The Pet Parent Hotline

Summer has a way of knocking routines loose and pushing pet care tasks to “later.” Before fall gets busy, this is a good time for dog, cat, and other pet parents to catch up on the things that have quietly slipped down the list.

In this solo episode, Amy covers the pet care tasks worth handling now, from vet appointments and grooming to pet boarding, pet sitting, holiday travel, and changing routines. The goal isn’t to create another giant checklist. It’s to take care of a few things now that could save you time, money, and stress later.

In this episode:

• Pet health issues and appointments you’ve been meaning to handle
• Grooming, gear, and basic maintenance that may have gotten away from you
• Why now is the time to think about boarding, pet sitting, and holiday travel
• Helping pets adjust as fall routines change
• Planning pet care around your real life before something becomes urgent

Need help figuring out what your pet needs, what to prioritize, or how to make it all work with your life? Learn more about a Pet Parent Hotline consultation at petparenthotline.com/consult.

Stuck on a pet problem? Send it here.

Practical pet advice for busy pet parents.

Love the show? Follow The Pet Parent Hotline so you don’t miss an episode, and share this one with a pet parent who needs it.

Listen & Follow: 🌍Official Site |📱Facebook |📺YouTube | 🍏 Apple |🎵Spotify

The Pet Parent Hotline covers real-world dog and cat behavior, training, pet health and nutrition, veterinary decisions, pet-care costs, aging pets, and everyday life with animals.

No fluff. No guilt. Just useful advice to help you make smarter decisions and enjoy life with your pets.

Help us reach more pet parents like you: A 5-star rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps new listeners feel confident trying us out.

Contact: [email protected]
©Ⓟ 2026 Amy Castro

Pet food labels are packed with reassuring words like real chicken, high protein, complete and balanced, and superfoods. But what do those words actually tell you about the food inside the bag?

Dr. Angie Boyer, founder of Grain & Grace Consulting and a trained multi-species nutritionist, returns to help us work through a pet food label from front to back to identify what's really in our pet food.

In this episode, we cover:

•  What “complete and balanced” means and where AAFCO fits in 
•  How words like “with” and “may support” can change the meaning of a front-of-package claim on pet food
•  How to use the guaranteed analysis when comparing foods 
•  What meat, meal, byproducts, and meat-and-bone meal actually tell you 
•  How to identify protein, fat, fiber, vitamin, and mineral sources 
•  Why pet food feeding guidelines are only a starting point 
•  How treats and other foods affect your pet’s total daily intake 
•  What to consider about where pet food is produced and ingredients you may want to investigate 
•  Why the “best” pet food also has to work for your individual pet, budget, and real life 

The goal isn’t to find one perfect pet food. It’s to understand enough of the label to make a more informed choice for the pet in front of you.

Guest: Dr. Angie Boyer, founder of Grain & Grace Consulting

And if you missed our August Pet Parent Power Up on specialty diets like sensitive stomach, urinary care, and hairball control, listen to that episode for even more help interpreting what pet food packaging is promising.

As always, talk with your veterinarian about your individual pet’s medical and nutritional needs before making changes to their diet.

Stuck on a pet problem? Send it here.

Practical pet advice for busy pet parents.

Love the show? Follow The Pet Parent Hotline so you don’t miss an episode, and share this one with a pet parent who needs it.

Listen & Follow: 🌍Official Site |📱Facebook |📺YouTube | 🍏 Apple |🎵Spotify

The Pet Parent Hotline covers real-world dog and cat behavior, training, pet health and nutrition, veterinary decisions, pet-care costs, aging pets, and everyday life with animals.

No fluff. No guilt. Just useful advice to help you make smarter decisions and enjoy life with your pets.

Help us reach more pet parents like you: A 5-star rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps new listeners feel confident trying us out.

Contact: [email protected]
©Ⓟ 2026 Amy Castro

Sensitive stomach. Weight management. Hairball control. Urinary care. Pet food labels make these diets sound highly specific, but not every claim on the package means the same thing.

In this Pet Parent Power Up, Dr. Angie Boyer explains the difference between formulas built around certain ingredient choices and claims that require more testing and scientific support.

You’ll learn:

• What makes sensitive skin and stomach foods different
• How weight-management foods reduce calories
• Why hairball-control and urinary-care claims are treated differently on pet food labels
• What phrases like “may support” really promise on your pet food label
• How to check whether the ingredients support the claim on the front of the package

Note: Always talk with your veterinarian about your individual pet’s medical and nutritional needs before changing foods, especially when managing a diagnosed health condition.

Dr. Angie Boyer is the founder of Grain & Grace Consulting and a trained multi-species nutritionist whose work spans livestock, companion animals, and horses. Angie returns in the next full episode to help us read a pet food package from the claims on the front to the label on the back.

Learn more about Dr. Angie Boyer and Grain & Grace Consulting:

• Website: Grain & Grace Consulting
• Contact: Submit an inquiry
• LinkedIn: Grain & Grace Consulting

Get Your Free Pet Food Guides!

Stuck on a pet problem? Send it here.

Practical pet advice for busy pet parents.

Love the show? Follow The Pet Parent Hotline so you don’t miss an episode, and share this one with a pet parent who needs it.

Listen & Follow: 🌍Official Site |📱Facebook |📺YouTube | 🍏 Apple |🎵Spotify

The Pet Parent Hotline covers real-world dog and cat behavior, training, pet health and nutrition, veterinary decisions, pet-care costs, aging pets, and everyday life with animals.

No fluff. No guilt. Just useful advice to help you make smarter decisions and enjoy life with your pets.

Help us reach more pet parents like you: A 5-star rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps new listeners feel confident trying us out.

Contact: [email protected]
©Ⓟ 2026 Amy Castro

Doggy daycare can give dogs exercise, enrichment, social time, and a much-needed outlet for their energy. But a dog coming home exhausted does not automatically mean they had a great day, and not every dog enjoys or benefits from a group daycare environment.

In this episode, Amy talks with pet care professional Rich Schlatter, CPACP, about how to tell whether your dog truly likes daycare, what a proper evaluation should look like, and how to choose a facility that is equipped to keep your dog safe.

They discuss the difference between healthy tiredness and signs that daycare may be overwhelming your dog, why group size and play style matter more than simply separating dogs by size, and what pet parents should notice during facility tours.

You’ll also learn:

• What your dog’s drop-off and pickup behavior may be telling you
• Which dogs may not be a good fit for traditional group daycare
• Questions to ask about staff training, supervision, emergencies, and dog-to-staff ratios
• How reputable facilities introduce dogs to a new group
• Why dogs need rest and recovery during and after daycare
• When day boarding or individual enrichment may be a better option
• How often your dog should attend daycare
• Practical tips for your dog’s first day

Doggy daycare should offer more than a place to leave your dog while you work. The right program should match your dog’s temperament, age, health, energy level, and social needs.

The goal is not simply to bring home a dog who is too exhausted to move. It is to give your dog an experience that leaves them happy, comfortable, and able to return to their normal life at home.

Connect With Rich Schlatter

Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: Rich Schlatter, CPACP

Stuck on a pet problem? Send it here.

Practical pet advice for busy pet parents.

Love the show? Follow The Pet Parent Hotline so you don’t miss an episode, and share this one with a pet parent who needs it.

Listen & Follow: 🌍Official Site |📱Facebook |📺YouTube | 🍏 Apple |🎵Spotify

The Pet Parent Hotline covers real-world dog and cat behavior, training, pet health and nutrition, veterinary decisions, pet-care costs, aging pets, and everyday life with animals.

No fluff. No guilt. Just useful advice to help you make smarter decisions and enjoy life with your pets.

Help us reach more pet parents like you: A 5-star rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps new listeners feel confident trying us out.

Contact: [email protected]
©Ⓟ 2026 Amy Castro

I thought buying a house with pets meant finding enough space, a decent yard, and hopefully a fence. Then I started walking through houses with three dogs and three cats in mind.

Now I’m looking at how close the road is, whether Gunny can manage the stairs as she gets older, whether my blind cat could fall through an open staircase, and how much it would cost to make a beautiful property truly safe and manageable for all of us.

In this episode, I’m sharing what has surprised me during the house-hunting process and why the house with the most land, the prettiest floors, or the lowest price may not be the house that works best when pets are part of the decision.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

•  Why acreage and a usable pet yard are not the same thing 
•  How roads, stairs, flooring, vents, and home layouts can create everyday risks 
•  The hidden cost of fencing, cooling, gates, rugs, and other pet-related changes 
•  Why basements, wildlife, weather, and access to veterinary care belong on the checklist 

Have you ever chosen, changed, or ruled out a home because of your pets? Send me a message or leave a comment and share what surprised you or what you learned the hard way.

Stuck on a pet problem? Send it here.

Practical pet advice for busy pet parents.

Love the show? Follow The Pet Parent Hotline so you don’t miss an episode, and share this one with a pet parent who needs it.

Listen & Follow: 🌍Official Site |📱Facebook |📺YouTube | 🍏 Apple |🎵Spotify

The Pet Parent Hotline covers real-world dog and cat behavior, training, pet health and nutrition, veterinary decisions, pet-care costs, aging pets, and everyday life with animals.

No fluff. No guilt. Just useful advice to help you make smarter decisions and enjoy life with your pets.

Help us reach more pet parents like you: A 5-star rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps new listeners feel confident trying us out.

Contact: [email protected]
©Ⓟ 2026 Amy Castro

What Really Happened Moving 2,200 Miles With Six Pets

Moving six pets from Texas to Massachusetts in an RV sounded manageable on paper. Then came the delayed departure, Houston rush-hour traffic, tire-pressure warnings, a check-engine light, a crying cat, an unexpected campground wedding and a bulldog who created two separate crime scenes.

In this follow-up to the lessons-from-the-road episode, Amy sits down with her friend Bev Brooks and daughter Kelsey Castro to share what actually happened during the trip, including the moments no amount of planning could have prevented.

You’ll hear:

• Why the trip went off schedule before they even left Texas
• How Pickles handled several days of travel
• What happened during Gunny’s infamous “spin-art” incident
• How Gigi reacted to rough roads and rumble strips
• Why testing travel medications before a long trip matters
• How Amy decided an RV was the best option for moving six pets
• What they learned about backup plans, flexible schedules and knowing when everyone has had enough

The goal was never a perfect road trip. It was getting three dogs, three cats and two humans safely from Texas to Massachusetts. Despite everything that went wrong, they made it.

Great Places and Resources Mentioned

• Woodland Creek RV Park (Tyler, Texas)
• Love's RV Hookup – Hazen, Arkansas
• Paducah / I-24 / Kentucky Lake KOA Journey
• Whispering Hills RV Park (Georgetown, Kentucky)
• Lola's Laundry (Georgetown, Kentucky)
• O'Reilly Auto Parts: Thanks and shout out to the store at: 240 W Broadway, West Memphis, AR 72301

Listen to the previous episode for the practical lessons, preparation tips and supplies that helped Amy move six pets more than 2,000 miles.

Always talk with your veterinarian before giving your pet medication for travel. Follow the prescribed dosage and ask about testing the medication before a long trip.

Thanks for listening to The Pet Parent Hotline. Share this episode with someone preparing to move or take a long road trip with pets.

Stuck on a pet problem? Send it here.

Practical pet advice for busy pet parents.

Love the show? Follow The Pet Parent Hotline so you don’t miss an episode, and share this one with a pet parent who needs it.

Listen & Follow: 🌍Official Site |📱Facebook |📺YouTube | 🍏 Apple |🎵Spotify

The Pet Parent Hotline covers real-world dog and cat behavior, training, pet health and nutrition, veterinary decisions, pet-care costs, aging pets, and everyday life with animals.

No fluff. No guilt. Just useful advice to help you make smarter decisions and enjoy life with your pets.

Help us reach more pet parents like you: A 5-star rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps new listeners feel confident trying us out.

Contact: [email protected]
©Ⓟ 2026 Amy Castro

Moving cross-country with pets is not the same as taking your dog for a quick ride around town.

In this episode of The Pet Parent Hotline, Amy shares the practical lessons she learned from a 2,200-mile move with one other adult and six pets. This is not a perfect travel checklist or a generic pet travel episode. It is the real-life stuff that matters when you’re on the road for days, juggling multiple animals, an RV, a car, overnight stops, messes, medication timing, and pets who are completely out of their normal routine.

Amy talks about why stopping constantly may not be the best plan for every pet, how to think through travel medication before the trip begins, why cleaning supplies need to be reachable instead of packed away, and why every pet needs a secure space of their own.

She also shares why arrival order matters, especially when setting up an RV or temporary space, and why your travel equipment needs to be tested before the real trip.

If you are planning a move, evacuation, long road trip, or major life change with pets, this episode will help you think through the parts most people do not consider until something has already gone sideways.

In this episode:

• Why your stopping strategy should be decided before you leave
• Why pet travel will test your patience, and how to pivot when things go wrong
• What cleaning supplies to keep within reach
• Why each pet needs a secure space of their own
• How to think through your arrival setup order
• Why you should test harnesses, crates, bedding, seat covers, and backup plans before the trip

Need help planning a move or long road trip with pets? Get in touch with Amy for help thinking through the route, setup, supplies, stopping strategy, and backup plans before you’re already in the middle of it: https://www.petparenthotline.com/consult/

Stuck on a pet problem? Send it here.

Practical pet advice for busy pet parents.

Love the show? Follow The Pet Parent Hotline so you don’t miss an episode, and share this one with a pet parent who needs it.

Listen & Follow: 🌍Official Site |📱Facebook |📺YouTube | 🍏 Apple |🎵Spotify

The Pet Parent Hotline covers real-world dog and cat behavior, training, pet health and nutrition, veterinary decisions, pet-care costs, aging pets, and everyday life with animals.

No fluff. No guilt. Just useful advice to help you make smarter decisions and enjoy life with your pets.

Help us reach more pet parents like you: A 5-star rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps new listeners feel confident trying us out.

Contact: [email protected]
©Ⓟ 2026 Amy Castro

Behavioral euthanasia is one of the hardest and most misunderstood decisions a pet parent may ever face. While most people think of euthanasia as something reserved for pets who are elderly, sick, or physically suffering, serious behavior problems can also become quality-of-life and safety issues.

In this episode of The Pet Parent Hotline, board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Lore Haug explains what behavioral euthanasia actually means, why it is not only about aggression, and why a pet who appears physically healthy may still be suffering mentally or behaviorally.

This conversation looks at the realities families face when a pet’s behavior becomes frightening, unsafe, overwhelming, or unmanageable. Dr. Haug discusses severe anxiety, storm phobia, separation distress, compulsive behaviors, self-injury, aggression, rehoming concerns, and the emotional toll these situations can take on both pets and people.

This episode is not a decision guide and is not a substitute for working directly with a veterinarian, veterinary behaviorist, or qualified behavior professional. The goal is to help pet parents better understand behavioral euthanasia, reduce stigma around the topic, and recognize why families facing this decision need support, not judgment.

IN THIS EPISODE:
• What behavioral euthanasia means
• Why behavioral euthanasia is broader than aggression
• How severe anxiety, phobias, and compulsive behaviors can affect quality of life
• Why “physically healthy” does not always mean mentally or behaviorally well
• How serious behavior problems can affect the whole family
• Why management has to be realistic and sustainable
• What pet parents should explore before considering euthanasia
• Why medical issues, pain, medications, environment, and nutrition matter
• When rehoming may help and when it may simply move the problem
• Why shelters, sanctuaries, and “farms” are not always realistic solutions
• How guilt, grief, relief, and judgment can all be part of this decision
• Why qualified, supportive professionals are so important

Get in touch with Dr. Haug: https://www.texasvetbehavior.com/ 

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Texas Veterinary Behavior Services:
https://www.texasvetbehavior.com/

American College of Veterinary Behaviorists:
https://www.dacvb.org/

International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants:
https://iaabc.org/

Karen Pryor Academy:
https://karenpryoracademy.com/

Pet Professional Guild:
https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/

FINAL THOUGHT:
Behavioral euthanasia is not the first option, but it should not be an unspeakable one either. Families facing this decision deserve accurate information, qualified guidance, and compassion.

If a pet’s behavior has become frightening, unsafe, or overwhelming, the first step is to consult a veterinarian to discuss possible medical causes, pain, medication options, behavior support, and qualified professional help.

Stuck on a pet problem? Send it here.

Practical pet advice for busy pet parents.

Love the show? Follow The Pet Parent Hotline so you don’t miss an episode, and share this one with a pet parent who needs it.

Listen & Follow: 🌍Official Site |📱Facebook |📺YouTube | 🍏 Apple |🎵Spotify

The Pet Parent Hotline covers real-world dog and cat behavior, training, pet health and nutrition, veterinary decisions, pet-care costs, aging pets, and everyday life with animals.

No fluff. No guilt. Just useful advice to help you make smarter decisions and enjoy life with your pets.

Help us reach more pet parents like you: A 5-star rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps new listeners feel confident trying us out.

Contact: [email protected]
©Ⓟ 2026 Amy Castro

If you’ve ever said, “We tried training, and it didn’t work,” this episode is for you.

This week, Amy talks with Em Breslin, host of the podcast The Dog Who Asked for More, about why dog training sometimes fails and what pet parents may be missing when they feel stuck. Em is a dog trainer, Certified Professional Canine Nutritionist, and retired veterinary technician with more than 20 years of experience in veterinary medicine, behavior support, enrichment, and nutrition.

This conversation is not about blaming the dog or the pet parent. It’s about getting curious. Sometimes the method doesn’t fit the dog. Sometimes the environment is too distracting. Sometimes stress, pain, poor nutrition, unmet needs, or inconsistent communication get in the way.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why “training didn’t work” doesn’t always mean your dog is untrainable
 • How to look at the dog, the human, the trainer, and the environment
 • Why repeating commands over and over doesn’t help
 • How stress, pain, food, enrichment, and breed traits can affect behavior
 • Why some dogs need one-on-one support before group classes
 • What to do before switching trainers, tools, or giving up
 • Why asking for help early can prevent months of frustration

Listen to The Dog Who Asked for More or get in touch with Em here: https://thedogwhoaskedformore.com/

Stuck on a pet problem? Send it here.

Practical pet advice for busy pet parents.

Love the show? Follow The Pet Parent Hotline so you don’t miss an episode, and share this one with a pet parent who needs it.

Listen & Follow: 🌍Official Site |📱Facebook |📺YouTube | 🍏 Apple |🎵Spotify

The Pet Parent Hotline covers real-world dog and cat behavior, training, pet health and nutrition, veterinary decisions, pet-care costs, aging pets, and everyday life with animals.

No fluff. No guilt. Just useful advice to help you make smarter decisions and enjoy life with your pets.

Help us reach more pet parents like you: A 5-star rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps new listeners feel confident trying us out.

Contact: [email protected]
©Ⓟ 2026 Amy Castro

What do you do when the life you built around your pets, your purpose, and your plans no longer fits the life you're actually living?

In this raw, personal episode, Amy talks about leaving the seven-acre Texas property she bought with her husband less than two years before he died of COVID. What once felt like a dream built around rescue, animals, space, and a future together eventually became more than she could keep carrying on her own.

This is not another episode about why Amy stepped back from rescue, you can listen to that here, it is about what happens after a major loss, when the routines and responsibilities that kept you going also start keeping you stuck. It is about grief, capacity, identity, and the hard truth that something can matter deeply and still no longer be sustainable.

Amy also talks about bringing her own pets through this transition, the guilt that comes when animals are affected by our life decisions, and the mindset helping her right now: stop trying to make everything perfect and focus on making things less hard.

If you are caring for pets while navigating a major life change, questioning what you can keep carrying, or trying to make a responsible decision that still hurts, this episode will meet you there.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why this episode is intentionally less polished than usual
• Leaving a property tied to marriage, grief, rescue, and identity
• How animals can keep you going after loss
• When responsibility becomes pressure
• Why love and capacity are not the same thing
• What “less hard” can look like during a transition
• Why your needs should be part of your pets’ care plan too
• How to recognize when the life you built no longer fits

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Pet Acting Different? Ask This Before You Blame Them | Pet Parent Power-Up
• Road Trip With Cats? Pet Travel Tips To Prevent Mayhem
• Road Trips With Pets: Avoid Vomit, Stress and Car Chaos

KEY TAKEAWAY:

Responsible pet parenting is not about destroying yourself to prove that you care. Sometimes it is about making the hard changes so that you and your pets can have a life that actually works.

Stuck on a pet problem? Send it here.

Practical pet advice for busy pet parents.

Love the show? Follow The Pet Parent Hotline so you don’t miss an episode, and share this one with a pet parent who needs it.

Listen & Follow: 🌍Official Site |📱Facebook |📺YouTube | 🍏 Apple |🎵Spotify

The Pet Parent Hotline covers real-world dog and cat behavior, training, pet health and nutrition, veterinary decisions, pet-care costs, aging pets, and everyday life with animals.

No fluff. No guilt. Just useful advice to help you make smarter decisions and enjoy life with your pets.

Help us reach more pet parents like you: A 5-star rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps new listeners feel confident trying us out.

Contact: [email protected]
©Ⓟ 2026 Amy Castro