Dr. Josie of In The Vet's Office Podcast stopped by to talk all things pets with The Bobby Bones Show.
Bobby Bones asked her some questions all pet owners should know. The foods pets should definitely not be eating are garlic, almonds, grapes, chocolate and raisins. Also, most dogs think anti-freeze tastes delicious, but they very obviously can't have it. As far as consuming human food, Dr. Josie said to limit the amount they eat especially things that are high in fat, but things like apples, carrots and broccoli are all safe options for snacks. If your pet does eat something bad, Bones asked how to induce vomiting. Dr. Josie says to call the ASCPA 1-800 number because they have a toxicologist on call 24-hours a day and they will tell you safely what to do, one of the things will likely be giving them hydrogen peroxide. Bones had to do this with their dog Eller because she ate a whole sourdough loaf that hadn't been cooked yet. Beyond that and benadryl, there really aren't any human medicines that pets can have.
Bones also asked Dr. Josie for her hot take on some news stories. When it comes to Emotional Support Animals she thinks they are a slippery slope. She noted that people also have a misconception that veterinarians verify emotional support animals, but it's actually human doctors. Veterinarians have nothing to do with that process. Bones shared a study that said having a pet makes you as happy as an extra $90K a year would, which Dr. Josie agrees with because her pets bring her happiness every single day. The next study was sharing that more 99% of dogs have behavior problems, and she completely agrees. She noted that it's not that it's anything bad, but especially dogs require so much structure and as caregivers we just want to give them love. The next one was about shock callers, Dr. Josie calls that negative reinforcement which she really tries not to do. There's a collar out there that releases citronella, which dogs don't like the smell of it so it's a better option than shock callers.
Another study showed that people are choosing to have pets over children, she agreed because more often DINKS are her number 1 clientele - they have the income, pets, and treat their pets like babies. Dr. Josie recalled that one of the clients at a clinic she worked at brought a dog in with heart disease. They did everything they could do, but the dog needed a heart valve replacement which isn't done in the states. So she flew to Japan and got a valve replacement for the dog and stayed there for 6 months to continue with treatment before flying back.
Dr. Josie's In The Vet's Office Season 3 is out now and the first episode is with Jason Tartick, listen here!