Heartland Docs, DVM - General Discussion

[Minivanessa]

Frankie the kitten is totally adorbs. But. That whole 'finding her under the car' scene was just a little too - conveniently filmed with great camera angles. I'm not 100% sure it was faked but really, they had a cameraman who managed to crawl under the car with Erin when she happened to find the kitten, AND get a great shot of the kitten before she was rescued, AND the vet tech popped out of the building just in time to be told to go fetch a can of cat food and the kitten hung out and waited for the food to be opened and put out for her . . . ?

Sure, Jan.

I was seriously seriously P*SSED when Ben stopped to bloviate for the cameras when they had arrived at the farm where the injured horses were. WTAF? Why didn't they just rush right over to the horses and start treating them? That was after they had stopped on their way, to gawk at the wrecked trailer, which I found kind of shocking. You know, stopping to look at the trailer Instead of just HAULING ASS to get to those three potentially gravely injured horses who were waiting for treatment. 

Either they shot the "gawking at the trailer" scene after they'd treated the horses and just pretended they were still on their way, or someone had already triaged the horses and they knew none of them were gravely hurt . . . or something. Anyway, they came off as dilatory doofuses in that segment. 

For all that he's old fashioned and certainly no superhero, at least I'm sure that Pol wouldn't have farted around like that if he were on an emergency callout to injured horses. He'd have sped his old Jeep down those country roads, hopped out, and gotten down to business with the injured animals. And filled in the details later on a voice over. Same with the Critter Fixer docs; take care of business first then talk later.

That said, I don't hate this show. I just don't take the "events" at face value. 

[Bastet]

15 hours ago, Jeeves said:

That was after they had stopped on their way, to gawk at the wrecked trailer, which I found kind of shocking. You know, stopping to look at the trailer Instead of just HAULING ASS to get to those three potentially gravely injured horses who were waiting for treatment. 

That was so utterly unbelievable I just assumed it was filmed afterward and inserted, although why they'd want to make themselves look like such idiots, I do not know.  They said they were inspecting the trailer since the wreckage would give them an idea of where the horses may be injured, but come on.  If there was something they couldn't figure out upon examining one of the horses, and thought going all CSI on the trailer might help, sure, go back afterward.  But surely no vets would actually stop on the way to an emergency call to spend that much time at the scene of the accident.

15 hours ago, Jeeves said:

That whole 'finding her under the car' scene was just a little too - conveniently filmed with great camera angles.

Oh, yeah -- there was one shot that was really ridiculous if they were trying to pull that off as real-time happenings.

[LittleIggy]

Frankie the kitten! 🥰 What a cutie! 
I don’t have a problem with Ben and Erin. They are nice and caring. 
I wanted to hug Jagger the Saint Bernard. I hope he has several more good years.

[Bastet]

I like that Kami seemed to somewhat be putting up with these people for the greater cause, which is how I feel about watching.  (I know, I know - she could have just been uncomfortable on camera and I'm projecting.)

I can't imagine living there in her shoes (well, at all, but especially in her circumstances); I'm pretty sure she was the only Black person in the entire building.

The way the vets do all their interviews with arms wrapped around each other is so annoying to me.  Are they each afraid the other is going to run away?  I can't stand clinging, but that's me; if it works for them, hooray.  But it feels like there's an element of performance to it, which is an overall feeling that permeates this show for me; they're just so relentlessly earnest and sunny that it doesn't feel genuine.  Not fake, just not fully real - they seem to be more focused on making a show than the others I watch.  Which maybe isn't in itself an issue (good for you controlling your image rather than leaving it up to producers), and it's just that the personalities they are working so hard to emphasize aren't my jam.

I'm glad Martha the momma cat indeed went home with the receptionist, and has gone from barn cat to the pampered life of a spayed indoor cat she deserves.  She was so friendly and happy, just rolling around on the exam table and in her cage.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Unfortunately, my friends with farms are used to having former house pets show up at their barn, or their back door.    People still dump dogs and cats claiming someone will adopt them.    The truth is often very different for dumped animals. 

[DonnaMae]

This show seems so staged to me.  It's so unlike Dr. Pol or Rocky Mt. Vet.  Where are the people in the waiting room?  There are none.  The two vets are just joking around and teasing each other.  As I said, it seems staged.

[parrotfeathers]

3 hours ago, DonnaMae said:

As I said, it seems staged.

Yes, it is not exactly spontaneous but maybe that's the way it's trying to be different from Dr. Pol.  It's obvious nothing is staged on that show!  

It's better this year for sure.  Still lots of work to do.

[Rammchick]

On 5/14/2022 at 8:17 PM, Bastet said:

The way the vets do all their interviews with arms wrapped around each other is so annoying to me.  Are they each afraid the other is going to run away?  I can't stand clinging, but that's me; if it works for them, hooray.  But it feels like there's an element of performance to it, which is an overall feeling that permeates this show for me; they're just so relentlessly earnest and sunny that it doesn't feel genuine.  Not fake, just not fully real - they seem to be more focused on making a show than the others I watch.  Which maybe isn't in itself an issue (good for you controlling your image rather than leaving it up to producers), and it's just that the personalities they are working so hard to emphasize aren't my jam.

Ben in particular seems to be speechifying a lot of the time, and in a tone and manner that doesn't seem authentic.  Not that he doesn't have to explain things to the clients and to the camera, but, as you said, it's not genuine.  It's been very difficult to put my finger on exactly what is wrong with this show, but it feels like they're trying too hard.

[Minivanessa]

50 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

Ben in particular seems to be speechifying a lot of the time, and in a tone and manner that doesn't seem authentic.  Not that he doesn't have to explain things to the clients and to the camera, but, as you said, it's not genuine.  It's been very difficult to put my finger on exactly what is wrong with this show, but it feels like they're trying too hard.

I agree. Sometimes things flow pretty well - and then, bam, we get Ben making a speech to explain what's happening. Either directly to the camera or to someone in the shot with him. In a way that has me muttering, "oh shut up and get on with giving the horse that shot," or whatever he's about to do.  

Overall I don't hate this show and I keep on watching it. But I often find myself wishing they would just get on with the vet action and do Pol-style talking heads later, or even voice-overs. In which Ben dials it down a notch; less speechifying and more casual delivery. 

I watch this show on Hulu Live. They have four or five episodes of the new season up, and I can't tell if they've all been shown on NatGeoWild yet. Hulu Live has its eccentricities as to timing of stuff, lol, and I don't always figure out when a show is actually going to be on the schedule up in my time zone. Anyway, I binged all the episodes of the latest season. In I think the most recent one, Erin said she'd been having shoulder pain so she didn't go out with Ben on a farm call involving large animals. She stayed in the clinic to work with smaller animals. She didn't drah-mah-tize it, just got on with the job without elaborating on the shoulder. 

[Bastet]

Good on Asia's owner bringing her in after just 12 hours of not eating; too few cat owners know how dangerous not eating is (they are not like people and dogs - they can get hepatic lipidosis somewhat quickly, which can be fatal).  Enemas are dreadful for all involved; I can't believe how well she did with it.

Poor Gemma, and poor Gemma's owners - the woman was so terrified when she brought her in, and then the man had to learn at the follow-up visit that although she felt better, things were even worse internally and she wasn't going to make it.  That was a sad story.

The two cats punching each other as they got evacuated for the tornado made me laugh.

There was a teeny tiny duckling on Critter Fixers tonight, too.  They're both adorable.

[pasdetrois]

12 hours ago, Bastet said:

There was a teeny tiny duckling on Critter Fixers tonight, too.  They're both adorable.

And I think both were wood ducks.

[LittleIggy]

Poor sweet Gemma. When I saw how white her gums were, I knew it was bad. 😢 

At least we got that beautiful “oops baby” foal. What a handsome boy! 🥰

[parrotfeathers]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Poor sweet Gemma. When I saw how white her gums were, I knew it was bad. 😢 

At least we got that beautiful “oops baby” foal. What a handsome boy! 🥰

Pretty good episode.  I've had 2 dogs with hemangiosarcoma so I imagine ultrasound was done too to rule out a tumor on the spleen before jumping to immune disease.  Loved the surprise baby!

I do think there are lots of "recreations" in the scenes.  The waiting rooms are almost always empty and the doc seems to always meet the patients at the desk at check in at big clinics.  That doesn't usually happen down here.  My vet does come out to he waiting area to find out what's going on with my dogs as we go back but he's a one vet operation.  

 

[Bastet]

Oh, jeez – I asked before if they were afraid the other was going to run away, since they film the interview segments with their arms wrapped around each other, and now in addition to that she’s actually holding onto his overall strap.  I was kidding, Erin!

The elk looked like she was posing for the cameras - adorable!

Maggie has a great face, and she was so cute rolling around in relief when she could pee.  About a year after my parents' late cat Bandit showed up in their yard and announced he needed a home, he was really subdued New Year's morning and then got in the litter box but couldn't pee, so off to emergency they went.  (Thankfully, it was just a mucus plug, so fluids and Prazosin were all he needed.)  I went with my mom to pick him up, and after he was brought out but we had a wait to pay because of incoming patients, he entertained the entire waiting room by rolling around and around and around in his carrier on a chair, purring and chirping away, so happy he felt better and was going home.

[pasdetrois]

9 hours ago, Bastet said:

she’s actually holding onto his overall strap.

Was she drunk?

Has the old hotel done any business during COVID, and if not are Erin and Ben carrying the cost of maintaining it? I love that they saved it.

The potbelly pig hauling ass was hilarious, and when the humans chased it the big goat joyfully joined in.

Edited May 29, 2022 by pasdetrois

[parrotfeathers]

Seems like such a minor thing but--the recent episode where they went out to see the sick Angus.  "What kind of cow is it?"  Duh the whole herd there was black.   I think we maybe caught on it was an Angus already.  Then the dog chasing that sick cow around making catching it very difficult.  "Max belongs in the barn."  Well why didn't one of the docs say put the dam dog in the barn.  With a big smile of course.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The poor horse that hit the trailer and later had to have an eye removed was so sad.   However, when the surgery was finished, and the horse was out of control and waking up, I was amazed that Ben was having to fight so hard, and then told everyone to get over there and add their weight to keeping the horse down, notice that the filming had gaps.    He was talking to the camera crew.    

[AncientNewbie]

I have a soft spot for this show, being a native Adirondacker like Erin, but I'd agree with everyone who felt the "trying too hard" vibe. It seems even more obvious to me because I follow them on Insta and there's been a lot of posting that, to my cynical eyes, makes it look like the show is in danger if the numbers don't deliver. Mostly, I feel it's a harmless quirk of the show, but with something like the "emergency call, let's stop and look at this..." recreation I just roll my eyes a little too hard. 

[LittleIggy]

8 hours ago, AncientNewbie said:

I have a soft spot for this show, being a native Adirondacker like Erin, but I'd agree with everyone who felt the "trying too hard" vibe. It seems even more obvious to me because I follow them on Insta and there's been a lot of posting that, to my cynical eyes, makes it look like the show is in danger if the numbers don't deliver. Mostly, I feel it's a harmless quirk of the show, but with something like the "emergency call, let's stop and look at this..." recreation I just roll my eyes a little too hard. 

Why do you mean? What are they posting? 
BTW, I like your profile pic. It reminds me of The Prisoner. That show made an indelible impression on me when I first saw it as a child.

[AncientNewbie]

@LittleIggy, nothing drastic. Just a lot of "please please watch" posts in quick succession that felt tinged with desperation. It may entirely be my cynical mind in action. 

The Prisoner is the basis for my use of the image, as a holdover from my TWoP avatar referencing that show. 

[parrotfeathers]

Rewatched tonight.  Episode was about the stray cat that had kittens there.  Palomino with puncture wound to knee.  Erin showing a steer.

I may have been too critical of the show.   In some ways it is vastly better than Dr. Pol, especially with veterinary practices.  The clientele and location of practice is very different in Dr. Pol's area.   I think I've been able to accept it's just a different show and that's okay.

I do hope it is renewed.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I just hate that dog with the benign growth was allowed to have that hanging off of the leg/chest like that for over six months before the dog was brought in.    

Too bad the older car victim couldn't be saved, but at least both owners came right to the clinic, and the younger dog's owners were willing to pay so much to get their dog healthy again.    

I loved the three and then four horses, and the parade.   

[pasdetrois]

That little "baby horsey" was a beauty.

[parrotfeathers]

On 6/25/2022 at 10:25 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I just hate that dog with the benign growth was allowed to have that hanging off of the leg/chest like that for over six months before the dog was brought in.    

Too bad the older car victim couldn't be saved, but at least both owners came right to the clinic, and the younger dog's owners were willing to pay so much to get their dog healthy again.    

I loved the three and then four horses, and the parade.   

That was a very good episode.

[parrotfeathers]

Kitty dangling leg episode was good.  Wonder why they couldn’t amputate at the knee.
I like that Dr Erin doesn’t mind being on camera with minimal make up too.

I wonder if they have made some adjustments to the show.  I really like this year.

Edited July 3, 2022 by parrotfeathers

[CrazyInAlabama]

If they amputate at the knee instead of the shoulder, then the cat would try to walk on the knee.  

I've only recently started watching this with the start of the new season.    The few reruns I've watched have shown how everyone was uncomfortable with the cameras.    I watched the one with Ben's brother the dentist, and that was fun.  

Edited July 4, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[LittleIggy]

I’ve started watching the episodes I’ve DVRed. Mabel the filly is an absolute doll! She looked so adorbs with the flowers and ribbons in her mane. ❤️ 
I liked how, when a yearling colt was brought in to get his cut stitched, the owner brought along an older horse to keep the colt calm. The mare was like “It’s okay, honey. Dr. Ben will get you fixed up.”

[CrazyInAlabama]

I guess this was a rerun, but I missed it before, "The Plot Chickens"

I'm not surprised that the chickens were ripping each other's feathers off. 

I can't believe how long the two women waited to bring the dog with cancer into the vet's office.    There would have been a bigger chance of just removing the tumor if they would have brought the dog in when they first noticed the swelling.    

It was so funny to see both vets at the fitness center, and to see the old college pictures. 

Working with the eagle was so fascinating. 

Edited July 10, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Minivanessa]

On 7/10/2022 at 10:25 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I guess this was a rerun, but I missed it before, "The Plot Chickens"

I'm not surprised that the chickens were ripping each other's feathers off. 

I can't believe how long the two women waited to bring the dog with cancer into the vet's office.    There would have been a bigger chance of just removing the tumor if they would have brought the dog in when they first noticed the swelling.    

It was so funny to see both vets at the fitness center, and to see the old college pictures. 

Working with the eagle was so fascinating. 

Generally, I've enjoyed the recent episodes of this show, more than the ones from last season. Everybody does seem more comfortable on camera, as noted by either @LittleIggy or @CrazyInAlabama - or both of you. I was wondering about Erin's shoulder problems, and in one episode she said it's a torn rotator cuff "from a home improvement project." 

Erin mentioned that the family of Missy, the dog with the big tumor, had been delayed in getting her to a vet because of isolation/quarantine issues experienced by some of the family members during the pandemic, although she didn't lay it out in detail. The owner also said that the tumor had really "blown up" in size recently. 

I have Hulu Live as my alternative to cable TV and sometimes the way they make episodes available  - and the timing of their live channel content - is confusing to me. Anyway, the other day I clicked on this show where I'd saved it to "My Stuff." It showed two versions of the last couple of episodes, in each case one was longer than the other, so maybe there was an expanded version + the original? I dunno. 

Yes, Mabel was adorbs, but I could have done without the hokey dress-up for the German festival. 

Omigosh that St. Bernard puppy was gorgeous and I was so happy to see that she responded to the IV treatment.

I'm enjoying the dry humor from Kaitlyn (sp?) the intern who's been around for awhile now. She obviously cares about the animals but she's a good counterpoint to the times when Ben or Erin gets a little gushy and mushy. Like the scene with a cute puppy where Ben rhapsodizes about puppy breath and asks her if she wants some puppy breath. She says, no, but I'll take some cuddles instead. 

[parrotfeathers]

1 hour ago, Jeeves said:

Erin mentioned that the family of Missy, the dog with the big tumor, had been delayed in getting her to a vet because of isolation/quarantine issues experienced by some of the family members during the pandemic, although she didn't lay it out in detail. The owner also said that the tumor had really "blown up" in size recently. 

It definitely was difficult getting to see a vet in those times but people managed.  One of my had to have a specialized surgery with a soft tissue surgeon 3 hours away.  I did not get to see the vet at drop off or pick up but the surgery was really needed.  I do understand the vet trying to soften the blow to viewers.  Those ladies sure paid in the end.  Amputations are not cheap.

[parrotfeathers]

Some of Dr. Pol's clients:  How long has he had these symptoms?  Answer:  A couple of weeks.

Some of us:  How long has he had these symptoms?  Answer:  About 10 minutes.

[AncientNewbie]

From instagram, it looks like the Schroeders have cameras in their offices again, so another season may be forthcoming. I hadn't heard anything about it. 

[Minivanessa]

On 8/31/2022 at 11:54 AM, AncientNewbie said:

From instagram, it looks like the Schroeders have cameras in their offices again, so another season may be forthcoming. I hadn't heard anything about it. 

I follow them on Facebook. Based on the posts there, I think that sometime not long ago, they traveled to attend some event, along with other Nat Geo show veterinarians (Pol and the Critter Fixers docs).

Which I think also points to another season being in production. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

They're also doing scenes from different vet shows, I'm not sure when it's on Nat Geo Wild, but it's Home is Where the Farm is, with a family farm at the beginning, and then scenes from Heartland, and Critter Fixers.   Apparently it is about a dairy farming family, the Harpers?.  It's on Saturday night at 9 central.  Last Saturday they had a scene with Dr. Erin.    However, since Nat Geo Wild's online site is awful, I see they're scheduled for Saturday night, but nothing else. 

[Minivanessa]

7 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

They're also doing scenes from different vet shows, I'm not sure when it's on Nat Geo Wild, but it's Home is Where the Farm is, with a family farm at the beginning, and then scenes from Heartland, and Critter Fixers.   Apparently it is about a dairy farming family, the Harpers?.  It's on Saturday night at 9 central.  Last Saturday they had a scene with Dr. Erin.    However, since Nat Geo Wild's online site is awful, I see they're scheduled for Saturday night, but nothing else. 

I saw Home is Where the Farm Is. It seems to be a compilation of scenes from four Nat Geo Wild shows: (1) Dr. Oakley, (2) Critter Fixers, (3) Heartland Docs DVM, and (3) Hatcher Family Dairy. 

Last year I watched the first couple of episodes of the Hatcher Family Dairy show. To be precise, I tried to watch them. But I just can't warm up to the people on the show. The woman who's part of the Hatcher family and also a veterinarian, has a voice that for some reason just grates on me. IIRC in the episode(s) I tried to watch, her mom was working as a vet tech or assistant, and the two of them were hamming it up for the cameras. I can't explain it, but I also can't warm up to the vet's brother who runs the family dairy farm, or his wife. They are probably just fine people, but I don't want to watch their show.

[Rammchick]

On 10/17/2022 at 10:04 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

They're also doing scenes from different vet shows, I'm not sure when it's on Nat Geo Wild, but it's Home is Where the Farm is, with a family farm at the beginning, and then scenes from Heartland, and Critter Fixers.   Apparently it is about a dairy farming family, the Harpers?.  It's on Saturday night at 9 central.  Last Saturday they had a scene with Dr. Erin.    However, since Nat Geo Wild's online site is awful, I see they're scheduled for Saturday night, but nothing else. 

Also, perhaps it was taken out of context, but Dr. Erin made a terrible gaffe regarding putting a stomach tube into a horse's trachea.  There were some fun segments on this show but not sure I'll continue watching -- not because of this, but because these farm calls are some of my least favorite segments of the vet shows I watch.  

[BookWitch]

New season started October 7th. They go on a fishing/boating trip, find two black dogs out in the reeds. Son gets on social media, finds out a family has two black dogs that ran off, had been looking for them. Microchip your animals. 

Next case is people bringing in their roping horse who doesn't want his ears touched. Exam shows he's covered in  ticks!! From ears to ass crack. Really people? You couldn't see that for yourself?

Then a woman brings in her 3 legged cat who can't walk at all. Exam poop in the microscope and find toxoplasmosis. Erin said it was only the second case she had ever had. 

[Rammchick]

On 10/9/2023 at 9:27 AM, BookWitch said:

New season started October 7th. They go on a fishing/boating trip, find two black dogs out in the reeds. Son gets on social media, finds out a family has two black dogs that ran off, had been looking for them. Microchip your animals. 

I thought for sure those dogs had been dumped.  I was glad for the happy ending.

[Vet tech]

They are taking an enormous risk when not using X- ray gloves. 
This is a safety issue and a health concern. 
 

I cringe every  episode!

Every episode has at least one animal that dies. I wish they would not film this.