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It’s hard to believe but Medical teams have been progressively improving anaesthetic products since they were first invented more than 170 years ago. The result being that today’s surgeries being shorter and safer than ever before for both people AND pets. However, there’s been a long-held myth by some pet owners that their aged pets shouldn’t undergo the surgery – even if they’re in pain. Specialist Surgical Vet Dr Sarah Goldsmid from the Animal Referral Hospital is keen to alleviate those fears by explaining how pre-surgery tests enable them to adjust the anaesthesia for that particular pet’s condition enabling the surgery to go ahead.

It’s the bane of bird fanciers everywhere – how to deal with their feathered friend’s primal urge to become a mum – and the very real concern the bird might become egg-bound. It’s a problem Exotics Vet Dr Jayne Weller has helped many bird owners confront, so she was well-prepared with a mix of solutions when she joined us on the recent VETtalk ‘Live’ podcast to answer caller questions.

Dogs, cats even birds have dental health problems - And poor dental health can lead to shorter lives and many life-threatening diseases. Did you know you can brush a dog or cat's teeth? - It's true... just ask your vet to show you how. Dr Barbara Fougere from All Natural Vet in Sydney tells us some of the signs to watch for with your pet's teeth.

It seems Australia's 'Long Hot Summers' are becoming even longer - especially with the El Niño effect. The result? - S N A K E S ! - And unfortunately the snake bite is not always the end of it. If your pet survives there are often other even even more costly side-effects that need to be treated. Prevention is better than cure according to Nadia Crighton who has some simple yet often forgotten tips in the short podcast courtesy of Pet Insurance Australia..

Is a Poodle healthier than say a Chihuahua?. What about a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel compared to a Beagle or a Boxer? Dogs are not 'dogs' when it comes to health issues. Sometimes it's just genetics -eg; "in the breed" - at other times it could be poor breeding generally or even cross-breeding. So which breeds are generally more expensive to insure? Nadia Crighton from Pet Insurance Australia explains more

We've had chooks (chickens for our overseas listeners!) for many years now. They're a great source of eggs and believe it or not are VERY socialiable. Given the chance they love to cuddle and get involved in the day to day activities around the home - including coming inside the house to see 'wassup'! Exotics Vet Dr Jayne Weller also has chooks so this story might be a little 'biased' :-)

Many vets tell us there's still an unfounded stigma surrounding the safety of anaesthesia for pets… sometimes resulting in desperately needed procedures such as a dental cleaning or extraction being put off, leaving the pet in pain. The rationale owners sometimes offer is " well, humans aren't put under just to have their teeth treated…are they?” So we thought we’d find out the truth from someone who uses anaesthetics on a daily basis – Specialist Surgical Vet Dr Sarah Goldsmid from the Animal Referral Hospital.

Ok let's get technical here... Do you know what 'Eye Boogas' are? It seems that all of us at some time have had crusty eyes that we often call 'boogas' and think very little of it... For animals and humans as it happens - dry eye can also be a serious health issue that really needs to be "looked" at (sorry about the pun!) as soon as possible. Dogs, cats rabbits and yes even birds can all have 'dry eye boogas' as Internationally renown Complementary Veterinarian, author and lecturer Dr Barbara Fougere from All Natural Vet explains in this lighthearted chat we had with her.

If you have pets and love travelling as much as we do, there's NO WAY we're going to leave them behind is there?... A very helpful chat with experienced traveller, dog lover and Veterinry Nurse Kylie Kavanagh

Put a young kid and a cat together and it makes a pretty cute photo right? Maybe… unless you’re the cat! Young kids, especially toddlers and especially boys can be a cat’s worst nightmare. This story is very close to home... Not too long ago our daughter needed help to solve a problem with her much loved 9 yr old cat Smokey and her then almost 3 yr old son Tyler. Smokey would disappear for the best part of the day then come out after young Tyler had gone to bed only to be all over mum and wanting 100% attention. So we thought we'd check in with Dr Kim Kendall – the Cat Vet from the Chatswood Cat Palace to help put some perspective on the problem.

Have you ever noticed how animals are VERY good at hiding pain or showing they are unwell. This is a highly evolved 'protective mechanism' of course - no single animal wants to be the sick one in the pack/herd/flock etc... But how can we as pet lovers tell? Are they hot, cold, off their food? Are their gums red, yellow, white or pink? How are they standing? Is there a cough? How do you know if they have a heart problem? What is their fur like? Leading industry body 'Pets Australia' spokesperson Dr Jo Sillince explains some specific symptoms to look for in cats. For instance do you know what 'kidney coat' is? As always please see your vet for ANY signs of poor health in your pets.

For many reasons some people only have one dog or one cat... And we hear a lot of animal behaviourists say that dogs in particular crave company - the old 'pack mentality' But is this true?... we thought we'd ask Dr Jo Sillince what she thought about 'solo dogs'!

These days with a lot of people living in apartments or townhouses the idea of a dog or cat is often out of the question for many of them – so we thought we’d take a look at something a bit smaller – like a mouse! We chat with Cindy Cairns - originally from the aptly named ‘Rodent Ranch’ (now closed) 

Question: Do vets ever diagnose their own pet's ailments? You'd think with all their training - especially specialists & surgeons - that they'd know 'everything' - but it seems that's not always the case... And for good reason when you think about it - Of course they know all the basics all GP vets are required to know as part of being a registered vet but what if you're a specialist veterinary surgeon like Dr Sarah Goldsmid who spends her days literally 'opening animals up to fix them' but has her own cat at home who has a slight cough... What should she do? Ask an internal medicine specialist like Dr Narelle Brown for some advice of course!

So many 'old wives tales' get muddled up with 21st century science. Maybe you've been told this? "Are you pregnant? Then you MUST get rid of the cat as soon as possible!" It still seems to be a common thought among pregnant women around the world - one which sadly means cats being 'dumped' for no reason whatsoever. So who better to find out more about this controversial topic than the very colourful Dr Jo Sillince from Pets Australia "true or false - having a cat is dangerous for pregnant women?