We marvel at the 2017 Wildlife Photo competition winners, watch some 3D with our praying mantis friends, and a cow joins a herd of wild bison in the news this week. A subscriber puts Brendan and mark on the spot by asking about the ethics of keeping unusual pets – or any pets for that matter.
Our main topic this week is gastrointestinal stasis in rabbits – often referred to as gut stasis or ileus. The contributing factors of this condition in pet rabbits, together with treatment options are discussed, as well as preventative measures.
Book Review: Exotic Animal Formulary 5th Edition can be found at BookDepository or Amazon. Brendan gives this essential reference text for exotic and unusual pets 8.9 out of 10.
Mark is back from a holiday in Fiji, refreshed, tanned, and full of hot air.
The news is mostly about birds this week, where we learn about bird brains, the pros and cons of feeding wild birds, and the sad life of a New Zealand Gannet. In brighter news, the invention of an edible 6-pack may help protect marine mammals.
Our book review this week is a reptile text of great value and use for general practitioners, though Brendan refuses to give it a score out of 10: Listen to the podcast to find out why!
Our main topic this week is ectoparasites of small mammals. We scratch the itch to discuss mange in guinea pigs, fur mites in rabbits, and rodents that can’t stop scratching. Just thinking about these topics is making us itchy.
A thunderstorm, dodgy wifi and noisy neighbours make this weeks podcast special! Topical news includes discussion on a new species of Lemur discovery in Madagascar; a birding Facebook group gets all haughty and bans owl photos, and we wrestle with an article discussing the effects of war on wildlife.
Mark gets off his couch to review an avian book full of pretty photos
Then we wade into zoonoses as our main topic of the week with a discussion on avian chlamydia and salmonella in reptiles and their effects on humans.
In news Mark talks about his sighting of the Regent Honeyeater, a critically endangered bird. Brendan reviews the Fujifilm Instax SP-1 Smartphone printer, a great promotional tool for clinics.
The main topic for this week is something we are frequently asked about: the basics of reptile surgery. The discussion includes fluid therapy, suture selection and patterns, and heat retention and loss.
It’s the Australia Day holiday down under and Brendan and Mark are in a festive and feisty mood.
News
Mark jumps in the deep end to ponder on the meaning of Australia day – and what exactly should we be celebrating? Another load of news stories this week: Songbirds struggling with noise; banning of circus animals; and animal welfare campaigners protest a proposed dog breeding facility. in lighter news we jump on the treadmill with baby sea turtles and discuss a fishy story about tapeworm infections in humans.
Book Review
Brendan is good at sniffing out obscure titles and this week is no exception. Following on from the discussion in Episode 5, he reviews the educational, lighthearted, and fun book ‘Does it Fart?’. He scores it an aromatic 8.0 out of 10.
Bearded Dragon Care
The main topic is the iconic Australian reptile commonly kept as a pet world-wide, the Bearded Dragon (Pogona spp.). We outline the basics for keeping these as pets, and the common problems encountered when unwell bearded dragons are taken to veterinary clinics.
We are excited about our new professional recorded intro and outro. Lots of news this week: including how to cope with ‘vet shaming’; an automatic bird identification system program excites Mark; natures smallest rainbow found – on a spider; a lethal bat fungus sees the light, and Brendan dreams of heading off to Richard Branson’s private island.
For our product review Brendan looks at the free PDF e-book Australasian Parasites Inside and Out.
Ears are our topic for this week. We discuss the treatment of aural haematomas, and chat about various ear conditions in unusual pets, and ask the question ‘Why do most ferrets have grotty ears?’
Here we are already half way through January. Brendan and Mark are both back at work fighting the good fight against pesky parasites, belligerent bacteria, vexatious virus, and cranky clients.
In news, snake eggs are found in a school sandpit in Australia, pumas (or wild mountain lions) are picky when choosing their sleeping sites, and the Mekong region reveals over 100 new species. Mark fires Brendan up with a story about the animal inspirations behind the newest Star Wars creatures, then brings us back to earth with an article about the mental health of animal shelter workers.
Since this is our 13th episode – lucky for some – we decided to make our main topic a chat about the lifespan of pets. How old can we expect our small mammals, birds and reptiles to live for? No spoilers – subscribe and listen to learn the answers.
Welcome to 2018. We hope you had a safe and relaxing holiday period and wish all our listeners the best for the coming year.
2018 is off to a flying start, though perhaps not for birds in Brighton, England, where residents have installed spikes in trees. In other news, sea stars (starfish) make a comeback, a new species of spider is named after a famous musician, and brain surgery is performed in a fur seal.
Mark chats about trazadone use in dogs for anxiety based behaviour disorders in a product review.
In our main topic this episode we get to the bottom of anal gland disease in dogs. Mark and Brendan discuss their preferred treatment regimes for this common condition in pet canines.
Having (just) recovered from their Christmas festivities, including a face-to-face catch up in Melbourne, Mark and Brendan reminisce over the happenings in 2017. They look into their crystal ball for 2018 and consider the future of veterinary science. We receive a fascinating email from a subscriber in Singapore, who educates us on the otter population in Singapore. In other news we report of a fire at London Zoo, person is killed in the USA from a dog attack, and we discuss an article about Christmas and dogs. Mark is concerned about the low genetic diversity of ferrets in some geographical locations, and is looking younger due to his skiing.
Our main topic this episode is our thoughts on the year about to end and what to expect in 2018 – what is the outlooks for graduates? What are the likely popular species of pets?
We wish all our subscribers and listeners a wonderful New Year and a safe and happy 2018. We look forward to talking to you soon… and don’t forget to send us an email to say hi.
Ho Ho Ho. In this special edition Mark and Brendan spread some Christmas cheer. Each of us review items for use over the holiday period – some veterinary based and some not.
In news we talk about the world’s heaviest flying bird and a fossil named after Darth Vader.
Looking for some new equipment to spice up your practice? Then consider the great fold-away and portable Buster ICU enclosure, which will pay for itself in no time. Or keep your patients toasty with the aptly named HotDog pet warming system. The Rycom non-contact clinical thermometer is a useful temperature measurement gadget that Mark uses – 5.9/10.
Suprelorin (deslorelin) implants are reviewed by Mark, as well as bird foraging video.
Tired of vet life and need something to take your mind off work? Look no further than the intriguing documentary about Vivian Maier. It’s a great true mystery documentary about a street photographer and excellent viewing even for those with little interest in photography, as it is also about the human condition and is very poignant. 9.2 out of 10 From Brendan.
A novel to read over the Christmas break is Artemis. It is a science fiction novel set on the moon by the author of The Martian, which was made into a film starring Matt Damon. Artemis is the story of Jazz, a small time smuggler on the moon and her adventures. A fun, fast paced, easy to read novel perfect for the post Christmas period, recommended by Brendan. Or consider the book The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, a thought provoking read for the holiday period.
A non-fiction text to consider is the Avian Anatomy, Textbook and colour atlas. This second edition text is a high quality production
For some Christmas cheer consider a beer from the Grand Ridge Brewery, located in Mirboo North, east of Melbourne, Australia in the Gippsland region.
Kruuse Buster ICU enclosure: A PDF detailing the enclosure can be found here; It can be purchased in Australia from various suppliers including Sound Veterinary Supplies
