Podcasts

This podcast could provide fodder for those who believe that I lead a pathetically sheltered life. But reading about how some viruses play such an integral role in our survival and most likely that of all living beings triggered quite a natural light bulb moment for me. It probably always would have. But it hit me particularly hard because it increasingly it seems like “virus” is perceived as synonymous with “pathogen” or even “big terrible pathogen that must be destroyed asap at any cost or at least vaccinated against”.

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The computer where I edit my podcasts is on a desk beneath two windows with a view of the area in front of the house. As I looked out the windows I realized that a variation on the theme of reverse gentrification described in this podcast also occurs in more rural settings too.

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Anyone who’s watched a catnip-sensitive cat respond to the plant knows that at least some animals are capable of hallucinating given the right trigger. However additionally this podcast explores some adverse or unexpected behavioral changes in response to medication. What goes through these animals’ minds? Do they feel as out of touch with reality as they appear? But how can we begin to know what the experienced when our grasp of their normal realities is so minimal?

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This week’s podcast considers some of the factors that may contribute to pets consuming potentially toxic human drugs. The overwhelming majority of these are accidental poisonings; the people involved love their animals and would never deliberately do anything to harm them. On the other hand sometimes illness, pain, or the side-effects of any medications may cause us to store medications in locations that, while convenient for us, may put our pets in harm’s way.

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So far any tracking of veterinary drug consumption pretty much has been limited to that consumed by food animals. However as veterinary medicine becomes more sophisticated and companion animals live longer, it’s not uncommon for animals to routinely be taking more than one medication. Add that many people have more than one animal and sometimes animals of different species, and the potential for mix-ups increases. This podcast considers some simple things you can do to make sure that this doesn’t happen to you and your pet.

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For those who listen to this podcast and think, “Well naturally she can do that, she’s a vet!” that’s not true. I know multiple people who are not veterinarians who would have done exactly the same thing I did and possibly even better. The thing is that this sort of zen like state takes over and you do what you have to do. And thanks to the physiology of the bond at least some of that same zen-like state gets communicated to the animal. In my particular case, a little more zen on my part would have helped both

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It’s still difficult for me to comprehend that there was a time in my veterinary career when there wasn’t a pair of canine or feline testicles or ovaries that was safe from my scalpel. But just as we no longer remove reproductive organs from  humans at the drop of a hat (let alone those of children) for reasons science makes clear, so science is making me and others question of the wisdom of doing so to companion animals. I also acknowledge that this remains a contentious and often highly symbolic issue in our society that never may be resolved.

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This week I decided to resurrect this 2008 podcast on the role of feline perception in the predatory response and how it plays out in daily feline life. The first thing I noticed is that I sound like I’m on amphetamines compared to the podcasts I’m recording now. The second thing I noticed was that my animals back then were pretty wound up too. No need to speculate about any connection. In addition to normal aging changes mellowing me, Frica and Ollie, in retrospect I now realize what a toll BeeBee’s many limitations had take on all of us.

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