Paws and Listen Podcast

In this episode of Paws and Listen, we discuss all things puppies with dog trainer/behaviourist and host of the hit TV Show, Pooches at Play, Lara Shannon. Johnny Manning and Lara discuss everything you need to know about raising a happy, healthy puppy to fit right in with your family and lifestyle. Lara is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to raising a dog and discusses everything from puppy nu...

This episode of Paws and Listen discusses the important topic of healthy weight for pets. John Manning chats with Dr Nicole Rous about body condition scores for pets, how to help dogs and cats lose weight, and the impacts of obesity in pets. This episode provides advice on dog weight loss food, realistic lifestyle changes and the emotional connection between pets and their humans. To check your pe...

In this episode of Paws and Listen, we have one for the cat lovers. Johnny Manning and Dr Nicole Rous discuss cat care tips for beginners and Dr Nicole shares her advice on cats as an integrative veterinarian. Dr Nicole covers many important cat health issues and gives her holistic approach to providing your cat with everything they need to live a long and happy life with you.   Read Dr Nicole's a...

This episode of Paws and Listen is the beginner's guide to raw food for dogs. John Manning chats with Chris Essex, Big Dog Pet Foods' founder and managing director who has been manufacturing raw food for pets since 2000. This episode provides a great introduction to raw food and its benefits, as well as some case studies and myth busting. If you're new to raw feeding for dogs, check out the Big Do...

In this episode of the best dog podcast "Paws and Listen," Johnny Manning has his mind blown by Big Dog founder and managing director, Chris Essex, and probiotic specialist, Allan Hain. These guys discuss the topic of probiotics for dogs explaining the importance of a healthy microbiome, how we're all made of bugs, the benefits of probiotic supplements for dogs and how they work in our pets' syste...

In this episode of Paws and Listen, Johnny Manning sits down for a chat with the founder and managing director of Big Dog Pet Foods, Chris Essex. This discussion documents the beginning of 'Big Dog', why Chris started a raw pet food company back in 2000, his work with Dr Ian Billinghurst, and how he built Big Dog to the much loved Aussie company that it is today.   Thanks again for tuning in to th...

In this episode of Paws and Listen, Johnny sits down with some of the team from Smart Pups Assistance Dogs to talk about the life-changing work that they do. This charity aims to enrich the lives of children with special needs by providing them with highly trained canine companions that improve their physical health and safety, independence, confidence, self-esteem, social interaction, life experi...

In this episode of Paws and Listen, Johnny and Dr Nicole Rous take a deep dive into medical cannabis for pets and discuss the latest research about the benefits of CBD. Dr Nicole is an integrative vet with a passion for natural treatment options for pets. She shares the latest research and her own experiences in clinic with CBD for various conditions in pets including anxiety, cancer and joint iss...

In this episode, John chats with holistic veterinarian, Dr Edward Bassingthwaighte "the healing vet", about the delicate topic of knowing when and how to say goodbye to your pet, and the importance of grieving these special family members. It can be a sensitive subject to discuss, but John and Dr Edward have a very real and raw conversation about it. This episode does come with a trigger warning,...

In this episode of Paws and Listen, Johnny has a frank discussion with Dr Nicole Rous about nutrition and trends in the veterinary industry. Dr Nicole's honest and open style gives insight into the life of a vet, the history of their role and responsibility with pets, and how she’s furthered her education and proudly calls herself an Integrative Veterinarian.

In the latest episode of Paws & Listen, Johnny Manning chats with Arianne Sackville, the founder and owner of Bell & Bone, the creators of outcome-based dog treats and dental sticks formulated for specific canine needs. Arianne is passionate about dental care for pets, sharing some surprising facts and helpful tips for dental hygiene for our fur babies. Arianne’s mission is inspiring and i...

In this episode of Paws & Listen, Johnny chats with canine nutritionist and the owner and founder of Canine Ceuticals, Narelle Cooke, about the fundamentals of canine nutrition and the role it plays in our dogs’ overall health. This discussion explores how diet impact our pets’ immune systems and how it can affect their behaviour. Narelle is overflowing with knowledge about canine nutrition and we...

In the latest episode of Paws & Listen, Johnny chats with dog trainer and canine nutritionist, Brittany The Pet Girl, about the pet food industry and her Transparency Project, which saw her go behind-the-scenes at pet food manufacturing facilities. Brittany is passionate about animal welfare and advocates for better standards in the industry. She's also great for a laugh - catch this fun episode n...

In the latest episode of Paws & Listen, Johnny chats with dog trainer and behaviourist, Lara Shannon about separation anxiety in pets. Lara is bursting with knowledge on this topic with her experience in training and also as a fur-mum to rescue dogs. This heartwarming episode is a must-listen for all pet parents and animal lovers. Read all Lara's tips HERE

We’re so thrilled to introduce you to Johnny Manning (aka Manno), our new host of Paws & Listen. Johnny is the perfect person to host the Paw & Listen podcast as the proud father of Frank the pug X bulldog and has always been a brand ambassador and advocate for raw feeding. He previously worked with the team at Big Dog as our National Sales Manager and is currently working as a radio presenter and...

When it comes to itchy skin in dogs, sometimes the trigger is obvious and sometimes it isn’t, and when it isn’t it can be so hard to watch your baby suffer while you try all the different remedies on the planet. This Ask-a-Vet episode of Paws & Listen is a must for pet parents of dogs with skin issues. Jasmine and Tiffany, from the Big Dog team, chat with veterinarian, Dr Duncan Houston, about...

Have you ever tried to make sense of the too-good-to-be-true claims on a bag of dog food? Not sure how much meat is actually in your cat’s food? We asked Clare Kearney to use her very sensitive, no-nonsense radar to help pet parents navigate through the confusion of pet food labelling. This  episode of Paws & Listen leaves no stone unturned when we chat with Clare about Pet Food Labelling and mark...

One of the most common questions we are asked here at Big Dog, is “Is Raw Food Safe For My Pet?”. This is the number one concern of pet parents and vets too, so we thought we’d take some time to interview Phil, our Quality and Assurance Manager to get details about our quality control here at Big Dog, and how we make sure our food is safe for all pets.

In our 5th episode we have the privilege of chatting again with Chris Essex, Big Dog's founder and Managing Director, and Canine Nutritionist, Narelle Cooke. We'll chat further about health and nutrition, with a particular focus on Detoxing and what that looks like in our pets. Detox signs and symptoms and support for our pets - By Narelle Cooke

In our first “ask a Vet’ episode, we have the pleasure of having Lara Shannon, dog trainer, nutritionist, wonderful human and host of the TV Show, Pooches at Play chatting with Dr Edward Bassingthwaighte one of our favourites holistic vets based in Frankston, Victoria. They will be discussing how to keep our pets safe from diseases and parasite without overuse of preventative medicines, with a par...

In our third episode we have the absolute pleasure to discuss Gut Health with Narelle Cooke, clinical Naturopath, Nutritionist and Herbalist for both people and pets, and Chris Essex, founder and managing director for Big Dog Pet Foods. If you want to understand more about prebiotics, probiotics and digestive enzymes for our dogs’ gut health this is the episode for you.   If you're looking for Big...