Internet Radio Show About “Special Needs” Pets has Launched

By isak, June 28, 2009

Menlo Park, CA (PRWEB) June 24, 2009 — The nation’s first Internet radio show about disabled and chronically ill dogs and cats was launched today by Scout’s House™, California’s leading physical rehabilitation therapy and boarding facility for special needs animals.

Special Pets, Special Needs, a 30-minute podcast produced by Small Plate Radio and available for free on iTunes, shines the light on the many unique challenges faced by pets who are geriatric, recovering from injury or surgery, or suffering from chronic or debilitating illnesses or conditions, such as arthritis, hip dysplasia, cancer, obesity, and degenerative myelopathy.

Featuring interviews with a wide range of guests, including veterinarians, medical researchers, and attorneys specializing in animal law, the show will help pet owners understand the myriad of medical and functional issues their pets face, and give them the information they need to help these important family members live more comfortable and more functional lives.

The podcast will air every other week beginning Tuesday, June 23, at 11AM Pacific time. Listeners can hear the live broadcast and ask questions via instant message by going to Scout’s House’s “Special Pets, Special Needs” podcast on Small Plate Radio, or they can download archived shows via iTunes.

The first show, hosted by Scout’s House CEO Lisa Stahr, features Physical Therapist Krista Niebaum, MPT, CCRT, who offers practical advice on how pet owners can modify their homes to accommodate their pets’ gradual or sudden disabilities.

Upcoming shows include Advances in Cancer Care with Linda Fineman, DVM, ACVIM, one the nation’s top veterinary oncologists, and Understanding Degenerative Myelopathy with Joan Coates, DVM, MS, DACVIM, the foremost authority on and researcher into degenerative myelopathy, a disease similar to Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) in humans.

“People whose pets are ill or disabled — and sometimes even their veterinarians — often don’t know what they can do to help these animals be more comfortable and more functional,” explains Niebaum, Director of Rehab Therapy at Scout’s House. “With this show, we hope to give them a better understanding of the limitations a pet may face and some ideas on how to cope with them, including what products and services can help.”

Special needs pets are a growing segment of the pet care industry, fueled by pet owners’ increased demand for highly specialized veterinary treatments, such as rehabilitation therapy, oncology, and dentistry, that can improve the quality–and length–of life for their pets. According to American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, pet owners in the United States spent over $38.4 billion on their companion animals in 2006, with almost half that going to veterinary care, supplies, and over-the-counter medicines for their pets.

A state-of-the-art rehab therapy and boarding facility, Scout’s House is the only center in California dedicated to the care of special needs dogs and cats. Since opening in 2005, it has provided rehab therapy to more than 1000 companion animals, and through its online store Scout’s House Online Store has helped thousands of people around the world find products specifically designed to help their special needs pets.
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reprinted from PRWeb website