The Petcast

Introducing the first episode of our bonus ‘Ask The Vet’ mini-series, where Emma Barton and her co-host, Poppy Dog, explore some of the common questions we ask about our pets with Blue Cross Chief Veterinary Surgeon, Caroline Reay.

Should I brush my pet’s teeth? Can I use toothpaste? And is there a special brush I need to buy? In this debut episode, Caroline provides pet owners with an introduction to oral hygiene for our four-legged friends.

Pets use their teeth daily, and not just for eating – they use them to play, explore and taste a lot their surroundings too. So, making sure your pet’s teeth are cared for, is incredibly ‘impaw-tant’.

From how to keep your animal relaxed for brushing, to what pets should (or should not) have their teeth cleaned – you'll come away feeling a lot more comfortable and confident about ‘teeth time’ with their furry friends.

Useful Links

• As with most things in life, prevention is better than cure. Here is an expert guide into how to keep your dog’s teeth clean: https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/dog-dental-care
• The most common reasons for using anaesthetics on rabbits are for dental work and routine neutering. To read more about how to look after you Rabbit’s teeth visit: https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/rabbits-and-surgery
• Teeth are important and, just like people, cats’ benefit from regular dental care. For a full guide into the basic healthcare in cats head over to: https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/basic-healthcare-cats

Meet Caroline Reay

Caroline has been the Chief Veterinary Surgeon at Blue Cross in Merton, South London, for more than 10 years. Caroline’s career has been almost exclusively in small animal practice, but she has additional qualifications in Companion Animal Behavior Counselling and Radiology.

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We are all looking forward to some warm weather and sunshine this summer, but does your pet feel the same way?

Back by paw-pular demand, the first episode of this new Petcast series follows our animal-loving host, Emma Barton, and her co-host, Poppy Dog, as they explore how we can keep our pets safe this summer - along with special guests, British Paralympian, Hollie Arnold MBE, and Blue Cross Chief Veterinary Surgeon, Caroline Reay.

Over the summer months, pets are susceptible to a whole host of health and safety issues, including dehydration, respiratory issues, overheating and insect stings. From cool-down techniques and summertime treats, to pet CPR and staycation preparation – Petcast listeners are provided with all the tips and tricks that they need to prevent their pets from potential risks this summer.

To help keep our four-legged friends happy and healthy during the summer, Veterinary specialist Caroline Reay also talks about sunscreen: “When they are playing and having a good time with the family, pets don’t realise how hot they are getting, so it is very hard for animals to adjust to the weather.

“It’s a good idea for dogs to wear pet-safe sunscreen – particularly for white dogs and hairless areas. One area we need to be careful about is the bridge of their nose, and cats can also have problems and get sunburn on the top of their ears.”

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Is it normal for my rabbit to thump its feet all the time? And why do my dog’s ears go back? Does my cat purr too much?

In this final episode of The Petcast, Blue Cross Rehoming Manager, Kayleigh Hill, joins presenter Emma Barton to answer some of the most commonly Googled questions about our pets. Plus, Loose Women’s Kaye Adams asks some of the questions that she has always wondered about her beloved dog, Bea.

Discussing horses, rabbits, dogs, cats and more, this animal loving trio uncover what our pets are really trying to tell us with their unusual quirks and unique personality habits. Kaye also finds out why her dog Bea always brings her a gift (often a shoe!) when she arrives home, and Kayleigh shares some tips and tricks around road safety:

“We would always advise to keep your dogs secure on a lead, anywhere that there might be traffic, but there is always a situation where they may get free. In that instance, if you have done some really good training with a stop queue it can save their lives, even in a situation where they are distracted by something.

“Therefore, you want to build distractions into their training … so that if the situation ever arises they will automatically listen to that command when you ask them for a stop - because you never know when that’ll save their life!”

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Emma Barton is joined by Blue Cross’s Animal Behaviourist, Claire Haynes, to discuss the rewards and realities that come with owning a puppy. Former CBBC presenter and presenter of BBC Radio 1’s Life Hacks, Katie Thistleton, also joins Emma and Claire to talk about her love of dogs and decide if now is the right time to bring a puppy into her busy life.

From puppy proofing the home during the first weeks of their arrival, to socialising with other people and their pets at the park, the trio draw on their previous experiences and Claire’s expert knowledge to share useful tips, tricks and hacks with Petcast listeners.

Claire also explains that puppy training should begin the day that they arrive in your new home, and shares some advice:

“Puppies learn by their environment and they learn from how we respond to them. So if you get your puppy home and they jump on the sofa and you give them a good cuddle, that’s totally fine, but you’re rewarding your puppy for that behaviour, so it’s that awareness of knowing that how you respond to what they do is how they learn what’s right and wrong.”

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Growing up alongside a pet can be a wonderful experience for a child, so it is essential to think about the needs of everyone in the home and ensure the relationship works for both people and pets. 

Many parents look for advice on how to get these relationships right, so in this episode of The Petcast, Emma is joined by Kerry Taylor from the Blue Cross Educational Team, to discuss the many different species that may be a wonderful addition to a family home – and how everyone can work together to ensure that their chosen pets have a happy, healthy life.

From tips on how to get your children thinking responsibly about pet care, to the common mistakes to avoid when introducing a pet to young children, Kerry and Emma have a candid conversation around the key things to consider when welcoming a new pet into your family and home. 

On top of these tips and tricks, Kerry also speaks about how some social media platforms and trends might be more harm than fun when it comes to filming our pets: 

“You have to think, is this fun? When you look at some of these videos of the trend of scaring your pet and seeing their reaction, or getting in their face and seeing how they react … we are putting pets into a situation that makes them feel uncomfortable, scared and they can’t tell us. In some of these videos, you can see their body language – dogs with wide eyes and their ears are back showing they are worried.

“What worries me is people watching these videos in society, especially young children… and thinking that it is okay to put animals in that situation. I understand that people think it is a little bit of fun, but when you look at it, it’s not nice to put our pets in that situation.”

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From colourful leaves and crisp morning walks, to the run up to Christmas and the prospect of snow, Autumn and Winter can be a magical time of year, but it can also present lots of hazards for our pets. 

In this episode, host Emma Barton is joined by Blue Cross Vet, Bev Wilson, who offers listeners tips and advice on how they can keep their pets warm, happy, and safe during these seasonal periods. 

The colder months can be lots of fun for the whole family, but only if you are prepared for the risks that come with it. Swapping advice on how to keep our four-legged friends safe, Emma and Bev talk about the dangers to look out for both inside and outside the home - from safeguarding your dog from conkers on their daily walk, to ensuring your smaller pets don’t get cold in their outdoor hutch, to protecting them from hazardous Christmas foods that might be lurking in a nearby bin. 

“At this time of year, as we are worried about the calories as they aren’t doing as much, my go-to thing is to give my pets winter vegetables…things like carrots are great and scramble eggs are also safe for dogs. 

“Hide them in various places around the house, or you can even create some fun activity feeders … old shoe boxes with tubes from your kitchen roll put inside and wrapping from your Christmas presents. Then sprinkle in some treats and chopped up vegetables and your dog can spend some time sniffing through and finding all the tasty treats to eat.”  

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Emma Barton is joined by fellow EastEnders actress, Kellie Bright, and Blue Cross Animal Behaviourist, Leigh-Anne Reed to discuss how our new way of life may have triggered different behavioural traits in pets, and how pet owners can look to address them.

From more one-on-one time with families, to less opportunity to travel outside of their local areas, our pets have certainly experienced a different way of life over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout the episode, Leigh-Anne shares her expertise on the different behaviours pets might exhibit as a result of the pandemic including heightened separation anxiety as well as offering some guidance on what our pets might be trying to tell us - and Kellie and Emma share their own experiences of living in lockdown with their beloved pooches Bohdi and Poppy.

Leigh-Anne also discusses how allowing your pet time alone to relax is so important during these testing times, when there is constant noise and movement in the house:

“In the exact same way as it is for us, having a good night sleep really sets our pets up for the day. It increases our tolerance levels, and we know our pets are the same – so without that it can really effect their ability to behave and accept things that they would normally cope with.”

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With firework displays being cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are planning to revert to traditional backyard displays for their bonfire night festivities. However, while

fireworks are fun for many of us, sadly they aren’t as much fun for our pets. So in the first of a new series, Emma Barton is joined by Blue Cross Animal Behaviourist, Claire Stallard, who shares her tips and advice on how you can keep pets feeling calm and safe during firework season.

Emma, and Claire swap tips on how to ensure pets remain comfortable and protected when fireworks are going off within close proximity – and Emma shares her own experience of how she makes the occasion more manageable for her dog, Poppy. As well as providing insight on how to keep your own pets safe, Claire also offers advice for listeners who may be thinking about hosting their own firework display, and how they have a responsibility to their community:

“COVID-19 has resulted in many public firework displays being cancelled increasing the potential for more back garden fireworks parties – which may cause a lot of problems this year. Therefore, it’s

important to inform your neighbours with pets in advance if you are planning a private display so that they can put a plan of action into place.

“Community Facebook groups can be a useful tool, as people will often post on them to warn neighbours about upcoming firework shows.”.

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Alison Brennan, one of Blue Cross’ Senior Vets, joins Gemma Atkinson to discuss the key things every pet owner should know about keeping their pet healthy. They discuss good diet and exercise help pets keep in top physical condition – as well as covering vaccinations, neutering, and dental health and hygiene.  

Alison helps Gemma bust some of the most common myths around good pet health (including what they should and shouldn’t eat), and answers some of the most frequently asked questions around how owners should keep pets looking and feeling their very best.

To find out more about this episode and the services Blue Cross provides, go to https://www.bluecross.org.uk/podcast. 

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Gemma Atkinson is joined by Kerry Taylor, Blue Cross Education Manager, to celebrate some of the phenomenal pets the Blue Cross team encounter across the UK - our real pet heroes. We hear about pet heroes like Romeo, the blood-donating 'super staffy', from his owner Steph. We also hear from Alison, the owner of Dillon the therapy pony who has helped to put a smile on the faces of hundreds of children with disabilities. Kerry also shares some of her favourite stories and discusses the valuable work the education team do in schools to teach children how to be future pet owners. 

To find out more about this episode and the services Blue Cross provides, go to https://www.bluecross.org.uk/podcast.

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