What’s Wrong with My Pet? – John Rossi,DVM,MA

Dr. Rossi’s special guest this week is Dr. Kathleen Heaney, Associate Director of Scientific Marketing Affairs at Merck Animal Health. Dr. Heaney explained how Merck’s new flea and tick treatment product Activyl works. Activyl features Indoxacarb, a chemical totally unknown to fleas, and for which there is no known resistance. This new chemical undergoes bioactivation, in which enzymes inside the … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week was Susan Towler, owner of “The Barking Lot,” a boarding house for dogs. The Barking Lot is one of the new wave of dog boarding facilities that maintains dogs with minimal caging, or boarding without borders! While dogs do have their own rooms, a significant portion of their day is spent with a group of … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Ron Smith, the owner of a most unusual pet shop, named “House of Reptiles.” The average listener, however, might think of it as a “house of horrors” since the shop features snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, salamanders, tarantulas and scorpions! Nevertheless, Ron cheerfully explained why many people have a fascination and affinity for these animals, … Read more about this episode...

Happy New Year Pet Lovers! Welcome back after a brief holiday break to another edition of WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY PET? with your vet, Dr. John Rossi– Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Clint Wilkinson, an animal rescuer who works with Wildlife Solutions, one of the largest animal rescue organizations in the United States. This is Clint’s second appearance, back … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Dr. Alan Weldon, a Board Certified Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist. Dr. Weldon’s special interest lies in solving difficult medical mysteries. To that end, he has become extremely proficient in performing ultrasounds. Scores of veterinarians from South Carolina to Florida call upon him to help diagnose difficult cases. In fact, he travels so much his … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guests this week are Karl and Cyndi Betz, a married couple who are experienced reptile keepers. This lively discussion included the responsibilities, dangers, and politics of keeping reptiles, as well as the psychological benefits on their children and family. An argument for keeping venomous snakes was presented by Karl, and Cyndi followed with an extremely informational segment on … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Betty Grogan, the manager of the commissary at the Jacksonville Zoo, in Florida. Betty is responsible for the diets of everything from rodents to rhinoceroses. She starts her day at the zoo at 5am every morning to coordinate the massive effort to provide 325 individual diets for zoo animals. She must for analyze input … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s returning guest this week is Andrea Works, a veterinary technician. Andrea shared with us her passion for animals and her job. She explained the requirements for becoming a veterinary technician, and gave details of her training. And she related several stories about some of her more difficult days, and shared some of her wilder stories, as well. Dr. … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi flies solo in this episode of “What’s Wrong with My Pet?” He covered some of the latest news from the world of veterinary medicine. He began with Holiday Warnings, and listed a wide variety of foods that may be harmful to your pets, as well as Christmas Hazards, and even gave a recent example from his own practice. … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Dr. Kandra Jones, a veterinarian with 35 years of experience. She is also a member of the Florida Board of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Jones shared with us some of the changes that have occurred in veterinary Medicine over her years of practice. These include the improvements in anesthesia and in-house laboratory equipment, among others. … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Linda Brocker of Bark Busters in NE Florida. Linda is a dog behavioral therapist and trainer who discussed a variety of canine behavior problems. These included: aggression towards people and other dogs, separation anxiety, and destructive behaviors. She attributed many of these problems, and others to a lack of leadership, exercise, and stimulation. Linda … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is pet sitter Nickee Mixon, of Creatures Great and Small Petsitting Service in the North Florida area. Nickee has 10 years of experience as a licensed and insured pet sitter and cares for dogs, cats, birds, fish and rodents. she gave a great argument for the benefits of pet sitting over boarding your pets, which … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Clint Wilkinson, an animal rescuer who works with Wildlife Solutions, one of the largest animal rescue organizations in the United States. Their agents can be recognized by the distinctive zebra-striped trucks! Clint described how he rescues a wide variety of wild animals from people’s properties. These animals have included raccoons, skunks, opossum, armadillos, snakes, … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Dino Ferri, the head reptile curator at the Jacksonville Zoo, in Florida. Dino shared with us many of his duties, which include public education, conservation, and animal husbandry, as well as his role as a researcher and rescuer. He also discussed keeping reptiles in the home, and how they make great low-maintenance pets. Dino … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Patty Honcoop, an avowed animal rescuer, who specializes in ferrets and opossums. Patty shared with us many of the unique problems related to ferrets, and their often high-maintenance costs. She points out that many people are not aware of this high-maintenance cost and shirk their responsibilities to older ferrets. The economic situation that we’re … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Erica Cobb, owner of Wild Things Dog Training, out of Jacksonville, Florida. Erica is a certified dog trainer, who gave us extremely valuable tips on how to solve a number of canine behavioral problems. These include: potty training, jumping, nipping, barking, leash pulling, anxiety and aggression. She also discussed tips for socializing your dog, … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Paul Studivant Division Chief with St. John’s County Animal Control in Florida. Paul is an 18 year veteran of the department, and shared with us many common misconceptions that people have about animal care and control. He says that it is often a thankless job, and can be very difficult, but that deep down … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Dr. Katrina Toshach, a board certified veterinary internal medicine specialist. Dr. Toshach’s special area of interest is veterinary endocrinology and she discussed in detail some of the more common hormonal diseases of dogs and cats. These include: diabetes, thyroid disease, and Cushing’s. She mentioned the importance of diet in managing some of these disease, … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Nate Ferguson, a co-owner of Paw Prints Pet Crematory. Nate discussed difficult decisions that need to be made when a beloved pet passes away. These options include cremation or burial in a pet cemetary, or at home. The benefit of pet cremation is that it allows one to keep their pet close to them, … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Victoria Vesce, a regional sales and training representative for Pet Stop, an underground fencing system. Victoria discussed the numerous benefits the Pet Stop system and training program offers the average pet owner. Not only is it effective for preventing escapes, but it allows the dog to have more freedom while on the property. She … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is board certified avian veterinarian Dr. Michelle Curtis. Dr. Curtis explained why birds are different from dogs and cats, and discussed many of the unique requirements that they have. She proceeded to give many tips and tricks for feeding birds and properly housing them. In addition she discussed why beak trimming, nail trimming, and wing … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi spoke from the heart in this show, in which he described what veterinarians and pets are experiencing in this difficult economy. He stated that thousands of dogs, cats, and horses were losing their homes as their owners lost jobs and houses. He explained how this resulted in a reduced number of client visits for the average veterinarian even … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is veterinary technician Andrea Works. Andrea has been caring for animals since she was a child, and has been a vet tech for two and a half years. She shares with us enthusiasm and caring for animals of all kinds, including dogs, cats, and exotic animals. Andrea described her training and the experience required to … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Dr. Patricia White, a board certified veterinary dermatologist at the Atlanta Veterinary Skin and Allergy Clinic. Dr. White discussed the most common problems in veterinary dermatology, including allergies, bacterial and fungal infections, and mange. She also briefly touched upon autoimmune diseases. Dr. White described some of the common signs of allergies, such as scratching, … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Dr. Carlos Aragon, a board certified veterinary surgeon. Dr. Aragon has been practicing for 9 years as a veterinary surgery specialist. He began his discussion by clarifying exactly what board certification requires, which was very impressive. He brings this experience to bear on a wide variety of difficult cases. His special areas of interest … Read more about this episode...

This week Dr. Rossi’s guest is magnet school science teacher, Mike Rossi, who could not contain his love for animals to just the classroom! So he started an organization called Wild Wonders, which may be described as a traveling road show of education about animals. Mike discussed many of the benefits of bringing the animals to the children who might … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is sophomore veterinary student Beth Ann Frost. Beth Ann is attending Auburn University and shares with us how competitive it was to get into veterinary school, and her experiences once there. Like many veterinary students, she had already received more than a just a Bachelor’s degree. In fact, she has a Master’s degree in Public … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Dan Maloney, Deputy Director of Conservation and Education at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Dan brings his 30 years of experience working in zoos around the world to bear (pun intended) as he answers questions about the role of the modern zoo. No longer solely housing animals for entertainment purposes, the modern zoo is … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week, Dr. Ashley Paper, is a feline practitioner, and a 1992 graduate of Auburn University. She became certified in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) in 2007, and is the owner of the Anastasia Cat Clinic in St. Augustine Florida. Dr. Paper begins by discussing the benefits of treating only cats, both for her patients and herself. … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is Dr. Tracy LaDue. Dr. LaDue is a veterinary oncologist who graduated from North Carolina State in 1994. She became board certified in medical oncology in 1998, and in radiation oncology in 2000. She is a nationally known authority on veterinary cancer therapy. Dr. LaDue describes, in detail, how to tell if your pets may … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week, Dr. Jeff Clark, is a veterinary neurologist. Dr. Clark describes what to look for to determine if your pet has a neurological problem. Neurological signs can include: Blindness, difficulty walking, seizures, knuckling-Over, and head tilting, among others. Common causes include: Degenerative Disc Disease; Infections, trauma, cancer, and metabolic diseases. However, Dr. Clark points out that … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week, Dr. Matt Chandler is a veterinary opthamologist and he discusses all of the common problems of dog and cat eyes. Dr. Chandler recounts some of the training required to become a Board Certified Veterinary Opthalmologist, and then proceeds to discuss cataracts, glaucoma, and other common diseases of the dog’s eye. He states that the most … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Rossi’s guest this week is a nationally known turtle-tortoise expert. His name is Vic Morgan. And he is the world’s leading authority on keeping and breeding the Burmese Mountain Tortoise, the 5th largest species of tortoise in the world. As someone who has seen it all, he will give us tips on giving turtles and tortoises in captivity, and … Read more about this episode...