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PODCAST

The Pet Parent Hotline

Amy Castro - Pet Parenting Expert & Animal Rescuer

You love your pets. But sometimes, living with them is a lot.The Pet Parent Hotline helps you figure out what matters and what to do next when pet care gets confusing, stressful, expensive, or just plain overwhelming.Most pet podcasts focus on the pet. This one focuses on you too, including the decisions, tradeoffs, frustrations, costs, mess, guilt, and curveballs that come with loving animals and trying to do right by them.From dog and cat behavior and training to pet health, nutrition, vet

kids & family pets & animals

All Episodes

19:54

How to Avoid the Wrong Pet: 6 Beliefs That Lead to...

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/10/04

Choosing the right pet isn’t just about finding an animal you love. Sometimes the mistaken beliefs you bring into the decision can steer you toward a pet that isn’t actually a good fit for your life, your family, or your ability to meet that animal’s needs. In this episode of The Pet Parent Hotline, Amy challenges six common beliefs that can lead to bad pet choices, including the idea that getting a puppy or kitten means you can “raise it right,” that small animals make good starter pets for ...

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29:39

Is Your Cat in Pain? Subtle Signs You Might Be Missing

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/09/27

Cats are incredibly good at hiding pain, and sometimes the first clue that something is wrong doesn't look like pain at all. It looks like a change in behavior. Maybe your cat suddenly stops hanging out with you. They're less tolerant of another cat. Their eating or litter-box habits change. They start biting when touched somewhere they never minded before. Or they're simply acting a little... off. In this episode, Amy talks with Certified Cat Behavior Consultant Amanda Caron, founder of Fris...

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20:37

Should You Dump Someone If Your Pet Doesn’t Like Them?

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/09/19

Would you dump somebody because your pet didn’t like them? A new survey found that nearly one in four pet parents say a pet’s negative reaction to someone they’re dating would be an immediate deal breaker. Which sounds pretty reasonable... until you meet Nash, the Golden Retriever who recently greeted a burglar inside his house by bringing him toys. So how much should we really trust our pets’ reactions to people? In this episode, Amy looks at what your pet’s behavior can tell you, what it pr...

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24:37

Dog Won’t Take a Pill? 10 Rescue-Proven Tricks That Work

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/09/13

Getting a dog to take a pill can turn into a ridiculous battle of wills, especially when they somehow eat everything except the medication. In this episode, Amy shares 10 tricks she’s learned from years of owning, fostering, rescuing, and medicating dogs of all shapes, sizes, and ages. The key isn’t finding one magical food that works for every dog. It’s figuring out how your dog approaches food and choosing a strategy that fits. You’ll learn why a tiny, soft pill package may work better than...

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21:31

8 DIY Pet Health Checks to Do Every Month

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/09/06

You see your pet every day, which means you’re in the best position to notice when something starts to change. The problem? Seeing them every day can also make gradual changes surprisingly easy to miss. In this episode of The Pet Parent Hotline, Amy walks through eight simple at-home pet health checks you can do about once a month to get more familiar with what’s normal for your pet and spot changes that may be worth mentioning to your veterinarian. This isn’t about diagnosing your pet at hom...

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8:17

Is Your Pet Acting Differently? 3 Questions to Ask |...

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/09/02

This month’s Pet Parent Power Up is a little different: no intro music, minimal editing, and recorded on the fly to follow up on an important question from Sunday’s episode. What should you do when you notice your pet doing something differently? Maybe your dog suddenly hesitates before jumping into the car, your cat starts sleeping somewhere new, or a pet who used to love a certain activity seems less interested. Before you panic or write it off as “just getting older,” Amy shares three ques...

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19:26

Fair Isn’t Equal: What Your Pet Really Needs

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/08/30

Treating your pets fairly doesn’t mean treating them all the same. In this episode, Amy looks at how age, health, mobility, personality, behavior, and even personal preferences can mean very different needs for pets living under the same roof. From secret extra meals for a skinny senior cat to different exercise, rules, accommodations, and attention, the goal isn’t perfect equality. It’s paying attention to the individual animal in front of you. And this isn’t just for people with a houseful ...

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16:25

A New Home With Pets: I Need Your Help!

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/08/23

What happens when the person who usually answers the Pet Parent Hotline needs help from the listeners? Amy is finally in her new house (new to her, but built in 1957), but "moved in" might be a generous description. Most of the furniture and pet gear are still in storage, the floors and painting aren't done, she needs a new roof, and she's currently recording from an echoey bedroom furnished with a semi-deflated air mattress. More importantly, the pets are adjusting too. So this week, Amy is ...

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21:06

Before Fall Gets Busy: Get Your Pet Care in Order

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/08/16

Summer has a way of knocking routines loose and pushing pet care tasks to “later.” Before fall gets busy, this is a good time for dog, cat, and other pet parents to catch up on the things that have quietly slipped down the list. In this solo episode, Amy covers the pet care tasks worth handling now, from vet appointments and grooming to pet boarding, pet sitting, holiday travel, and changing routines. The goal isn’t to create another giant checklist. It’s to take care of a few things now that...

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56:05

What Your Pet Food Label Is Really Telling You

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/08/09

Pet food labels are packed with reassuring words like real chicken, high protein, complete and balanced, and superfoods. But what do those words actually tell you about the food inside the bag? Dr. Angie Boyer, founder of Grain & Grace Consulting and a trained multi-species nutritionist, returns to help us work through a pet food label from front to back to identify what's really in our pet food. In this episode, we cover: What “complete and balanced” means and where AAFCO fits in&n...

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9:47

Do Special Pet Diets Do What They Claim? | Pet Parent...

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/08/05

Sensitive stomach. Weight management. Hairball control. Urinary care. Pet food labels make these diets sound highly specific, but not every claim on the package means the same thing. In this Pet Parent Power Up, Dr. Angie Boyer explains the difference between formulas built around certain ingredient choices and claims that require more testing and scientific support. You’ll learn: What makes sensitive skin and stomach foods differentHow weight-management foods reduce caloriesWhy hairball-cont...

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39:37

Is Doggy Daycare Helping or Hurting Your Dog?

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/08/02

Doggy daycare can give dogs exercise, enrichment, social time, and a much-needed outlet for their energy. But a dog coming home exhausted does not automatically mean they had a great day, and not every dog enjoys or benefits from a group daycare environment. In this episode, Amy talks with pet care professional Rich Schlatter, CPACP, about how to tell whether your dog truly likes daycare, what a proper evaluation should look like, and how to choose a facility that is equipped to keep your dog...

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26:27

Buying a House With Pets: What I Never Thought to Check

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/07/26

I thought buying a house with pets meant finding enough space, a decent yard, and hopefully a fence. Then I started walking through houses with three dogs and three cats in mind. Now I’m looking at how close the road is, whether Gunny can manage the stairs as she gets older, whether my blind cat could fall through an open staircase, and how much it would cost to make a beautiful property truly safe and manageable for all of us. In this episode, I’m sharing what has surprised me during the hou...

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34:42

What Really Happened Moving 2,200 Miles With Six Pets

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/07/19

What Really Happened Moving 2,200 Miles With Six Pets Moving six pets from Texas to Massachusetts in an RV sounded manageable on paper. Then came the delayed departure, Houston rush-hour traffic, tire-pressure warnings, a check-engine light, a crying cat, an unexpected campground wedding and a bulldog who created two separate crime scenes. In this follow-up to the lessons-from-the-road episode, Amy sits down with her friend Bev Brooks and daughter Kelsey Castro to share what actually happened...

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22:32

Moving Cross-Country With 6 Pets: Lessons From 2,200...

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/07/12

Moving cross-country with pets is not the same as taking your dog for a quick ride around town. In this episode of The Pet Parent Hotline, Amy shares the practical lessons she learned from a 2,200-mile move with one other adult and six pets. This is not a perfect travel checklist or a generic pet travel episode. It is the real-life stuff that matters when you’re on the road for days, juggling multiple animals, an RV, a car, overnight stops, messes, medication timing, and pets who are complete...

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46:17

When a Pet Is Loved, But Not Safe: Understanding...

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/07/05

Behavioral euthanasia is one of the hardest and most misunderstood decisions a pet parent may ever face. While most people think of euthanasia as something reserved for pets who are elderly, sick, or physically suffering, serious behavior problems can also become quality-of-life and safety issues. In this episode of The Pet Parent Hotline, board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Lore Haug explains what behavioral euthanasia actually means, why it is not only about aggression, and why a pet...

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50:54

Why Isn't Training Working for My Dog?

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/06/28

If you’ve ever said, “We tried training, and it didn’t work,” this episode is for you. This week, Amy talks with Em Breslin, host of the podcast The Dog Who Asked for More, about why dog training sometimes fails and what pet parents may be missing when they feel stuck. Em is a dog trainer, Certified Professional Canine Nutritionist, and retired veterinary technician with more than 20 years of experience in veterinary medicine, behavior support, enrichment, and nutrition. This conversation is ...

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22:53

When the Life You Built No Longer Fits: Pets, Grief,...

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/06/21

What do you do when the life you built around your pets, your purpose, and your plans no longer fits the life you're actually living? In this raw, personal episode, Amy talks about leaving the seven-acre Texas property she bought with her husband less than two years before he died of COVID. What once felt like a dream built around rescue, animals, space, and a future together eventually became more than she could keep carrying on her own. This is not another episode about why Amy stepped back...

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32:19

What Your Vet Wishes You Understood About Them

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/06/14

Most pet parents see veterinarians during some of the most stressful moments of pet ownership: when a pet is sick, injured, aging, or facing an expensive medical decision. But what many people never see is the pressure veterinarians themselves are carrying into those conversations. In this episode, Amy sits down with equine veterinarian, stand-up comedian, and author Dr. Matt Evans to talk about the human side of veterinary medicine and why communication between pet parents and vets can somet...

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37:56

Found Kittens? Don’t Assume the Shelter Will Save Them

The Pet Parent Hotline ·

2026/06/07

Most people who find tiny kittens think the shelter is the safest place to take them. But when kittens are newborns or bottle babies, the shelter may not have the staff, fosters, supplies, or overnight care needed to keep them alive. In this episode of The Pet Parent Hotline, Amy talks with Deborah Felin-Magaldi of Helen Sanders CatPAWS about what really happens during kitten season when neonatal kittens enter an already overwhelmed shelter system. This conversation picks up after the “wait a...

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195 results

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