For a growing number of us, animals provide companionship and loyalty. They’re often considered family rather than property, and they deserve our respect, love and care. To help keep your pet healthy, KOSU, the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences and The Kirkpatrick Foundation are partnering to bring you Vet Med Moment, a new weekly short series focusing on animal health that airs Wednesday afternoons at 1:20 and Sunday mornings at 6:40.
“Public radio listeners love their pets and they love to be informed,” said Kelly Burley, KOSU Director. “This program will be a great way for Uniquely Oklahoma KOSU to bring these two things together.”
The launch of the program comes at a time when pet ownership continues to climb. The American Pet Products Association estimates the population of pets includes 95 million cats and 83 million dogs in homes nationwide. According to its 2013-14 annual survey, 68 percent of households own a pet, up from 56 percent in 1988, the year of its first survey. As the pet-as-family member bond grows, so does the need for information about how to keep pets safe and healthy.
“Our goal is to engage the audience around the powerful bond between animals and humans,” said Dr. Lisa Staubus, Clinical Assistant Professor in the center’s Veterinary Medical Hospital and host of the program. “Each week, we’ll touch on a subject that is important to animal health and hope to give listeners information that will promote excellent animal care.”
The idea for the radio program grew out of conversations between OSU and the Kirkpatrick Foundation, whose Safe & Humane initiative seeks to improve the lives of Oklahoma animals and the people who care for them.
KOSU is a listener supported public media organization licensed to Oklahoma State University that serves as a conduit for community, connecting people to each other and to the larger world. It builds community through the content it delivers and content through the communities it serves.
OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences is the only veterinary college in Oklahoma. One of 28 veterinary colleges in the United States, it is fully accredited by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The center’s Boren Veterinary Medical Hospital is open to the public and provides routine and specialized care for small and large animals. It also offers 24-hour emergency care and is certified by the American Animal Hospital Association. For more information, visit www.cvhs.okstate.edu or call (405) 744-7000.
