The Vet Life - General Discussion

[Bastet]

Watching Dr. Jeff and this show back-to-back tonight, I now want a goat.  (Goats and piglets are animals that every time I see them on TV, I ask my cat, “Can I have one?”  She always says no.  Which is good, as I don’t actually want to own either one, but they’re adorable.)

I think gender reveal parties are ridiculous, so I laughed so hard I cried when Dr. Lavigne asked if that means you pull your pants down.  I'm glad it's a girl.

I also liked Dr. Blue not at all having it when that goat yoga lady was trying to convince him being shat/peed on would be a blessing.  Not to mention him trying to convince Kayla to keep quiet about the blessing when they got back to the clinic (and it was cool that he started to refer to them by their first names, and then corrected himself and called them Dr. Ross and Dr. Lavigne to her).

And Kayla making herself dizzy whipping her hair around like a tornado was funny, too.  She was so cute hugging Teddy like he was a big ol' teddy bear.

Apollo’s dad is lucky they agree to take him on as a client, with the way he’s training that dog to view everyone other than him as a threat.

Missy’s dad came off as a dick; there’s a difference between the this animal means everything to me and I won’t breathe easy until I know all is well sentiment we all feel and telling someone this my dog is more important than anyone else you’ve ever worked on and you better treat her that way jazz.  “Thanks for not hurting my dog”?  Fool, bye. 

Edited May 26, 2019 by Bastet

[LittleIggy]

I want a Pygmy goat, too! The two babies doing a head bump was totally adorbs. 🥰 Wonder if they will have to keep draining George Bailey’s cyst or just remove it.

I’m glad the Blues are having a girl, too.

Apollo needs to wear a muzzle all the time if he is going to be aggressive to any man who approaches. That’s not a properly trained dog which could result in tragedy.

Edited May 26, 2019 by LittleIggy

[Bastet]

17 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

The two babies doing a head bump was totally adorbs. 🥰

Yes!  One of my favorite images of the episode.  They either didn't even have horns yet or had teeny tiny ones, but they still had the instinct.

18 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Apollo needs to wear a muzzle all the time if he is going to be aggressive to any man who approaches. That’s not a properly trained dog which could result in tragedy.

Yep, and Apollo will pay the price for this guy's macho attitude.  He loves the dog, and obviously pays attention to him; this isn't one of the asshole owners who treat their "guard dog" as a full-time outdoor employee who is mistreated at worst and ignored at best.  But he's training him recklessly, and putting the dog he loves at risk right alongside innocent people.

[possibilities]

I think I would find goat yoga painful. Don't they have hooves? And I'm not fond of being bitten or chewed, let alone "blessed" in that manner. I will stick to cat yoga if give a choice. But I would enjoy meeting the goats and spending time with them anyway.

I think the vets need to talk to Apollo's person, about the dangers of training a dog to be aggressive, and give him advice about proper protection training, and not just enable him in what is going to become a tragedy. That poor dog! He did seem really sweet and loving, like he would be very happy to get along with people. It's really sad that his person doesn't feel safe and wants his dog to protect him from EVERYONE. It's just not a healthy situation.

They never showed the feral cat after he was sedated, did they? I wanted to know he was okay after his procedure. It felt ominous to see him so scared, then knocked out, and then... no follow up.

I felt sad watching tonight's show. I'm not sure why. There were more or less happy endings, as usual.

Edited May 26, 2019 by possibilities

[LittleIggy]

Poor BD. Pets are usually the way kids learn about mortality.

Chocolate was gorgeous! I wanted to hug him.

I went to LSU for my undergrad degree and I love Cajun food, but I have never eaten crawfish. Never wanted to.

[Calibabydolly]

And they just dump the crawfish out on a table and say "dig in"! I know it's rustic, but geez....I guess when you're chomping on their heads and all...it's every man for himself!

[Bastet]

I'd be even happier with a shrimp or crab boil, but I'd have enjoyed a crawfish boil.

I love the way they all tease each other, especially when it's the other two versus Dr. Lavigne.  And I liked Dr. Blue's reaction when his own wife figured Dr. Lavigne would make better crab boil because he's from New Orleans.  Not to mention her "the poop goes in the water?!" reaction to the process.

It was great to see how much better Chocolate felt after his surgery; not just his movement, but his overall demeanor was dramatically improved over when he came in. 

The little white dog (Nico?  I've already forgotten) was another one who felt exponentially better when he left than when he came in.  Friendly little guy.

My favorite part of the episode was the shot of two cats in cages next to each other batting at each other's paws through the grates.

I'm glad this show is back.  I like how they always not only refer to the pet's parents/grandparents - rather than owner - when speaking of them, but when identifying them via chyron, too.  It's a cute touch from both vets and producers.

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

It was great to see how much better Chocolate felt after his surgery; not just his movement, but his overall demeanor was dramatically improved over when he came in. 

That was impressive. He was a 10 year old dog; I was worried he wouldn't do well with surgery, but he acted like a puppy again!

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

The little white dog (Nico?  I've already forgotten) was another one who felt exponentially better when he left than when he came in.  Friendly little guy.

I liked seeing that transformation, and I really liked the educational aspect of Blue talking about how to rule out alternatives before going for the invasive exploratory surgery.

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

My favorite part of the episode was the shot of two cats in cages next to each other batting at each other's paws through the grates

That was so adorable!!!

I liked blue's t'shirt: I am my ancestors' wildest dreams.

I liked when Lavigne was saying he didn't want to hurt the dog's neck by pulling back on the leash. I know he was being teased about the dog pulling him, but I also think there really is an issue of putting pressure on the throat like that. It's why I prefer a harness to a collar-- less pressure on the throat and neck.

I liked how much the people loved their pig. So often, pigs get dumped when they get big.

It was really sad about BD, but I thought the way the family handled it was really good parenting.

I was glad the bunny only had an ear infection and not something more serious, as her person originally feared.

[LittleIggy]

That puppy looked as if he had the same leg deformity as the puppy on Dr. Pol’s show a week or so ago. I was expecting Dr. Ross to splint the legs but didn’t and the puppy turned out all right. Guess Dr. Pol was right after all!

I hope that man isn’t insisting they have more children until they have a boy! I noticed a baby in a carrier on one of their visits. I think I counted 4 or 5 daughters.

[Bastet]

Dr. Lavigne's wife calling him "Sorta Rican" because, being racially ambiguous, he's frequently being mistaken for Puerto Rican cracked me up.  I'm in Los Angeles, so the idea of a vet practice of any size not having anyone Spanish-speaking is, well, foreign to me, and I assume that, being in Houston, they at least have some staff members who can translate for clients who only speak Spanish.  It's good the kids are learning, and that the dads are trying to learn along with them, at least the animal-related words (it's a lot harder as an adult).  I love Dr. Blue's kid's reaction when Siri proved him right about how to say "bird" in Spanish.  And his wife telling him the book was at pre-K level.

Litters the foster fail cat getting stressed by the Roomba speaks to me; I really want one of those, but I absolutely cannot imagine Riley being okay with it.  (And my parents' cat Bandit has idiopathic cystitis, which means stress causes bladder inflammation, so I'm extra glad they ditched the robot for Litters' sake.)

I had to laugh at Marshall (the dog with congenitally weak ligaments) being brought in by his grandma, because daddy is a college student who got a dog despite not being able to have pets in the dorm.  It sounded like he'd be home for the summer and then living in pet-friendly housing the following year, so he just jumped the gun, and that's pretty typical.

Continuing with my like of IDing owners as family members, I liked the girl in Chispita's family being chyroned as "Chispita's sister."  I hope Chispita was spayed after her C-section, though.

I like how well everyone at Cy-Fair knows Rhett, the non-pooping German Shepherd, that they can tell he's not acting himself, but I wonder why he's been there so often in just his first year.  It's funny that anal glands were a story on this show and The Incredible Dr. Pol (on two different networks, with two different production companies) the same night.

[possibilities]

I was glad they showed the doctors trying to learn Spanish, for the same reason I liked when Litters's person introduced her wife and Lavigne warmly greeted her. It's a gesture toward saying they are welcoming to everyone, and want to make everyone feel it more, which I think is not something we can take for granted. I know that as a lesbian, I would not want to risk my vet reacting badly to a partner (pet's co-parent) at a moment when our pet is sick. So just showing a positive, relaxed interaction feels like a feel good moment.

I was surprisingly emotional watching this episode. I am not even sure why. I just kept expecting bad things to happen-- dog turning blue (but then recovering), and emergency c-section dog, and just generally. I don't know if it was me, or if they shot it in a different tone.

Some cats like roombas. You can find videos on YouTube, where cats ride on them and seem to really enjoy the fun of being carried while the machine vacuums.

I think every cat I've had has hated a regular vacuum cleaner, too.

I was glad, though, that Litters's family put her health over the convenience of the roomba, though I also wonder if Jackson Galaxy would have a way to acclimate Litters to the machine. Maybe spray it with catnip oil, and give Litters rewards whenever it operates?

[LittleIggy]

Pigs sure are drama queens! 😆

Poor little BJ. Hope they can keep managing his pain.

[Bastet]

This show is kind of a palate cleanser when I watch it after Dr. Pol; I like both shows, but seeing a clinic I'd actually let my cat enter adds a layer of enjoyment or relieves a layer of consternation or something -- I find it soothing, and am quite  enjoying having it back in the rotation.

Even goofy for-the-show stuff, like the Office Olympics, has grown on me, because now I "know" them well enough to appreciate it as a staged example of genuine characterization; the interaction between the three is great, so Dr. Lavigne as the wise older brother watching these two clowns come up with ways for them all to compete saves it for me.  Plus, it was pretty damn funny when Dr. Lavigne did the last two legs with his jump rope tangled around him.

Dr. Fedke speaking pig with Piper was hilariously cute, and her "Are you kidding me?!" reaction when Dr. Blue dropped the slide was funny, too.  "I already had Piper yelling, and I didn't need Dr. Fedke yelling, too" made me laugh.

Lily is adorable with that patch by her eye being pretty much the only coloring on her (other than her nose); her face is so expressive.  I love that she was a foster fail.  She was SO happy to see her family post-op.

Even cuter was Lucky the min pin, with the way his poor self just laid there sore and tired, held like a baby.  He just looks so delicate, and when he was shaking a little at being examined, I wanted to snuggle him (and, while I love animals in general, I'm a cat person, and much more drawn to big dogs than little ones).  I don't normally like dogs in clothes, but his little skeleton shirt was cute.  Kayla's "a real man, wearing purple" response to his splint was great. 

Becky to the dog making snoring/grunting noises: "You sound like my husband when he sleeps.  Except you're way cuter." LOL.

[LittleIggy]

I liked Anne Lavigne’s “Oh, he’s (Dr. Ross) a three syllable a-tha-lete!” comment. 😆

[possibilities]

I'm really enjoying this season. I'm even watching the "Bonus Tales" that they've been airing after. I don't know if they're old cases being re-purposed for re-airing, or if they're new ones that never were seen before, but if they're repeats, I don't remember them. So it feels like getting two episodes a week.

I am always amazed by the variety of species and types of medical situations presented. I also really like how, whatever shenanigans the doctors have among themselves, they are always extremely respectful of the animals and their clients. Even Blue, who's portrayed as being a bit of a baby, is completely smart, sober, and respectful when talking about cases. I also liked how he was with his son when they were in the woods, and he was quizzing him about why they needed firewood. And then, when all three vets seemed so awed by the rehabbed owl release.

[Bastet]

21 hours ago, possibilities said:

I'm even watching the "Bonus Tales" that they've been airing after. I don't know if they're old cases being re-purposed for re-airing,

That's how I understand it (old episodes, just with additional info), but this latest one was the first one I watched and it wasn't anything I recognized (although, I didn't watch the show regularly in the early days, so that doesn't mean anything).

21 hours ago, possibilities said:

I also really like how, whatever shenanigans the doctors have among themselves, they are always extremely respectful of the animals and their clients. Even Blue, who's portrayed as being a bit of a baby, is completely smart, sober, and respectful when talking about cases.

Yes, I take notice of how good they are with their clients (as well as their patients).  And I'm often impressed with how well they know the patients' personalities; that's not really something you can read in the file you're reviewing before coming in the exam room, that's them genuinely remembering regular patients.

In the "bonus tails" episode, I liked seeing an old white male Texan dressed like a farmer as a client; there's no shortage of vets in Houston, and he chose the clinic run by three black dudes.  Racism is so rampant, it brings a little moment of relief to see someone of his demographic happily shaking a black vet's hand.  He's the one whose dog had consumed 2.4 pounds worth of some sort of stuffing (yet nothing was noticeably missing/damaged in the house) -- that was crazy!

In the new episode, that spotted pig was so cute!  And I love that the owners wanted his neuter done in hospital, not in the field - like a pet, not livestock.

I got a good chuckle at that little Yorkie/chihuahua mix Simba (who ate half an ibuprofen capsule) showing he felt better by being a total cranky butt to Dr. Ross.

I liked how casual everyone was at the big dinner Dr. Blue's nephew cooked, just hanging out barefoot and in t-shirts, scattered around various tables and counters eating.

[LittleIggy]

I remember that cute little Aubie the frat house refugee pig. He may have been from season one. I liked the lady asking Dr. Blue about his wife and how much he appreciated that. Hope Thelma and Louise had fun on the farm!

[Bastet]

The tumor on Medic's head was huge!  At first I couldn't even figure out where his cute floppy ear was on that side, but then he turned his head and I could see it was behind the tumor.  I'm glad he got to keep it, but I wonder how long it will take for another tumor to form and how big it will get. 

Kayla getting attached to the dog she found in the parking lot was cute, as was Zelda going tail-wagging and licking crazy at being reunited with her mom.  But, dude, get your dog chipped and put an ID tag/collar on her.  Kayla said shelters use a 10-day hold for an owner to claim their pet before it's put up for adoption, which surprised me; in my area, it's 3-5 days.

Lexi (the boxer mix with the torn ACL)'s grey face is adorable; I love the visibly old faces.  I laughed at Dr. Lavigne covering his ears when they talked about the table scraps they feed her (after he congratulated them on keeping her at the proper weight).

I'm glad the chinchilla's story made clear age is not per se a reason not to do surgery; if the heart and kidneys are up to handling anesthesia, go for it if it's needed.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the show last night, and was so happy that Medic came through surgery OK.   I'm glad they found Zelda's mom, but she needs to put a collar with contact information, and a microchip, and register the chip.      I loved the Chinchilla story. 

Dr Ross's brother getting a potential service dog was so touching.   It scares me that his brother is now having Grand Mal seizures, and seems to be getting worse.     I'm sure there is a plan to train the dog. 

Edited September 15, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[walnutqueen]

The service dog was a nice gesture, but it was a puppy with no training.  Actual service dogs go through at least a year and a half of intensive specialized training to be certified.

Hopefully, this puppy will bond with the brother and his medical needs enough to be able to sense the seizures before they occur, like some other untrained dogs have been able to do.  Or, just be a calming and comforting companion.

Edited September 15, 2019 by walnutqueen

[Gwendolyn]

6 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

The service dog was a nice gesture, but it was a puppy with no training.  Actual service dogs go through at least a year and a half of intensive specialized training to be certified.

Hopefully, this puppy will bond with the brother and his medical needs enough to be able to sense the seizures before they occur, like some other untrained dogs have been able to do.  Or, just be a calming and comforting companion.

Unless I imagined it, I believe they stated they were introducing Ted to Skate, so they could bond during the year plus training that the dog would be undergoing. That's why Dr. Ross explained to the trainers what he was looking for in a service dog. This was the beginning of the process, not the end, there's some intensive work ahead for that cute pup.

Also, why did no one suggest to Zelda's mom a microchip? On Dr. Jeff when they found an unchipped loose dog, after the owners were found via social media they suggested and chipped the dog, so it wouldn't happen again.  Chips come in handy if the collar breaks away or worse yet, the pet is stolen.

[LittleIggy]

27 minutes ago, Gwendolyn said:

Unless I imagined it, I believe they stated they were introducing Ted to Skate, so they could bond during the year plus training that the dog would be undergoing. That's why Dr. Ross explained to the trainers what he was looking for in a service dog. This was the beginning of the process, not the end, there's some intensive work ahead for that cute pup.

Also, why did no one suggest to Zelda's mom a microchip? On Dr. Jeff when they found an unchipped loose dog, after the owners were found via social media they suggested and chipped the dog, so it wouldn't happen again.  Chips come in handy if the collar breaks away or worse yet, the pet is stolen.

I’m sure a microchip was suggested. They can’t show everything.

Yes, it was mentioned that Ted would have time to meet with Skate during the ongoing training period. They just wanted to introduce him to Ted early in the process. It terrifies me to see my cat Aemon Targaryen have grand mal seizures. I can’t imagine what it is like to see your child or brother have one.

[possibilities]

I usually don't get into the personal stories about the vets and their families, but I liked the Roller Derby story and it was fun seeing Lavigne be the third in his wife's practice exercise.

[Bastet]

I was into roller derby as a kid, so I enjoyed the segments with Dr. Lavigne's wife; I think Anne is my favorite of the wives, but I like all of them.  On a shallow note, she looked great in that picture leaning against the Charger.

I like that Dr. Ross's response to his mom's request for guinea pigs for her friend's classroom was "I'll call the shelter".  (And LOL at her asking the staff if he was a good boss, and assuring them she'd get him if he wasn't.)  I also like Kayla naming them; she seems to get quite attached to the patients.  And I really liked seeing how many kids' hands shot up when Dr. Ross asked the class who wanted to hold them and when he asked if anyone had questions.

Dori, the chocolate lab with the ear hematoma, looks like such a happy dog.  That's nice to see in general, but especially knowing she was afraid of men for years and with patience and love came around to being completely secure.  She was adorable rolling around for belly rubs when her family came to pick her up.  Interesting procedure she had, using x-ray film as structural support during the healing process.

Lucy, the dachshund/min-pin with the fecal bacteria, is a real cutie.  I'm more of a medium/large dog person, but there was something really appealing about her.  The ears are definitely part of it; she looks like the flying nun.

LOL - I've never seen a duck with a tuft of feathers on its head like on Baby.  "I got duck slapped" made me laugh, too.  As did Baby putting her feathers back in proper order after the x-ray.  I really enjoyed that segment.

Puff, the Persian mix who has to come in weekly, must be having a tough time with her kidney disease, because CKD doesn't normally require that kind of monitoring.  This was clearly in the early days of diagnosis, as they were just checking her blood pressure and teaching the owner how to administer subQ fluids.  Maybe she was  pretty sick when she first came in, and they're making sure she continues to stabilize.  It's interesting the fluid was sodium chloride, as lactated ringers is more common for the disease.  This is one of those stories where I'd love to have all the details, but that's television.  We didn't get a follow-up at the end, so I hope she's doing okay.

[LittleIggy]

When I was a kid, they had Roller Derby on TV. The ladies skated on a banked track and rammed into each other. I didn’t understand what Ann and the other players were doing there at the end. Anyway, Ann is my favorite wife. 

[Bastet]

31 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

I didn’t understand what Ann and the other players were doing there at the end.

It's a (flat track) rec league, so they're more training rather than competing to begin with, and even for the competitive team (the Machete Betties), whatever they filmed very much had the practice vibe -- I think it was the rec league as a whole's rink time.

Edited September 23, 2019 by Bastet

[Bastet]

I only saw the episode in bits and pieces, but if I was superstitious and had a dog with a splenic mass, I'd take her/him to Cy-Fair.  Two dogs with huge masses on their spleens, when splenic masses are often hemangiosarcomas (a horribly aggressive cancer), and both are benign?  Like Dr. Lavigne said, it's hitting the jackpot twice.  I'm so happy for Ginger and her owners.

I laughed at Becky's "this is embarrassing" when her mom asked Dr. Blue how Becky was doing at work.  And at her correcting his "with possible extractions" to "with definite extractions" - some animals just have bad teeth no matter how their owners take care of them, and Lily is certainly one of them - yikes, 14 teeth at once!  That has got to be one seriously sore mouth.  My cat Maddie had bad teeth, too, and once had four extracted at once; she was an incredibly stoic cat, and that was the one thing she showed a reaction to.

I have the Bonus Tails episode on now since the Dish/FOX pissing contest means I can't watch Major Crimes like I normally do now, and Sutter Butter's owner is getting me just as choked up the second time around.  (He's her mother's cat, whom she took in after her mom died, and she can't bear the thought of losing him, too.)  I know it will happen to her eventually, but the loss seemed fairly recent, so I remember being very relieved that the seizures seemed to be caused by hypertension (and a crazy high BP at that) and thus meds solved the problem.  If there's an update to the update saying Sutter Butter died, I may cry.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I couldn't believe the size of Ginger's spleen growth.  6.6 pounds is so huge for a little dog like that.   

I got a kick out of Dr. Blue and Dr. Ross at the llama farm.    For cute looking animals, male llamas certainly take dominance over the herd seriously.  

Baby Blue was so cute!     Congratulations to Mrs. Blue, and Dr. Blue on that cute little girl. 

[possibilities]

Animals with spenic masses are going to start showing up at Cy-Fair from all over the world.

No wonder that dog wouldn't chew anything! That had to be an extremely painful mouth to chew with! I was wondering if they would suggest brushing teeth. I guess not. I know some people do it, and was hoping to get an opinion about what the Cy-Fair vets think of the idea.

[Bastet]

42 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I was wondering if they would suggest brushing teeth. I guess not. I know some people do it, and was hoping to get an opinion about what the Cy-Fair vets think of the idea.

I don't know that it would help much, given how bad her teeth always were despite getting dental cleanings done every 12-18 months.  If she'd tolerate brushing, it would certainly be worth the effort to perhaps be able to go longer between cleanings, but I think that's all it would do, since she seems like one of those animals who just has bad teeth -- her stinky breath came back quickly after each cleaning, and even with regular cleanings she needed extractions. 

[LittleIggy]

The picture of a smiling Ginger during the updates was so adorable. I loved when Dr. Lavigne told Dr. Blue how she sat in the chair like a person and listened to the conversation. 
Little baby Blue is a cutie! She will be a daddy’s girl! 😍

[possibilities]

On the "Bonus Tales/Tails" this week, they showed the dog who chewed off her tail. It really bothered me how dead in the eyes she seemed, when re-united with her person. It's the first dog we've seen that didn't show any enthusiasm or affection for their humans upon being reunited. I wondered if the dog was being abused, or neglected, because she was totally turned away from and non-responsive to her owner. It was a very upsetting story.

[Bastet]

There's a lot on TV for me Saturday nights this time of year, so I'm glad this is back but it's kind of an embarrassment of riches right now; I watched last night's episode, but the late-late repeat and fell asleep somewhere in the middle.

Am I correct to assume that poor dog whose owner did not spay her indeed had cancer throughout her reproductive system?  As hard as it is to watch, it's good to see these stories, as it's another way of getting the word out to owners that spaying/neutering isn't just about preventing litters (wildly important on its own), but also preventing certain health problems.

I have no particular affinity towards chickens, but I love how much that woman loves hers, and the way she takes care of them.  The "curly hair" is indeed cute, too.

Kayla is probably my favorite vet tech, and she was particularly cute with the poodle after surgery to fix his luxating patella - the way she cradled him like a baby and delighted in his swimmer paws.

As always, I appreciate the existence of and publicity for low-cost clinics, but I also appreciate watching a show where the OR is one I'd gladly hand my pet over to.  I wish them success with their second location, and it's impressive they did that in only four years.

I zonked out right around the tattoo parlor; did Dr. Blue go through with it?  His brother was pretty funny giving him a hard time about it.

I also laughed at "I'll wear my best 'tea' shirt" regarding the Alice in Onederland theme party.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Sadly, the dog with mammary tumors had several of them, ovarian tumors, and uterine tumors.  Dr. Blue thinks the mammary tumors were primary, and the ovarian, and uterine were from it spreading.     The owner said they will consult an oncologist, and make sure the dog is pain free.  

[Bastet]

An alpaca and wine event sounds good to me.  And I laughed at Dr. Blue's wife asking him, "Why are you calling me again?" and Dr. Ross's wife sending him to voicemail when they all tried to call their wives to tell them about it.

It was nice seeing them as teachers to the extern.  And Dr. Lavigne acknowledging that if you send a pet home with messy-looking sutures, they think you're a bad surgeon, regardless of the important stuff that went on inside, so suturing is a skill to have.

Watching Bailey try to breathe, and Bailey's mom controlling her tears to go give a happy talk to her in the cage was moving.  It was cute bringing the whole family to pick her up a few days later (and that Dr. Blue said hello to the dog before the husband).

Bentley and his mom were adorable in the exam room, where he kept looking up at her as if to ask what was happening, and then she asked him if he wanted the surgery and declared he said yes.  I didn't think about it until they all commented on it, but he is an uncommon color.  Whatever color fur it's covered in, that face is pretty cute.

I'm not in favor of exotic pets; often they shouldn't be in captivity, and then even where that isn't an issue most people don't know how to properly care for them (how to create the right habitat since it doesn't exist where they are, what to feed, etc.). There's no denying Shredder's dad loves him and, once there was a problem, was ready to do whatever it took to fix it, and will make the necessary changes.  But, damn, folks, educate yourself!

"Would you call the hair on your head fur?"
"No."
"Would you call the skin on Dr. Ross's head scales?"
"Depends on whether he lotions it up."

Ha!

 

[LittleIggy]

I had never seen a cream colored dachshund before. Bentley was adorable. He was so happy to see this mom!
I was tearing up along with Bailey’s mom.

That extern was a hottie! 😏 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I couldn't believe the Tegu lizard was so mellow.    I loved that the dachshund did so well, and Bailey is mending.    The extern would make a nice addition to the practice, and eventually at one of their other locations.   

Edited January 19, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[maxmama]

This show has really grown on me.  I love the relationship between the three docs, but serious and professional when they have to be.  

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, maxmama said:

I love the relationship between the three docs,

I do too - I particularly love the fun (and funny!) ways in which they're competitive with each other, and that they are also incredibly supportive and proud of each other.  They are all as quick with a "damn, that was a good catch/call/job" as they are with a joke.

[LittleIggy]

White Dobermans are albinos. I googled and found a lot of articles about them. Here’s one: http://dobermansden.com/doberman-colors/

[Bastet]

I wasn't home last weekend, and forgot to look for a re-run, but I'm back in the swing tonight.

Walter's problems seem like a result of bad breeding - he's got a heightened version of everything that can typically be wrong with the breed.  Do I need to say again how much I hate breeders?  Nope, moving on.  I'm glad he's doing better.

Hardtime's mom is batshit crazy, but there are far worse things to go crazy over than your dog.  (Was she a breeder?  She said she was his third owner, but then said something about him being repossessed, so I wasn't sure if she'd bred him and wound up getting him back, or if she had nothing to do with his origin and just became his third and final owner after he got passed around from bad home to bad home.)  His breathing, distended abdomen, and the color of his gums freaked me out through the TV.  I hope they can keep on top of his condition for some time to come.

The flatulent opossum was very cute.  We have a fair number of opossums in my neighborhood, and I occasionally have one living in my wood pile; I have a soft spot for them.

I am not down with birds as pets, but Diego's mom has taken care of him for 18 years and loves him; now that he is a captive bird, I like that Cy-Fair is helping her care for him.

I know it's partially for the show, to cut down on the need for talking heads, but the way the vets talk the techs through what's going to happen and why is nice; it supplements their education and training without being patronizing. 

And, of course, it's nice to see a show about a clinic in which there are techs providing monitoring.  This show reflects what I'm used to, in terms of what procedures are done in the dedicated OR, what's just done in the procedure room, the degree of monitoring and sterile procedures for each, after care provided, etc.  I'm never uncomfortable watching this show.

The vets being at varying stages of parenting is an interesting dynamic, with Dr. Lavigne sending his first off into adulthood and Dr. Ross commiserating with how he felt just taking his daughter to daycare.

"Spot me."
"On the treadmill?"
"I may trip and fall off."

That was great, and then, "Actually, I have 100% of the house and I'm letting you use 25%" was even better.  Fun ribbing among the Lavignes. 

[LittleIggy]

Can’t Hardtime (reminds me of the Stephen Foster song) be put on a diuretic? 
Loved the possum. Ever since I petted one at a nature center, I’ve been smitten.

I wonder if the two women vets from last season are running the second clinic.

[CrazyInAlabama]

 

13 hours ago, Bastet said:

"Actually, I have 100% of the house and I'm letting you use 25%" was even better.

This is so hysterical, and so true.     So I guess they have a guest room for summer vacations?  Or if the daughter moves home after college?   

 

My take was poor Hardtime had been sold by a breeder, or pet shop, and was repo'd.   Then was given to another home that wasn't prepared to work with his issues, and then the current owner adopted him.      

[possibilities]

I was having chest pain just watching Hardtime struggle to breathe.

It's hard. I didn't think his person was really  hearing how serious the situation was, and I was glad Blue told her that he could die if he's not kept very calm. I mean... that sounds very dangling by a thread, to me.

I get it, though. I've had cats who were quite far into their dotage and I did not want to think about them leaving. You always want more time, and a handful of miracles besides.

I just hope he's able to enjoy life and isn't just suffering.

---

Blue telling the FFA kids to clean up the field raised so many questions for me. Does FFA not teach them anything? And why were they not familiar with collecting poop? Do they hire others to clean out the stalls? And why were the goat and sheep people just dumping their mess all over the place instead of in a designated area? This is really basic stuff. They had literal trash in the grazing area!! Not just manure, but garbage!! Common sense, people!! Wow.

They seemed to care about the animals, but I can't understand why they didn't have these very basic things on board, especially if they were in some kind of educational program.

--

 

[suomi]

As others have said, I really, really like the docs on this show. They are each a very different "type" and yet are so much alike. I enjoy seeing how their strengths and tics complement and amuse each other.

Don't make me pick a favorite - but Dr Lavigne's poker face and dry humor put me away. 

I don't know enough about the wives to say what each of them is like but it appears so far that all three couples married well in terms of being compatible with their partner. 

I enjoy seeing and learning more about the various staff members as well. When going to a new doctor, have we all had the experience along the way of learning that if you like the staff you will like the doctor? And if you don't like the staff you ain't gonna like the doctor? I see that here. 

Edited February 3, 2020 by suomi
grammar

[pasdetrois]

This show is better now that there are less camera antics and more animals. The organic joking around and brief family scenes are best. During the first season I had a hard time seeing that the vets were skilled and serious about their practice.

Quote

Dr Lavigne's poker face and dry humor put me away.

He is hilarious. Maybe he's more relaxed because he doesn't have little kids underfoot.

It seems as if the family friendships are real and the relationships are strong. Quite rare in reality TV. Do any of the wives have jobs? I think maybe Lavigne's wife?

I enjoyed Hardtime's mom's old-timey accent. Hopefully she doesn't love that dog "too much" to prolong his suffering. Good for her for rescuing him. Now it's time to let him go.

One of my Labs was upcycled, all because his owners didn't understand his need for exercise and companionship. I was his 4th owner when he was nine months old. Don't get a dog if it is going to be alone for 10 hours a day.

ETA: those young FFA steers (cows? bulls?) were adorable. All big eyes and silky coats. I'm really surprised that pasture was trashy. Seems like the teacher and even the kids would know better. Maybe none of them came from a farming background?

Edited February 3, 2020 by pasdetrois

[Popples]

1 hour ago, pasdetrois said:

It seems as if the family friendships are real and the relationships are strong. Quite rare in reality TV. Do any of the wives have jobs? I think maybe Lavigne's wife?

Dr. Lavigne's wife Anne is a caterer I believe and Dr. Blue and Dr. Ross' wives, Jessica and Tauvia respectively, are in the medical field. Jessica helped Dr. Ross a bit with his physical therapy after his car accident and she and Tauvia met up in a medical store looking at walkers and Tauvia mentioned that her experience would help with Ross' recovery.

[LittleIggy]

I think the Lavignes should have let their son move into the bigger room that his sister had vacated. He’ll be going to college in a couple of years. The exercise equipment can go in the smaller bedroom for now.

[Bastet]

Piper's bladder stones were huge, especially the largest one!  I like Dr. Lavigne assuring the owner she may not have missed anything, that sometimes they don't show symptoms until it's advanced.  I suspect there were things (e.g. the straining) she could - and should - have picked up on earlier, but when she did notice a problem, she did what needed to be done, so what matters is to fix it and teach her how to help prevent it happening again - and how to spot it early should it recur.

Anxiety is adorable, but - especially on the heels of last week's episode with the filthy field - I have to wonder about FFA in the area, that his dad thought it would be easy to have a pig; did he just jump the gun, or did they not properly teach?  But, for whatever reason he didn't know what he should, his mom ponied up for the vet visit, so it's a learning experience.  And "Your pig, your poop" was funny. 

Scout was cute with a vet tech draped over him for comfort after his x-rays.  It was nice to see him - with three generations of owners - back to normal.  I like Dr. Blue joking but also impressing upon them how serious it is to prevent him from eating things like socks.

It's interesting that an equine vaccine can work on birds; I would have thought the two species too different (in general, and influenced by my knowledge of Adequan - a drug to treat arthritis - where a canine version was developed after the equine version proved so effective in horses [and the canine version is prescribed off-label for cats because that shit happens frequently], rather than just using the same formula, adjusting the dose for weight, and there's more similarity between horses and dogs than horses and birds).  I was all in for that wild bird facility, giving a good life to and deriving educational opportunities from birds that cannot be released into the wild, until the owner mentioned partnering with the zoo for a breeding program in conjunction with educational programs -- does that mean they're also breeding perfectly healthy and able birds that could survive in the wild and sending them into captivity?  I hope I took that wrong.

The stupid shit the guys do to compete always comes off as fun rather than pathetic; I really enjoy their relationship, so the opening segment was amusing.

[possibilities]

I enjoyed when the brother of the kid who was responsible for Anxiety the Pig was identified as "Anxiety's uncle" in the chyron.

We haven't seen any cats in a while.

I'm always curious why people assume they know an animal's gender when they don't. I get that it can be hard to tell with tortoises, but why guess male if you don't know? This is the second time we've had a story about a tortoise who was assumed to be male but wasn't.

I'm also side-eyeing the FFA program.

Some zoos have breeding programs as a way to stabilize and increase endangered populations. I hope that's what they're doing with the birds. I wasn't sure if maybe the species that the vets weren't familiar with might be in that category.

That bladder stone was shocking.

 

Edited February 9, 2020 by possibilities