Cute, fat, sniffy little rats get a bad rap for such friendly little creatures. While feral rats ARE considered pests, domestic rats are sweet animals that make great pets. Nicole and Jez discuss the joys of having rats as friends. If you'd like to support the podcast please head to www.patreon.com/tinyvetpod 

What is catnip?? Is it drugs for cats?? Kind of, but they don't need a lighter - which is great as they don't have thumbs.   Nicole and Jez discuss what exactly catnip is and how it works (it's safe) If you'd like to support the podcast please head to www.patreon.com/tinyvetpod 

Is the cheap stuff at the supermarket okay to feed your pet? Yes! (as long as you know your pet's requirements) but they may not be suitable for young pets, old animals, or those with issues like food allergies. Nicole and Jez discuss the difference between supermarket and premium pet foods. If you'd like to support the podcast please head to www.patreon.com/tinyvetpod 

Dogs love to eat! Dogs love to eat ANYTHING, and so they're really poor judges of what they should and shouldn't. That is our job as pet owners sometimes we don't do that job well either.   Nicole and Jez discuss what human foods dogs can eat, and how that balances with their regular dog food.  Our first episode of Season 2! If you'd like to support the podcast please head to www.patreon.com/tinyvetpod 

There’s a lot of misinformation about the dangers of parasite preventatives circulating on the internet, but parasite infestation is the far greater risk. Nicole & Jez discuss risk management with regards to parasite prevention, and why it’s almost always the lower risk option.

Dogs love human food. Humans love human food. Humans just have the ability to manipulate foods for their palatability, but tastiness doesn’t always mean it's healthy! (sadly it's kind of the opposite). Nicole and Jez discuss dogs eating too much human food.

If some protein is good, then more is better, right? Not always! While there are applications for higher protein levels in dog food, there is a limit to how much dietary protein can be processed and metabolised in a day, so "high protein" food might not be any better for your pet.   Nicole and Jez discuss why there are optimal levels of protein in foods, and why more protein isn't always useful.

It's easy to get carried away when planning to buy a horse. Going with a flashy colour, impressive CV, or pretty face instead of focusing on what you need as a rider are common traps. You need to be realistic about what you can do, and what you want to do.    Nicole and Jez discuss some common problems people make when buying horses, and why some horses pick up bad habits once they go to their new homes.

Cats are prone to developing urinary problems, and they can be frustrating to manage. Partly, this is because urinary issues often have multiple causes, involving several different triggers. Symptoms can also be nonspecific, or difficult to monitor.    Nicole and Jez discuss some ways to help kitties with urinary problems, and what to watch out for. 

Birds love seed like humans love Snickers, and the analogy doesn’t stop there. Foods high in fat and sugars trigger similar neural pathways to addictive drugs, but like drugs of addiction they are not good for you (or birds). Nicole and Jez discuss seed addiction in parrots and how to help them eat healthier.