pet connection

If you’re one of the 15 percent of Americans with pet allergies, you may be able to shed the sniffing, sneezing and itching, but keep your dogs and cats.

That’s the word from Dr. Oz and our own Dr. Marty Becker, who is part of “Core Team Oz” on the “The Dr. Oz Show.” On today’s show, physician and veterinarian together demonstrated a few simple changes that can allow allergic pet-owners and their cats and dogs to share a home together.

Tips include frequent use of a vacuum with a HEPA filter, creating a “pet zone” with a washable cover as your pet’s bed, and weekly bathing.

For cats like Dr. Oz’s Siberian, Baby Cat, Dr. Becker recommended using a grooming wipe instead of shampoo and water. He also demonstrated his canine bathing technique on Rusty, a Dachshund whose owner is allergic to him — but lets him sleep on the bed, anyway.

Dr. Becker wanted us to say thanks to Bissell (Beth Jester) and Dechra / DermaPet (Dena Ware) for sending out supplies overnight — he couldn’t have done it without them.

Check out the rest of the tips, and see how Dr. Becker’s magic touch got Rusty to stop barking at Baby Cat, by clicking on the image below to view the video:

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Do you love pets, but your immune system doesn’t? If you suffer from pet allergies, help is here!

Our own Dr. Marty Becker is part of “Core Team Oz” on the “The Dr. Oz Show,” and he’ll be making his next appearance today, Wednesday, Jan. 26, with important solutions for both of you that can help you “Lose the allergies, keep the pet!”

You can find out what time “The Dr. Oz Show” airs in your area here, and we’ll have a link to the video for viewing as soon as it’s available.

Update: Video is here!

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How do veterinarians dress? There are probably as many answers to that question as there are veterinarians.

Many of us wear lab coats over casual clothes. Some wear scrubs. Some wear jeans, and a few wear suits. I’m sure there are even a couple who wear whatever inspired the people who designed the wardrobe of “Pet Vet Barbie.”

But I wear the outfit you’re probably most used to seeing me in, and no, I don’t mean pajama bottoms and a plaid flannel shirt. I wear a denim shirt, red tie and khaki pants, the outfit my kids have always called — affectionately, I’m sure — my “Canadian tuxedo.”

I was riding the crest of the incredible launch of “Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul,” a New York Times best-selling book that is still the fastest, best-selling pet book in history, having sold well over 2 million copies. “Good Morning America” was without a regular veterinarian, having lost Dr. Stephen Kritsick, who died in 1994 at the age of 42.

My publicist at the time, Anne Sellaro, knew a producer at GMA, Patty Neger, who mentioned they were looking for a veterinarian. I was in New York on the “Chicken Soup” book tour, so Patty gave me a shot at the big time by scheduling my first GMA segment, “Advances in parasite control for pets.”

I was a little apprehensive about following in his shoes, because in addition to having a huge following on GMA, Dr. Kritsick was once voted one of People Magazine’s “Sexiest Men.”

Fortunately, Patty was there to help me answer that age-old question, “What should I wear?” She’s the person responsible for getting Jack Hanna, the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, on TV, and getting him to dress in his trademark jungle khaki clothes. (She’s also the person who gave the now omnipresent Dr. Mehmet Oz his TV break.)

I thought our clothing discussion was going to be about whether I’d be in a suit and tie or a veterinary smock with the requisite stethoscope around the neck. But Patty instead asked me what clothes I wore as a practicing veterinarian, talking about what colors/patterns looked good on TV (primary colors good, black and white poor), what would represent middle America (nothing tie-dyed or a bespoke suit).

When I told Patty that I typically practiced in a denim shirt, red tie and khaki pants, she said, “Perfect!” Primary colors, great contrast, not too casual or dressy, and nobody else on TV wears it.

So for 13 years on “Good Morning America,” for the past year on “The Doctor Oz Show,” in cover shots for magazines, and in holiday letters, I’ve worn the same outfit. My friends at GMA occasionally tease me and ask me when I’m going to get a new shirt, and I tell them, “When I start my fifteenth year as the resident veterinarian on GMA.”

But even when I hit year 15 at GMA, I probably won’t change my look. I love the expression on the faces of new clients I see as a practicing veterinarian when I open the back door of the exam room and see them smiling as they recognize the outfit many of them have seen on their TV screens for years.

My stylist (that would be my beloved wife of almost 32 years, Teresa) is always looking for replacement shirts and ties, and we keep a steady supply of around ten of each on hand at all times.

Because not only have a few fractious cats done a tap dance on my shirts and ties, but  believe me, getting anal gland secretions out of fabric just doesn’t work well enough for high-definition TV.

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Our own Dr. Marty Becker is part of “Core Team Oz” on the “The Dr. Oz Show,” and yesterday he took on two of the pet world’s toughest problems: Chewing and shedding.

Rabbit owners got some expert tips on channeling their bunnies’ healthy and necessary desire to chew to acceptable targets, like untreated wicker and old phone books. They also got to see one of the biggest pet rabbits most people have ever seen, and meet Dr. Oz’s own pet rabbit, Buster (shown in the photo at right).

Next up was shedding, the number one pet owner complaint. A medium-sized white dog with what looked like a mountain of hair was the test case, and most of Dr. Becker’s suggestions were pretty low-tech and inexpensive… check out the video by clicking on the image below!

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Four voices on lessons learned: Opinions abound on what happened in Sea World last week, but I want to highlight four responses to the death of Dawn Brancheau, not from armchair pundits but from thoughtful voices of considerable experience.   First, Dr. Mehmet Oz’s editorial in The Huffington Post, “A Requiem for the Pursuit of Knowledge”, which contains a kind tip of the cap to our own Dr. Marty Becker, and an important point.

This world is too precious not to take an active role in understanding its other tenants.  While killer whales will always remain wild animals and command respect and reverence, gifted animal trainers like Dawn Blancheau and Julie Scardina devote their lives to furthering the boundaries of relationships humans can have with them. Dawn gave her life in the name of science and discovery, and her efforts brought enlightenment to thousands of people.

Second, consider Jean-Michel Cousteau’s compelling, eloquent YouTube commentary.   Next, a response from widely respected training guru Karen Pryor’s clickertraining.com blog.  Finally, our friend Heather’s sharply acerbic rant the day of the tragedy in the most wonderful RaisedByWolves.

Drive or walk — not both: The weird story of the week comes to us from the London Guardian.   A 23-year old man in County Durham had his license revoked after he was caught walking his dog — from his CAR.

Sharon Lowrie, prosecuting, said a cyclist alerted police that two men were dragging a dog along from a car. She said: “The driver was hanging on to the dog’s lead through the driver window, approaching a blind summit.” [...]

Paul Donoghue, defending, said Railton had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. “He accepts it was a silly thing to do and there was an element of laziness. He does not usually drive in a such a manner,” Donoghue said.

“Not usually”?  Why does that not make me feel better?

The problem with bad breeders: One more example of FAIL, courtesy of trusty reader/researcher Susan and the fabulousness of YesBiscuit…we take you to Greenville, South Carolina.  A pit bull breeder had entirely too many dogs of the wrong color.   Well, he can’t dump them with his pickup, right?  So he drops them off at the Greenville Animal Shelter in a U-Haul.

Shelter manager Shelly Simmons says it’s evidence of a growing problem…. “We’ve never had a U-Haul before,” she said.  Simmons said the owners were trying to breed “blue” pit bulls because they sell for higher prices. Instead, they got 17 puppies in every color except blue.”You have amateur breeders who try to have puppies for the wrong reason and when they do that they end up over their heads,” Simmons said.

This isn’t funny.  The Greenville facility where the puppies were dumped is a kill shelter.   I won’t get into the whole fallacy of the color issue.  It’s bad enough as it is.

Beautiful and amazingly creative furnishings: Another tip from YesBiscuit….if you have a cat, need a new coffee table and have the money to spend, you have got to check this out.  A seriously gorgeous table with an integrated cat hammock.  You read that right: cat hammock.

I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories.  Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an email.

Photo credits:  Trainer with whale, KCPT. Cat table, O VALOR DO DESIGN, via bookofjoe.com.

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