Don, Kate and Dr. Dave Cloutier from the Veazie Veterinary Clinic answer listener questions submitted via The Woof Meow Show FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/WoofMeowShow/). Questions answered are: 1) Does allowing your dog to have 1 litter have any health benefits to the dog?, 2) Are there any health benefits to letting a cat have a litter?, 3) My Pittie has dermatitis on her earflaps can I supplement her diet with coconut oil to improve her skin?, 4) My 7 year old Yorkie has dry irritated skin. I've changed her food to lamb and rice, it is still not helping. Is there something safe to use that isn't a bunch of chemicals?, 5) Are there metabolic diseases that affect the dogs ability to properly absorb fatty acids?, 6) I have a rescue dog that we got at 10 months he is now a little over a year. He pees all the time. We take him out he pees come back inside and he will pee in the house. I don't know how to get him to stop. He was abandoned in a house for 3 weeks. 7) I have a 2 year old female unfixed cat who has continued to spray on our stuff. There is no infection of any kind and we have tried everything. We are exasperated and want some answers. Do you have any idea what could be wrong or what we are doing wrong?, and 8) I have a Dane, 2 Bassett hounds and a very old man cat. My younger Bassett 2yrs old, loves to clean up the yard after the cat especially. What can I do to stop this? I try to scoop but with 4 it gets ahead of me sometimes.

This is an abbreviated show due to the live broadcast of the Boston Red Sox game. Go Soxs!

You can hear The Woof Meow Show on The Pulse AM620, WZON, and WKIT HD3 at 12 Noon on Saturday. If you’re not near a radio, listen on your computer at http://www.wzonthepulse.com or your smartphone or tablet with the free WZON 620 AM app. A podcast of the show is typically posted immediately after the show, and can be downloaded at www.woofmeowshow.com and the Apple iTunes store.

Don, Kate and Dr. Dave Cloutier from the Veazie Veterinary Clinic answer listener questions submitted via The Woof Meow Show FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/WoofMeowShow/). Questions answered are:  1) Is it a good idea to shave down a dog or cat?, 2) Does one need to worry about sunburn if a pet is shaved down?, 3) When we shave an animal are there cases where there hair does not grow back?, 4) Where do you start when someone thinks they have a dog with food allergies?, and 5) Are seasonal allergies a big thing with dogs?

This is an abbreviated show due to the live broadcast of the Boston Red Sox. Go Soxs!

You can hear The Woof Meow Show on The Pulse AM620, WZON, and WKIT HD3 at 12 Noon on Saturday. If you’re not near a radio, listen on your computer at http://www.wzonthepulse.com or your smartphone or tablet with the free WZON 620 AM app. A podcast of the show is typically posted immediately after the show, and can be downloaded at www.woofmeowshow.com and the Apple iTunes store.  

This week Kate and Don talk with Dr. Mike McCaw from the Veazie

You can hear The Woof Meow Show on The Pulse AM620,

 It is that time of year when we invite Dr. Dave Cloutier on to the show to chat with us about the latest in parasite prevention for our pets. We start off discussing intestinal worms and heart worm, followed by ticks and then fleas. All of these parasites can threaten our pet’s health and our own as well. Dr. Cloutier provides guidance on how to monitor your pet’s health and how to safely and effectively prevent these parasites. We also address the importance of discussing any and all such preventatives that you use with your veterinarian as many of these products should not be used together and while a product may be safe for a dog, it may be very harmful to a cat.

You can hear The Woof Meow Show on The Pulse AM620, WZON, and WKIT HD3 at 12 Noon on Saturday. If you’re not near a radio, listen on your computer at http://www.wzonthepulse.com or your smartphone or tablet with the free WZON 620 AM app. A podcast of the show is typically posted immediately after the show, and can be downloaded at www.woofmeowshow.com and the Apple iTunes store.  

Kate discusses raw pet food diets; frozen and freeze-dried, with Dee Ferranti of the Carnivore Meat Company, maker of Vital Essentials Pet Food, and Jodi Langellotti, from pet food distributor, Pet Food Experts.

 If your pet has health issues that may be related to nutrition (food allergies, digestive difficulties, obesity, chronically underweight, diabetes, kidney disease) or if you just want to learn more about pet nutrition and how you can do the best for your pets nutrition and your wallet, you will not want to miss this show.

 Key discussion points include: the benefits and objections to feeding pets a raw diet, food safety issues and why feeding a commercial raw diet for your pet may be safer than feeding yourself or your pet from what you buy from the meat department at the supermarket, the economics of feeding raw and how combining raw food with kibble can benefit your budget and your pets health, why raw food is a healthier and more nutritious choice, the differences between frozen raw and freeze-dried raw diets, how to transition a pet to a raw diet, the history of the Carnivore Meat Company, how Vital Essentials sources its ingredients to ensure quality, and the numerous products in the Vital Essentials line.

You can hear The Woof Meow Show on The Pulse AM620, WZON, and WKIT HD3 at 12 Noon on Saturday. If you’re not near a radio, listen on your computer at http://www.wzonthepulse.com or your smartphone or tablet with the free WZON 620 AM app. A podcast of the show is typically posted immediately after the show, and can be downloaded at www.woofmeowshow.com and the Apple iTunes store.  

Don, Kate and Dr. Dave Cloutier from the Veazie Veterinary Clinic answer listener questions submitted via The Woof Meow Show FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/WoofMeowShow/). Questions answered are: 1) My apricot colored peek-a-poo's skin darkens in the summer and she sheds this color I the fall. It makes her look dingy. Is there a reason this happens and is there a special shampoo to use?, 2) What can be done to address the rust color of a dogs face and feet? 3) What is the recommended protein and calcium/phosphorus levels in the food for a Great Dane puppy?, 4) What is the definition of a large breed puppy?, 5) How do I know which food is the best food for my pet? and 6) Are vegetarian diets appropriate for pets?

This is an abbreviated show due to the live broadcast of the Boston Red Sox game. Go Soxs!

You can hear The Woof Meow Show on The Pulse AM620, WZON, and WKIT HD3 at 12 Noon on Saturday. If you’re not near a radio, listen on your computer at http://www.wzonthepulse.com or your smartphone or tablet with the free WZON 620 AM app. A podcast of the show is typically posted immediately after the show, and can be downloaded at www.woofmeowshow.com and the Apple iTunes store.  

If you want to learn how you can improve your pet's health and extend their life just by changing what and how you feed them, you do not want to miss this show.

Kate and Don interview animal nutritionist Dr. Richard Patton, author of Ruined by Excess, Perfected by Lack, the Paradox of Pet Nutrition and discuss the best way to feed our pets for optimal health. Don first heard Dr. Patton speak in the fall of 2015 and was not only impressed by Dr. Patton’s passion and breadth of knowledge on pet nutrition, a subject we are passionate about as well, but was equally impressed by Dr. Patton’s ability to take technical concepts about nutrition and explain them from a common sense perspective.

We start our discussion from these three points; 1) nutrition is never a crisis, but poor nutrition often impacts health and then can cause a medical crisis, 2) we need to accept that we can either have optimal nutrition or convenience and economy, but not both, and 3) we should never be afraid to feed less. From there we move to what Dr. Patton calls the 900lb gorilla in the room; the presence of excess soluble carbohydrates in pet food. As Dr. Patton states “The majority of our nutrition problems can be traced back to the feeding of excess soluble carbohydrates. So until we fix that, it’s kind of esoteric to get into an involved discussion about whether salmon is better than trout or kangaroo is better than alligator. My mantra is to reduce the caloric intake, particularly from soluble carbohydrates and starch and sugar.”

You can hear The Woof Meow Show on The Pulse AM620, WZON, and WKIT HD3 at 12 Noon on Saturday. If you’re not near a radio, listen on your computer at http://www.wzonthepulse.com or your smartphone or tablet with the free WZON 620 AM app. A podcast of the show is typically posted immediately after the show, and can be downloaded at www.woofmeowshow.com and the Apple iTunes store.  

When it comes to our pet’s health, optimal nutrition is key. It’s our responsibility to make informed decisions about what they eat – not always easy to do when all of those ads on TV from pet food companies each declare that their food is best.

How can you tell facts from hype? Find out on Thursday, April 28th, from 6 to 8 PM when independent animal nutritionist, Dr. Richard Patton, will present a seminar called “The Science and Dogma of Pet Nutrition.” With over 40 years of experience, Dr. Patton’s primary concern is the health of our pets.

Find out what your pets are really eating and what they should be eating in order to live a longer, healthier life. Seating is limited and registration is required. Call 945-6841 or stop by at 1653 Union Street in Bangor. Green Acres Kennel Shop. Your source for wholesome food for healthy pets!

This is a follow-up to our show of March 12 when Kate and Don discussed the AAHA Canine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines with Dr. Dave Cloutier from Veazie Veterinary Clinic. In that show, we discussed how behavior issues have become a significant issue and how many of those behavior problems have been caused, at least in part, my people’s misconceptions about canine behavior. This week we examine what people think they know about dogs and where that information is coming from and how reliable it is as a source of facts. We then discuss several myths about canine behavior and counter them with what science has shown to be the facts.

Myths examined include:  dogs are wolves, dogs are pack animals, people must be dominant, or Alpha over their dog, punishment and aversive tools are necessary to train a dog, dogs should work for praise alone, growls are bad, all dogs like all other dogs, crating a dog is cruel, all dogs need a job, getting a second dog solves behavior problems, dogs do things to get revenge, dogs know right from wrong, and dogs and kids go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Facts that we bring to light include: dogs respond very well to benevolent leadership, dogs benefit from training, food rewards work very well for training, wolf packs are about families cooperating, dogs only form loose association with other dogs,  growls are a beneficial way for a dog to communicate they are feeling threatened, you’re not a bad owner if you don’t take your dog to daycare or the dog park, dogs are den animals and hence most love their crates, dogs need both mental and physical stimulation, behavior problems can be contagious, dogs know safe from dangerous, and dogs and kids are lots of work.

You can hear The Woof Meow Show on The Pulse AM620, WZON, and WKIT HD3 at 12 Noon on Saturday. If you’re not near a radio, listen on your computer at http://www.wzonthepulse.com or your smartphone or tablet with the free WZON 620 AM app. A podcast of the show is typically posted immediately after the show, and can be downloaded at www.woofmeowshow.com and the Apple iTunes store.  

In this week’s show Don and Kate address questions listeners have submitted through or question contest on The Woof Meow Show FaceBook page. Questions we cover include;

1) What is the best type of bowl to use for feeding a puppy, are the bowls that sit high better for some breeds,

2) A friend adopted a dog that has separation anxiety and it’s not getting better, what should he do?,

3) What is a good grooming tool for a Yorkie?,

4) My GSD puppy chases my cats and they’re not happy about it. How should I handle this?,

5) How can I reduce the shedding from my pets?,

6) What suggestions would you have for an aging lab mix with obvious hip/leg discomfort?,

7) I have a 3 year old Lab/Pyrenees mix who is not fond of the bathtub. Do you have any suggestions for winter weather "freshening up" that wont leave me in a puddle on the bathroom floor and him wet and stinky racing through the house?,

8) We have two rescue dogs. They have grown to love us, though the one is still very leery of sudden moves. Is there a remedy for that besides love?,

9) Is it OK to feed " people food" to your dog?,

10) Is it necessary for animals to have rabies shots if they are strictly an inside animal?,

11) How do I get my cat to stop scratching the door jams in my house?,

12) What is the one item you wish every dog owner knew about and should have? and

13) How can I work with my 3 year old PomChi to help him relax and be less of a bully towards other dogs we meet?

You can hear The Woof Meow Show on The Pulse AM620, WZON, and WKIT HD3 at 12 Noon on Saturday. If you’re not near a radio, listen on your computer at http://www.wzonthepulse.com or your smartphone or tablet with the free WZON 620 AM app. A podcast of the show is typically posted immediately after the show, and can be downloaded at www.woofmeowshow.com and the Apple iTunes store.