The Tiny Vet Podcast

It's easy to get carried away when planning to buy a horse. Going with a flashy colour, impressive CV, or pretty face instead of focusing on what you need as a rider are common traps. You need to be realistic about what you can do, and what you want to do. Nicole and Jez discuss some common problems people make when buying horses, and why some horses pick up bad habits once they go to their new ho...

Cats are prone to developing urinary problems, and they can be frustrating to manage. Partly, this is because urinary issues often have multiple causes, involving several different triggers. Symptoms can also be nonspecific, or difficult to monitor.    Nicole and Jez discuss some ways to help kitties with urinary problems, and what to watch out for. 

Birds love seed like humans love Snickers, and the analogy doesn't stop there. Foods high in fat and sugars trigger similar neural pathways to addictive drugs, but like drugs of addiction they are not good for you (or birds). Nicole and Jez discuss seed addiction in parrots and how to help them eat healthier.

You can't get much weirder than the axolotl, a completely aquatic amphibian (kind of an oxymoron). Despite being common as pets, they're endangered in the wild due to habitat destruction. Nicole and Jez discuss the intricacies of the axolotl.

Fat animals are very cute but are prone to lots of health problems. Weight loss can be challenging as the fatter they are, the more difficult it is for them to move around and keep active. Plus, it is incredibly hard to resist when they ask for a snack! Nicole and Jez discuss some methods for successful weight loss in pets.

Snakes get a bad rap sometimes, but they're actually very nice animals, and because of their anatomy and physiology, NOT SLIMY. They also make great pets when proper attention is paid to their husbandry. Nicole and Jez discuss the nice things about snakes and why they are our friends.

It can be tempting to feed your horse a performance feed they may not need, or load them up with lots of supplements. Just like people, it's important to feed your horse according to the amount of physical work they're doing. Nicole and Jez discuss the basics of horse feeding, and what to increase first when looking to add more to your horse's feed regime. 

Post-COVID, loads of people have taken advantage of the increase in puppy demand to make more puppies & it's sometimes difficult to tell a good, ethical breeder from a someone more concerned with turning a profit than providing healthy animals.   Nicole and Jez discuss some hallmarks of both good and bad breeders, and why going to a breeder CAN be an ethical thing to do.

It certainly seems a bit mean to classify whole species as invasive, especially when it wasn't their choice to be introduced to delicate ecosystems, but it can be one of the biggest threats to ecology, life and wildlife health in our global society.    Nicole and Jez discuss why some species are so good at invading new habitats, and why controlling them is important for native wildlife. 

Our pets can run afoul of several species of wildlife, especially here in Australia (there are venomous snake avoidance courses for dogs). While venomous snakes can be life-threatening, there are lots of other wildlife that can cause grief for our pets.  Nicole and Jez go through some common types of wildlife that can cause injury or misadventure.

There's a strong push currently for keeping horses barefoot, as it is the way they naturally live. However, the reality for most of our horses is that they aren't really living in a wild-type environment, eating wild-type feed, or doing wild-type work. So, is barefoot really best for all horses?  Nicole and Jez discuss which horses can benefit from going barefoot, and which horses are likely to re...

Horses bring immeasurable joy to riders around the world, but we can't avoid the truth that they are EXPENSIVE to keep. Situations can change, and re-homing a large (potentially lethal) animal is fraught with pitfalls.   Nicole and Jez discuss the best way to safeguard your horse's future against sudden change of circumstances.

Cats get anxious too, and they can also show it in ways where it may not be apparent anxiety; they often toilet outside the litterbox or change their daily routine. There's lots that can be done for anxious cats! While many tools can be bought online, it's also important to get a vet checkup to make sure that medical problems like pain or infection aren't causing the problem. Nicole and Jez discus...

Siamese fighting fish, or bettas, are a commonly misunderstood little fish. They need a much bigger tank than most people think! While the males can't be housed together, there are lots of invertebrates that cohabit happily with bettas, and a larger tank containing one fish need not be a waste of space. Nicole and Jez discuss the needs of fighting fish and how to set up an appropriate tank. 

Crates and kennels are easily misunderstood as restrictive caging, but they have a great use for giving dogs a safe, comfortable space that is their own. Plus it helps with future vet visits & other transport because it teaches them that confinement is temporary and okay. Nicole and Jez discuss crate training and why it is so useful for anxious dogs. 

Owners of small herbivores often get concerned about the calcium levels of vegetables like kale and spinach. Does this mean that they shouldn't be feeding any of those at all? Nicole and Jez discuss where this concern came from, and what it means on a practical, day to day basis.

Designated off-lead areas like dog parks are a great way to let your dog stretch their legs and interact with other dogs. BUT! Dogs should be kept on lead on sidewalks and in nature reserves. Nicole and Jez discuss the reasons why.

We've spoken about why pets need dental scale and polishes under anesthesia before, and we're warning you about the trap of "anesthesia-free dentals." It seems too good to be true - coz it is. BUT! Teaching your pet to accept toothbrushing at home is an effective, safe (and cheap!) way to maintain their dental health, and there's no downside. Nicole and Jez discuss the benefits of toothbrushing an...

"Oh, that's just normal for the breed," is a phrase that's thrown out about dyspneic bulldogs, nostril-less Pekingese, and Chihuahuas with eyes bigger than their sockets, but should it be considered normal, even if the trait is common? Nicole and Jez discuss how the perception of "normal" harms the ongoing development of phenotypic health in purebreds, and how to approach the problems in pure bree...

Getting your pet to take their medication can be a major stressor for everyone involved, but it doesn't need to be. Training your pet to accept medication BEFORE they ever get sick can make your life much easier in the future. Nicole and Jez discuss some methods of medication training and how they work.

Little dogs aren't born mean. Small dogs have a reputation for being little land sharks, and lots of people think that's just how little dogs are. BUT! Little dogs can be well behaved if they are taught manners and proper boundaries from puppyhood (just like big dogs). Nicole and Jez discuss why small dogs have a bitey reputation.

Pets sometimes get into their owner's things! And those things aren't always legal, which can lead to some hesitation at the vet clinic when a history is being taken. Nicole and Jez discuss why a vet will never turn you in for your dog eating marijuana, and why you should just tell us up front what they got into.

Rabbits are complex little animals and are sadly often misunderstood, leading to many pet rabbits kept in suboptimal conditions, not receiving proper care or attention. Nicole and Jez discuss some bunny basics and why they can be one of the more challenging pets to have. 

Training your pets doesn't have to be a huge mystery, and it all has to do with positive reinforcement of good behaviour. This training method can be used to train almost any animal in a welfare-friendly way. Nicole and Jez discuss the benefits of positive reinforcement training.

Prescription diets are useful to help manage pets with chronic illness, but they come with a higher price tag. Nicole and Jez discuss tips and tricks to ensure you make the most out of a bag of prescription food.