Veterinary Podcast by the VetGurus

We welcome our new ‘beardie’ patron: Sandy from Canberra, Australia. A big shout out to Sandy for helping cover our production costs, and thanks for the thought-provoking email – keep them coming! Why don’t YOU become a patron of our show, become famous, and feel good on the inside and outside? Visit  Patreon.com/vetgurus  for more details. In news this week California pass...

We investigate the New Zealand town that wants to ban cats. A huge drop of a king penguin population. Are Mumbai’s leopard’s good or bad? Thats the news stories for this week.. oh, and Mark talks about how to hang a birdhouse without harming the tree or the bird! Rabbit nutrition is the main topic this week. What is the best diet for pet rabbits? What is bad? What is toxic? Listen and...

Pacific Chocolate and the koala genome – what’s the link? Listen and find out. Also hear about the vegetarian bear, dairy farming in India and finally, why chickens may wear diapers/nappies. Now that’s a variety of news items. Chlamydiosis in birds is this weeks main topic. Brendan quizzes Mark to find out how prevalent this disease is in pet birds, then they both discuss zoonoti...

Dogs prefer reggae when stressed… apparently. Or did you already know that? How about teaching birds to collect litter? Or did you hear about the Dengue fever outbreak halted by the release of mosquitoes? So many great news stories this week we decided to finish with 20 things you may not know about Zebras. Once you’ve listened to all this news you will be ready for your local quiz nig...

Brendan wants to go to Bali – for work of course. Maybe he will be less angry about the situation with greyhound racing in New South Wales if he had a break? Mark goes mad about the pesky parasite toxoplasmosis, then sniffs out a story details dog’s detecting cancer in our final news story this week. Upper respiratory tract diseases of the rabbit is our main topic this week. ‘Snu...

Is it a fish, is it a bird – or is it just a toxic mess? We look at the amazing fish-bird found in China. A kelpie sells for a record price in Australia. In our last news story Mark gets angry, very angry, about some ‘facts’ of the Jurassic world film. Our main topic this week is in response to an email from a long-time subscriber. Tom asks ‘how do I encourage veterinary st...

A new species of armoured dinosaur has been identified and we report on this gorgeous, yet extinct, animal in our first news story. Brendan is sad, and his dogs know it; Mark is excited about a sun bear birth in the UK and is the pet trade killing off species? We find out – because we get the big stories. Respiratory diseases in rats and mice is our main topic this week. An important topic,...

Welcome to the VetGurus podcast! Where else can you find out how to stop seagulls getting drunk, learn about a new species of venomous snake, hear about breeding rhinos in Australia and debate the pros and cons of animal research? Nowhere else! That’s why you listen (sometimes) and why we provide you with the best (or maybe the most obscure) news items.. and keep the emails coming in with ne...

A flight crew springs to action to help a French Bulldog. How smart are birds? – we find out – sort of; and a discussion of wild animals helping us in the garden are news items this week. Our final news item is about an incursion of the varroa honey bee mite into Melbourne, Australia. This weeks main topic? Here it is: Illegal pets. Brendan and mark discuss the complex factors at play...

Here we go again with topical veterinary news, information and lame jokes. Mark is seeing a run on nutritional deficits in patients presented to Sugarloaf Animal Hospital, which leads to a discussion of home made versus commercial foods for pets. Flat faced rabbits are in the news for all the wrong reasons, and we find out how bees may save elephants from train collisions. Poncho the Police Dog in...

How should we talk to dogs? We finds out all about ‘dog speak’ in our first news item. Dachshunds are popular pets in the UK –  should they be? A good news story to finish: a dog saves a young boy from a dryer. Dr David Middleton is our star guest and main topic for this week. David is the owner of Mt. Mary vineyard in the Yarra Vallet wine region of Melbourne, Australia. Not onl...

Bees get stressed – really! Good news about the wild jaguars of Mexico, and Mark is talking to dogs and trying to stop cats eating wildlife. In other news Brendan and Mark finally catch up on some emails, and we announce or new sponsors. Gout in reptiles is the main topic this week. We discuss what it is, the signs of gout in reptiles, diagnostic steps and treatment options. We are excited t...

Birds can see Earth’s magnetic fields – we find out how. A dog saves a child lost in the Australian outback, predators help farmers and mushrooms kill dogs. A mix of news stories this week to get things started. Thanks to Doug Black for the link to the Bird article. Euthanasia is our main topic. Specifically, we walk through the 2-stage process for euthanasia of unusual pets, and also...

Did you know blue-tongued skinks have UV emitting tongues? Now you do. Who is Pizza the polar bear and why should you care? Why are most dolphins called Bruce, and what’s with all the questions??  All these questions and more are answered in our news section. Product reviews: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury gets a 9.451 out of 10 from Brendan. Fencing wire for use as an endotracheal stylet ge...

Does the human race do anything right? Well, we are very good at eradicating other species. Greyhound racing is banned in the Australian Capital Territory and giant predatory worms have invaded France! So what exactly is the Icarus project and why are we excited about it? Listen to our news section to find out. A rapid fire discussion of 10 conditions of unusual pets is our main topic this week. B...

Calls to ban trade in amphibians from Asia is our first news story. Do therapy dogs like their work? – we find out. The sad story of the Vaquita, the smallest porpoise species in the world leaves us depressed, so in our final news story we are amazed as a crow steals a credit card and tries to buy a train ticket! We interview Doug Black from Microchips Australia for our main feature this wee...

The news just keeps on coming… this week Mark discusses stress in the veterinary workplace and the love life of Dora the hawk. Brendan discussed the amusing husbandry and feeding of veterinarians for new owners guide. Dingoes and some myths about these canines is the last story this week. Mark’s product review is the rabbit appeasing pheromone. He refuses to score it, as it is not avai...

The news kicks off with the announcement of our competition winner. Congratulations to Elizabeth Pearson! Your signed book is on its way. In other news we report on a potential threat for the rarest ape in the world, the naming of species after celebrities, and the difficulties of livestock live export. Another non-veterinary ‘product’ review by Mark today, with a lowdown on a music vi...

Should we be more like sloths? In our first news story we discuss this important topic. In other news a tiger cub found in a bag is recovering well after being rescued, the unusual sex life of brown widow spiders, and veterinary interns speak out against exploitation. A flurry of emails last week with more entries for our book competition. The competition is now closed and we will announce the win...

Death is in the news this week with the end of the world’s oldest spider at the age of 43, the weird and depressing world of hummingbird love charm trafficking, and we follow the trail of the London thylacines. Brighter news is the novel approach to control of locusts in China through the use of a chicken army! Brendan has a book review this week: Clinical anatomy and physiology of exotic sp...

News is a bit depressing this week with a story about a kangaroo in a zoo stoned because it wasn’t hoping for visitors; popular animals facing higher extinction rates and the severity of the 2016 Great Barrier Reef bleaching. Brighter news is the story of Toby the cat who found a new home after his owners rejected him. The product review from Mark is a bit left-field, with his take on the st...

Quirky news again this week, which begins with talk on empathy – can it be learned, is there a genetic factor or who cares? A field study of Mary River Turtles in Australia reveals an ageing population. The cannibal Red Squirrels of Yukon and the death of Australia’s last flamingo are our last news stories. Our main topic discusses the benefits of desexing, with particular emphasis on...

Brendan has lost his mind – literally. He outlines his recent experience with transient global amnesia and a stay in hospital over the Easter period. In other news birds are pests in Melbourne –  or are they?; and the concerns about backyard chickens and human health. Our main topic this week is dental disease in rabbits. We regard this as such an important (and often requested) topic...

A dog in a park, Sea Turtles on a Mumbai beach, and a billboard built for birds in Sweden are the varied news items this week. In other news, Mark ponders on how rabies causes aggression. Our main topic is eggs and incubation. Mark talks us through the process of candling eggs to determine if the embryo is viable, the basics of incubation and tips to maximise the chance of the eggs hatching. We th...

The news topics just keep on coming: How can dogs help us understand cancer? Can we use cats to control feral rats?; and some quirky facts (and fiction) about platypus. These are the news items this week, together with the sad tale of the last male northern white rhino dying. Sorry is the title of our main topic this week, as we delve into the complex matter of dealing with complaints. Brendan and...