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WGN Radio Nightside is about variety of guests, beginning with the grandson of my favorite hockey player of all time, Karson Pilote, who called Chicago Blackhawk Hall of Famer Pierre “grandpa.” Karson directed “Heart of the Blackhawks: The Pierre Pilote Story,” a documentary being shown at film festivals. We spoke about how Pierre Pilote changed…

When Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired Susan Russell as executive director of Chicago Animal Care & Control (CACC), I authored several posts expressing my absolute dismay. It didn’t make an sense. And now that Rahm isn’t running for Mayor after all, the move has proved positively idiotic. Several of the higher profile candidates for Mayor…

Thunderstorm anxiety is a problem for many dogs, and indeed thunderstorm season continues only for a short time for many dogs but it’s year-round for much of the country. And when dogs are better at predicting weather than the National Weather Service, you know you have a problem. And the fear may be called thunderstorm…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (and this is from the FDA website) is alerting pet owners and veterinarians to be aware of the potential for neurologic adverse events in dogs and cats when treated with drugs that are in the isoxazoline class. Since these products have obtained their respective FDA approvals, data received by the…

I’ve always hated the notion declaw; it is an amputation – period.  Cat scratching is a common complaint, even explanation for people giving up cats or to declaw. Now there still another reason to minimize the perceived need to declaw – a product called Feliscratch, which encourages cats to scratch on posts.  I talk in…

PetSmart is offering free dog baths to help pet parents who have animals affected by Hurricane Florence. Now through Saturday, September 22, from noon until close, PetSmarts impacted communities will offer free basic bath to pets. Residents are encouraged to call the store ahead of time to book their pet’s bath appointment; mention the free bath…

I love being on WGN radio with Bill Leff and Wendy Snyder (listen to here), first talking about the grain free diets. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine has issued a vague warning about dogs eating grain free diets, and for some dogs their odds increase of suffering dilated cardiomyopathy (a…

Opioid restrictions for pets? According to a new  nationwide survey veterinary medicine may suffer unintended and unconsidered consequences caused the new directive issues by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to address the opioid crisis. To my knowledge pets are not abusing opioids, and should therefore not be targeted by the DEA. Few pets land in…

Renata Block talks HERE on my WGN Radio Steve Dale’s Pet World show about Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) and National Puppy Mill Awareness Day (that was September 16), and the Puppy Mill Project  Awareness March on Michigan Avenue. The march happened, but you can watch a part of it here. Buying from a pet store means…

When Jenny Tiner opened Windy Kitty Cat Cafe, her goal from day one was to save cats. And she’s done just that. What’s more she’s been saving cats from Chicago’s municipal shelter, Chicago Animal Care and Control. Instead of being euthanized, the lucky cats land in the home-type setting of the cafe, until they are…