Paws and Effect

Your dog growls when you touch his back. Your cat starts weeing outside the litter box. Your older dog paces at night and stops greeting you at the door.

It’s easy to call these things stubbornness, spite, aggression, or just old age. Often, they’re something else entirely, a pet in pain, unwell, or frightened, telling you the only way it can.

Veterinary behaviourist Dr Megan Petroff joins me to untangle one of the hardest questions in pet care: when a behaviour change is medical, when it’s behavioural, and when it’s both, and how to tell the difference before you try to correct it.

In this episode:
•⁠  ⁠Real behaviour changes that turned out to signal serious illness
•⁠  ⁠Why “he’s just getting old” can be a dangerous assumption
•⁠  ⁠How to tell pain, fear and illness apart
•⁠  ⁠The truth about behaviour medication, beyond “last resort” and “quick fix”
•⁠  ⁠When to push for more testing, and how to raise it with your vet

Dr Megan Petroff is a veterinary behaviourist with residency training in clinical behavioural medicine.

Subscribe!

Connect with Dr Carra:
Website: https://drcarra.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_carra
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcarra/
Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital: https://hillcrestvets.co.za/

Connect with Dr Megan Petroff:
Instagram: @longIslandbehavior
Facebook: facebook.com/p/Veterinary-Behavior-with-Dr-Megan-Petroff
TikTok: @LongIslandBehavior
Website: goldcoastcvc.com/veterinarians/megan-petroff

Podcast Production:
This Podcast is produced by Kythe Creative and filmed onsite at Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital.
Kythe Creative: https://kythecreative.co.za/

THIS EPISODES SPONSORS:

Ultra Pet:
This episode is sponsored by Ultra Pet, who has been scientifically formulating premium pet food for over 25 years. If you want to take the guesswork out of feeding your furry friends, give Ultra Pet a try. Check them out here at www.ultra-pet.co.za

Just For Pets:
Justforpets.co.za is proud to sponsor this episode of the Paws and Effect podcast. Visit their website for all your pet needs and find everything from toys to food and much more. The team over at Just For Pets believe that every pet deserves the best care possible, and that's why we offer a wide range of products to help keep your furry friend happy and healthy - Check them out at https://www.justforpets.co.za/

FOR SPONSORSHIPS AND GUEST APPEARANCES email us at drcarra@pawsandeffect.co.za, and we'll get in touch with you.

Don't forget to LIKE this if you found it helpful, SUBSCRIBE for more episodes and content like this.

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00:00 Intro
00:24 Using medication for dog behavior disorders
04:58 Limited use of veterinary medications
07:50 Importance of follow-up in treatment
10:58 Identifying dog behavior changes
16:16 Identifying arthritis in aging dogs
18:14 Recording concerns for vet consultation
21:05 Identifying signs of dog illness
24:32 Cat’s Tumor and Treatment Journey
31:25 House training and punishment issues
33:15 Cat’s elimination issues and diagnosis
38:35 Treating Anxiety to Improve GI Health
42:03 Choosing the right behavior specialist
46:18 Managing behavioral disorders in pets
47:08 Addressing dog behavioral issues
51:21 Veterinary behavior care on social media

You’ve wrestled a cat into a carrier. You’ve chased a dog around the house with the nail clippers. Now imagine having to give a monkey a daily injection, or getting a tiger to walk up and present its shoulder for one.

Zookeepers do it every day. Not by force, they can’t force an animal that size, but by teaching it to take part willingly. And the same thing works on the cat under your bed.

Carra sits down with Nicky Plaskitt, who spent over twenty years training zoo and aquarium animals to cooperate in their own care.

In this episode:
⁠Why your pet isn’t being difficult, and what the resistance is actually telling you
The two-minute exercise you can start tonight
How to stop the carrier being a warning sign
What to do when there’s no time to train, and the care can’t wait

Connect with Dr Carra:
Website: https://drcarra.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_carra
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcarra/
Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital: https://hillcrestvets.co.za/

Connect with Nicky Plaskitt:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickyshapingbehaviour
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shapingbehaviour/
Website: http://shapingbehaviour.com/

Podcast Production:

This Podcast is produced by Kythe Creative and filmed on-site at Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital.
Kythe Creative: https://kythecreative.co.za/

THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS:

Ultra Pet:
This episode is sponsored by Ultra Pet, who has been scientifically formulating premium pet food for over 25 years. If you want to take the guesswork out of feeding your furry friends, give Ultra Pet a try. Check them out here at www.ultra-pet.co.za

Just For Pets:
Justforpets.co.za is proud to sponsor this episode of the Paws and Effect podcast. Visit their website for all your pet needs and find everything from toys to food and much more. The team over at Just For Pets believe that every pet deserves the best care possible, and that's why we offer a wide range of products to help keep your furry friend happy and healthy - Check them out at https://www.justforpets.co.za/

FOR SPONSORSHIPS AND GUEST APPEARANCES, email us at drcarra@pawsandeffect.co.za, and we'll get in touch with you.

Don't forget to LIKE this if you found it helpful, SUBSCRIBE for more episodes and content like this.

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00:00 Challenges of Daily Animal Injections
03:14 Training a pet for insulin injections
08:02 Communicating with animals during training
11:33 Understanding Animal Behavior
13:39 Training animals with positive reinforcement
17:59 Training pets with treats
20:25 Teaching animals target training
24:53 Teaching animals to wait
30:04 Optimizing pet training environment
32:22 Observing animal behavior signals
35:31 Training dogs in new environments
37:28 Emergency care for uncooperative animals
40:51 Building trust with animals
47:19 Deciding on pet care routines
49:09 Discussing pet medication challenges
55:14 Training Techniques and Qualifications
57:53 Observing animal behavior cues
59:58 Animal care expertise discussion

You’ve cut the treats. You’re walking them more. They still haven’t lost weight, so you assume you’re doing something wrong.

You’re probably not. Dr Ernie Ward has spent over twenty years on pet obesity, and his message is blunt: this was never simply about feeding less and exercising more. It’s biological, it’s medical, and “try harder” is why most weight-loss plans fail.

In this episode:
Why “feed less, exercise more” doesn’t work for most pets
The at-home check that tells you more than the scale ever will
What excess weight is quietly doing to joints, and the link to diabetes
⁠Why treats aren’t the enemy, and how to keep them in the plan
The one change this week that makes the biggest difference

Dr Ernie Ward founded the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. This conversation will change how you think about your pet’s weight, and take the guilt out of it.

Connect with Dr Carra:
Website: https://drcarra.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_carra
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcarra/
Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital: https://hillcrestvets.co.za/

Connect with Dr Ernie Ward:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drernieward
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drernieward/
Website: https://www.drernieward.com/

Free Tools mentioned in this episode: http://petobesityprevention.org/ & http://worldpetobesity.org/

Podcast Production:
This Podcast is produced by Kythe Creative and filmed on-site at Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital.
Kythe Creative: https://kythecreative.co.za/

THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS:

Ultra Pet:
This episode is sponsored by Ultra Pet, who has been scientifically formulating premium pet food for over 25 years. If you want to take the guesswork out of feeding your furry friends, give Ultra Pet a try. Check them out here at www.ultra-pet.co.za

Just For Pets:
Just For Pets is proud to sponsor this episode of the Paws and Effect podcast. Visit their website for all your pet needs and find everything from toys to food and much more. The team over at Just For Pets believe that every pet deserves the best care possible, and that's why we offer a wide range of products to help keep your furry friend happy and healthy - Check them out at https://www.justforpets.co.za/

FOR SPONSORSHIPS AND GUEST APPEARANCES, email us at drcarra@pawsandeffect.co.za, and we'll get in touch with you.

Don't forget to LIKE this if you found it helpful, SUBSCRIBE for more episodes and content like this.

Your old dog is slowing down. Sleeping more. Taking the stairs carefully. He’s just getting old, right?

Maybe. Or maybe he’s in pain, and “he’s just getting old” is one of those pet myths that sounds completely reasonable, right up until it costs your pet something.

Vet Cat Henstridge joins us to take apart the pet advice that sounds sensible but isn’t, the stuff you’ve half-believed for years:
“Bad breath is normal in dogs and cats”, what it’s actually telling you
“He’s still eating, so he can’t be in pain”, why that’s not true
The “natural remedy” trend that’s landing dogs at the emergency vet
Are vets really paid off by “Big Kibble”? Cat answers straight
How to tell good pet advice from dangerous advice, before you act on it

Cat the Vet is a practising vet and one of the most trusted voices in UK pet care. This one will change how you read your feed.

Connect with Dr Carra:
Website: https://drcarra.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_carra
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcarra/
Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital: https://hillcrestvets.co.za/

Connect with Cat Henstridge:
Instagram: @cat_the_vet
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cat-henstridge

Podcast Production:
This Podcast is produced by Kythe Creative and filmed onsite at Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital.
Kythe Creative: https://kythecreative.co.za/

THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS:

Ultra Pet:
This episode is sponsored by Ultra Pet, who has been scientifically formulating premium pet food for over 25 years. If you want to take the guesswork out of feeding your furry friends, give Ultra Pet a try. Check them out here at www.ultra-pet.co.za

Just For Pets:
Justforpets.co.za is proud to sponsor this episode of the Paws and Effect podcast. Visit their website for all your pet needs and find everything from toys to food and much more. The team over at Just For Pets believe that every pet deserves the best care possible, and that's why we offer a wide range of products to help keep your furry friend happy and healthy - Check them out at https://www.justforpets.co.za/

FOR SPONSORSHIPS AND GUEST APPEARANCES, email us at drcarra@pawsandeffect.co.za, and we'll get in touch with you.

Don't forget to LIKE this if you found it helpful, SUBSCRIBE for more episodes and content like this.

She trained to deliver babies. She ended up delivering goats, treating zebras, and running one of the busiest mixed animal clinics around, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

In this candid episode, veterinarian and practice owner Dr Christine Staten shares the unconventional path from aspiring obstetrician to veterinary clinic owner, and what it actually takes to build a veterinary business from scratch.

She’s honest about the parts most people don’t talk about: the weight of practice ownership, imposter syndrome, and how she protects work-life balance in a profession known for burnout.

Key topics:
The leap from obstetrics dreams to large animal medicine
What no one tells you about owning a veterinary practice
Treating the unusual patients, from goats to zebras
Imposter syndrome and protecting your wellbeing in vet med
Building and leading a team that lasts

Whether you’re dreaming of owning a clinic, leading a team, or you just love the animals behind the medicine, Dr Staten offers a refreshingly hopeful take on where the veterinary profession is heading, and the flexibility, community, and passion that make it worth it.

SPONSOR: Ultra Pet

Check out Ultra Pets' new range here: https://ultra-pet.co.za/product/optimal-balance-adult/

Connect with Dr Carra:
Website: https://drcarra.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_carra
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcarra/
Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital: https://hillcrestvets.co.za/

Connect with Dr Christine Staten:
Instagram: @dr.christinestaten
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-christine-staten

Podcast Production:
This Podcast is produced by Kythe Creative and filmed onsite at Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital.
Kythe Creative: https://kythecreative.co.za/

THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS:

Ultra Pet:
This episode is sponsored by Ultra Pet, who has been scientifically formulating premium pet food for over 25 years. If you want to take the guesswork out of feeding your furry friends, give Ultra Pet a try. Check them out here at www.ultra-pet.co.za

Just For Pets:
Justforpets.co.za is proud to sponsor this episode of the Paws and Effect podcast. Visit their website for all your pet needs and find everything from toys to food and much more. The team over at Just For Pets believe that every pet deserves the best care possible, and that's why we offer a wide range of products to help keep your furry friend happy and healthy - Check them out at https://www.justforpets.co.za/

FOR SPONSORSHIPS AND GUEST APPEARANCES, email us at drcarra@pawsandeffect.co.za, and we'll get in touch with you.

Don't forget to LIKE this if you found it helpful, SUBSCRIBE for more episodes and content like this.