The Marty & Laura Show

OUCH! Cruciate Ligament Rupture Prevention and RepairMarty and Laura tackle the painful topic of cruciate ligament ruptures in dogs. They talk causes, prevention, treatment and new research that’s giving hope to eradicating the painful condition specifically in Labrador Retrievers.“Statistically, five to 10% of Labradors will end up with a cruciate tear,” Marty said, “although there's a lot of variables in that. Certain breeds like greyhounds and corgis, they don't tear cruciates. Sometimes it's the age of spaying or neutering, sometimes there's definitely differences within the line of dogs. So there's a lot of variables.“If your dog is 3-legged lame (in the rear) and it's persistent, you should seek veterinary care. But you don't have to go in on emergency over a weekend or at night. Now, if it's a dangling fracture, you need to go in,” Marty noted, but a cruciate tear is not an emergency.“You can have a flat out tear, you can have a fray, you can have a partial tear. Eventually a fray or a partial tear is going to turn into a full tear. And so you can see these degradations, these changes inside the cruciate ligament that we don't still fully understand or need to understand better, and we will, but at this point we don't really have a great understanding of some of these dynamics because there are so many differences.“Spaying and neutering definitely has a relationship in a lot of large breed dogs with the severity and the likelihood of which they're going to develop cruciate disease. So we know if we spay or neuter dogs before skeletal maturity, which is somewhere between 15 and 18 months depending on the breed, we're going to increase their risk of torn cruciate. In Labradors that increases by 20%.” https://puredogtalk.com/captivate-tag/cruciate-ligaments/The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Why is My Dog Peeing So Much? Critical Kidney Care InfoMarty and Laura tackle a huge subject with kidney diseases, symptoms and treatments. From diabetes to poison to communicable diseases, kidney health is critical to your pet.“A lot of people take kidneys for granted,” Marty says, “because they heard you can donate a kidney, so you must not really need to have two kidneys. You really do need the reserve of an extra kidney in case something goes wrong with one or both. Just like almost all of our organs, they're duplicated, so we should have two and they should both work effectively. So we need to take good care of our kidneys and that of our dogs.“The most common (symptoms) are changes in water consumption and changes in urination. Now, other things that frequently cause that are going to be diabetes, which happens in dogs and cats, Cushing's disease, which happens in dogs, which is an adrenal gland dysfunction, and other things like pyometra, high calcium that can be related to different forms of cancer. So there can be other things that we're looking for.“But we're going to start looking at kidneys, diabetes and Cushings disease in the dog most commonly. And so you're basically going to go in, tell the vet that your dog is drinking too much, urinating too much. We're going to get blood work and urinalysis as our basic starting point. But that's not the only place we're going to go. We're going to start with those two things because if the dog is still able to concentrate their urine, well then that tells us something different than if the dog’s urine was really dilute and the BUN and creatinine start to go up.”The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Myth Busting for Our Pets: “Natural” Does NOT Equal SafeMarty and Laura bust out on myths around “natural” products for our pets, whether they are useful, safe or actually hazardous.“All the eucalyptus and citronella and lavender and whatever it is that you want to spray on your dog is not going to actually successfully prevent external parasites,” Laura asked.“They may help a little bit,” Marty said, “but don't forget just because it says natural doesn't mean safe because there's a lot of things that are natural that aren't safe. Chocolate’s natural, it's not safe for your dog. There are lots of things that we can put on our dogs or in our dogs that simply aren't safe.“Somewhere in the early ‘90s, ivermectin came to market as Heart Guard and it's still on the market as Heart Guard and then there are some other newer ones that have come along that are in similar drug classes. Ivermectin was a mold found in the soil in Japan… So I think that's pretty natural. It's a mold from the soil. It's not like somebody made this up in a laboratory. Now, of course they've synthesized it, but essentially that's what it is. So, if you're looking for something natural, ivermectin is great.“The diseases that fleas carry, that ticks carry, heartworm, intestinal parasites, all of those are really bad diseases. If you're looking at, well, you know, could I be OK if my dog got heartworm disease? Well, most dogs live through heartworm disease, but it's thousands and thousands of dollars and it's really hard in the dog.”The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

ALLLLL the Best Toys for Your Pets + Cat FoodMarty and Laura drop their recs for all the best toys for your pets, from cat trees to “indestructible” dog chews. Plus, Marty delivers a round up on cat food and why cats eat what they do.“There's some nuances to cat food that are different than dog food. Cats apparently like things that are pointy and sharp in their mouths. Apparently cats like to eat little mice that have little sharp body parts, and so they like these little sharp kind of kibbles, so a lot of the foods are pointy or sharp or not necessarily just a round kibble.“Cats are obligate carnivores. So dogs can be an herbivore or a carnivore. Dogs can get by on a no meat diet. For those of you who are having cats out there that want to be vegan, cats cannot live a vegan lifestyle. Certain amino acids that they have to get from meat.“To effectively scratch, a cat needs to fully extend its front legs and its back legs. So however long your cat is from its tippy toes fully standing to its other tippy toes is at least how tall the cat tree has to be. The other thing about cat trees is that they need to be really hefty. Because when your cat comes running across the room and hits the cat tree, if it falls over, that's the last time the cat's ever going to go on the cat tree. If you ever thought you were going to keep your curtains in your furniture safe for the cat, you just blew it.“I'm not sure for some dogs that there's anything indestructible. There are lots of things labeled that way, but you never want to assume that and leave your dog alone with that indestructible toy until you've proven to yourself in the dog that it truly is indestructible.”Recommendations:https://www.purina.com/dogs/shop/dentalife-plus-immune-support-large-dog-chewhttps://www.kongcompany.com/https://jollypets.com/products/teaser-ball-dog-toyhttps://mountainvalleyantlers.com/The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Love for Brachycephalic BreedsMarty and Laura share the love for brachycephalic breeds with information about feeding, managing their environment, health testing and more.Managing Feeding and Environment for Brachycephalic Dog Owners:What are brachycephalic dogs?Brachycephalic dogs are dogs with a short, wide skull. These include French Bulldogs, Pugs, English Bulldogs, Olde English Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Shih tzus, Lhasa Apsos, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and the American Bully and American Bulldog breeds.The very thing that makes us love them and makes them popular also puts them at risk for certain conditions including respiratory difficulties (loud breathing) and associated digestive and eating disorders.With some understanding of these syndromes and techniques for feeding, offering water, exercise and managing their environment, you can minimize the health consequences and not only save yourself money, but you can help your dog live more comfortably and longer.A short, widened muzzle and skull with more prominent eyes is an appealing look for dogs. It has been described by some as infantile – they may look like a human baby who never grows up. Many owners are attracted to this appearance. Additionally, these characteristics are not only cute, but these dogs also have personalities and activity levels that are appealing for pet owners. Many of these dogs are less active and more sedate. They are also frequently funny and entertaining to live with.What is “BOAS”?But there is a price to pay for some of the dogs who suffer from a more extreme form of this skull shape. This price has been defined as “Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome” or “BOAS” for short. To be clear, not all brachycephalic dogs have this syndrome. There are dogs in this breed group that are quiet, comfortable breathers.The good news is that breeders of these dogs are working with OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals www.ofa.org) to breed dogs with the desirable appearance without the negative respiratory and GI signs. OFA has used a system developed by veterinarians at Cambridge in England called the “Respiratory Function Grading Scheme” or “RFGS”. In this application, “scheme” means a system or assessment, not something sneaky and underhanded – using the British utilization of the word.This BOAS system is a method for veterinarians who are specially trained to assess the dog’s airway by listening to their breathing with a stethoscope positioned over the chest as well as on the throat, with the dog at rest and after 3 minutes of brisk walking. It also includes a visual inspection of the shape of the nostrils. The dog is then given a score of BOAS 0 to 3, by the attending veterinarian. This helps the owner and breeder of the dog to determine which dogs are good breeding candidates to help produce fewer BOAS affected puppies. You can locate a veterinarian or health clinic where there is BOAS testing available at www.ofa.org. At this time, there are only a handful of veterinarians trained to BOAS test but this number is likely to increase.So what are the concerns about the brachycephalic dog’s health?1.       Breathing2.       Digestion – processing food and water.Breathing concerns are the most obvious. Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) consists of a number of structural abnormalities when compared to “normal” dogs, dogs with more typical head and muzzle shape. Some are the very definition of a brachycephalic – which literally means short head and some are secondary...

Confessions: ALLLLLL the Ways Our Dogs Have Embarrassed UsMarty and Laura share their most embarrassing stories with their dogs. From obedience exercises gone wrong to inappropriate public ejaculation, and many more incredibly awkward humiliations.“Dogs don't process things the same way we do,” Laura said. “If it feels good, it's good and so whatever it is that makes them feel good, which might be eating all of your entire ham roast that you had for dinner. Dogs live in a perpetual pleasure zone. That's their gig.”“We have to just realize that dogs don't think like we do,” Marty said, “and they never will and we don't want them ever to really because the whole point of being friendly with dogs is that they're dogs.”“Dogs do terrible things, not because they think it's funny, but because it feels good to them,” Laura noted. “And it entertains them and it makes them happy. And so while we are often mortified, terrified, devastated, you know, all the emotions that we go through, dogs are just smiling. Their ears flying and their nostrils flaring and they're having a grand old time.”Check out the author Laura mentioned, Patrick McManus, HERE.“And we really should appreciate dogs for that,” Marty added. “They live in the moment. They don't plan for the future. They have no recriminations. No guilt. Maybe we should be more like that. I have often thought that we should all be a little bit more like our dogs.”The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Bloat: Know the Early Warning SignsMarty and Laura give you tips and tools to save your dog’s life in the case of bloat. Minutes count in this life-threatening condition, so knowing the early warning signs is critical.Bloat, also known as gastric dilation and volvulus, is a condition that knows no boundaries. It occurs in large breed dogs primarily, but it can happen in smaller dogs as well. Gas becomes trapped in the stomach, causing it to “flip over,” cutting off blood supply to vital organs, all within just a few minutes.o  Early warning signs of bloat:·     Repeated attempts to vomit without producing any stomach contents·     Pacing, unsettled, snapping at sides·     Stomach becomes distended, looks and feels like a basketballo  Action items:·     Immediately call vet or emergency clinic and say you are on your way with a potential bloat.·     Immediately load dog and drive to vet. This condition can kill a dog in less than an hour.·     Keep GasX on hand if you have a large dog or a breed prone to bloat. Give to the dog immediately on suspicion of bloat. It will not harm the dog and may give you a few extra minutes.o  What causes bloat?·     Research is inconclusive. Anecdotally it is associated with large dogs with deep, narrow chests. Eating or drinking water too fast can be a trigger. Stress, anxiety, intense exercise immediately before or after meals have also been reported causes, but no data has been compiled that proves this. It is more common in older dogs.PreventionConsider having your veterinarian "tack" the dog's stomach to prevent the condition later in lifeThe Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Examining the Power of the Human Animal BondMarty and Laura examine the powerful human animal bond and how we can help our pets be healthier while they help us be healthier.The power of this ancient connection is documented at the Human Animal Bond Research Institute."The value that pets bring to our lives," Laura said, "is they impact whether we go out and exercise with them because we need them to lose weight. Whether it is the companionship, whether it is the social activity where we actually go into the public with our pet, where we might otherwise be cave dwelling hermits like myself.""It is enormous how much of a difference (pets) make in your interactions with other people," Marty said. "I raised dogs for Canine Companions for Independence. If I had to run into Target with a dog, it would take me 45 minutes to an hour to get back out the door because everyone would stop us and want to talk to us and ask about the program. And I actually had one dog that was placed in a family with a young man who had a disability because they met us at Target. "So it's truly incredible what these dogs do for you socially. They are social lubricant. Dogs open pathways to conversation that ordinarily you would just walk past the other person. You would kind of ignore them, you'd look the other way, you wouldn't really interact with them. But now you have a dog and they come up to you and they say, oh, what kind of dog is this?""Social life is a big part of it, exercise is a big part of it, mental stimulation," Laura said. "I am someone who deals with autoimmune disease. There are days that if I did not have a puppy lying next to my head, I would not get out of bed. I just wouldn't. And that puppy wakes up at 5:00 AM. I crawl out of bed no matter how crunchy I am and I get her outside. "And so this is a thing across the board for people with large and small health issues. A pet keeps them moving. Sometimes it's the only thing you wanna talk to. You don't want to talk to anybody on the phone. You don't want to talk to anybody at the store. You just want to talk to your dog." The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Pro Tips for Doggy DietingMarty and Laura take on the “weighty” conversation around doggy dieting. Research proves conclusively that dogs kept at a healthy weight live two years longer. How pet owners reduce or manage weight for their pets can be challenging and often requires some personal introspection as well. Our best pro tips for doggy dieting:· Move more, eat less … There’s no such thing as doggy Ozempic· Replace 50% of kibble with vegetables· Measure the food, don’t just guess· Feed two meals, don’t free feed· Use kibbles from the pre-measured meals in place of treats· Consider using a slow-feeder bowl· Ice cubes and fruits or vegetables make great snacks· Change your dog’s diet to a low-calorie, high-fiber alternative· Talk to your veterinarian about prescription metabolic diets· Walking, swimming and other gentle exercise will help burn calories· Altered dogs automatically need 25% less food as their metabolism slows downCheck out our earlier episode on helping our pets live longer HERE.Remember to help us out and like, share and review the show. And find the new audiobook HERE.The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Marty and Laura tackle the high cost of vet care, everything from WHY the cost is so high to pro tips on ways you can help keep costs manageable.Laura said, "I ran across (an article) in a magazine called Money Wise, and it says that half of America's 87,000,000 pet owners have decided against vet treatment. And it it continues that for many Americans, the cost of caring for their pets has become unbearable. A Gallup poll found 52% of US pet owners say that they've had to put off veterinary care because of the cost. A whopping 7 in 10 also say they forego pet care due to financial. Reasons. That's scary.""There's a few things that have played a role in this," Marty said, "and certainly one is the corporatization of veterinary medicine. I think we should talk about the overall cost of pets. It's not just veterinary care, but it's also the overall cost. How much are you spending on your pet food? How much are you spending on your other stuff? Doggy daycare? Another thing that I thought was a really important thing for us to talk about, it was mentioned kind of briefly in this article, is that veterinarians can do more for pets today, but those machines and those processes and those tests cost more money."About half of the veterinary clinics now are corporate and that means the other half are still owned by your local small practice owner, your small business owner."You don't have to go to a veterinary clinic that's corporate owned. There are lots of them out there that are. And it doesn't make them bad, it just makes them different. And it means your prices are probably going to be higher. "They have protocols that they're required to follow. So if your dog goes in with diarrhea, they have a specific protocol they're supposed to follow instead of being able to craft the kind of medicine that is based on what your pet needs are what your needs are. "In our practice, we have a guarantee, like our guarantee is that we will provide you a care plan that fits your needs and your pet's and your resources. So we don't have to go through an algorithm where we say these are the things we have to do. If you look at me and say I can't do that, then we come up with Plan B and Plan C."The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Foxtails and Algae and Snakes and Alligators, Oh My!Summer vacation with dog as co-pilot, as Marty and Laura discussed last month, is well under way. Today they bring important information to help keep your pet safe in the late summer at various locations around the country. Whether it's foxtails, blue green algae, poisonous snakes or alligators, your pet can encounter a variety of environmental challenges.Skunks and porcupines also get rolled into this wide-ranging conversation about what to avoid and what to do if you can't avoid some of these dangers for your pet.Deskunking formula: One box of baking soda, a pint of hydrogen peroxide, 2 tablespoons of Dawn dish soap and you mix it all up. Lather mixture all over the dog. Do NOT get the dog wet first. Use the whole batch because if you try to put a cap on it, the peroxide and the baking soda foam up and they blow up the container.Doctor recommended: Keep your dogs safe from foxtails and other potential injury with an Outfox mesh hood. The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

A Day in the Life: Answers to Your WTF Questions at the VetMarty and I talk a lot. Like we talk pretty much, maybe not daily, but we talk every week. And I interact with people on a daily basis who work in veterinary clinics. I think it's really hard, sometimes, for us as clients to appreciate what's going on in the veterinary clinic. 'The receptionist just snarked at me. I've been sitting here for 45 minutes, like, what the F?'So I thought it would be really great if Marty would talk to us about what the F? Like what's going on? What's a day in your life like and your staff? And if perhaps we as clients can then come with that extra grain of compassion that knowledge should bring. I think that that benefits everybody."Clients pull in, they may see one or two cars in the parking lot, but they may not know that that means it's a C-section with 14 puppies, which is what we just did on Friday. Or they may not be aware that there's a hit by car or a bloat or, you know, some really terrific trauma that's happening or something really awful that's happening. "And if we only have one doctor working, there's only one place the doctor can be in at a time. And so it may not look to you as a client that it's very busy. It may look like they're just sitting around having coffee and gabbing in the back. But in reality, there's probably something pretty significant going down if you're having to wait, and that's the important thing. "We don't have HIPAA on the veterinary side. But from a confidentiality perspective, I'm not going to walk into the exam room and say what just happened. It may have been a euthanasia. It may have been a critical diagnosis of something that's really terminal, and we had to do some counseling for the client, it may be a litter of puppies that are being born. And quite literally, we'll have sometimes 16 or 17 puppies in a litter, which means all hands on deck. It means everything else gets dropped. And in our practice, because we do a lot of reproduction, C sections are a priority, but so are major traumas. So are bloats."It may not look to you like as a client's perspective that there's that much going on, but if you're waiting, either they forgot about you, which doesn't happen very often, but I'm not going to tell you it's never happened at any veterinary clinic or something bad is going down. And you probably should just like sort of sort of chill a little bit."The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Bombproofing Your Pet for the Big BoomsMarty and Laura tackle the big booms of summer, fireworks and thunderstorms, and how we can bombproof our pets ahead of time.LR: You made a comment to me last week when we were together that I thought was so great. We were talking about our phobias, your fear of heights. My claustrophobia. And you're like, 'we don't know why we have these phobias. Dogs don't know why they have their phobias either.' And I just thought that was such a genius comment that I'd never really kind of spun it that way in my head. So can you expand on that a little bit for me? MG: Well, I'll try. I mean, the point is that I'm afraid of heights. I know I'm not gonna fall. I know I'm OK, I get that. But there's something really visceral and really guttural that every sphincter in my body tightens up and I get nervous and upset and there's a certain things I don't handle well. And so it's hard to explain to anybody. Because my friends around me are like, what's wrong with you? You're not gonna fall over the cliff. You're not gonna fall off the edge. You're fine. I'm like, OK, My head says I'm fine. My gut says I'm not. And so, that's kind of the thing. We have to realize that it's a real true gut reaction. And when you say you think with your gut or you feel with your gut, what's your gut reaction? I think it's really important that we realize that our gut is part of our nervous system, and it's probably a very important organ in all of that. So when you feel like you have a gut feeling, believe it and don't diss the dog by saying 'what's wrong with you, you shouldn't be afraid of that. It's just Thunder. It's just lightning. It's just fireworks. It's just, you know, whatever, it's just the vet, it's just the groomer, it's just the car.' It's whatever it happens to be. It is not "just," it is a visceral, true guttural response that you're dog or cat cannot overcome. You can try to do some training, you can try to do some counter conditioning. There's all kinds of stuff people try to undo by training, but sometimes it takes some pharmaceutical agents to sort of accelerate this timeline of getting through those things.The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Blastomycosis and Other Fungal InfectionsMarty and Laura discuss the dangers of blastomycosis and other fungal infections for our pets as well as their humans."Blasto tends to be the upper Midwest," Marty said. "It's frequently found in areas where wood chipping has taken place, so places that trees have been cut down or chipped or garden centers and you know, things along those lines. "There are other parts of the country that have other kinds of fungal infections. So it's not like if you don't live in Wisconsin that you're safe from it. So Wisconsin, Minnesota, those areas, we see a lot of it. If you go to the Southwest like Arizona, then you see coccidiomycosis (Valley Fever), which is also fungal. "And then if you go to the Mississippi Valley. Find histoplasmosis. So there's definitely regional differences. They're all nasty, wicked bad diseases, and people think of fungus and yeast as being the same thing and they're not. It is systemic. It is a bad, bad, bad disease. The commonality between histo and blasto and coccidiomycosis is that it causes fungal pneumonia and then there's other organs that are involved differently in different of those diseases."Marty walks through symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections in our pets, both dogs and cats. She also warns these diseases can affect humans."I had a client that had two sons that both had blasto. Human sons. So you can see that kind of a typical pattern is it's from the exposure of the spore," Marty said. "You inhale the spore, it ends up in your lungs, you get pneumonia and that spreads to other organs. So it's not spread dog to dog, it's not spread dog to human. It's spread through the common source of the soil being disrupted with that kind of pH and that kind of environment that the sports can live in."The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Osteoarthritis Diagnosis and TreatmentMarty and Laura tackle the topic of osteoarthritis in our pets, diagnosis, treatment and the differences between cats and dogs with this disease."The only time we'll see a pet cry in pain is if they have either serious trauma or they slipped a disc in their neck and those dogs vocalize," Marty said. "But they won't vocalize because they've torn a cruciate. They won't vocalize because they have hip dysplasia or back problem or elbow dysplasia or 1 of 1000 other causes of osteoarthritis. And so our perception, especially in cats, but in dogs as well, is that they're not in any pain because they're not crying.""We know the dogs are in pain, even if they're not crying. If they're not walking normally, they're in pain. That's just the bottom line and something you need to just know and understand and accept."Marty walks through the various treatment options. There are multiple options for dogs, although only one for cats. Various commercial diets are formulated to provide support for pets with osteoarthritis. "(These diets are) based on increasing the fatty acids, increasing the glucosamine, trying to improve joint lubrication and just generally making the pet feel better. Dogs and cats, first and foremost, if they're overweight, get weight off of them because that is going to be the best thing that you can do for them non drug wise or drug wise. That is the one single thing that you can do to really improve their quality of life is for them to not have to carry that much weight on those sore, achy, tired joints. Every part of their body hurts, so get their weight down."Dip in to hear the rest of Marty's recommendations. Don't forget to like and follow the show and share with your friends.The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Oral Hygiene from Teeth to Gums to BeardsMarty and Laura discuss oral hygiene including teeth, gums and beards. Keeping your pet's teeth clean means brushing them. There are no magic cures. Oral health impacts the pet's overall physical health directly, Marty said. She recommends visiting the Veterinary Oral Health Council's website to learn about approved and accepted products that can help reduce the severity of periodontal disease in our pets."It's not just about how they smell," Marty said, "because (tartar buildup) does have a bad odor to it. It's about their overall health. Every time they swallow, they set up a bacterial shower and they lodge in the heart valves, which can cause heart murmurs or accelerate heart murmurs, that can cause kidney problems, can cause all the same health problems that people have associated with dental health."Laura covers beard maintenance on wire coated and long haired dogs to help prevent the unsightly orange stains around the mouth. The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Geriatric Cats and Why They Lose WeightMarty and Laura tackle the topic of skinny old cats, why they lose weight and how to prevent these geriatric diseases.Cats are NOT, as Laura theorized, “fluffy house plants.”“Lots of people know when they have a kitten that they need veterinary care,” Marty said. “They need vaccinations, they need deworming, they to be spayed or neutered, all the stuff. And then a lot of cats never see their veterinarian until they're 14, 15, 16 years old in some cases.“Suddenly look at your cat one day or your friend or your family comes over and looks at the cat and says, ohh, what happened to your cat? Because they kind of shriveled up. You need to take your cat to the veterinarian at least once a year for routine veterinary care. They need an exam as they become older. They need blood work. They may need booster vaccinations.”Early detection of these diseases is critical Marty noted.“Three of the diseases that we see in old cats that make them old and skinny have very good treatments,” Marty said. “One diabetes, two kidney failure, three hyperthyroidism and four cancer. But we have to know that they have a diagnosis and they need a treatment plan.”Check out the YouTube version of the show to critique the hosts' matchy matchy outfits. Meanwhile please like, follow and share!The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Summer Vacation with Dog as Co-PilotMarty and Laura drop useful tips and share hilarious stories about summer vacation with dogs.Top tips from the Pros: RV, hotel, campground or visiting friends and family, and on the road along the way, pick up after your dog! Abandoned dog droppings can spread "germs and worms," are smelly and disrespectful to other travelers. Marty's Pro Tip Keep your used grocery bags in an empty kleenex box for easy access and a "reuse, recycle" mindset.Xpens are your friend! Find the height and style you like to make an instant mini yard wherever you are, inside or out.Get a BuddyBadge collar tag for your dog. The QR code scans to show all pertinent info about your pet.Make sure you post "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) information on your dog's crate. More from a previous Pure Dog Talk episode HERE.The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Spring Tune Up for Your DogMarty and Laura get you and your buddy off the couch and ready for the spring weather."The most important thing is to not overdo it because the tendency is it's finally spring, it's finally nice out. I'm going to go garden all day, I'm going to go on a long hike, I'm going to cut the grass, I'm going to clean the garage, I'm going to do all this stuff that turns out to not really be conducive to not being physically conditioned for it. And it could be you, it could be your dogs," Marty advises. Laura observes that many of us, and our pets, have to ease into that spring training. "When you Netflix through the winter, you can't just marathon into the spring," Laura notes."We talked back a month or two ago about pests and bugs and critters and all that, but there's different ones in the spring and different things that we need to do for our pets in the spring than during the rest of the time," Marty says."We really can't just go out and get the deep woods OFF with the deet and it and spray it on our dogs because that's not safe for them," Marty says. "So if we're looking at what we want to do for preventives for protection, there's some pretty nice sprays out there. Sprays and the topical flea and tick medications often do offer repellency effect. The Vectra 3D has a wonderful effect of repellency. It has three different chemicals in it that protect your pet."One of them creates this hot foot effect so that if the pests land on your pet, they are not going to stay on because it's uncomfortable for them. Like they start dancing around and they're off. So there's some really good products out there. So the pills, like Bravecto, Simperica and Nexgard do a good job of killing fleas and ticks once they're attached or bite you. They don't do anything for repellency."The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.

Encephalitis, Meningitis and MoreMarty and Laura tackle a really tough topic today, talking about encephalitis and meningitis and other assorted brain and spinal cord inflammation.“These are scary because the dogs get very sick and it's a very difficult diagnosis to make,” Marty said. “It usually requires some advanced imaging, some advanced testing. It's not an easy diagnosis to nail down and it's not an easy treatment to develop.This category of illness is complicated due to the variety of causes, from bacterial infection to autoimmune mediated, and the vagueness of the symptoms, Marty added.“Sometimes you have to just say, okay, we're going to use a pretty hefty antibiotic and we'regoing to do a pretty hefty anti-inflammatory dose,” Marty said. “And you're going to like pray like mad and hope like hell that you're making the right decisions. And sometimes you don't simply because you don't have the ability to get the information you need at all or quickly enough to make those decisions because you don't have 10 days. I mean, you literally may not have 10 days to get this figured out.” The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.