The Vet Life - General Discussion

[announcergirl]

I just stumbled upon this show and. I love it! The cases are interesting and I just can't look away from the surgeries. I'm so sad the little lizard passed away. The owner loved her so much. That was hard for me to watch.

 

i actually like Blue a lot. Is he playing it up for TV, absolutely. But he is the center of the show. His young brother having a heart attack at 37 is scary. I love how they share so much of themselves with us. Further, I think showing that they are just regular people can encourage more people to go in to medicine. 

 

Are Re the brothers this fine in Houston? I think it should be on my list to consider for relocation.

[GreatKazu]

I look forward to the new season. I have the previous seasons that I recorded on DVDs. 

This is one of those rare shows where I look forward to watching without seeking to look out for something to snark on. 

[Bastet]

It's nice to have this show back; Pit Bulls & Parolees followed by this makes for my kind of Saturday night.  I even skipped football while those were on, since it was the Patriots.  If Dr. Jeff was on, too, I'd be in heaven.  Yes, I am wild and crazy.

Jetta the goat's face is so adorable.  I'm glad she lucked into surviving, but I cannot with people who have a clear method of help available to them and decide, pah, science, I'll roll the dice on hoping for the best.

The owner who figured out how to use her cell phone's camera in order to record her dog's seizure tickled me.

Jasper looks a bit like my friend's cat of the same name, and it was funny that even sedated, the one thing he reacted negatively to was hydrotherapy.  Cats and water, man (although I had one who loved warm water, and my parents have one who likes sitting out in the rain - so he can be thoroughly toweled and brushed afterward, I think).  I took one look at the flesh on that leg, and the lack of circulation below it, and with my untrained eye figured he was going to lose the leg.  But they do well as tripods in general, and at only a year old, he's strong and will probably adapt particularly well.  Good for his sister alerting them to his predicament.

Kyerra's return to work and recounting of all the offers of help she got from her work family was touching. 

It was good to see Austin Pets Alive! showcased; friends in the area speak highly of it in general, and particularly for its Harvey efforts, integral in moving animals already in Houston shelters to Austin and elsewhere, so the Houston shelters would have room for displaced pets without having to euthanize the animals who'd been there, waiting for adoption.

The runt of the litter of puppies looked so pathetic, I loved the P.A. taking him - and joking about his discount on vet care.

"There's, like, an aftertaste to the funk" as Dr. Blue processed the smell upon opening his brother's fridge was funny.

[LittleIggy]

I missed the very end so I’m happy Jetta made it! ? 

I have an eight month old blind kitten, Aemon Targaryen, who has seizures. His vet asked me to record them on my phone, but I get too caught up in moment to remember to do it! I do keep a seizure diary.

So glad Cy-Faire wasn’t flooded. Glad the show is back!

[possibilities]

I missed the ending, too-- glad to hear the goat survived.

I had a cat have a seizure once and it freaked me out. I rushed her to the nearest vet, who scared me even worse, talking about how if it goes on too long her temperature could skyrocket and I should pack her in ice immediately and that the real thing to worry about is "status" seizures which go on and on and they never come out of it. I mean, it was ONE seizure! This was not my regular vet, it was just the closest one I could find because I was in a panic. Never went back there!! And it never happened again, so it blew over. But I was interested to hear them say on this show that it's not that big of a deal if they seem otherwise OK and it doesn't happen too often.

Does anyone know why they call their practice Cy Fair? It's not related to the names of the particular doctors, nor the location, as far as I can figure. Is it a chain and they're a local franchise? Have they ever explained?

[LizDC]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

Does anyone know why they call their practice Cy Fair? It's not related to the names of the particular doctors, nor the location, as far as I can figure. Is it a chain and they're a local franchise? Have they ever explained?

Just Googled them, the address of their practice is actually in Cypress, TX and Cy-Fair is a community/neighborhood and suburb of Houston.  

[LittleIggy]

I knew all about that femoral head removal surgery from watching Dr. Jeff! Aurora was so pretty with her blue eye and her brown eye.

Glad Baby Cakes got such a good mom after the miserable life she had led. Wonder how many litters she had had.

[jaimesommers]

LOL I thought the same thing about that hip dysplaysia surgery and hollered out “That’s what Dr. Jeff calls an FHO!” I was so proud of myself!!

[LittleIggy]

Aw, Bella. That had me bawling. :-( I had gotten myself composed then Dr. Blue gave her parents the paw print...bawled again!

Nugget was a cutie pie. So tiny.

[LizDC]

Poor Bella. ?  It might have been better to just let her go rather than subject her to that surgery with that massive growth.  

[Bastet]

I think they had to take the chance with Bella.  If it didn't work, as it didn't, it only extended her (poor-quality-of-) life by a couple of days.  If it did, though, she'd have had extra good months (not just extra months, but good months).  Having tried gave the owners the peace of knowing they'd given her the best chance, but didn't require Bella to endure a prolonged death to give them that.

[movingtargetgal]

It is such a devastating choice to make.   Our 18 year old cat started getting bladder infections one after the other for about 3 months.  Then she started peeing on the kitchen counter and her fur became all matted.  She just did not look or act like herself.  The poor thing would not get off the counter and would not eat or drink. She was off her antibiotics one day when she started peeing blood all over the stove top.  I knew in my heart what needed to be done.  I took her to the vet and she told me that it was probably bladder cancer and if I wanted we could go the surgery chemo route but that would give her a few sickly and painful months at most.  The vet reassured me that I had done everything possible because I did not want to put her to sleep just because she kept peeing on the stove.  The vet said my kitty was letting me know it was time.  So I made the most painful choice in my life and let her go.  I held her as the vet gave her the shot and she had the most peaceful look on her face as she drifted away.   

Bella's parents needed to try for their own peace of mind just as I tried with multiple rounds of medication for my cat.  It looked like Bella's illness came on so fast.  I can't blame them for trying.  I also would not have blamed them for making the other painful choice.  Dr. Blue was pretty clear that Bella's odds were not good.                   

[LittleIggy]

That was quite a load of Rocky Mountain Oysters they ended up with!

[LittleIggy]

That turtle was cute! So was the lamb.

Sad that the dog with anemia died.

[possibilities]

I was surprised the aquarium company didn't know what temperature to make the water in the turtle's tank, nor that they needed a UV light.

[walnutqueen]

On 2/11/2018 at 11:06 AM, possibilities said:

I was surprised the aquarium company didn't know what temperature to make the water in the turtle's tank, nor that they needed a UV light.

I was surprised they didn't use those other famewhores from Tanked, because they seem to play to the same audience.  (For the record, I was team Fish Tank Kings).

[LittleIggy]

That poor dog with the bad teeth! Ouch! Glad he has a great dad now. 

Jamie Bell was literally a stuffed animal! It’s amazing what dogs will ingest.

[LittleIggy]

Popeye the coatimundi was cute. I’m glad they mentioned that coatis don’t make good pets. That was one mighty long canine!

Poor Wolfgang. Bet it did hurt to pee! 

Edited March 4, 2018 by LittleIggy

[LittleIggy]

The series returns in April! Yay! 😀

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think they said April 5, but I'm not sure, because Animal Planet's site is very hard for me to navigate.  

[LittleIggy]

5 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I think they said April 5, but I'm not sure, because Animal Planet's site is very hard for me to navigate.  

I think that is right.

[CrazyInAlabama]

They just had a Vet Life ad, and it's April 6.    No time yet though.  

[LittleIggy]

Kenny Rogers is a very handsome donkey! Loved his colors. Dr. Blue scared those pigs, IMO! 😆

The wives seemed awfully calm about the “surprise.” 🙄

[possibilities]

Blue was standing up and yelling. Lavigne was low to the ground and calling them more quietly and in a calmer voice.

[Bastet]

I wasn't able to watch more than a few minutes last night, but I'm glad this show is back and hope to catch a repeat this week.  It always includes more home life than I'm interested in, but I like the vets, and, of course, the animals, so I'm definitely in for the one show starring black vets.

The story I saw was the dog attacked by a racoon; it was so cute how she/he perked up a little and gave a tail wag as if in thanks when getting ready to be released.

And, having just finished a season of Dr. Pol, I enjoyed seeing an OR I'd actually allow my cat into.  And everyone wearing masks (which is the one thing that bugs me about Dr. Jeff's show; Petra is the only one who routinely dons one for surgery).

[CrazyInAlabama]

I love how in the Hurricane Harvey episode, Dr. Blue's brother's house was flooded, and the morning he went to start clearing out debris, and flooring that 50 strangers showed up to help.    The group cleared out all of the drywall, flooring, and damaged cabinets and furniture removal in one morning.     That's a story that was repeated all over Houston.     

I'm sure the wives lack of surprise was because the vets have always wanted to expand to other clinics, and have been looking for opportunities for a while now.   Plus, it was probably take 42 of the announcement.       

Edited April 8, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[LittleIggy]

It would be difficult for me to quarantine one of my cats since I live in a studio apartment. You, lady, live in a McMansion, so it should be no problem at all to keep one of your dogs separated from the others. 🙄 More exotic animals! And, no, Dr. Ross, Kinkajous are not related to lemurs!

Dr. Blue was cute with the Greyhound puppy. My Italian Greyhound Claudia would get the “Zoomies” in the house.

Didn’t Dr. Blue’s mom live with them?

[Bastet]

I loved calling the greyhound puppy a 45-mph couch potato.

Even in a house that size, having your brother's family of, what, five?, live with you for six months is a huge deal.  I'd have let them live with me in the immediate aftermath, while they looked for a short-term rental.  Bro and his family better be hosting family dinner for the next five years.

Speaking of big houses, damn that was the poster child for McMansions on that house call.  I laughed at the big dog peacing out and standing under the trampoline (or whatever it was; I was a little distracted) where no one could reach him -- and then just trotting over for attention once the vet sat down and chilled like a regular visitor.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think Dr. Blue and his family lived with the mother, and then moved out.    However, I think in the first couple of episodes, maybe his mother was staying with them, or something, because she seemed to be there a lot at the house.     Could have been more, get to know the vets at home scripting too.    

It was Dr. Ross, and they moved long after the car accident (thanks, LittleIggy).   

After Hurricane Harvey, there was a huge shortage of rental properties, and because so many homes and apartments flooded.    I love that the three vets, and their families are so supportive of each other.          I got a kick out of seeing the Greyhound puppy.     

Many thousands of homes, and apartments were flooded, had to have drywall, trim, flooring, cabinets, and furniture removed before they were totally remodeled.      They also had a shortage of contractors, and materials.        There were also many rentals that required at least a year lease, so the brother would have been stuck paying the mortgage, and rent too.      

Edited April 15, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

There were also many rentals that required at least a year lease, so the brother would have been stuck paying the mortgage, and rent too.      

Which, looking at his house, he could afford.  It's not even that I'm just not that nice (although I'm not), but that having anyone (other than cats), no matter how much I love them, in my home for an extended period is going to have a negative and possibly destructive effect on our relationship; I can't handle being around anyone that much, especially in what is supposed to be my sanctuary.  If there was no feasible alternative, sure, because it's family, but otherwise, no.  But even though I am wired differently, I appreciate they see it as they do, and the kids and wives largely found it fun, like an extended slumber party.  Nothing wrong with either way of interacting with family and I'm glad it worked for them.  And it was funny when the brother said he felt like a wife instead when Doc came home bitching about his day.

[LittleIggy]

I thought it was Dr. Ross and family who lived with his mom until they found a house the first season.

[LizDC]

9 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I thought it was Dr. Ross and family who lived with his mom until they found a house the first season.

It was but the house search was delayed while he recovered from his car accident.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, it was Dr Ross and family that were living with his mother, then he had the accident and they delayed moving out until the episode where they moved into that house.     I get things mixed up sometimes with the various shows.     

[LittleIggy]

That boy really needs to read up on caring for a bearded dragon.

The dog that gnawed her tail off must have been really distressed to do that.

Sutter Butter is one tough ol’ cat!

Edited April 22, 2019 by LittleIggy

[possibilities]

That poor dog! I had to wonder if it was physical distress (like Blue suspected-- i.e. that she had an injury her people didn't notice), or psychological distress; she didn't seem happy to be returned to her owner.

[Bastet]

I am not in favor of "exotic" pets, and that kid - and his father - knowing jack all about the bearded dragon they'd acquired is one of the reasons why.  Same with the "Oh, Biggie Smalls is a girl?  And females have cycles?" owner of the tortoise.  But I'll admit it was amusing to learn how long it would take sedation to kick in/wear off with cold-blooded metabolism.

Since the poor dog who chewed off her own tail hasn't attacked any other body parts, I guess it was an unknown injury to the tail and not any sort of generalized anxiety that will continue to cause problems.  That was awful!

I'm glad Sutter Butter's crazy blood pressure resolved with medication, and that controlling the hypertension seemed to resolve the seizure activity; he'd been through so much, and then lost his owner, and I really felt for the owner's daughter saying she couldn't handle losing him, too, since he's the biggest reminder of her mom.

Poor Jasper (I think - the dog fight victim) with that big-ass drain and cone, but with the muscle trauma resolved, he'll be good as new.  That must have been a traumatic experience for the owner witnessing it and trying so hard to separate them.

[LittleIggy]

That Catahoula dog was gorgeous. 

[possibilities]

This was a tough week; somehow the stories felt more upsetting than usual.

I wonder if the new vet will become a character on the show, or just a background presence. I didn't see her at the party at the end. She made a good first impression on me, though we didn't get to see her in much depth.

I enjoy the support staff, in general, every week. We haven't really learned much about any of them as individuals, but they make good scenery, somehow. I like that they all seem to have personalities, even if we don't ever learn their names. Just something non-robotic about them, and how they always seem to be relaxed and in good humor no matter what is going on. I know people will smile when on camera, but there is something relaxed (but still efficient) about the general affect and body language of everyone there, interacting with the bosses as well as with the clients, animals, and each other, that makes me think the place is managed well and with respect for the staff.

Edited April 22, 2019 by possibilities

[LittleIggy]

I like all the docs, but Dr. Lavigne is my favorite. He is so calm and laidback.

I hope Maggie the kitten found a good home. Poor baby.

I have a blind cat, Aemon Targaryen. He amazes me how he gets around. Blind pets do fine. 

[Bastet]

This was a nice variety of species and ailments/injuries.  And I always like studying things in the background in their clinic and truck; they have such nice facilities, and seem to have the most updated equipment. 

The pit with the torn ACL had such a sweet face!

I was familiar with megaesophagus and the problems it creates with feeding, but had never seen the chair; that was pretty cool.

A black cat named Maggie because she wound up with maggots on a wound?  If I was ever going to adopt a kitten rather than an adult, it would be her - I hope she found a good home.

I hate zoos because wild animals should not be held in captivity for the entertainment of humans, but sanctuaries like the one featured tonight, for wild animals taken in as pets and then abandoned/seized when the idiot owners are in over their heads, and thus not able to live in the wild, I am in for if they provide a proper environment.  So it was nice to get a glimpse of what they provide at the wolf sanctuary.

Have we met Dr. Fedke before?  I haven't been particularly diligent in watching this show in previous seasons, so I may well have missed her.

[possibilities]

I think this was the first time we saw Fedke. Last week there was another "new vet" but I don't think it was the same person.

I used to be anti-zoo, but "The Zoo" is changing my mind. They talk constantly about their conservation efforts, and it seems that their mission and their way of doing things makes zoos look like a good thing, not exploitative and cruel, but actually necessary in some ways, given the state of our imperfect world.

[Bastet]

15 hours ago, possibilities said:

I think this was the first time we saw Fedke.  Last week there was another "new vet" but I don't think it was the same person.

Right, that was a different vet - Dr. Nath.  So I wasn't sure if Dr. Fedke is someone we'd seen in previous seasons and I forgot (since they didn't introduce her to the audience as clearly as they did with Dr. Nath), or if this was the first time we'd seen her.  Either we both forgot, or it's the latter.  It seems to be the latter -- I looked her up, and she's class of '17 (from Tuskegee).  That's also the year Dr. Nath (class of '09, with Dr. Blue [Doctors Ross and Lavigne were two years ahead of him]) relocated to Houston (because of her husband's job) and joined Cy-Fair.

I hope to continue seeing her, because it would be interesting to see a rookie's approach to cases in the midst of all these more-experienced doctors (veteran vets, heh - I'm easily amused sometimes).

Edited April 29, 2019 by Bastet

[LittleIggy]

I love zoos. They have an important purpose in educating people and breeding endangered species. 

[LittleIggy]

That tumor! 😳 Poor doggie must feel so much better now.

The tiny chihuahua puppy broke my heart. 😞

Who knew Dr. Blue would like fart jokes? Okay, everyone! 😆

[Bastet]

On 4/29/2019 at 9:48 PM, LittleIggy said:

I love zoos. They have an important purpose in educating people and breeding endangered species. 

Which even in the "best" zoo doesn't begin to make up for the exploitation of wild animals as captive entertainment that is their business model, but thankfully none of that was implicated in the latest episode.

I'm not in favor of birds as pets in general, but Scooter was nicely illustrative of one of the exceptions, and it was sweet that someone who'd never thought of having a bird as a pet got so attached to an injured baby pigeon - whom many regard as winged rats - that he took him in and provides bi-annual vet checks.

I missed what instigated the poor little puppy's crisis in the first place -- did we learn what triggered the catastrophic condition that ultimately lead to a fatal crash, or was it one of those "not meant to be" medical mysteries in the absence of a necropsy?

That was a huge abdominal tumor on the other dog; I'm glad it came out as well as it did, not having such an extensive network of blood supply Dr. Ross couldn't keep up with tying off bleeders.

Dr. Blue as a mentor was nice to see.

[LittleIggy]

I love Dr. Lavigne and his wife Anne for saving and adopting that sweet special needs cat! She could get around like nobody’s business, couldn’t she? Loved the padded vest Anne made for her.

Suki’s mom better not buy any more soft toys for her. That toy turned out to be very expensive! 😮 Suki’s facial expressions were hilarious.

[Bastet]

33 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Suki’s facial expressions were hilarious. 

Boy howdy.  I'll have to wait until tomorrow to watch the episode in full, but I saw bits and pieces tonight, and Suki's face was a recurring source of amusement.  "That face!" was said aloud more than once.  Just adorable.

[possibilities]

We had a cat who ate a plastic bag once. It was terrifying. She passed it on her own, and we were not aware of just how dangerous it was until later. But watching the swallowed toy story tonight was giving me retroactive panic attacks.

That tortoise's person was super anxious. It's nice to see people caring about and bonding with animals that aren't the usual fluffy mammal types.

[Rlb8031]

On ‎5‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 11:35 PM, LittleIggy said:

I love Dr. Lavigne and his wife Anne for saving and adopting that sweet special needs cat! She could get around like nobody’s business, couldn’t she? Loved the padded vest Anne made for her.

Suki’s mom better not buy any more soft toys for her. That toy turned out to be very expensive! 😮 Suki’s facial expressions were hilarious.

It was so great seeing her stand there like the proud mama with that little floofball. I'm happy she offered to take her in. I know that level of injury would be intimidating to me. It was also pretty nice to see a vet on one of these shows admit that he didn't know everything and want to learn from others.

[Bastet]

I know a lot of MDs don't care for chiropractors, so I enjoyed Dr. Lavigne's interaction with his wife (the "um, you could ask me about cat anatomy" and then the "no/"well that's why I'm calling in a chiropractor") and the chiropractor, to learn what sort of physical therapy could help compensate for the kitty's atypical movements.  And the blinged out padded harness to cushion her chest.  So cute.  And it is definitely impressive how she handles stairs.

I love the way the gang all kids each other, so got a particular kick out of Anne's, "Now, y'all did not just meet Lavigne" when the guys found out he didn't say anything about his birthday bowling plans.  Also when Dr. Ross started making jokes about his age and she reminded him she's a year older.

When this show first started, I felt like there were too many "at home" scenes (and I couldn't stand the little I saw of that Hendersons vet show because of them), so I don't know whether there are fewer now or it's just that as I've come to "know" these folks I am more keen on them, but I enjoy them now.