Episode 8: Grieving Pets and Calming Choices

Victoria gives us an update on the new season of It’s Me or The Dog while discussing her role as a counselor to both humans as well as dogs on the show.

The hot topic is how pets grieve for each other and how animals have a greater capacity than we're aware of. Victoria discusses the loss of her 3 cats, including the recent passing of her Maine Coon Angelica and the impact of her death on her daughter, Alex. Holly discusses her 20-year old cat, Ricky, who is currently suffering from mass cell disease.

Also discussed:

• The use of anti-depressants on animals and why it should be a last resort
• Potential side effects, and how important it is to pair the drugs with behavioral therapy.
• Other homeopathic remedies, dog-appeasing pheremones, anxiety wrap shirts, etc.
• The recent conversation about extreme grooming.
• How animals learn and think, and especially which species of animals can recognize themselves. Listener comments about feeding their dogs BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet, the Michael Vick dogs, and requests for Victoria to sing on the show.