KSCO Pet Radio

Kristen Lynch from the North American Pet Health Insurance Association spends a half-hour answering questions about a subject that can perplex pet owners but is something most of us should be taking more seriously.

After doing this interview -- and thinking about having raised thousands of dollars to help pay for emergency care for uninsured pets -- I think one of the hallmarks of responsible pet ownership is becoming/has become having insurance to cover your pets. (I will admit that I do not, yet...)

Insurance can be expensive, especially for low-income families and those with multiple pets and/or fixed incomes. Not every family who would benefit from pet insurance will be able to afford it.

Still, every owner should at least be exposed to the existence of the range of policies available, so this segment/podcast is a quick way to accomplish that.

BTW -- Largest claims paid out during 2017 include a $53,000 feline and an almost $48,000 dog!

Links:

American Veterinary Medical Association "Guidelines on Pet Insurance for Pet Owners"

NAPHIA link to all North American pet insurance providers. Be aware of sites that claim to offer reviews and comparisons of pet insurance policies and providers that get paid for referring new customers. They may provide useful information, but I would the actual purchase from the links provided by the NAPHIA site above.

This is a reposting to fix the empty (no audio) file posted earlier in error. My apologies.

Dr Merrianne Burtch, Pacific Veterinary Specialists & BirchBark Foundation

Addison's Disease is a fairly common condition in dogs and horses that results from a lack of steroids being produced by the body. It is the same disease in people and is the opposite of the more common (in dogs) Cushing's Disease, where too many steroids are produced by the animal. This is an almost 14-minute discussion of Addison's with Dr. Merrianne Burtch of Pacific Veterinary Specialists in Capitola and is part of our regular series of discussions of animal health issues.

 

Addison's Disease is a fairly common condition in dogs and horses that results from a lack of steroids being produced by the body. It is the same disease in people and is the opposite of the more common (in dogs) Cushing's Disease, where too many steroids are produced by the animal. This is an almost 14-minute discussion of Addison's with Dr. Merrianne Burtch of Pacific Veterinary Specialists in Capitola and is part of our regular series of discussions of animal health issues.

Kristen Lynch from the North American Pet Health Insurance Association spends a half-hour answering questions about a subject that can perplex pet owners but is something most of us should be taking more seriously.

After doing this interview -- and thinking about having raised thousands of dollars to help pay for emergency care for uninsured pets -- I think one of the hallmarks of responsible pet ownership is becoming/has become having insurance to cover your pets. (I will admit that I do not, yet...)

Insurance can be expensive, especially for low-income families and those with multiple pets and/or fixed incomes. Not every family who would benefit from pet insurance will be able to afford it.

Still, every owner should at least be exposed to the existence of the range of policies available, so this segment/podcast is a quick way to accomplish that.

BTW -- Largest claims paid out during 2017 include a $53,000 feline and an almost $48,000 dog!

Links:

American Veterinary Medical Association "Guidelines on Pet Insurance for Pet Owners"

NAPHIA link to all North American pet insurance providers. Be aware of sites that claim to offer reviews and comparisons of pet insurance policies and providers that get paid for referring new customers. They may provide useful information, but I would the actual purchase from the links provided by the NAPHIA site above.

An Indonesian boy shows his bite wounds from a dog attack.

Friday was World Rabies Day, held annually to improve global awareness of the fatal disease and a plan to eradicate canine rabies, the main cause of human deaths, by 2030. This will be done through assertive canine vaccination programs and immediate care for humans that have suffered dog bites.

One of the great public health successes is that people in rich nations rarely worry about dying from rabies. Many don't even worry about vaccinating their pets against the disease, although that is the foundation upon which our success against rabies is based.

This paw'd cast is a 4-minute excerpt from our KSCO program "Good Morning, Monterey Bay" from Friday. Sept. 28, the actual World Rabies Day. It features Dr. Pete Keesling, a San Martin veterinarian, and co-host Rosemary Chalmers. I would like to make two slight adjustments and one addition to their comments:

* Because rabies is transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, it can be caught from licks, scratches, or any physical contact with the animal. Touching a bat is reason enough to get vaccinated.

* If vaccinated within 4 days of exposure, the rabies vaccine is 100 percent effective on protecting humans. The vaccination process is much easier and simpler than it used to be. I received four injections -- spread over two weeks -- on my arm (always above the bite) and two larger injections in my hip. Hard to explain that as it was the top of my hipbone and injected from the side (not in my butt). The Kaiser injection clinic nurses are absolute pros and the injections were merely uncomfortable, not painful.

* The vaccinations can be expensive, but the alternative could be death. Every animal bite should be reported and discussed with your doctor. (Kaiser provides all vaccines for free, including my boosters and titer tests).

People in other parts of the world die horrible deaths from the universally fatal neurological disease. There are 55,000 rabies deaths recorded each year, largely in Africa and Asia. In many of these countries, feral dogs are the major vector and every bite occasions a trip to a rabies bite clinic -- provided one is available. Once symptoms appear, the disease is always fatal. But it is also 100 percent preventable, even after exposure, if treated immediately.

In the Philippines, there are 500 animal bite centers for the treatment of people bitten by animals, yet the country still records 250 rabies deaths each year!

Here is an educational video from the Philippines:

I am not linking to another video that shows a man who has been placed in what looks like a jail cell to prevent him from spreading rabies that is killing him. He is getting palliative treatment, but the main goal is preventing other humans from being exposed. This video is on YouTube and after seeing it I was very troubled so I will not share it as a link.

We talk about why there is a need to rescue retired greyhounds, how the rescues -- some from Mexico -- take place, how the greyhounds become pets, and why/how you might adopt a retired racing greyhound. This is another "rescued or dead" situation, in many cases.

They are also, in case you've never met a greyhound, really sweet dogs and well worth the effort that people put into saving and caring for them. 

Our guest, Michele Czaja is on the board of directors of Greyhound Friends for Life and has been involved in greyhound rescue for more than 25 years. She will be in the studio.

Friday was World Rabies Day, held annually to improve global awareness of the fatal disease and a plan to eradicate canine rabies, the main cause of human deaths, by 2030. This will be done through assertive canine vaccination programs and immediate care for humans that have suffered dog bites.

One of the great public health successes is that people in rich nations rarely worry about dying from rabies. Many don't even worry about vaccinating their pets against the disease, although that is the foundation upon which our success against rabies is based.

This paw'd cast is a 4-minute excerpt from our KSCO program "Good Morning, Monterey Bay" from Friday. Sept. 28, the actual World Rabies Day. It features Dr. Pete Keesling, a San Martin veterinarian, and co-host Rosemary Chalmers. I would like to make two slight adjustments and one addition to their comments:

* Because rabies is transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, it can be caught from licks, scratches, or any physical contact with the animal. Touching a bat is reason enough to get vaccinated.

* If vaccinated within 4 days of exposure, the rabies vaccine is 100 percent effective on protecting humans. The vaccination process is much easier and simpler than it used to be. I received four injections -- spread over two weeks -- on my arm (always above the bite) and two larger injections in my hip. Hard to explain that as it was the top of my hipbone and injected from the side (not in my butt). The Kaiser injection clinic nurses are absolute pros and the injections were merely uncomfortable, not painful.

* The vaccinations can be expensive, but the alternative could be death. Every animal bite should be reported and discussed with your doctor. (Kaiser provides all vaccines for free, including my boosters and titer tests).

People in other parts of the world die horrible deaths from the universally fatal neurological disease. There are 55,000 rabies deaths recorded each year, largely in Africa and Asia. In many of these countries, feral dogs are the major vector and every bite occasions a trip to a rabies bite clinic -- provided one is available. Once symptoms appear, the disease is always fatal. But it is also 100 percent preventable, even after exposure, if treated immediately.

In the Philippines, there are 500 animal bite centers for the treatment of people bitten by animals, yet the country still records 250 rabies deaths each year!

Here is an educational video from the Philippines:

I am not linking to another video that shows a man who has been placed in what looks like a jail cell to prevent him from spreading rabies that is killing him. He is getting palliative treatment, but the main goal is preventing other humans from being exposed. This video is on YouTube and after seeing it I was very troubled so I will not share it as a link.

 

 

We talk about why there is a need to rescue retired greyhounds, how the rescues -- some from Mexico -- take place, how the greyhounds become pets, and why/how you might adopt a retired racing greyhound. This is another "rescued or dead" situation, in many cases.

They are also, in case you've never met a greyhound, really sweet dogs and well worth the effort that people put into saving and caring for them. 

Our guest, Michele Czaja is on the board of directors of Greyhound Friends for Life and has been involved in greyhound rescue for more than 25 years. She will be in the studio.

Rich Crino, HSUS

Rich Crino the Humane Society of the United States spends 10 minutes with us discussing his work with animals impacted by Hurricane Florence in Horry County, SC.

Here is a video, from Myrtle Beach Online, of a woman who owns 12 cats, and is one of the people who have been assisted by the Humane Society of the United States.

Rich Crino, HSUS Rich Crino the Humane Society of the United States spends 10 minutes with us discussing his work with animals impacted by Hurricane Florence in Horry County, SC. Here is a video, from Myrtle Beach Online, of a woman who owns 12 cats, and is one of the people who have been assisted by the Humane Society of the United States.