The Pet Parent Hotline

By Amy Castro - Pet Parenting Expert & Animal RescuerEducation Self-Improvement Kids & Family How To Pets & Animals

The Pet Parent Hotline episodes

October 25Pet Parent Anxiety: Stop Googling, Worrying & Second-Guessing Yourself
Ever Googled a symptom your pet was having and ended up convinced something terrible was wrong? Or made a decision about their care, only to spend days wondering if you made the right choice?
Pet parent anxiety can disguise itself as being responsible. You want to do what's best for your pet, but when does caring turn into excessive worrying, endless research, and second-guessing every decision?
In this episode of The Pet Parent Hotline, Amy talks with psychologist Dr. Alicia del Prado about why pet parents get caught in anxiety spirals, how our own stress can affect our pets, and practical ways to make decisions with more confidence, even when there's no perfect answer.
You'll learn:
How to recognize when normal concern about your pet is becoming unhealthy anxiety.
Why Googling symptoms and seeking endless opinions can make you feel worse, not better.
How your anxiety may influence your pet's behavior and your ability to interpret what they're telling you.
Simple techniques to interrupt a worry spiral before it takes over.
How to stop second-guessing pet care decisions by setting reasonable timelines for reassessment.
Why a bad outcome doesn't necessarily mean you made a bad decision, and how to practice self-compassion while still learning from mistakes.
From everyday decisions about food and veterinary care to heartbreaking end-of-life choices, this conversation offers a more balanced way to care deeply about your pets without letting worry take over your life.
About our guest
Dr. Alicia del Prado is a psychologist with 25 years of clinical experience and the founder of del Prado Counseling & Consulting in California. She specializes in anxiety, depression, and relationship challenges, helping people navigate difficult decisions and develop healthier ways of coping with stress.
Learn more about Dr. del Prado and her practice at drdelprado.com.
Know a pet parent who worries about everything? Share this episode with them. It might be exactly what they need to hear.
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
31 min
October 18Is Your Pet's Collar a Safety Hazard? What Dog & Cat Parents Need to Know
Could your dog's or cat's collar actually put their life in danger? A collar that's too loose can slip right over your dog's head, dangling ID tags can become deadly traps, and even a collar that fits perfectly can have a buckle that fails when you least expect it.
In this episode of The Pet Parent Hotline, Amy shares frightening close calls with her own dogs and lessons learned from many years working in rescue. You'll discover common dog and cat collar safety hazards, along with practical ways to prevent injuries, escapes, and dangerous entanglements.
YOU'LL LEARN:
How to choose the right type of collar for your pet based on whether it's used for identification, walking, or everyday wear.
How to check collar fit properly, including the two-finger rule and why loose collars can be just as dangerous as tight ones.
When a martingale collar might make sense, how they help prevent escapes, and why they shouldn't be left on unsupervised dogs.
What to know about plastic buckles, ID tags, and collar hardware before something breaks or gets caught.
Why cat breakaway collars aren't all created equal, especially when it comes to kittens and release mechanisms.
When you should take collars off, including situations involving crates, rough play, and other entanglement hazards.
Don't wait until something goes wrong to discover a problem with your pet's collar. Listen now, then take a few minutes to check their collar for your peace of mind and their safety. It's a simple step that could prevent a serious accident.
Have you ever experienced a collar-related close call? Share your story at petparenthotline.com, and send this episode to another pet parent who might benefit from hearing it.
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
27 min
October 118 Pet Products That Waste Your Money (And What to Buy Instead)
Ever spent good money on a pet product that promised to make your life easier, only to discover it created more work, more expense, or more aggravation? Some of the most popular pet gadgets and accessories look terrific in advertisements but fall flat once you bring them home.
After fostering more than 4,000 animals, Amy Castro has learned which pet products are worth the investment and which ones might leave you regretting your purchase.
In this episode, you'll discover:
Why automatic pet toys and ball launchers aren't always the enrichment or exercise solution they promise to be
The hidden costs and cleaning hassles of pet water fountains
What to look for in a dog or cat bed so you're not throwing it away after the first major mess
How decorative litter box furniture can create problems for your cat
Why subscription toy boxes and complicated food puzzles may not be worth the money
What actually works for controlling pet odors instead of just covering them up
Amy also shares simpler, budget-friendly alternatives and the questions she wishes she'd asked before spending money on products that eventually ended up in the garbage or gathering dust.
What's the biggest waste of money you've ever bought for your pet? Or is there a product on this list that you absolutely love? We'd love to hear about it!
For more rescue-tested recommendations, check out our episodes on pet care essentials and pet technology that's actually worth buying.
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
37 min
October 07Love the Animal. But Do You Want The Life? | Pet Parent Power-Up
Before you get another pet, don't just research the animal. Research the life that comes with it.
In this Pet Parent Power Up, Amy shares a simple way to make a better decision before bringing home a new pet: picture an ordinary Tuesday six months from now, after the excitement has worn off.
What will that animal actually need from you? How much time, training, cleaning, exercise, enrichment, money, and daily attention will be involved? And what are the parts longtime owners find frustrating, expensive, or harder than they expected?
You'll also hear why it's worth talking to people who've lived with a particular breed or species for years, including people who decided they wouldn't have that type of pet again.
Because sometimes good research leads you to say, “I love that animal, but I don't want that life.” And making that decision before bringing an animal home isn't failure. It's responsible pet parenting.
In this episode:
Why basic breed and species research isn't enough
The “ordinary Tuesday” test for choosing a pet
Why you should research the annoying parts too
What longtime pet owners can tell you that social media won't
Why your real lifestyle matters more than your idealized one
How to know when loving an animal doesn't mean you should own one.
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
9 min
October 04How to Avoid the Wrong Pet: 6 Beliefs That Lead to Bad Choices
Choosing the right pet isn’t just about finding an animal you love. Sometimes the mistaken beliefs you bring into the decision can steer you toward a pet that isn’t actually a good fit for your life, your family, or your ability to meet that animal’s needs.
In this episode of The Pet Parent Hotline, Amy challenges six common beliefs that can lead to bad pet choices, including the idea that getting a puppy or kitten means you can “raise it right,” that small animals make good starter pets for kids, and that wanting a particular breed or species is reason enough to bring one home.
Drawing on a lifetime with animals, years in rescue, and experience fostering more than 4,000 pets, Amy also shares some of her own bad decisions, including getting an iguana before she truly understood what caring for one would require.
You’ll hear why:
A baby animal isn’t a blank slate you can shape into exactly the pet you want
“Starter pets” can require far more care than families expect
Always wanting a certain animal doesn’t necessarily mean you should own one
Legal and available for sale doesn’t automatically mean appropriate as a pet
Falling in love with an animal can make it easier to overlook a bad match
Love alone can’t fix every mismatch between a pet and your home
This episode isn’t about making people feel guilty for wanting a pet. It’s about slowing down long enough to ask a better question:
Not just “Do I want this pet?” but “Can I give this particular animal the life it actually needs?”
Sometimes the right pet is a different pet. And sometimes the right decision is walking away.
If you know someone who’s thinking about bringing an animal home, send them this episode before they decide.
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
20 min
September 27Is Your Cat in Pain? Subtle Signs You Might Be Missing
Cats are incredibly good at hiding pain, and sometimes the first clue that something is wrong doesn't look like pain at all. It looks like a change in behavior.
Maybe your cat suddenly stops hanging out with you. They're less tolerant of another cat. Their eating or litter-box habits change. They start biting when touched somewhere they never minded before. Or they're simply acting a little... off.
In this episode, Amy talks with Certified Cat Behavior Consultant Amanda Caron, founder of Frisky Feline Behavior Counseling, about how pain can show up through behavior and why knowing what's normal for your individual cat matters so much.
Amanda shares what changes to watch for, how to track patterns without turning pet parenting into a full-time data-collection project, ways to figure out what's happening in a multi-cat household, and when a behavior change warrants a call to your veterinarian.
They also discuss the Feline Grimace Scale, a science-based tool that helps cat parents recognize facial changes associated with acute pain and gives them useful information to discuss with their veterinarian.
In this episode:
Why cats are so good at hiding pain
Subtle behavior changes that may deserve a closer look
Why your cat's individual “normal” matters more than a generic checklist
Simple ways to track changes and patterns
Monitoring eating, litter-box habits and behavior in multi-cat homes
When to involve your veterinarian
How pain can be mistaken for a behavior problem
How the Feline Grimace Scale can help you recognize signs of acute pain
Resources:
Amanda Caron and Frisky Feline Behavior Counseling
Visit Frisky Feline Behavior Counseling
Feline Grimace Scale
Visit the Feline Grimace Scale website
Important: This episode is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for veterinary care. Behavior changes can have many causes. If you're concerned about a change in your cat's health or behavior, contact your veterinarian.
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
30 min
September 19Should You Dump Someone If Your Pet Doesn’t Like Them?
Would you dump somebody because your pet didn’t like them?
A new survey found that nearly one in four pet parents say a pet’s negative reaction to someone they’re dating would be an immediate deal breaker. Which sounds pretty reasonable... until you meet Nash, the Golden Retriever who recently greeted a burglar inside his house by bringing him toys.
So how much should we really trust our pets’ reactions to people?
In this episode, Amy looks at what your pet’s behavior can tell you, what it probably can’t, and why the more revealing clue may be how the other person reacts to your pet.
Because whether you’re dating, moving in together, getting a roommate, or combining households, loving animals isn’t necessarily enough. Differences over sleeping arrangements, house rules, vet bills, daily pet care, future pets, and even what happens if the relationship ends can turn into much bigger issues than people expect.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Why a pet’s reaction to someone is information, not necessarily a verdict
What Nash the Golden Retriever can teach us about dogs as “judges of character”
Why respecting your pet’s boundaries may tell you more about a person than whether your pet likes them
When fear, growling, snapping, or escalating behavior warrants help from a qualified behavior professional
What a recent survey reveals about pets and dating relationships
Why “I like dogs” or “I like cats” doesn’t necessarily mean two people are pet-compatible
The house rules couples should discuss before moving in together
How different attitudes toward veterinary spending can create major conflict
Why “I’ll help with the dog” needs a clearer definition
What couples should discuss before adopting a pet together
Why pet ownership can get complicated when a relationship ends
What do you think? Would you end a relationship because your pet didn’t like someone? Have you ever had a pet react badly to somebody and later thought they were onto something? Or is your dog more like Nash and likely to welcome a burglar with a tennis ball?
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
21 min
September 13Dog Won’t Take a Pill? 10 Rescue-Proven Tricks That Work
Getting a dog to take a pill can turn into a ridiculous battle of wills, especially when they somehow eat everything except the medication.
In this episode, Amy shares 10 tricks she’s learned from years of owning, fostering, rescuing, and medicating dogs of all shapes, sizes, and ages. The key isn’t finding one magical food that works for every dog. It’s figuring out how your dog approaches food and choosing a strategy that fits.
You’ll learn why a tiny, soft pill package may work better than a big chunk of something delicious, how to use decoy treats and momentum, why your dog may be reacting to your medication-prep routine before the pill even appears, and what to do when a trick that worked for months suddenly stops working.
Amy also covers when it may be time to stop hiding the pill altogether and ask your veterinarian about a "pill popper", liquid or compounded medication, or another appropriate way to give it.
And cat people, you’re not forgotten. Some of these tricks translate, but cats can present a whole different pill-giving challenge, so Amy also talks about when liquid, compounded, transdermal, or direct-pilling options may be worth discussing with your veterinarian.
In this episode you'll learn:
How your dog’s eating style affects which pill tricks may work
Why small, soft, easy-to-swallow bites can beat bigger treats
The decoy-treat trick for slipping medication into the sequence
How dogs learn our medication routines
Using timing, momentum, and safe competition in multi-dog homes
What to do when your dog figures out your favorite trick
Pill poppers and other direct-pilling options
When to ask your vet about another medication formulation
Why pilling cats sometimes requires a completely different approach
Important: Always follow your veterinarian’s instructions for your pet’s specific medication. Don’t crush, split, open, dissolve, or otherwise alter medication unless your veterinarian has confirmed that it’s safe to do so.
Got a pill trick that works on your dog or cat? Amy wants to hear it. Share your weirdest, sneakiest, or most successful strategy, and you might see it featured in a future Pet Parent Hotline episode or post.
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
25 min
September 068 DIY Pet Health Checks to Do Every Month
You see your pet every day, which means you’re in the best position to notice when something starts to change. The problem? Seeing them every day can also make gradual changes surprisingly easy to miss.
In this episode of The Pet Parent Hotline, Amy walks through eight simple at-home pet health checks you can do about once a month to get more familiar with what’s normal for your pet and spot changes that may be worth mentioning to your veterinarian.
This isn’t about diagnosing your pet at home or replacing regular veterinary care. Think of it as a 10-to-15-minute monthly check-in where you slow down, actually look at your pet, put your hands on them where it’s safe to do so, and pay attention.
You’ll learn to check:
Body condition, weight, and muscle changes
Lumps, bumps, swelling, and sensitive areas
Skin, fur, hair, or feathers
Eyes, ears, teeth, gums, and mouth
Feet, nails, claws, and paw pads
Movement, stiffness, and mobility
Eating and drinking habits
Bathroom habits, energy, and behavior
Amy also shares how accidentally discovering a badly broken tooth in one of her own dogs made her realize just how much pet parents can miss when we’re not deliberately looking.
The goal isn’t to catch everything. It’s to know your pet well enough that when something changes, you’re more likely to recognize that it’s new and give your veterinarian useful information about when it started.
In This Episode
Why everyday petting isn’t the same as deliberately checking your pet
How gradual weight and muscle changes can sneak up on you
A simple way to keep track of your pet’s lumps and bumps
Why teeth and gums deserve a closer look
Small mobility changes that may be easy to dismiss as “just getting older”
Eating, drinking, and bathroom changes worth paying attention to
How to turn a monthly pet check into an easy habit
What to ask your veterinarian so you can personalize the routine for your pet
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
22 min
September 02Your Pet Is Acting ‘Off’: 3 Questions to Ask Before You Worry
This month’s Pet Parent Power Up is a little different: no intro music, minimal editing, and recorded on the fly to follow up on an important question from Sunday’s episode.
What should you do when you notice your pet doing something differently? Maybe your dog suddenly hesitates before jumping into the car, your cat starts sleeping somewhere new, or a pet who used to love a certain activity seems less interested.
Before you panic or write it off as “just getting older,” Amy shares three questions that can help you decide whether you’re seeing a simple preference, a pattern worth watching, or a change that deserves a conversation with your veterinarian:
Is this actually new for my pet?
Is it happening consistently?
Is it interfering with something my pet normally wants or needs to do?
You’ll also learn why knowing your individual pet’s normal matters, how videos and a few simple notes can help your veterinarian, and why aging, moving, stress, or other life changes shouldn’t automatically be used to explain away new behavior.
This episode builds on Sunday’s conversation about treating pets as individuals and paying attention to what each animal actually needs.
Veterinary Disclaimer: The Pet Parent Hotline is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your veterinarian or another qualified pet-care professional about questions or concerns related to your individual pet’s health, behavior, diet, mobility, or care.
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
9 min