Animal Foundation -- which is related to the Hill's prescription diet that founder Dr. Mark Morris invented.

Worth a listen!

 

Dr. Kelly Diehl of the Morris Animal Foundation visits with us about once-a-month. She is a vet and scientist who helps decide what animal medical studies receive funding.

Topics include:

Vegetarian dog food "is becoming a big problem." We talk about how alternative diets can hurt dogs -- including heart disease and grain-free diets. Taurine discussion and the importance of the amino acid that saves animals' lives.

How changes in the biome -- gut bacteria -- can hurt or benefit health.

Long discussion of issues related to CDB and to types of pet studies the foundation is seeking to fund.

A fascinating history of the Morris Animal Foundation -- which is related to the Hill's prescription diet that founder Dr. Mark Morris invented.

Worth a listen!

 

Teddy and his foster mom, Jules Beer

For this "Ask Us Anything" with ACME Canine trainer Laura Pakis we have an in-studio canine guest -- Teddy the Pomeranian -- and her foster, Jules Beer. Teddy has shown some aggression toward people, but has calmed down considerably, especially when treats are provided. Jules and Laura develop a plan to better socialize this dog and get him into an adoptive home.

This emphasizes the importance of getting animals out of shelters -- Teddy had been in one for weeks -- where they are incredibly stressed and become reactive. In a foster home, Teddy has calmed considerably and will, over time, become someone's good companion animal.

The truck driver who killed the dog and almost his owners was later identified (thanks to tips) and turned himself in to police.

More talk on the Camp Fire and the North Valley Animal Disaster Group.

The end of the 1 PM news is included in this podcast.

For this "Ask Us Anything" with ACME Canine trainer Laura Pakis we have an in-studio canine guest -- Teddy the Pomeranian -- and her foster, Jules Beer. Teddy has shown some aggression toward people, but has calmed down considerably, especially when treats are provided. Jules and Laura develop a plan to better socialize this dog and get him into an adoptive home.

This emphasizes the importance of getting animals out of shelters -- Teddy had been in one for weeks -- where they are incredibly stressed and become reactive. In a foster home, Teddy has calmed considerably and will, over time, become someone's good companion animal.

The truck driver who killed the dog and almost his owners was later identified (thanks to tips) and turned himself in to police.

More talk on the Camp Fire and the North Valley Animal Disaster Group.

The end of the 1 PM news is included in this podcast.

 

 

 

 

 

Crystal Moreland, HSUS

Crystal Moreland helped establish the long-term shelter for pets displaced (but identified by owners) from the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County, CA. She is California State Director for the Humane Society of the United States. This podcast is an excerpt from the November 26, 2018 edition of KSCO Pet Radio.

Crystal Moreland helped establish the long-term shelter for pets displaced (but identified by owners) from the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County, CA. She is California State Director for the Humane Society of the United States. This podcast is an excerpt from the November 26, 2018 edition of KSCO Pet Radio.

Last time, Laura and I took a call from a woman wondering whether she should submit an older canine for cataract surgery. That led into an end-of-life-discussion. Previously, we've answered questions about breeds, CBD for pets, training, aggression, and other topics. What do you want to know about?

Trainer Laura Pakis of ACME Canine and I will do our usual "Ask Us Anything" segment at 12:30 and we will be taking calls from listeners. Please join us and tell your friends.

Josh Balk, Humane Society of the US

Josh will be back on Sunday 10/29 (he was not heard on the 22nd due to the power failure we suffered) to discuss the Prevent Cruelty California campaign that has put a referendum item on the November ballot to make illegal the extreme crowding of layer hens, veal calves, and breeder pigs. If passed in November, California will again be the nation's leader in protecting animals at factory farms. And because all eggs and meat brought into California would have to meet the new standard, farms across the US would have to comply. (Or skip selling in the world's sixth-largest economy).

More than 660,000 signatures were collected and we are now YesOn12CA.com. Josh talks about the status of the campaign, the forces in opposition, why the issue matters, how to sell the issue to non-animal people, and what must happen to win in November.

Balk has led efforts to enact animal welfare policies with many of the world’s largest companies, including Walmart, Wendy’s, Kroger, Denny’s and dozens more. These policies have helped shift the food industry’s reliance on veal crates, gestation crates, battery cages, and cruel methods of raising chickens in the meat industry. He's also been a leader in creating and supporting start-up animal-friendly companies, including co-founding JUST, and guiding investment firms and high net worth individuals to invest in this space.

Balk also led discussions with the largest food service companies in creating the world’s first partnerships on shifting their focus to plant-based foods. On legislative priorities, he was a leader on successful campaigns passing laws for farm animals, including in California, Massachusetts, and Maine. Prior to coming to HSUS, Balk worked at Compassion Over Killing (COK) where he conducted investigations into factory farm operations slaughterhouses, and launched one of our nation’s first advertising campaigns on farm animals.

Balk’s work has been covered by the Associated Press, Fortune, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post and dozens of other outlets. He was inducted into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame in 2015.

Josh will be back on Sunday 10/29 (he was not heard on the 22nd due to the power failure we suffered) to discuss the Prevent Cruelty California campaign that has put a referendum item on the November ballot to make illegal the extreme crowding of layer hens, veal calves, and breeder pigs. If passed in November, California will again be the nation's leader in protecting animals at factory farms. And because all eggs and meat brought into California would have to meet the new standard, farms across the US would have to comply. (Or skip selling in the world's sixth-largest economy).

More than 660,000 signatures were collected and we are now YesOn12CA.com. Josh talks about the status of the campaign, the forces in opposition, why the issue matters, how to sell the issue to non-animal people, and what must happen to win in November.

Balk has led efforts to enact animal welfare policies with many of the world’s largest companies, including Walmart, Wendy’s, Kroger, Denny’s and dozens more. These policies have helped shift the food industry’s reliance on veal crates, gestation crates, battery cages, and cruel methods of raising chickens in the meat industry. He's also been a leader in creating and supporting start-up animal-friendly companies, including co-founding JUST, and guiding investment firms and high net worth individuals to invest in this space.

Balk also led discussions with the largest food service companies in creating the world’s first partnerships on shifting their focus to plant-based foods. On legislative priorities, he was a leader on successful campaigns passing laws for farm animals, including in California, Massachusetts, and Maine. Prior to coming to HSUS, Balk worked at Compassion Over Killing (COK) where he conducted investigations into factory farm operations slaughterhouses, and launched one of our nation’s first advertising campaigns on farm animals.

Balk’s work has been covered by the Associated Press, Fortune, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post and dozens of other outlets. He was inducted into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame in 2015.

Meg Harrison, Black Wing FarmsUse KSCO20 as a code at checkout to get a 20-percent discount on your purchase.

This is probably what will become the first of several appearances (over months) by Meg Harrison, founder of Black Wing Farms and an expert on using flower essences to solve behavioral problems in animals. If you have ever used Bach Rescue Remedy for yourself or a pet, you've used a flower essence.

When Brittany first appeared at our home, she suffered from severe separation anxiety and ended up having to be near me all the time and go everywhere I went over a period of months. At that time, I tried one of Meg's flower essences and could never tell how much it helped. Didn't hurt, but was Brittany actually less anxious? Hard to tell. (Today I'd start an anxious dog on CBD oil and go from there).

I have two thoughts about what Meg sells: 1) It works and 2) It doesn't work. I don't think she makes up her many success stories, but where I saw Brittany's rear legs improve within hours of her first CBD dose, I am not sure what flower essences did for her. But I have an open -- even hopeful -- mind about their efficacy. Something I don't really have for homeopathy.

If flower essences can live up to the claims, I'd use them in all my transport situations. And rescues. I haven't done extensive testing and I'd like to find a tester with no preconceived expectations about flower essences if I can do a trial.

Brittany, by the way, lost her separation anxiety over a period of months and is now comfortable being alone for hours at the time.

From her website:

44 years ago, Meg Harrison, founder and owner, was using flower essences for the treatment of alcoholic teens. Then she had a revelation in the aftermath of a horrible horseback riding accident when the horse's owner used flower essences on Meg and her horse to great effect. Since that time 25 years ago, Meg has created a wide range of products to help with the mental, physical, and emotional needs of animals.

Uses of these products were well proven in the wake of the Southern California wildfires of 2003 where her products helped to calm and stabilize traumatized pets and farm animals who were lost, injured, or abandoned during the fast-moving blazes. At this time Meg decided to market her products and became BlackWing Farms.

In 2005, Meg then went to Louisiana and volunteered (eventually to be hired by the Humane Society of the United States) to help care for the animal victims of Hurricane Katrina (and while there also weathered Hurricane Rita). Again the value of her flower essences was proven as time and again they effectively helped to calm and treat the animals in the care of the Humane Society of the United States and the Louisiana SPCA.

Since then the products of BlackWing Farms have been requested by various distributors including Jeffers Pet Catalog, as well as the animal rescue organizations, Best Friends Animal Society, ASPCA in NYC, Animal Farm Foundation, the Humane Society of the US, The Gentle Barn in their rescues and longterm care of slaughterhouse animals.

Within the last 10 years, we also began to market a line of sprays for use by people to affect mood. This product is a direct descendant of the flower essence concept used by Meg 40+ years ago and are formulated using flower essences and essential oils.

Here is the bio Meg provided:

Meg Harrison, author and flower essence expert specializing in animal behavior, has successfully helped thousands of behaviorally-challenged animals ...