Veterinary Podcast by the VetGurus

Brendan is intrigued with camel beauty pageants and the shenanigans undertaken to enhance the chance of winning. Mark is looking even more radiant than usual after discussing advances in drugs to increase longevity, and he discusses some difficult ethical decisions veterinarians make when pressured by clients. In the final news story this week Brendan ask’s the age-old question: Can dog&#821...

How can a chimney save birds? When they are fake. Mark explains. Brendan is hot under the collar about leaf blowers as he continues to turn into a cranky old man! In other news Mark and Brendan marvel at the wildlife Photographer of the year awards for 2018, and we are glad to see that Lee Burger has won an award. The main topic this week is fluted cats – or FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract...

We report on the rebound of a Mountain gorilla population in this week’s good news. Mark discusses whether pets can get seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and wonders if elephants are evolving to lose their tusks. Brendan then gets a bit angry when he reveals 87 elephants have been killed by poachers in Africa. Movie Review by Brendan: The Predator 2018. Don’t bother. 2 out of 10. It&#8...

Could Llamas be the answer to the ideal human flu vaccine? Scientists had no idea where the world’s tiniest flightless bird came from, until now- Mark explains. In our final news story we debate if the era of greyhound racing is coming to an end. Limbs. Or lack thereof. That is the main topic this week: amputation of limbs of various species is discussed by Brendan and Mark – what spec...

Support us via Patreon:   Patreon.com/vetgurus Mark is on location this week – playing in a basketball tournament! While he ices his dodgy knee, Brendan decides what to do with dog faeces in our first news story. We also discuss if a wind farm monitor to prevent bird deaths would likely work, and marvel at some amazing photos. Basic pet bird nutrition is the main topic this week. Brendan and...

Welcome Guru-listeners. Great to have you onboard for this week! News: For the dinosaur aficionados out there we chat about whether those small arms of T. rex are of any use. A mushroom extract may help save bees. Our final news story is a call to all Australians to get the FrogID app. and participate in FrogID week from 9-18 November. Hop to it! This week’s main topic is amphibian care. Bre...

A deaf and blind dog missing for 5 years is reunited with its owners in yet another good news story from Brendan. Mark is enthused about the educational aspects of octopuses, and wonders if having a dog increase your chance of a tinder date? To balance things out, the final news story is about cats: Are cat lovers under the influence of Toxoplasmosis? Perhaps not, though that kitten is very cute&#...

We put recreational fishing under the spotlight this week with discussion of an article on why catch and release is tough on fish. Singapore Zoo use a 3D-printed prosthesis to give a hornbill a second chance of life and Brendan is happy that the tiger population in Nepal has rebounded. In our final news story Mark  muses on the rise of the ‘bin chicken’ – the Australian White Ibi...

We are pleased, and relieved, to have Mark back from his recent ventures near Sulawesi in Indonesia. He was there at the time of the earthquake and subsequent Tsunami which has resulted in devastating loss of life and environmental destruction. The VetGurus get all the breaking news. This week Brendan is breathless talking about an inflatable pet hospital and spins some positive talk about Austral...

Dinosaurs are alive –  at a new theme park in Portugal. Why do small dogs aim high when urinating? – Mark finds out! Brendan is concerned about a neighbourhood overrun by goats and a bounty placed on a Police dog’s head by a drug cartel. As usual, we report the important stories. Nasty Nine: The main topic this week is a quick rundown of 9 nasty conditions in unusual pets that Ma...

We dig deep into the sticky issue of the reported medicinal properties of Manuka honey. Our main topic this week is Unusual Pets: more specifically, we outline common unusual pet species and debate which make good pets, and which species should not be kept. Brendan competes his review of the Clarius veterinary wireless ultrasound system. He gives its a high 9.4 Send us an email to enter our compet...

A puppy undergoes a world first complex heart surgery in London. Are we heading for a world without turtles? We also try to answer patron Sandy’s thought provoking email questions. On a lighter note we look at the finalists for the 2018 Comedy Wildlife Photography awards. Our main topic this week is oestrogen toxicity in ferrets: what is it? We chat about how to treat it, and what steps you...

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...