Episode 21: Reptile Revelations and Sparkling Pet Care Tips

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00:00:00:04 - 00:00:14:21
Chris (Voice Over)
Pets Add Life. Your guide to the latest in pet trends, products and the joy of the human animal bond, with Kristen Levine and Chris Bonifati, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV.

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Kristen
Hey Chris, I think our technology is melting down because of the heat. We're in full on summer and we're both having tech problems today.

00:00:23:06 - 00:00:40:22
Chris
Yeah, I'm not going to blame the summer. There are actually tiny little gnomes that live inside the computer. A lot of people don't know this. A lot of people think it's like technology and electricity that makes it work. There's actually tiny little gnomes inside your computers that make them work. And they are revolting. they're tired of their working conditions.

00:00:41:00 - 00:00:49:03
Chris
so please pardon some of the technical issues that may be coming down the road here, but we're we're going to put a show together for you anyways despite all those difficulties.

00:00:49:05 - 00:01:08:18
Kristen
We sure are. We've got some great guest. We're going to talk about reptiles as pets today because it's World Snake Day. The day this show drops. and we're also going to talk about how to keep our pets up, dogs in particular, how to keep them active and and keep their environment enriched even during the hot summer months and how to do it safely.

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Kristen
So we got some sounds.

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Chris
Awesome for for those of you who are coming back, thanks again for joining us. For those of you who may be new, if this is your first time listening to the show. I'm Chris, that's Kristen, and we are the pals on the Pal podcast where we're going to give you, two great stories, two product recommendations, talk to two excellent pet experts, and then we're going to answer two of your questions.

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Chris
So without further ado, let's get into our show now.

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Chris (Voice Over)
Kristen and Chris present story time.

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Kristen
All right. It's story time. Chris, I'm going to let you go first because I think I go first every time.

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Chris
Okay. Why not? so I in honor of World Snake Day, we're talking, later on a lot about reptiles, I decided to go off the beaten path. I know I talk a lot about dogs and cats because everybody loves dogs and cats. So this is like, more of a Jason, but it's very much so animal related. And it's local to my neck of the woods here, sort of near the Hudson River Valley.

00:02:06:08 - 00:02:38:03
Chris
So there is a, endangered fishing program called the Hudson River estuary Program, where they sort of act as protectorates of some of these more endangered species in the Hudson River. And they captured, tagged and released a 200 pound Atlantic sturgeon in the upper parts of the Hudson River. So these fish are amazing. It took four people to sort of hold on to it and take a picture.

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Chris
These fish are amazing. They they migrate each year from Florida up to Maine.

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Phil
Wow.

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Chris
Not all of them make it to Maine. And they come in. They come into the rivers essentially for a phase of their life. Two, two. This is a river monster. This is a river monster. I'm going to I'm going to include this in the show notes so that everybody can see the picture. I mean, it is truly impressive.

00:03:03:06 - 00:03:26:19
Chris
So you have to apply, for a National Marine Fisheries Service research permit, which, which this program obviously does. And they basically do this to help track the migration of these amazing animals. I believe Ron's pulling the picture up now. Oh, there it is. There it is. That's the one from the story that that is the sturgeon in question there.

00:03:26:20 - 00:03:53:03
Chris
So for those of you who may be listening, I'm sure drive to work. this is a fish that is, very long and narrow with a, with a pointed face. It's being held by four people for a grown adults. to be able to carry this thing. An absolutely stupendous animal and a great job by this, research institute, to sort of track their migration so that they can better protect these animals.

00:03:53:05 - 00:04:15:03
Kristen
That is so cool. You know, it's funny, we did not, collaborate on our stories of the day, but my story is similar in that, I thought I would share the story about the, Guinness Book of World Records has just named the largest. Right. I'm sorry. It's the tallest dog in the world.

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Chris
This dog?

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Kristen
Yeah. Us dog.

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Chris
Very different from largest.

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Kristen
Yeah. And not so surprisingly, it is a Great Dane named to heaven.

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Chris
Just Kevin.

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Kristen
Just Kevin. His name is Macaulay Culkin's character in Home Alone. And get this, get this. Kevin measures three foot two inches from his feet to his withers, which is basically kind of like his shoulder. So you can imagine if you add his neck and head, that's probably another 18in. So, and let's see, he when he stands on his hind legs, he's almost seven foot tall.

00:04:54:23 - 00:05:17:20
Kristen
That is a giant dog. And, you know, it's kind of cool. I was kind of surfing around on the Guinness, website and watching some videos, and they were talking about how the dog category is the most popular category of, of records. And there is the other. There's a dog on there with the world's longest tail at 30.2in long.

00:05:17:22 - 00:05:38:08
Kristen
there's longest tongue. There's like there's all kinds of really great categories. So, you know, if you're sitting around, get nothing to do. Jump on over to the Guinness Book of World Records site in check out this. This isn't quite as good as cat videos, but it's kind of fun to see these these, dogs breaking some really weird records.

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Chris
And they got I mean, we got an association for everything. We got a record for everything. We've got a World Day for everything there. 30in on the tails. It 30 point.

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Kristen
Two. Yeah. It's crazy. Had it was Irish owned which is a huge dog anyway. But still when you got.

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Chris
To laugh it was like completely miss proportioned like the tails. Just as long as the dog that would really that would do it for me. That would really create a solid, a solid audible chuckle out of me. Yeah, but who knows, maybe your beach day has been rained out. and you need something to do. so go ahead and peruse that.

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Chris
That dog category on the Guinness, website. Fun thing about the Guinness I'm going to tell anecdote here, sir. Reason Guinness does these world records is because people in in the Guinness pubs in Ireland would bicker and argue over who could throw this thing the farthest, or who flew this plane the longest or whatever. So Guinness decided to say in our pubs we're going to list the records, so there's no more of these bar arguments and so it is.

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Chris
It is the same Guinness as the as the. I believe the companies may be separate now, but that is the the origin story. And if you.

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Kristen
Don't believe.

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Chris
Me, don't look it up. Believe everything you hear coming out of my mouth at all times. Just take it.

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Kristen
I'm buying it. I'm buying. Yeah, that's a good story. So I'll. I'll just believe it on its face. Yep.

00:07:04:03 - 00:07:05:12
Chris
And it it was story time.

00:07:05:12 - 00:07:07:20
Phil
So let's.

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Chris (Voice Over)
beyond the leash. Exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

00:07:13:09 - 00:07:24:06
Kristen
Yes, I got it. I've got a confession to make. I have a serious knowledge gap. When it comes to, reptiles as pets. So I'm really excited about our guest today.

00:07:24:07 - 00:07:50:10
Chris
Yeah, absolutely. Welcome to the show. Phil here with the U.S.. United States Association of Reptile Keepers, as we always say at APA over here, we got an association for everything. If it exists, we have an association. So there's one for reptile keepers as well. Phil, you must be a pretty be a pretty brave guy, to to keep all these reptiles, especially on a day like today.

00:07:50:10 - 00:08:03:12
Chris
It's World Snake Day. July 16th is World Snake day. I don't know about you. I find snakes to be quite cool, but also quite intimidating. so, happy world Snake day. Welcome to the podcast.

00:08:03:14 - 00:08:17:06
Phil
Well thank you. Thanks for having me. And, yeah, snakes are just like a lot of things. If you don't understand them, a lot of people have kind of an irrational fear of them. But if you've ever met a snake in an educational program or something like that, you see that fear. It goes away pretty quickly.

00:08:17:08 - 00:08:37:16
Chris
Yeah, that's my only real exposure to snakes outside of, you know, seeing a gardener snake every now and again outside has been in a very controlled environment, let's say. But let's put ourselves in the shoes of maybe somebody who had one of those experiences and got hooked. Right. And they're like, oh, man, now I really want to keep a snake.

00:08:37:16 - 00:08:49:03
Chris
I'd really like to have one as a pet. What are some do's and don'ts? What are like the top three sort of beginner pieces of advice for somebody who may maybe considering keeping a snake?

00:08:49:05 - 00:09:05:21
Phil
Yeah, well, just before you get any pet, whether it's dog, cat, bird, whatever it is, obviously do a little bit of research and be prepared because, you know, pets aren't something you're buying them to get rid of a week later. They're not disposable. So a lot of snakes can be long live. They may live 20, 30, 40 years.

00:09:05:21 - 00:09:21:07
Phil
So you have to be ready for that. but there are tons of snakes. And for some people, this is going to sound big, but a lot of snake species only get three in that three to 3.5ft long. And that sounds big. You're thinking three feet, but that's a three foot long snake you can hold in one hand.

00:09:21:09 - 00:09:42:10
Phil
so you have to realize it may be long, but it's as wide as a rope. So obviously if it curls up, you can fit it in your hand or into hands and hold it like that. So again, just know what species you're getting. Obviously, you don't want to get a species that may get ten feet or longer if it's your first time pet, especially you want to get one of the smaller species like a ball python or corn snake, or milk snake or something like that.

00:09:42:16 - 00:09:45:18
Phil
So definitely a little bit of research is, is number one, what.

00:09:45:18 - 00:10:04:07
Chris
What's it like feeding a snake? Yeah. Because that's I'm so curious because they like all I know about snakes is they eat things whole. So is that like an expected part. Like, is that something you have to manage? Like you have to feel comfortable actually feeding this thing or are there alternatives when they're pet.

00:10:04:09 - 00:10:23:10
Phil
Yeah, absolutely. So there are a few species of snakes that eat fish or even insects. but generally those types of snakes are not good pets because you have to be more of an advanced keeper, to understand how to get that food and how to feed them. And usually those snakes have more husbandry requirements, which husbandry is just the keeping of them.

00:10:23:12 - 00:10:48:21
Phil
so heat and light and stuff like that. But yeah, for the most common, pets are going to eat rodents. So they're eating, you know, white mice. But now since so many people have them, you can buy those frozen, so they're humanely euthanized. And then you just you until them, so basically just set them on a paper plate or whatever, let them thaw, and then you feed them to your snake, usually off a set of tongs, which is just long metal giant tweezers.

00:10:48:23 - 00:10:56:15
Phil
And that's how you feed the snake. So it's not like you have to throw a live mice in there and go through all that. So a lot different than it was 30 or 40 years ago.

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Chris
Yeah, still quite different from pouring some dog kibble in a bowl.

00:11:00:09 - 00:11:08:17
Phil
Yeah, it's still a little bit different than that. So yeah, obviously if you're, you're too queasy to feed your, your snake a thawed mouse, you're not going to want to get a snake.

00:11:08:18 - 00:11:26:06
Kristen
Yeah. So Phil, talk to us a little bit about other reptiles that make great pets and and and and and talk a little bit about like as you mentioned earlier, the husbandry, the care, because they're quite different than the typical types of pets, dogs and cats that we, that we usually think about.

00:11:26:08 - 00:11:50:14
Phil
So, yeah, snakes are not for everybody. Maybe it's because they can't blink or they don't have ears or something. no legs. So they, they do free quite a few people out. but there's tons of other reptiles. So reptiles include not only snakes, but lizards, geckos, turtles, tortoises, doesn't include frogs and salamanders. Those are amphibians. But, if it's scaly and can't control its own body heat, then it's a reptile.

00:11:50:16 - 00:12:10:23
Phil
So, lizards. Lots of lizards are common pets. Bearded dragons, leopard geckos, bluetongue. Skinks is actually for people who have had dogs because bluetongue skinks, you can keep on a diet of canned dog and cat food. so there are there are few species like that, but bluetongue skinks that are referred to as little sausages with legs.

00:12:10:23 - 00:12:31:10
Phil
So I mean just this long, wide little critter, they can blink. So they're not like snakes, but they just have these tiny little legs. And if you're in the U.S, you may have seen a lot of people have seen lizards with bright blue tails running around. So those are a species of a skink, but those are comments.

00:12:31:14 - 00:12:47:00
Phil
It's comments. Skinks here in the US are native species. What people keep as pets are actually a species from Australia called a bluetongue skink. So they can actually get 18in to 2ft long. but they're kind of the same. They have fat little bodies and short little legs.

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Kristen
Like the dachshunds of the dog world.

00:12:49:16 - 00:12:51:05
Phil
Yeah, well, you know, they.

00:12:51:05 - 00:12:54:04
Chris
Sound they sound strangely adorable.

00:12:54:06 - 00:13:17:02
Phil
They are. Because just like dioxins, they're they're not the most athletic critters. So if you have even, like, little rocks for them to climb on, a lot of times they'll kind of take them 2 or 3 minutes to climb up little Rock, and then they'll just kind of fall off. but it doesn't hurt them. And that's just how they're built, and it doesn't harm them at all.

00:13:17:02 - 00:13:18:23
Phil
But yeah, they can be pretty comical.

00:13:19:01 - 00:13:36:11
Kristen
What is an ideal age? And I know this depends on the child, but, what's a good age for a child to have a reptile as a pet? And the reason I'm asking is because my nephew, Jett, when he was about 5 or 6, he wanted, a, bearded dragon, and he got one as a pet, but he was actually afraid of it once.

00:13:36:15 - 00:13:42:17
Kristen
Once he got it home, he was afraid to handle it. So can you talk to us a little bit about that?

00:13:42:19 - 00:14:02:04
Phil
Yeah, obviously, that's going to depend on the child. I usually. Yeah, we suggest at least five years or older. The main reason is because what can happen with dogs and cats too. But you can't get salmonella from reptiles. So you want to make sure your child is old enough just to understand that the animal should not be going in his or her mouth, and also that they understand how to handwash well.

00:14:02:06 - 00:14:23:01
Phil
And if you do those two things, you're not going to get salmonella from your reptile. So, just so they're old enough to to know that. But yeah, you know, some five year olds may be afraid of it, but also some 13 year olds may be afraid of it. So obviously true it's going to be individuals. but yeah, I mean, five is usually a pretty good age to get, you know, a pet bearded dragon.

00:14:23:03 - 00:14:30:17
Phil
obviously the parents are going to have to do the majority of the care work, but at with a five year old. but but certainly that's old enough.

00:14:30:19 - 00:14:51:00
Chris
Yeah. I know some 30 year olds who would be afraid of, you know, I think that's pretty fair to say. My questions about, the habitat, you know, we hear a lot about, especially in, keeping fish. How important the, you know, the size of the tank is, and, and, you know, the pH level of the water.

00:14:51:02 - 00:15:01:16
Chris
I feel as though that's pretty similar in the reptile world. So are there any tips on how to identify the right kind of habitat, making sure that that pet is comfortable and where they're going to be spending most of their time?

00:15:01:18 - 00:15:23:07
Phil
Absolutely. So that's another reason why it's important to research, because I'll give you a couple examples. a lot of people just think reptile and they think, oh, reptiles like it hot. So with something like a bearded dragon, you have to have a hot spot, which is going to come from an overhead lamp that's 100 and 510 degrees, you know, focused on a certain area because that's a desert species.

00:15:23:09 - 00:15:43:17
Phil
Now, contrary to that, you have gargoyle geckos, crested geckos, leeches, penis geckos. If you get over 80 degrees, it's too warm for those species. So you really have to know what you're getting. And then also bearded dragons, desert species, they like dry. You get those geckos that I mentioned and other geckos, day geckos. They're going to want a tropical environment.

00:15:43:17 - 00:15:58:17
Phil
So you have to keep it moist. So it totally depends on what you have. And yeah, just like fish, you know, you don't keep goldfish as hard as you keep tropical fish. so same kind of thing. You got to know what you're getting and what kind of habitat it wants.

00:15:58:19 - 00:16:15:22
Kristen
And what does the or where is the best place to obtain, a pet, a reptile as a pet? is is your local pets the way to go? Because I know there's a black market for some of these, for some species. So how can we be sure we're obtaining them from the right sources?

00:16:16:00 - 00:16:37:06
Phil
Yes. So you have tons of options and we'll talk about the legal stuff first. So obviously the majority the majority of the trade is legal. So I mean any, any pet store, even the large chain pet stores have pet reptiles. Obviously you're going to be limited to what species you can get there. You're looking at leopard geckos, bearded dragon ball pythons, corn snakes, just a few species.

00:16:37:08 - 00:16:59:01
Phil
But across the country you also have reptile shows. I was just at one in California called the LA Pet Fair just on Saturday. He had over 18,000 people, come to that event. and it was pretty cool. It actually had reptiles, fish and birds. so a huge audience. But you can go to those. And what you have at reptile shows are people who breed these animals domestically.

00:16:59:01 - 00:17:20:06
Phil
So they're breeding these animals just like people breed dogs and cats here in the US. So as opposed to 50, 40, 50 years ago, the animals aren't coming from the wild, from whatever country. So the bluetongue skink I mentioned earlier, you can't export animals out of Australia and bring them here and sell them. So those are animals that have been in the US for decades and people of breed them, and then they sell them at these reptile shows.

00:17:20:06 - 00:17:36:15
Phil
And the black market stuff you talked about, that's kind of the, the rare stuff. So there's got to be some kind of illegal activity going on, and those are going to be like super rare species that pet people don't have. yeah. You know, a lot of times, anyway, we won't get into all that, but you're not going to.

00:17:36:17 - 00:17:38:08
Kristen
Thanks for clarifying that.

00:17:38:10 - 00:17:39:13
Phil
Yeah. Yep, yep.

00:17:39:18 - 00:17:45:19
Kristen
Right. How about vet care? what kind of veterinary care? do these pets need?

00:17:45:21 - 00:18:07:14
Phil
So it depends on the reptile. Usually they don't need a ton of vet care unless something happens and they get sick. So if you're like, let's say you had a ball python which likes it not too moist and say the humidity gets too high in its cage, it may get an upper respiratory infection, just like people get. So that's a whole lot different for a reptile because their lungs aren't really as advanced as ours are.

00:18:07:14 - 00:18:30:12
Phil
So it's a lot harder to get rid of an upper respiratory infection. So you would have to take them to a vet for something like that to get treatment. And there are reptile specialty vets like Doctors Scott Stahl on the East Coast. and a lot of these reptile specialty vets will have a new phone consults, because you may not have a reptile specialty vet in your area, but there's a there is an association of reptiles and amphibians.

00:18:30:12 - 00:18:48:15
Phil
Veterinarians are have you can check them out and they actually have a search. So you can just go type in your zip code and find that information. But yeah, there's there's plenty of it. And it's getting more common because again, I'll, I keep going back a couple decades. But now reptiles are found in almost 5% of U.S. households.

00:18:48:17 - 00:18:55:08
Phil
so probably about one in every 20 people that, you know, or one in every 20 families actually has a pet reptile. So they're a lot more common than they used to be.

00:18:55:08 - 00:19:05:22
Chris
So, Phil, before we let you go, time to get a little personal here. do you have any pet reptiles? you know, what do you keep at home? What's what's your choice there?

00:19:06:00 - 00:19:25:01
Phil
Absolutely. I have pet reptiles. And it was all my parents fault, because I remember when I was little, I caught a baby snake, and they wouldn't let me keep it, so I blame them. You know, obviously, if you're a child and your parents tell you no, then you have to do that. Yep. so yes, I actually keep so I keep blue tongue skinks that I mentioned.

00:19:25:01 - 00:19:43:03
Phil
That's all. I know quite a bit about them. I keep Luciano's geckos, which is the largest species of gecko in the world. They can get about 18 20in for big ones. And they're they're pretty cool because they actually eat powdered diet, kind of like baby food. So they're pretty easy to, to get food for. And this is a part some people aren't going to like.

00:19:43:03 - 00:20:01:17
Phil
But I keep boa constrictors which. Oh well, let me talk about that for a little bit. So people here, these boa constrictor, this huge snake and the same thing with Python, they it's all you notice. Snakes is Hollywood. You think these snakes are out to eat you and they're May and hunters and they attack you. That never happens.

00:20:01:21 - 00:20:22:02
Phil
So takes snakes don't attack snakes don't attack people. That's another thing I like to tell people, you know, if you walk up on a snake, if you're out in the woods and it bites at you, that snake is not attacking you. you're scaring it. And so it's defending itself. It's the same as a person. If someone comes up to you and they're picking on you, you're going to retaliate.

00:20:22:02 - 00:20:38:19
Phil
You know, once it gets to a certain point. So that's the same thing. The snake's not attacking you. He's just afraid. but in the story I like to tell about Boa constrictors, is that. Well, we'll go back to size real quick. So a 6 or 7ft long snake, again, it's only going to be maybe as big around as a couple fingers together.

00:20:38:19 - 00:20:57:06
Phil
It's not going to be all that big around. It's not going to be able to swallow you. that kind of stuff doesn't happen. That's all Hollywood nonsense. But I was shooting a video, and I had a snake up high on a six foot long cage behind me. This was in a room that was 20 by 30ft. So I'm just shooting this video.

00:20:57:07 - 00:21:13:23
Phil
My idea was I was going to turn around and get one of my boa constrictors off of this cage. It was just free roaming at that point, and instead of having to do that, he could have gone anywhere in this 600 square foot room, and he crawls off the cage right onto my shoulder. So by no means a mistake.

00:21:14:01 - 00:21:31:05
Phil
By no means am I saying that snakes are like dogs. But that snake knew me. He knew it was safe to crawl under my shoulder, and rather than crawling from me and going somewhere else in the room, he was comfortable just coming to my shoulder. So by no means am I saying that that snakes are dogs. but they certainly do.

00:21:31:07 - 00:21:34:18
Phil
And a lot more than than people realize they do.

00:21:34:19 - 00:21:51:08
Kristen
so this has been very educational. We so appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us. And it's great to hear that. reptiles are gaining in popularity and, and, like what you said about one in every 20 people, you know, probably has one at home. So maybe, those numbers will continue to increase.

00:21:51:10 - 00:21:54:13
Phil
Yep. Awesome. Thanks for having me. And happy World Snake Day everybody.

00:21:54:15 - 00:21:56:12
Chris
Happy world Snake day.

00:21:56:13 - 00:21:58:22
Chris (Voice Over)
Pets add life.

00:21:59:00 - 00:22:08:19
Chris
So I've actually got a funny story about an encounter with a snake, so I. Fun fact I used to be a camp counselor. which is weird because I can hardly.

00:22:08:21 - 00:22:09:12
Kristen
See that.

00:22:09:12 - 00:22:33:09
Chris
But like, it was like an outdoor camp. Like we took kids camping in the woods and stuff like that. I was a wolf, a certified, which is wilderness outdoors and first first aid. I was a lifeguard. This is back when I was an outdoors kid, and now I'm strictly inside. But we had a sports equipment shed and each summer before camp started, one of our responsibilities was to go restock the shed.

00:22:33:09 - 00:22:58:15
Chris
Right? What balls deflated? What's still working, what's not? We get there and living in the shed is a 6.5ft black rattlesnake. Oh, that is, I mean, 6.5ft. I know that Phil was trying to tell us like, oh, it's not that big. That's big. Okay. It's big. And there is there's really no one else who is willing to grab hold of this thing because we're going to attempt to relocate it.

00:22:58:21 - 00:23:25:22
Chris
So I very bravely, I mean, so bravely approach this thing. Yeah, it's a rat snake. It could bite, but it's not. It's non-venomous. and it's bites. I mean, it doesn't chew its food swallows whole. So it's not meant to like, chew, grab it behind its neck. Things wrap it around my arm and I'm like, oh. Bring it to the back of the truck, put it in the back of the truck, drive half a mile into the woods to put it somewhere else.

00:23:25:22 - 00:23:43:18
Chris
We come back for the first day of camp and it's back. No, it's not found its way back. So it stayed with us the whole summer. It was so calm. It never. It never. If a camper came near, it would sort of get slither away. We named her Big Bertha. and Big Bertha was just part of camp that year.

00:23:43:18 - 00:24:00:00
Chris
So we attempted to re relocate and rehome R a few times, but never stuck. and she lived in the sports equipment shed for the entire summer. but it took a lot of bravery. and it was great, too, because it taught some of the campers how to interact with wild animals. Sure. Through that fear of some of that stuff.

00:24:00:05 - 00:24:04:10
Kristen
I'm really impressed that you were willing to just pick it up, grab it behind the head and.

00:24:04:12 - 00:24:10:09
Chris
Haul it off. I was a different man back then. I was young and reckless, truly young and reckless.

00:24:10:11 - 00:24:13:21
Kristen
Hey, do you have that rufous certification on your LinkedIn profile?

00:24:13:23 - 00:24:31:07
Chris
no. Not anymore. I would not trust me if you are hurt and outside. Don't call me. It's not worth it. Just figure something else out. Yeah, so I believe Kristen, we've got another guest set up, so let's go ahead and jump right into that interview.

00:24:31:09 - 00:24:54:16
Kristen
Okay. Well, I'm excited about this guest, Chris, because she and I have a lot in common for both bloggers. And we both love Labrador retrievers. But let me give her a proper introduction. we are happy to welcome Caitlin Brown, the founder of the Sparkles and Sunshine Blog, to today's episode. Caitlin is a marketing professional who turned her love for pets and the equestrian community into a thriving online platform.

00:24:54:22 - 00:25:12:10
Kristen
Now, if you visit Sparkles and Sunshine in her blog, you'll notice that it's a haven for dog owners, cat lovers, and and, horse lovers alike. And she's got tons of great information and some of the content we want to talk to her about today is surrounding dog enrichment and canine fitness, as we are in the summer hot months, and how to do that safely.

00:25:12:10 - 00:25:14:22
Kristen
So so welcome, Caitlin.

00:25:15:00 - 00:25:17:00
Caitlin
Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited.

00:25:17:03 - 00:25:27:17
Kristen
No, I was I was on their blog earlier today and I was I really was enjoying the content. And and I noticed that you've got such great images. You look like you're having so much fun doing it.

00:25:27:19 - 00:25:46:04
Caitlin
It's a lot of fun. My dogs, diesel and Annie, you know, when diesel. Both of them. Actually, I started doing stuff with them when they were both puppies. Like, I started my blog when diesel actually, when we when we first got diesel, we got diesel when he was three months old and I wasn't using any, nothing was the quality that this.

00:25:46:04 - 00:26:04:20
Caitlin
Now he's using a camera I kind of had. I didn't really know how to use, my, my boyfriend who's my fiancee now, you know, was helping me do things and he. What's funny is diesel is such, like he he loves to have his picture taken. He loves to be a model. He loves us. So he was like the easy one from day one.

00:26:04:22 - 00:26:16:10
Caitlin
And then any every shot that I have of her, sometimes it's like I was able to get it on the first try. And other times I swear that dog looks at me and she'll be like, you get one shot.

00:26:16:12 - 00:26:19:01
Phil
She just says it. One take a picture. Yeah, she's.

00:26:19:01 - 00:26:28:00
Caitlin
Like, you either got it or you don't. I'm like, oh, what? Oh no. But it's it's a lot of fun. Like, I love that I get to do this with them every single day.

00:26:28:01 - 00:26:40:17
Chris
Yeah, yeah. And sounds like you started out sort of. Yes. Like like pretty pretty casually. What inspired you to take this to the next level and become sort of like a beacon in the pet care community? Yeah.

00:26:40:17 - 00:26:58:17
Caitlin
So growing up, you know, I know you mentioned Labradors at the beginning. You know, I grew up doing training with my mom. My mom has done almost everything under the sun. She did, obedience trials. She did field trials, like, you know, hunting. She did. She's sent so many things with our dogs over the years. We used to breed when I was younger.

00:26:58:17 - 00:27:14:13
Caitlin
And, you know, I always had this background in knowledge and when I started my blog, you know, I actually started on a completely different topic. And the reason why I started it was because that was the job industry I was in, and I was like, oh, I can do this. And then when I realized, okay, no, you really don't like this, what do you love?

00:27:14:13 - 00:27:34:11
Caitlin
And I was like, dogs, that's easy. And I switched to that. And it was so much fun because I felt like I was just able to just all I got to do was just make more dog friends. I mean, people who have dogs just get it. Or people who have animals just get it. And so it was nice to be able to just talk to them and then realize like, hey, they don't know this, but I grew up with this.

00:27:34:11 - 00:27:49:22
Caitlin
Like not everyone, we all have different backgrounds. And I just felt like, okay, I've actually learned a lot and a lot of people kept asking me questions and I was like, oh, this is this is great. And so I decided to just kind of take the leap and really focus on, you know, the pet side. And I haven't looked back since.

00:27:49:22 - 00:27:51:10
Caitlin
It's been great.

00:27:51:12 - 00:28:10:01
Kristen
Oh that's awesome. Well, one of the things we wanted to dive in with you a little bit more on today is because it's summer time and we want to make sure that our our dogs and cats too, are staying physically fit, getting enough exercise, getting a playtime and enrichment. But it's in some areas of the country, it's super hot outside.

00:28:10:01 - 00:28:16:02
Kristen
We don't want to be outside during the middle of the day. So can you talk to us a little bit about some of your advice that you share on your blog?

00:28:16:04 - 00:28:16:13
Phil
Yeah.

00:28:16:13 - 00:28:21:13
Caitlin
So and I'm happy that we're talking about this because I live in one of those really hot states. I'm in Florida.

00:28:21:15 - 00:28:23:15
Kristen
And oh boy, yeah.

00:28:23:17 - 00:28:24:00
Phil
We've.

00:28:24:00 - 00:28:39:12
Caitlin
Got the heat plus the humidity. I was dying today at the barn when I was seeing the horses. but it's fine. I'm here. It's fine. but yeah, so I do kind of a handful of different things. And I think a lot of it really kind of depends on what your dog likes. Like, sometimes it's, you know, trying a few different things.

00:28:39:12 - 00:28:58:17
Caitlin
So right now my dogs are actually doing one of my favorites because I knew that I didn't want them would think during the interview if they saw someone. So I gave them like, that's. And for anyone who's never heard of a lick mat, there's a lot of, you know, brands out there. I have always see some favorites, but it's essentially a harder material rubber that has different textures.

00:28:58:17 - 00:29:17:10
Caitlin
And when the dog licks it, it suits them. It reduces anxiety. It has a lot of benefits to them. And I put a lot of different recipes like I'm actually known like on Pinterest and stuff like that for my looking at recipes, because I'll keep them super simple or I like, love to make works of art. I saw on the came out of how people were like making like art pieces.

00:29:17:10 - 00:29:19:03
Caitlin
I was like, God, I gotta step it up.

00:29:19:03 - 00:29:22:11
Phil
Mine's just a mashed banana. Check what to make.

00:29:22:13 - 00:29:25:14
Caitlin
Like, my mom's an artist. She would be like, that's not.

00:29:25:14 - 00:29:29:03
Phil
Good. and so I started.

00:29:29:03 - 00:29:46:11
Caitlin
Coming up with these fun designs that still have a lot of health benefits. So, like, mats are one of my favorites, especially in the summer or year round. Here. You know, you stick them in the freezer. Not only is that longer lasting enrichment for the dog, but I mean, it cools them off. I mean, it's like just having a popsicle, which I can make those all the time as well.

00:29:46:13 - 00:30:08:14
Caitlin
and then another enrichment idea that I love is doing either store bought or DIY puzzles. I'm also known for making DIY puzzles. I love to look in my pantry because, I mean, dog parents and just people nowadays for all our budget, right? Life's really expensive. Things are crazy. And so I love looking at my pantry or after I've used something and looking at, I'm like, can I turn this into something else?

00:30:08:16 - 00:30:25:09
Caitlin
And so I've used yogurt tubs. I use Pringles cans, egg cartons, like all different things, to create DIY puzzles, treat dispensers, all those different things. And I love to just make a game out of it. Sometimes, instead of giving my dogs their meal in a bowl, I'll switch to that and just use a bunch of them and just let them go at it.

00:30:25:09 - 00:30:44:13
Caitlin
And they have so much fun. Like the level I mean, there to get excited for dinner, any any. So food motivator sheets or flea medicine if that tells you anything about that. Like, yeah, she's something else. I'll eat dirt. It's crazy. but like the level of excitement they get for that is so much more than if I just give them their bowl.

00:30:44:13 - 00:31:01:11
Caitlin
And then it's good to not only see that they're excited about it, but know that they're about to have an amazing time. so that's my second. And then the third that you mentioned was Canine Fitness, and that actually started because of the summer heat. We train, I do agility with Annie I, and in the summer months we take a break because it does get too hot.

00:31:01:11 - 00:31:28:18
Caitlin
And last year I wanted to kind of take a, I wanted to take a break while keeping her stimulated. So I tried a canine fitness classes through AKC, AKC fit, and there's three different levels to it, and it is. I've been hooked on it ever since. It's become my new favorite thing. because not only is it, you know, canine conditioning, but to me, with Annie, it's a confidence builder, like Danny was a Covid puppy, so she didn't get a lot of interaction that diesel did.

00:31:28:19 - 00:31:48:12
Caitlin
I can take diesel anywhere. Annie has had to really build up her confidence and seeing her just, like, get excited because she knows she's good at it. And it's it's so cool to see her mind going, she's a cat or dog mix. She's she's always wanting to work. but she just has so much fun. And it's something that you can always level up.

00:31:48:12 - 00:32:08:22
Caitlin
It's just like working out with us, you know, we're building muscles, we're being aware of fatigue. It's all the same things. But it's been phenomenal to the point where I'm getting my CNC certification through NC state. I love it, I think it's so cool. So those those are my top three. and they all not only provide physical but mental stimulation for dogs.

00:32:09:00 - 00:32:27:10
Kristen
Those are great, great tips. I wanted to go back to what you were talking about, about going through your pantry and just using things that you have at home. I played this game with tulip yesterday where I just I save my Amazon boxes, and then I'll just put little kibbles or treats in them and put them upside down and, you know, make a little maze treat maze for her.

00:32:27:11 - 00:32:41:10
Kristen
Yeah. I think it's important to point out to people, you don't want to go buy a new toy, right? You could just you could find things. Just get creative. Hop on over to her blog if you want some ideas, because she's got some great ideas there. And, yeah, it doesn't have to cost a penny. No.

00:32:41:10 - 00:32:48:11
Caitlin
And dogs don't know. That's the best part. A dog has no idea if you spent $30 for the $2 egg carton, they're going to rip it up and.

00:32:48:11 - 00:32:49:14
Phil
Have a blaster guard.

00:32:49:15 - 00:32:53:21
Chris
This dog simply don't understand the concept of currency, which is, you.

00:32:53:23 - 00:32:57:07
Caitlin
Know, they don't, especially when it comes to the vet. They're like, what can I do?

00:32:57:07 - 00:32:57:15
Chris
What can.

00:32:57:15 - 00:32:58:07
Phil
I eat to.

00:32:58:07 - 00:33:23:07
Chris
Make this as expensive as possible? So talking about, you know, you're in Florida hot summer months, you obviously are involved with a lot of active dogs. let's talk safety. there's a lot of dogs out there that are popular. Your your lab mixes, your poodle mixes, your your huskies and malamute have these big, heavy coats and they love to run around, right?

00:33:23:07 - 00:33:34:14
Chris
They love to get into the backyard and do their zoomies. do you have any safety tips for folks who may have a a, heavy coated dog that wants to enjoy the summertime sunshine? Yeah.

00:33:34:14 - 00:33:53:21
Caitlin
So keeping your dog cool is the number one thing. So, like, especially down here, we're constantly ensuring that they're getting enough water, staying hydrated. there's a lot of really cool cooling products out there for dogs. Whether it's a cooling mat, whether it's a towel. I personally have a vest that I love and what I like about the one that I have is that you put water in it and it doesn't stay heavy on the dog.

00:33:53:21 - 00:34:13:19
Caitlin
It actually evaporates as it cools your dog so you don't feel like this has like 1,000 pounds on your dog. I feel like also keeping in mind when you're doing things with your dogs, like it's fine for them to go out and play, but like you said, don't go out in the middle of the day. Like when I walk my dogs and granted, God bless my fiance that he's not a morning person, but I am for him.

00:34:14:00 - 00:34:33:07
Caitlin
So I'm up at like five every day. I do a workout and then between 6 and 7 I walk both my dogs because by seven I mean not only am I'm tripping because of what I just did, but I'm tripping just because I'm breathing outside. And so if I don't do things either early in the morning or late in the afternoon or evening, it's too hot for them.

00:34:33:07 - 00:34:39:12
Caitlin
And the biggest test that you can always tell if it's too hot besides just walking outside, oh, that's test number one.

00:34:39:17 - 00:34:41:00
Phil
Test number two.

00:34:41:02 - 00:35:04:01
Caitlin
Is if you. And this is tried and true, if you put your hand on pavement and it's hot to your hand, it's too hot for your dog to walk out there. That's the number one rule. And it's been said for years, but it hasn't. It's not not true. if it's too hot and you have to go outside, you know, there's other helpful gear, like dog boots, you know, there's amazing brands for that that, you know, just trying to see which ones fit the best for your dog.

00:35:04:03 - 00:35:31:22
Caitlin
but I would say those are some of my best tips, is just being mindful. and if you're doing anything outside at those times of the day, something that I feel like applies to this too, is something that we learned early on in Canine Fitness is knowing the signs of fatigue in your dog. So like, especially if you're throwing the ball outside or you're running them around if, say, you're doing something outside, if your dog starts, if they're wobbling or shaking or like the form is lacking in certain things that they normally do, that's a sign to rest your dog.

00:35:31:22 - 00:35:56:04
Caitlin
If they are losing interest in what you're doing, they're tired. Rest your dog, you know, stuff like that. Just you almost have to be over aware, I would say, of their behaviors in the summer, just really keep an eye on them because, you know, you don't want anything to happen. Just because you just missed it. We're not saying it can't happen, but like just being very attentive is always a good thing to do.

00:35:56:06 - 00:36:04:16
Kristen
That's true especially because our dogs want to please us, you know, and and they may not, you know, they may want to just keep playing just because we're having so much fun together.

00:36:04:18 - 00:36:23:21
Caitlin
And some of them are just super high drive dogs, like some of the breeds you even mentioned, like huskies or shepherds or certain dogs like Annie. Even my parents dog, Aiden, he's a boxer, shepherd mix and he's obsessed with the tennis ball to the point where, like, he'll just keep going. He doesn't want to stop because he's not only having so much fun, but he's just like, this is great, mom.

00:36:23:21 - 00:36:33:05
Caitlin
Do it again, mom. Do it again. Like he loves the time he's spending with you not even taking it. He doesn't take into consideration that I'm exhausted and we're looking at him like you need to come inside.

00:36:33:05 - 00:36:42:19
Phil
He's now like, I'm good. Put me in, coach. I'm good. Go all day. Yeah. Cut me. Adrian. Yeah. It's.

00:36:42:21 - 00:37:00:02
Chris
That's that's a great tip. And, you know, you mentioned those dog booties. a little tip for me is try, try again with those things. The first time you put them on is a get the camera out. It's going to be funny. but try, try again. It's going to take some getting used to. Can you imagine going your whole life not wearing shoes?

00:37:00:02 - 00:37:16:12
Chris
And then somebody making you put shoes on like you're. Yeah, you're going to be a little awkward at first. So I would say like if at first you don't succeed with that, give it some time, give it a few attempts. but they could be life savers for folks like me who hear 5 a.m. and get offended. I get I'm I'm offended.

00:37:16:14 - 00:37:19:06
Chris
I'm offended that you wake up that are so nice.

00:37:19:09 - 00:37:36:13
Caitlin
So is my fiance. Basically his his job that he has now. He has to get up at a somewhat decent time. It's still after me. He'll never get up as early as me, but when he at least hears my alarm now, at least his isn't too far after that. So I'm like, oh my God, that's great.

00:37:36:15 - 00:37:44:02
Kristen
Well, thank you so much Caitlin, for sharing all this great info. And where where can people find you? What's the best place for us to check you out?

00:37:44:04 - 00:38:04:03
Caitlin
Yeah, so my blog is Sparkles and Sunshine Blogger.com and I have everything from product reviews, dog enrichment, cat tips for all my cat owners because fun fact cats need enrichment too. I've been building that up lately and then all of my social channels are sparkles and sunshine vlogs so you can find me everywhere. YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok. While it's here and never.

00:38:04:05 - 00:38:05:12
Phil
I mean.

00:38:05:14 - 00:38:15:10
Chris
It's great. So everyone be sure to check those blogs out. Head over to that YouTube channel. Let Caitlin know that the Pal podcast. Thank you. Caitlin, thanks again so much for joining us.

00:38:15:11 - 00:38:18:04
Caitlin
Yes. Thank you. This was a blast.

00:38:18:06 - 00:38:28:07
Kristen
Wow. She has a lot of energy. I want to know what it is that she's drinking or eating and I'm getting it. I get up early to, but I don't have that kind of energy.

00:38:28:09 - 00:38:38:04
Chris
It's 5 a.m.. We're recording this right around lunchtime. She's already. She's already put in almost a full day's work, and she knows electric.

00:38:38:06 - 00:38:39:20
Phil
Yeah. No, she's she's she's.

00:38:39:20 - 00:39:01:02
Chris
Got a lot of and so many great tips about ways to keep your dog busy inside with some of those, those product recommendations. some, some really great stuff in there. And her expertise with some of these more, you know, dogs that, kind of have jobs at times, these farm dogs or these, these retrievers and things like that.

00:39:01:04 - 00:39:13:05
Chris
They are a lot of people get those animals and figure out that they bit off more than they can chew. So if you're in that boat, definitely check out Caitlin's blog. She's going to have some great advice for you.

00:39:13:07 - 00:39:20:22
Kristen
Yeah, we didn't have time to get to the cat enrichment, but she's got some great cat and, content on there, too, so be sure to check out Sparkles and Sunshine.

00:39:21:00 - 00:39:31:09
Chris
And, the good news is, if you're looking for some cat enrichment, I've got, some cat enrichment plan for product of the week. So let's jump right on into our next segment

00:39:31:11 - 00:39:33:11
Chris (Voice Over)
the product of the week.

00:39:33:12 - 00:39:42:12
Chris
So my product of the week. My product of the week. I teased it out. Yeah, that was a little horrifying.

00:39:42:12 - 00:40:09:21
Chris
Well, I'll save those for October. this is the, the cheer bowl. cat bowl. Now, it's, a lower price point than other sort of toys in its category. It's it's like an electric automated toy. It's got a lower price point. And I love it for a couple of reasons. It's like a self-driving doll. So when it activates, it's got some weight in there that's just going to make it move around.

00:40:09:23 - 00:40:31:13
Chris
but it's touch reactive, so if it hits a wall, it's going to bounce out. If it gets stuck under the the couch and it's, it's going to keep on bouncing until it gets out. if your cat smacks it, it's going to react to that and move in a different direction. and what's really cool is after ten minutes of it not being touched or moved, it's going to turn off.

00:40:31:19 - 00:40:50:18
Chris
But if your cat decides it wants to play again and touches it, it's touch activated, it'll turn itself back on, that's all. So it's a really great, great product to sort of just leave. And at that lower price point, I think I saw here it's retailing for directly on the website, which will obviously be in your notes, 2799.

00:40:50:18 - 00:41:10:01
Chris
So at that price point, maybe you could get a couple of them and leave them around the house in different brands, fish them out. If they do manage to get stuck at the end of the day. But a great product to sort of bring into your home, leave for your cats, they'll figure it out on their own, kind of hones that natural hunting instinct and then throw something around, stock at pounce on it.

00:41:10:01 - 00:41:24:21
Chris
It's going to react and go away and let them reset and do it again. I just think it's a really cute idea. It's not overengineered. So it's not like crazy expensive. It doesn't have it's not going. There's no app. Right. You don't have to download an app. you sort of just get and I believe it was.

00:41:24:21 - 00:41:43:22
Chris
Yes, it's a USB c charged, so you don't even have to buy batteries. It lasts. I think they said, total running time, 2.5 hours. so it's going to turn off on its own after a bit, save some batteries. But I just think it's one of those great little things. you know, cats don't get that enrichment detection attention that dogs do.

00:41:43:22 - 00:41:51:21
Chris
So just trying to bring some light on some of that stuff. And, Caitlin, hey, if you're still listening to that product on your blog, that's a free one from Chris.

00:41:51:23 - 00:42:18:09
Kristen
That's right. I love that one. That's good. my product for this week is this is a product that I've been using for, I don't know, probably 6 or 7 years. It's called Veteran Foam Care Shampoo. And this is you guys are gonna thank me after after trying this because this is the best dog shampoo ever. And what's great about it is it's it's a spray on, and it's instant foaming.

00:42:18:09 - 00:42:36:15
Kristen
So. Yeah, when you're like, if you're washing the dog, you know, whether it's in the tub or with the garden hose or whatever, you know, you're both getting wet. Your hands are slippery. You try to pick up the the shampoo bottle and get the cap off. It's always a mess. But this thing. Check this out. If you're watching this on YouTube, it's product.

00:42:36:17 - 00:42:58:14
Kristen
Yeah, it automatically foams. And then you obviously could just lather it into your pet's fur. And and the other cool thing about it is it rinses super easy. Like, you know, sometimes you use too much soap. Yeah. Or shampoo in your hair sometimes. And it takes this stuff rinses out really easily. So it basically cuts bath time almost in half.

00:42:58:14 - 00:43:19:02
Kristen
But you're not like, you know, taking any shortcuts on getting your pet clean. And I also like it because it's it's got plant based ingredients. it's got anti-inflammatory properties. The one that I have here on, on my desk is the medicated version. And I like this one just because I used to have the Labrador we used to have kind of always had skin issues.

00:43:19:04 - 00:43:40:06
Kristen
So I just got in the habit of using the medicated version. But they also make formulas for either very short coated dogs or very thick coated dogs. So you can choose, you know, one of the three, that best fits your pet. And as I said, the medicated version is great, for treating hot spots or any skin, ailments that your dog might have.

00:43:40:06 - 00:43:42:00
Kristen
So let's check it out.

00:43:42:00 - 00:43:42:23
Chris
Out of Kristen.

00:43:43:01 - 00:43:52:02
Kristen
Yeah. And we got the the link to it in the notes. And I think if you go to the veteran website, I notice they have a 10% off coupon. If you want to check that out, go. So.

00:43:52:04 - 00:44:00:10
Chris
Yeah. I don't know about folks out there, but I, I've always found bath time to be, part hygiene, part wrestling.

00:44:00:12 - 00:44:02:08
Phil
Yes.

00:44:02:10 - 00:44:08:02
Chris
so any any product out there that takes some of the, the the dog wrestling out of it? Yeah.

00:44:08:03 - 00:44:13:15
Kristen
I'm thinking you'll use fewer expletives if you. Yeah, yeah, if you use the.

00:44:13:17 - 00:44:21:07
Chris
Yeah, yeah. And I won't have to wear the helmet any more either, which is really key.

00:44:21:09 - 00:44:24:01
Chris (Voice Over)
Q&As

00:44:24:03 - 00:44:47:21
Chris
That's right Kristen it's time for our favorite segment of the show where we answer some questions from our wonderful listeners. So listeners pet parents far and beyond. If you'd like your question answered on the podcast, go on to Petsaddlife.org/podcast. Scroll on down to the bottom of the page. You can submit your questions there. Or if you're feeling brave like Chris picking up a snake, breathe.

00:44:48:02 - 00:45:10:09
Chris
You can record a voice memo, send it in and you will hear your question played on the show. So our first question comes from Jonathan. Thank you. Jonathan. Jonathan is from Austin, Texas and asks with the summer heat, I'm worried about my dog overheating. What are the best ways to keep my dog cool and safe during outdoor activities?

00:45:10:09 - 00:45:32:18
Chris
So I know we've we've talked a lot about this, but it's an important subject. So we're going to harp on it. yes. And there's plenty of there's products, there's research, there's knowledge that you can arm yourself with. But the one thing that we keep on harping on, on this show, you've heard a lot of guests bring it up, is learn what your dog looks like when they're exhausted, because the dog isn't going to tell you the dog wants to please you.

00:45:32:21 - 00:45:54:23
Chris
The dog doesn't think their instincts don't work the same way. Human instincts work where they're just going to. They're going to take a break. They can oftentimes work themselves into a a bad situation. So my biggest piece of advice is step one know what your dog acts like when they're cool and fine and normal and everything's good. And then learn what those changes are going to look like.

00:45:54:23 - 00:46:09:18
Chris
They're going to be different for every dog to be over panting. It could be, their tongue starts to hang out when it normally doesn't. it could be a little bit of a wobble or changes in their gait. So learn what those are for your your dog specifically.

00:46:09:23 - 00:46:26:13
Kristen
Yeah. And just to add to that, dilated pupils is also a sign of heat overheating or heat exhaustion. And there was one more eye when you were talking about them. I thought of one more. What was it? Oh, you said excessive panting or even foaming at the mouth.

00:46:26:16 - 00:46:26:23
Chris
The foam.

00:46:27:00 - 00:46:54:01
Kristen
So, yeah. So, we don't want it to get to that point. however, so that's why it's so important to, you know, take the advice that Caitlin shared earlier and that we keep harping on throughout the summertime. and in worst case scenario, if you do find that your pet may have heat exhaustion, the first thing you should do is contact your veterinarian, get a cold cloth and put it on their underbelly right a cancer skin and get them to the vet as soon as possible.

00:46:54:03 - 00:47:13:16
Chris
It's absolutely. And to prevent that, Caitlin brought up a product that I really like. maybe we'll feature it as a product of the week. We'll find one of the brands. But the the the cooling vests are really great. because they do they do start off heavy, but Caitlin brought up the point that they evaporate. The water sort of evaporates out, and it gets lighter.

00:47:13:20 - 00:47:35:18
Chris
So you could easily tell when it's running dry and it's time to re-up the cool water. And it's just a great natural way, you know, to keep the dog cool. I'd say that's a great square one to start. Your dog might not like that. You might, you know, the booties, your dog might not like the booties. We were kind of joking about how silly they could look at first, but there's all sorts of stuff out there that you can buy.

00:47:35:18 - 00:47:49:18
Chris
This is a this is a focus of the pet industry in the summer months. They really want to keep the dog safe. So try out a few different things, see what your dog is willing to tolerate. and, and what you think is a good match. But there are solutions out there for you.

00:47:49:20 - 00:48:15:04
Kristen
Okay, Chris, I will read our second question, which comes from Emily in Portland. Hi, Emily. So Emily says my dog gets very anxious during car rides. What are some effective ways to help him stay calm and comfortable during travel? Okay, so I like this question because I. I had a dog named Kelly who we we no longer have him, but he he actually got car sick.

00:48:15:06 - 00:48:41:04
Kristen
And when most dogs when you say do you want to go for a car ride, they get really excited, right. Well, they would kind of like. Yeah, he didn't want any part of it. But in the beginning, we didn't know that it was nausea that was actually causing him to be anxious. Now, I'm not saying, Emily, that that's your dog's issue, but I do think that one of the first things you want to rule out is, is your dog experiencing car sickness?

00:48:41:04 - 00:49:09:09
Kristen
And that's why they're anxious. there's, our veterinarian prescribed a great, you know, medication for chili so that, you know, you give it to him two hours before, and he was fine because we took some long car trips and he was fine, once he was on that medication. but, maybe start out with some very short rides and taking him to places he loves, like the park or grandma's house or just a short ride around the block.

00:49:09:09 - 00:49:33:02
Kristen
And then he gets, some positive reinforcement and, you know, see if you can kind of change the meaning of the car ride, for your dog. if you find that, that he's lying in the back, you know, wherever you have him, riding in the car, if you find that he's lying down, panting heavily, drooling heavily, that might be a sign that he's got, nausea.

00:49:33:04 - 00:49:36:06
Kristen
So I would talk to your vet about that.

00:49:36:07 - 00:49:44:02
Chris
So I was doing some research on this for, I didn't even know this was going to be a question. I was just looking into it for other reasons.

00:49:44:02 - 00:49:45:10
Kristen
Just in your spare time.

00:49:45:12 - 00:50:04:05
Chris
Well, I. So I get carsick if I'm not driving, like I have to stare out the window. It's the only shot I got. And the reason we get carsick is it's like an inner ear thing with, like, balance and gravity and all this nonsense. I'm not going to bore you with all that, that kind of stuff, but dogs experience it the same way.

00:50:04:06 - 00:50:30:08
Chris
So I read a piece of advice where if your animal is, well, crate trained, like if they like their crate, they sort of go into it on their own to relax because they consider it their little den. Create that same space in the car, and having it look directly out the window can be very helpful because you're essentially forcing them to stay in one spot and their focus is going to be out the window, which is going to help balance the fluids and crystals in the ear, whatever, whatever that is.

00:50:30:10 - 00:50:52:14
Chris
Right. Because I found like as myself look out the window helps, helps me, helps me rebalance. So if you're and if the animal's anxious as well and they like their crate, you know, if that's a place for comfort of them, it's good to recreate that area in the car. They just might not feel safe or secure. Not to say you're not taking, you know, take care of the animal, but it is a different environment.

00:50:52:14 - 00:50:58:01
Chris
And if you can make that environment feel a bit more like their happy place, it could be a good start.

00:50:58:03 - 00:50:59:23
Kristen
Yeah. Excellent point.

00:51:00:01 - 00:51:11:16
Chris
Well, Kristen, that is the end of our show. I think we had a really good one today. Am I despite all these technical difficulties, who cares who our producer will fix.

00:51:11:16 - 00:51:13:06
Kristen
That's Ron's problem, not our.

00:51:13:06 - 00:51:31:17
Chris
That's right. That's not that's not a Chris and Kristen problem. It's a big Ron problem. but everybody, please enjoy these summer months. Stay safe. go. Go swimming, go for a hike, enjoy the great outdoors, do all of these wonderful things. But remember some of these tips that we shared today? they're going to come in handy.

00:51:31:17 - 00:51:34:22
Chris
And if you encounter a snake, don't be a Chris. Just walk. The other would be a.

00:51:34:22 - 00:51:35:06
Kristen
Correct.

00:51:35:07 - 00:51:54:17
Chris
Response. Yeah. Don't don't be a Chris. Don't don't see an unidentified snake walk up and just pick it up. That's not good advice. That's there. That's not good advice. Just walk away. it's World Snake Day. Respect them for that. It's their day. If you see a snake today, give him a bouquet of flowers. Or maybe some donuts or something to celebrate.

00:51:54:19 - 00:52:10:17
Chris
but in the meantime, in the meantime, if you're if you're if you're seeing this as a clip, you're on Instagram, you're on TikTok. jump into the comments. Have you have you encountered a snake recently? Did it scared the pants off of you? Did Chris say something really stupid that you feel like? Correct.

00:52:10:17 - 00:52:18:19
Kristen
This happens. This is. How about this? How about this? Did Chris's shirt scare the pants off you today? If you if you're watching us on video.

00:52:18:19 - 00:52:36:13
Chris
Loud shirt, loud shirt, loud guy. Yeah. There you go. You could only see this shirt. If you tune in to one of the video formats. You got to get on to YouTube. You got to see the clips on Instagram. Everybody's talking about it. Everybody's talking about Chris's shirt. Today. So if you want to be in the know, you're going to have to catch us on video.

00:52:36:15 - 00:52:39:06
Kristen
Chris, the recording ended five minutes ago.

00:52:39:07 - 00:52:56:05
Chris
Oh, now. Oh wow. Well, I'm still going to sign everybody off. Thank you so much for joining us on this episode of The Power Podcast. We'll be back next Tuesday for another episode. And until then, stay cool and stay safe. Bye. That's how we end every show, Kristen. Bye. You always do it.

00:52:56:13 - 00:52:57:10
Chris (Voice Over)
Pets Add life.