The Space Coast Pet Podcast

Spring is a time of renewal, longer daylight, flowers and leave blooming, and wildlife reawakened and active. The tease of warmer days after we have tired of the cold winter bring us the hope of summer to look forward to and more time with our human and furry loved ones spent outdoors. In this episode, Dr. Roger invites you to embrace the joy that spring brings, while being careful of commonly ove...

Coprophagia is a fancy word for a very unpleasant habit some dogs exhibit: eating poop. Whether it is their own, other dogs, other specie, or all of the above, some dogs seem to enjoy the taste of feces. In this episode, Dr. Roger discusses this habit, why some dogs do this, and what can be done to stop dogs from doing it. Send listener emails for consideration to be addressed by Dr. Roger on the...

Osteoarthritis, commonly referred to as just "arthritis," is the most common chronic disease that dogs and cats suffer from. Thankfully, there are many safe options for prevention and treatment of arthritis that can add years of life with good quality for our pets. In this episode, Dr. Roger details a proactive approach to arthritis management in dogs and cats, from nutrition management...

Avian influenza strain H5N1 is far more concerning than high egg prices. The virus has managed to jump species primarily in cats with cases rising and carrying a high mortality rate. In this episode, Dr. Roger breaks down the risk of avian flu to your cats, how to protect them from infection, and how to recognize symptoms of disease for the earliest possible intervention. With 68 confirmed cases o...

About 13% of pet owners feed their pets raw meat based diets. There are strong opinions about the practice of feeding pets raw, both from the pet parents that believe in it health benefits, and a majority of veterinarians that are against it. In this episode, Dr. Roger examines all available raw feeding studies dating back to 1993 to offer solid, strictly science based evidence on the health benef...

They are America's most popular dog breed 3 plus years running and their popularity is showing no signs of slowing. Many new French Bulldog parents, however, quickly become shocked about all that comes with caring for a Frenchie. The dedication it takes to raise and care for the average dog is a major commitment, but the French Bulldog takes it to a level of labor intensiveness and expense som...

Tune in to learn about a key aspect of a pet's general wellness care that can significantly affect the incidence of systemic disease. Overlooking this key health concern can increase the incidence of kidney failure, congestive heart failure, and liver disease by 150%, as well as significantly increase the incidence of certain type of cancers. Send listener emails for consideration to be addressed...

Ticks cause direct irritation to the skin of dogs leading to itch, rashes and skin infections. In addition to this, ticks can potential spread life threatening infectious diseases to dogs. In this episode, Dr. Roger discusses the risks of different risks of tick born infectious diseases to dogs around the country. Learn to minimize your dog's risk of tick born infection and recognize the signs...

Happy New Year from the Space Coast Pet Podcast Team! In this inaugural episode of 2025, per his yearly New Year tradition, Dr. Roger discusses his top pet resolution wish list. Send listener emails for consideration to be addressed by Dr. Roger on the air to comments@web-dvm.net. Follow Dr. Roger's Facebook posts (including new podcast episodes) by sending a friend request to his public profile,...

Depending on dog breed and gender, there are increases, and decreases in certain orthopedic conditions and cancers that are affected by the timing of sterilization procedures. Dr. Roger reports on the latest spay/neuter recommendations by breed based on the most current research. Below is the link for the latest UC Davis spay/neuter recommendations by age based on breed that Dr. Roger discusses in...

As per yearly tradition dating back to 2009, Dr. Roger has a pre-holiday episode dedicated to hidden dangers that unexpectedly lurk around the holiday season. For long time listeners, you may have heard some of this before, but new things come to Dr. Roger's attention year in and year out, so please still tune in, as you may hear something new. At Space Coast Pet Podcast, we want to wish everyone...

Dr. Roger recalls his recent trip to attend the West Indies Veterinary conference in the British West Indies on the island of St. Kitts. Dr. Roger discusses how the experience took him back to the very early stages of his veterinary career and the wave of powerful emotional and spiritual fulfillment it brought him. Kirk Herbstreit tribute to his dog Ben discussed in this episode: https://www.youtu...

The term holistic as it pertains to veterinary medicine has moved away from its original meaning and intent. In this episode, Dr. Roger explains what it is means to be a holistic veterinarian and what a holistic veterinary health care regimen for pets looks like. Dr. Roger selects listener emails to be addressed on the air, so if interested in having your voice heard on the podcast, email comments...

Having just endured Hurricane Milton, Dr. Roger highlights dangers unique to pets in the aftermath of a major natural disaster like Milton and Hurricane before it. Natural disaster are not always storms, so even in areas not prone to major storms, having a disaster/emergency plan in place for your pets is essential. From pre-event preparation to post event dangers, this episode is a must listen to...

In the last episode, Dr. Roger detailed some of the main reasons for disproportionate increases in veterinary care during the last few years versus previous eras of the pet health care industry. While there are indicators that cost increases are cooling off, they still remain high and there are no guarantees. Dr. Roger dedicates this episode to offering solutions to mitigating veterinary health ca...

Inflation has hit the veterinary industry as badly (if not worse) as others in the post COVID19 world. Still, inflation is not the only driver of increased veterinary health care costs. Many of us can look back to a time when well care and sick visits set us back maybe a few hundred dollars per year, but now one visit with a significant illness or injury can cost several hundred, even thousands of...

There is a growing distrust of the safety of heartworm preventative medications in pets that is leading many pet owners to question whether the risk of the medication rivals, or is worse than, the risk posed by heartworm disease itself. In this episode, Dr. Roger addresses this and separates fact from fiction, true science from opinion, and real information versus misinformation on this very impor...

Dr. Roger discusses using cancerous tumors to develop vaccines that program the dog's immune system to attack the cancer. This is a great alternative to there are mitigating factors that make chemotherapy prohibitive (concurrent disease, age, cost, etc.). Dr. Roger Welton is a practicing veterinarian and media personality, CEO/attending veterinarian at ⁠⁠ ⁠Premier Veterinary Care⁠ ⁠⁠, and auth...

Inspired by a listener email, Dr. Roger dips into his post-doctoral orthopedic surgical certifications and vast hind limb surgical experience to discuss hind limb lameness in dogs. In this episode, Dr. Roger discusses the most common causes for hind limb lameness in dogs, and options for medical, supplemental, lifestyle, and surgical intervention for the different causes for hind limb lameness. Fo...

Dr. Roger pet owner concerns about the potential for the newest generation of flea and tick preventatives - in a class of compounds called isoxazolines - to cause seizures. While products Nextgard, Bravecto, and Simparica Trio have gained in popularity due to their effectiveness, there is a growing concern among pet owners for the potential of neurological side effects in the pets attributed to tr...

Based on the most current research, Dr. Roger discusses what diseases pet owners should be vaccinating their dogs and cats against and with what frequency. Dr. Roger Welton is a practicing veterinarian and media personality, CEO/attending veterinarian at ⁠⁠ ⁠Premier Veterinary Care⁠ ⁠⁠, and author of the top selling book, ⁠⁠ ⁠The Man In The White Coat⁠ ⁠⁠.  Dr. Roger selects listener emails to be...

Dr. Roger talks about a unique superpower dogs possess, a scent of smell 30-60 times greater than that of humans! In fact, their primary source of sensory input comes from their nose, with their keen sense of smell believed to create entire landscapes of information in their minds...what Dr. Roger calls "smell-o-vision." Exercising their sniffer is an essential component to the canine&#3...

Dr. Roger brings to light the alarming statistic about veterinarians having the highest rate of suicide among professions, making them 2-4 times more likely to die by suicide than the general populations. Dr. Roger discusses the reasons behind this crisis and what measures pet owners can take to help diffuse the emotions that can bring a veterinary practitioner to do the unthinkable. Dr. Roger Wel...

Dr. Roger discusses an increasingly common issue where pure breed enthusiasts are driven to purchase new puppies over denial by rigid dog rescue vetting standards. Dr. Roger Welton is a practicing veterinarian and media personality, CEO/attending veterinarian at ⁠⁠ ⁠Premier Veterinary Care⁠ ⁠⁠, and author of the top selling book, ⁠⁠ ⁠The Man In The White Coat⁠ ⁠⁠.  Dr. Roger selects listener email...

The summer season is a wonderful time of year, especially for temperate areas of the country looking forward to a break from the cold temps of winter and fun in the sun. Kids are off for the summer from school, beaches and boardwalks are open, pools are open, and life is teaming all around us. With all the joy and splendor of summer, it does some with some increased dangers for our pets. In this e...