Dr. Jeff, Rocky Mountain Vet - General Discussion

[pasdetrois]

Quote

Dr. B. did a good job of explaining the litter box situation to them, about the need to have them in various places.

I think those two loving owners border on kitty hoarders. Anyone with that many cats should know the basic of how to provide the right environment for them.

It must be wonderful to step out of that crowded, noisy, stressful clinic (not a criticism) and into the beautiful Colorado outdoors. What a reward and motivation to keep going.

Hip dysplasia surgery has come such a long way, and I'm grateful on behalf of dogs. 30 years ago my Lab needed help, and the specialty clinic talked me out of the surgery. There were message boards full of posts on how dramatic the surgery and recovery were, with mixed results. If you don't get the surgery, your dog's body compensates in other ways, like Thatcher's loss of muscle tone. My Lab compensated by shifting weight to his front, which caused other serious problems over time.

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

I think those two loving owners border on kitty hoarders.

And if you have nine cats that are all related to each other, you've been breeding them.  So, yeah, add in not knowing the basics about litter boxes, and I wasn't very impressed with them.

[Gwendolyn]

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

And if you have nine cats that are all related to each other, you've been breeding them.  So, yeah, add in not knowing the basics about litter boxes, and I wasn't very impressed with them.

I like how Dr. B explained family can be stressful, you're probably right if they're all related they're breeding Persians or someone wasn't spayed/neutered in a timely manner. Also Hoodie didn't look that good. Kitty needed a good brush. I'm trying to imagine the size of room you'd need for 7 litter boxes in a row. We have 4 boxes for 2 cats and they're in different rooms, because more than one box in a room takes up too much space.

Also I wonder which suburb they're in, Wheat Ridge (where Dr. Jeff is located) you're only allowed 4 cats and unweaned offspring, which is one more than the county allows, either way it's less than 9, so they might not want to be airing they're in violation of anti-pet-hoarding ordinances on a national tv show.

[Rabbittron]

7 minutes ago, Gwendolyn said:

I like how Dr. B explained family can be stressful, you're probably right if they're all related they're breeding Persians or someone wasn't spayed/neutered in a timely manner. Also Hoodie didn't look that good. Kitty needed a good brush. I'm trying to imagine the size of room you'd need for 7 litter boxes in a row. We have 4 boxes for 2 cats and they're in different rooms, because more than one box in a room takes up too much space.

Also I wonder which suburb they're in, Wheat Ridge (where Dr. Jeff is located) you're only allowed 4 cats and unweaned offspring, which is one more than the county allows, either way it's less than 9, so they might not want to be airing they're in violation of anti-pet-hoarding ordinances on a national tv show.

Trust me in Colorado animal control doesn't care about how many pets you have unless someone complained about you. 

[RoxiP]

On ‎10‎/‎10‎/‎2020 at 11:54 PM, LittleIggy said:

My cat Lord Baelish takes a powdered Lysine supplement. If he didn’t, he eyes would be red and weepy. I was amazed to see the cute rattie with the cats. How does one train a cat not to attack a pet rat.

Thanks for posting this because I was wondering where I saw the supplement for a cat with red and weepy eyes (my new kitten's eyes are dreadful and the vet hasn't really said much about it so I was thinking of trying this) so now I know it was Dr. Amy!

[Rammchick]

On 10/11/2020 at 6:16 AM, pasdetrois said:

I think those two loving owners border on kitty hoarders. Anyone with that many cats should know the basic of how to provide the right environment for them.

I agree, I was thinking the same thing while watching it.  Not to mention how much their house must stink with all those litter boxes in it.

[LittleIggy]

59 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

Thanks for posting this because I was wondering where I saw the supplement for a cat with red and weepy eyes (my new kitten's eyes are dreadful and the vet hasn't really said much about it so I was thinking of trying this) so now I know it was Dr. Amy!

I order Tomlyn Immune Support L-Lysine Supplement from Amazon. I sprinkle the powder on canned food and mix it up. Baelish gobbles it up.

[RoxiP]

10 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

I order Tomlyn Immune Support L-Lysine Supplement from Amazon. I sprinkle the powder on canned food and mix it up. Baelish gobbles it up.

Again, thanks.  This is a little kitty I picked up in a parking lot (alongside I-20) a couple of months ago - he is mostly Siamese and I adore him but his little eyes are always weeping.  My vet thought it might be allergies but it never goes away, and his symptoms match the cat's shown on Dr. Jeff this week so I'm going to go and read and make sure this supplement will not harm him (not that I think it would but I always check) and then order it.  I tried to give him Benadryl (at the advice of my vet) but Frankie V isn't NOT having it.  (Funny thing though, he loved the pain pills I had to give him after his neutering appointment - he might have a potential drug problem in his future...LOL!)

[SRTouch]

17 hours ago, Gwendolyn said:

I like how Dr. B explained family can be stressful, you're probably right if they're all related they're breeding Persians or someone wasn't spayed/neutered in a timely manner. Also Hoodie didn't look that good. Kitty needed a good brush. I'm trying to imagine the size of room you'd need for 7 litter boxes in a row. We have 4 boxes for 2 cats and they're in different rooms, because more than one box in a room takes up too much space.

I had same thoughts. Sure, someone may fall in love with a litter and keep them all, but I was thinking potential backyard breeder situation - especially as that poor guy does not look groomed. I know some cats hate grooming, but believe, especially with long haired breeds, you have to stay on top of it or they'll mat and be miserable. I have one long hair that I have to brush a little at a time and occasionally break out the scissors to cut a tummy mat cuz he won't permit the brush down there. OTOH at least these folks pay attention to their cats enough to know Hoody was off and got him in to be seen by a vet

17 hours ago, Gwendolyn said:

Also I wonder which suburb they're in, Wheat Ridge (where Dr. Jeff is located) you're only allowed 4 cats and unweaned offspring, which is one more than the county allows, either way it's less than 9, so they might not want to be airing they're in violation of anti-pet-hoarding ordinances on a national tv show.

No comment - only permitted 3 cats here so these others must be here on a play date

[chenoa333]

2 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Not to mention how much their house must stink with all those litter boxes in it.

In my experience, litter boxes only stink if the cat owners don't clean them at least a couple times a day. And male cats who aren't neutered will definitely contribute to the smell.

But it's up to the pet owners to keep their pets litter boxes clean and fresh. Same with dog owners. Keep your backyards scooped of poop daily or twice a day. If your pets living conditions are stinky...so are you.

[RoxiP]

1 hour ago, chenoa333 said:

In my experience, litter boxes only stink if the cat owners don't clean them at least a couple times a day. And male cats who aren't neutered will definitely contribute to the smell.

But it's up to the pet owners to keep their pets litter boxes clean and fresh. Same with dog owners. Keep your backyards scooped of poop daily or twice a day. If your pets living conditions are stinky...so are you.

I have one of those litter boxes that self-cleans...it is great.  Expensive but I only have to replace the litter once a month so I just grin and pay for it...certainly worth it to keep my bedroom from smelling like a cat box (unless the puppy gets into it before the self-cleaning mechanism works).

[chenoa333]

3 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

I have one of those litter boxes that self-cleans...it is great.  Expensive but I only have to replace the litter once a month so I just grin and pay for it...certainly worth it to keep my bedroom from smelling like a cat box (unless the puppy gets into it before the self-cleaning mechanism works).

Thanks for that info on the self cleaning litter box. Good to know!

[Bastet]

L-Lysine works great for cats whose herpes is flaring up (just like, whether or not they ever show symptoms, most humans carry the herpes virus that causes cold sores [HSV1], most cats have the herpes virus that causes upper respiratory symptoms [FHV1]*); it's almost always enough to tamp down a flare-up (sometimes you'll need an anti-viral like famciclovir, and even an antibiotic for a secondary infection, but that's only when it progresses).

I have L-Lysine pills on hand for when I feel a cold sore coming on (or any time I know my immune system is being challenged and thus a cold sore may develop), so when I had a cat prone to flare-ups I'd just crush the appropriate amount of a pill into her food at the first sign of a watery eye.  Easy peasy.

*There are three other viruses that can be responsible for your garden variety URI in cats, but it's usually herpes.

[RoxiP]

Ordered some today.  From what I read there is no downside to giving him the supplement (and of course my older cat who eats from the same bowl - I tried to separate them into kitten/adult cat food but the big old guy apparently has developed a taste for kitten food and helps himself).

[LittleIggy]

11 hours ago, RoxiP said:

Again, thanks.  This is a little kitty I picked up in a parking lot (alongside I-20) a couple of months ago - he is mostly Siamese and I adore him but his little eyes are always weeping.  My vet thought it might be allergies but it never goes away, and his symptoms match the cat's shown on Dr. Jeff this week so I'm going to go and read and make sure this supplement will not harm him (not that I think it would but I always check) and then order it.  I tried to give him Benadryl (at the advice of my vet) but Frankie V isn't NOT having it.  (Funny thing though, he loved the pain pills I had to give him after his neutering appointment - he might have a potential drug problem in his future...LOL!)

Baelish’s vet approved the supplement. It’s not expensive and will last a long time since the dosage is so small.

[Bastet]

It was great to see the people and pets of Pine Ridge get this help; the poverty level, health condition, and unemployment and school drop-out rate on the reservation is staggering -- the people are hideously under-served, and there's just nothing for the pets.  Sixty five miles from nearest vet, which no one can afford anyway.  But in one day, 150 animals served.  Fantastic.

That girl regarding education as her way off the res, yet wanting to bring veterinary services back to it, was touching.  The odds are not remotely in her favor, so I liked Dr. Jeff encouraging her.  I hope PPP does go back through that organization I'm forgetting the name of, and she gets a chance to volunteer.

Leela's bone was sure a mess; I missed a little bit of that segment, so don't know if they knew how she hurt herself.

Aku doing that abdominal pain stretch made me sad, as my cat has recurring intestinal problems specialists cannot quite diagnose the source of (yet; we're only a few months into this process and there was another problem to deal with first, so hopefully we can still get her figured out and back to 100%), so her treatment is not always effective - sometimes she's uncomfortable and assumes that position.  Seeing him running around the yard with his toys made me happy; every night my cat does her usual intensive play routine, it brings me such joy.

Cooper dragging Shelley down the hall so that she asked, "Are you sure we need to do this?" about his hip surgery was cute.  It's interesting that it sounds like they don't even do hip replacements at PPP, even if the owner could afford it; I know the FHO surgery is considered an acceptable alternative for cats and small dogs, but my understanding is replacement is the preferred surgery for larger dogs. Who knows - there's so much backstory to each of these cases we don't get into.  The important thing is he'll be able to do all the basic things without pain.  From the way he was running through the snow, it seemed to have worked quite well.

Koda the walk-in patient being brought to Denver where she's now a pampered pooch rather than begging for scraps at the general store is a lovely story.  One I'm not surprised by - she's quite the adoptable dog.

Edited October 18, 2020 by Bastet

[pasdetrois]

Blessings on Dr. Jeff and staff for their work at Pine Ridge. Dr. Oakley volunteers in Alaska native villages, and there is a non-profit that volunteers on the Navajo reservations. The need is great to reduce the populations of the rez dogs.

Edited October 18, 2020 by pasdetrois

[LittleIggy]

I like seeing “cat guys” like Leela’s dad. ❤️ As for how she got injured, they said a headboard stored in the basement fell on her.

[EighteenTwelve]

Am I the only one shocked that a puppy who came from somewhere suspect didn't actually have parvo?

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, EighteenTwelve said:

Am I the only one shocked that a puppy who came from somewhere suspect didn't actually have parvo?

Not at all.  Part of what I was yelling at that idiot for buying from a breeder, especially a backyard breeder (seriously, in this the year 2020 - or probably 2019 when this was filmed - I am completely out of patience; if you don't know, it's because you've chosen to ignore it) was that the poor girl probably had Parvo.  But then the timeline with the food change (another Pets 101 mistake - when she already had a house full of pets!) became clear and I had some hope.  I'm glad that's all it was.

I watched this episode at my parents' house, and one of their cats hates orange cats.  We have no idea why, but any time one comes through the yard, he goes ballistic.  Other cats, he may get all puffed up and defend his territory or he may chill with them, it can go either way.  But any and all orange cats?  Mortal enemy!  The point of this family anecdote?  He hissed at the TV when Tigger had his close-up.

I loved Selee's owner's attitude; he was tearing up, and wondering how he'd live without her, but so grateful she was going on 16 great years (a terrific lifespan for a dog that size) and that he'd been able to buy her some more good time.

Poor Asher (found by the airport and brought to PPP's adoption service) looked so sad.  I hope, if he hadn't already found a home, this episode leads to him being sought out for adoption.

I'd love for one of the various season-ending specials they do from time to time to focus on how (the why is obvious) the staff opt for a high-volume/low-cost clinic; we know how Dr. Jeff and Petra make it work, but what about the other vets, the techs, and the front office staff?  They're making less than what is already not a big salary.  Student loans?  Cost of living?  These things don't go away in the face of the satisfaction that comes from doing good - you still have to pay bills and hopefully have some left for at least a little indulgence.  Are they all just happy with a modest living?  Do they supplement their income?  Do they have savings from a prior career and/or family help? 

I'm a public interest lawyer (civil rights law - focused on women's rights - through a non-profit), and so many of the possibilities I named had to exist and be created/accepted for me to have the lifestyle I want doing the work I love.  You can't just up and decide "I'm going to lead a life of service", and sometimes this show gives the impression it would be a simple thing for any and all vets to run a practice like Dr. Jeff's.  I'd like to see a deeper dive into how his staff's circumstances and sacrifices makes that happen.

[DonnaMae]

Why was this episode called "Petra's Pigs"?  I must have missed part of the episode.

[LittleIggy]

12 hours ago, EighteenTwelve said:

Am I the only one shocked that a puppy who came from somewhere suspect didn't actually have parvo?

I was afraid of that, too. She got lucky. Cardi was a cutie. 

[Ashforth]

On 10/25/2020 at 3:07 PM, Bastet said:

I'd love for one of the various season-ending specials they do from time to time to focus on how (the why is obvious) the staff opt for a high-volume/low-cost clinic; we know how Dr. Jeff and Petra make it work, but what about the other vets, the techs, and the front office staff?  They're making less than what is already not a big salary.  Student loans?  Cost of living?  These things don't go away in the face of the satisfaction that comes from doing good - you still have to pay bills and hopefully have some left for at least a little indulgence.  Are they all just happy with a modest living?  Do they supplement their income?  Do they have savings from a prior career and/or family help? 

It's a good question. I would guess that the non-vet staff is probably not paid less than the usual going rate, because the usual going rate for those jobs is unfortunately not that much (from what I understand). 

[Bastet]

It was nice to check back in with the training center; I had kind of forgotten about that.  I'm glad that dog lady took Oreo in.  And Baileys's owner getting to sit there and hug her until she wakes up was adorable.  As was the girl who sleeps with five kittens.

Petra saying "Surprisingly, we still like each other" cracked me up, because, yeah, there's no way I could spend that much time with anyone.  And I really appreciated her understanding of the trust involved given how unfamiliar these folks are with vets in general, let alone outsiders.  I also laughed at her guinea pigs getting the spare bedroom, and Fred sitting there watching them. 

Lola the jaguar (which Dr. Jeff joins an annoying number of sports broadcasters in pronouncing "jagwire") was pretty. 

Olivia tilted her head and partially raised her ears at one point, and it was seriously cute! 

Poor Pepper, with the joints of a senior at just four years old.  Screw those puppy mill people. 

And screw those "well, if you're going to spay her, we don't want her back" assholes, but Doris is much better off getting healthy and adopted out to good owners, so it's good it happened.  I'm glad Susan's sister took her; it always pains me when a rescue takes in a mamma and puppies/kittens, and the babies all get homes quickly but the adult waits and waits.

[LittleIggy]

Pepper’s dad was so sweet. He really loves her. I’m glad that poor sweetheart got such a great home.

[Gwendolyn]

17 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Pepper’s dad was so sweet. He really loves her. I’m glad that poor sweetheart got such a great home.

I got a kick out of him saying his wife was jealous of Pepper, because he really adores that dog, which considering the rough start she had in life, I'm so glad she found such a happy home. I know the drive to stop puppy mills has lead to pet stores doing adoption deals with local pet shelters, but until there are laws with real penalties, that stop people from selling dogs on-line puppy mills will exist and thrive.

And poor Doris, I'm glad she found a home in which to thrive. She was really still just a pup herself.

And its awesome seeing the clinic in Mexico take off. We take for granted our access to vet care. I may complain how it's bankrupting me, but I have not only access to good vets, but I have three 24 hr emergency vets within a 10 minute drive of my house. I can't imagine not even having a vet for the most basic care: spay/neuter and vaccines. Then again there are people that live in places without doctors, let alone veterinarians.

 

[RoxiP]

On Facebook today somebody was little for a tiny puppy for a birthday gift for her mother-in-law and somebody recommended Dog Alley which is at First Monday, a long-standing trade days monthly event.  I immediately got online and told them to be very careful - there are lots of puppy mills around Canton (where First Monday is held) and one was even featured on Pit Bulls and Parolees.  I told her to be very careful about buying a dog there.  Do people never learn?

[Bastet]

Gracie jumping into the car of the person trying to shoo her out of the street is a great story.  She's adorably friendly.  It's a shame for her to get cancer at that age; it sucks any time, but you really feel cheated when it happens when they're younger.  But better to have had these years with her than to have never come across her that day.  "Do your best, and cross your fingers. ... You love them the best you can, and you let them go when you have to."  Dr. Jeff has it right.

Foxtails are awful; they can do so much damage!  Pretzel was really happy the next morning for a dog who had almost all her teeth yanked.  Good drugs, but her mouth probably already felt better with dulled pain than it had before.  She had such personality in her new home; definitely a happy ending.

The vaccine clinic at the food pantry had me wondering a bit; if these folks are having trouble affording vaccinations and food, how many of those pets aren't fixed?  Yet the clinic was just for shots, not spay/neuter.  Because the neighborhood is nearby, maybe PPP gave vouchers to anyone seen that day with an unaltered pet, to bring them in later for surgery.

Abel's owner's frustration and fear that tests didn't reveal what was wrong, and worrying that no one will figure it out - been there, done that, so I was glad he just needed to be flushed out really well and then use a diet change to fight future inflammation. 

A wildlife refuge with skyscrapers in the background is quite a sight.  Dr. B jumping a little when the bison calf in the chute moved made me smile, as did him telling her/him, "Thank you," after he finished taking the blood sample.

[Sewlitaire]

Andy's wings getting clipped was hard for me to watch. Why not let him fly around the house? Sure, you gotta make sure he doesn't fly outside since he isn't a big guy but that's just being a responsible pet owner. Why get a bird if you don't want it to fly? 

[SRTouch]

On 11/12/2020 at 2:50 PM, Sewlitaire said:

Andy's wings getting clipped was hard for me to watch. Why not let him fly around the house? Sure, you gotta make sure he doesn't fly outside since he isn't a big guy but that's just being a responsible pet owner. Why get a bird if you don't want it to fly? 

Best bird I ever had was a cockatiel named Sunny. She had originally been sold to someone who knew nothing about birds and returned to a family owned pet store with a broken wing. They planned to just let her live her life at the store since she was no longer marketable. Then some sucker (me) expressed interest in her and they gave her to me free of charge - and sold me a couple hundred bucks worth of crap (cage/food/toys/etc.) Lol to take with her. Sunny couldn't really fly, though she could glide she didn't have any lift. She would circle around a room, steadily losing altitude until she was on the floor. I had her for years, and she would hop along following me from room to room and come when called. A real sweety....... but she would FREAK if you came into a room wearing black gloves. Never knew for sure, but I always thought her wing was broken by some idiot grabbing her while wearing gloves.

Edited November 13, 2020 by SRTouch

[pasdetrois]

I knew a parrot who hated towel turbans, like you wrap wet hair in. He'd slam himself down into the bottom corner of the cage and fuss like nobody's business.

[Bastet]

This woman seriously named her rabbit Negro because he's black.  I know it's the masculine form of "black" in Spanish, and it's pronounced like naygro, but she doesn't live in Spain, she lives in the U.S., and when most people here see that on a chart, they'll read it as nee-gro.  Yikes.

I sympathized with Christine, as I'm a bit uncomfortable handling birds.  I love watching them in my yard, but when a bird is injured or stuck and needs my help, I'm a little nervous.  My cat Maddie was fascinated by pigeons; they used to hang out on the railings of the building next door to the condo we lived in for a while, and she'd sit in my office window watching them come and go for hours.  She may have been intrigued by their size, I don't know.

Prince has a very expressive face; his poor owner, being looked at like, "Dad, help" -- that "I don't feel good" look was breaking my heart, and when that look is on your own pet's face it's horrible.  The son in that family saying he prayed and cried while waiting to find out if Prince would be okay was beautiful; I hope he stands strong in the face of any teasing by classmates he might get for it when this airs.  (I'm still horrified by the memory of my junior high Spanish teacher revealing her absence the previous day was due to her cat being taken away by an owl in front of her and most of the boys in the class laughing.  I hope we as a society are moving past that bullshit, but I don't know; sometimes I think toxic masculinity is getting worse, not better.)

Speaking of expressive faces, the llama guy was right -- that one llama really did look like "I know you're up to something I'm not going to like".

Hector jokingly asking which Shelly had the nasty personality, the turtle or the vet tech, and Dr. B. saying the turtle's knees were like Dr. Jeff's since they don't move much, was funny.  I like the teasing that comes from them all working together a long time.

[Gwendolyn]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

This woman seriously named her rabbit Negro because he's black.  I know it's the masculine form of "black" in Spanish, and it's pronounced like naygro, but she doesn't live in Spain, she lives in the U.S., and when most people here see that on a chart, they'll read it as nee-gro.  Yikes.

Sometimes people don't think names through (pets or kids). Say it out loud, think of how it's going to sound calling it at the park or the clinic. What seems clever might not sound right.

Mind, I was slightly distracted when the bunnies came on, because I had just seen my big ol' dog in the set up shot, so I think they're using stuff from fall 2019 based on the collar he was wearing.

I felt so bad for Prince because there as clearly something wrong, but no obvious cause. I've been through that and because dogs can't tell you what they were doing the vet is left treating symptoms and hoping the cause is temporary. He had such a sweet and expressive face. Glad the antibiotics were clearing up whatever caused the pain and swelling.

Also that llama had a helluva kick when they gave him the anesthetic shot. He might not miss his balls, but he is not going to trust anyone around there for some time.

[DonnaMae]

Dr. Nichols no longer works for PPP, Inc., does she?  I wonder why she goes on outside trips to ranches.

[LittleIggy]

I agree with the comments re: the name “Negro.” Oy, lady! 🙄
Coco the Frenchie was so precious. 🥰 Glad it was just an abscess.

Edited November 16, 2020 by LittleIggy

[Bastet]

Whoever threw the pregnant cat over a 10-foot fence ought to be tossed into a big, burning hole, but I'm glad the cat was found by someone who did right by her.  Everyone going gaga over the basket of kittens was cute.  I'm most glad the momma got a home, too; I get sad - and angry, quite frankly - when the kittens all get snatched up but no one wants the mom.  I'm sure it helped that she was so young herself.

Hannah looked so unhappy, like, "Oh, I really wish I hadn't gotten on that damn trampoline."  I wonder why they didn't put a pin in the one bone, since all four were broken -- I guess that one was a lesser break and would just fuse back together on its own with the foot splinted.

Pebbles lived up to her name in a very bad way - those were a shit ton of stones in her bladder!

Dr. B: [Extols virtues of snake patient].
Dr. Jeff: It's still a snake.

Right on, brother; they give me the heebie-jeebies, too.

I also laughed at taking Dr. B. along to treat the gators because of his reptile anesthesia expertise and Hector going "because we use him as bait".   

[Gramto6]

Enjoyed this show. Love all the  kitties, I want them all...sadly can't take them. Feeding 3 feral cats I'm trying to TNR but they are so fearful it is going to take time.

LOL, I'm with Jeff, no snakes, no way!

[SRTouch]

9 hours ago, Bastet said:

Whoever threw the pregnant cat over a 10-foot fence ought to be tossed into a big, burning hole, but I'm glad the cat was found by someone who did right by her.  Everyone going gaga over the basket of kittens was cute.  I'm most glad the momma got a home, too; I get sad - and angry, quite frankly - when the kittens all get snatched up but no one wants the mom.  I'm sure it helped that she was so young herself.

I hear you. Over the years I've ended up with 3 stray mommas that were left after I found homes for the kittens. Not that I'm complaining (too much) as two are on my lap as I type this. Sadly, #3 (Little Bit) crossed the Bridge 6-7 years ago after living with me for 13 years.

 

Edited November 22, 2020 by SRTouch

[Emkat]

This show makes me so emotional! The clinic employees are such wonderful people.  Then add in the loving, appreciative owners and a basket of kittens and I am done for! 😭

[chenoa333]

16 hours ago, Bastet said:

Whoever threw the pregnant cat over a 10-foot fence ought to be tossed into a big, burning hole,

I would happily volunteer for that! 

[Bastet]

8 hours ago, SRTouch said:

I hear you. Over the years I've ended up with 3 stray mommas that were left after I found homes for the kittens. Not that I'm complaining (too much) as two are on my lap as I type this. Sadly, #3 (Little Bit) crossed the Bridge 6-7 years ago after living with me for 13 years.

I'm glad those three stray mommas found their way to you.  When I was a kid, a one-eyed black feral cat started appearing in the yard, so my dad promptly named him One-Eyed Jack and we started feeding him.  Only to soon realize "he" was pregnant, so we renamed her Jackie.  She had six kittens under a neighbor's house, and when the kittens were old enough we snatched them up, socialized them, got them fixed, and found homes (we kept one). 

We also kept Jackie (not a long line of takers for a feral, black, one-eyed cat, but we didn't even try - she'd chosen us, and we loved her), who thankfully quickly adjusted to sleeping in the garage at night (my parents live in the hills, so coyotes are a real danger) as long as she could be out during the day.  And we were actually able to domesticate her in time.  She got used to the house, to us, and to the cat we already had when she and her daughter (Mitsie) came into the family.  We could never rub her belly (which is why we didn't find her tumor until it metastasized) or hold her for more than a few seconds, but she loved to be petted and loved to play (foam cat-sized soccer balls were her favorite; it was pretty early on that she'd sit out on the patio with one in her mouth and meow for someone to come out and play).

She also saved me from a baby rattlesnake.  I was washing my grandpa's car in the driveway, when there was this commotion that turned out to be Jackie climbing up and over the side yard gate (it was tall because there was a motorhome behind it).  It turned out she was chasing the snake that had slithered under the gate, but instead of catching it, she ran past it, and got between it and me to go at it from that direction.  By this time I'd spotted what was happening, and snatched Jackie up and ran away, hollering for my grandpa to kill the snake.

She was a tough ol' broad, but also a sweetheart.

Oops, I got a bit sidetracked.  Back to the show ...

6 hours ago, Emkat said:

The clinic employees are such wonderful people. 

I love the vet techs.  I mean, I love the vets, and Susan, and Melody, but vet techs don't make much money in a regular practice; even if they, unlike the vets, are paid market value, the high volume still means they're working extra hard for the money.  But they're there, long-term, providing care and lots of love.  Shelly, the head tech, is my favorite, because she wears a bunch of shirts with pitbull-positive messages and smooches all her patients, but they all delight me every week with how they interact with the animals.

I read that Shelly was working as a server at a restaurant Dr. Jeff started to frequent; they got to talking about his practice, she was a fierce lover of animals and advocate for both spay/neuter and low-cost services, and he invited her to come learn on the job. That's another thing I love about Dr. Jeff - how he mentors people, provides opportunities, and will live in perpetuity via his education (those he teaches will teach others, who will teach others, and on and on forever).

Edited November 22, 2020 by Bastet

[Gwendolyn]

One thing I appreciated was how they slowly weened mama cat away from her kittens, when they went for a check up the lady that runs the adoptions made sure she wasn't too stressed.

If people don't want random puppies or kittens, spay or neuter. You don't toss them over a fence. At least this mama ended up in a good place.

While kittens are cute, just a shout out for older pets. The queen bee upstairs was 6 when we got her from DDFL and she's going strong at 13. My little ginger man was supposedly 2 (because the shelter we got him from charged more for young cats), but Dr. B says he was somewhere between 2 & 10 and we'll never know. Older cats, like older dogs, are so grateful and just as sweet and loving. Plus life span is a crap shoot. We adopted a 2 yr old Chihuahua mix who barely made it 5 because of heart problems versus the 6 yr old mastiffs, that just passed 11 yrs. You just love them while you have them.

As for the snake, I agree with Dr. Jeff. When you can pet one at the zoo, I take the opportunity (they don't feel like I expected them to), but heck to the no as a pet.

[Rammchick]

I'm a reptile person -- clearly in the minority here -- and have had wonderful snake and lizard pets over the years.  Fearing snakes is innate -- even our primate relatives fear snakes.  Nothing wrong with healthy respect, so long as snakes aren't killed just for being snakes (something you guys would never do, I'm sure).  They're important members of the ecosystem.

Speaking of reptiles, I didn't quite understand why Dr Jeff did the surgery on the gator, when Dr B is the reptile/exotic vet in the practice.

I'm allergic to cats and have never had one as a pet, but that mama cat had such a cute face!

Edited November 23, 2020 by Rammchick

[Bastet]

55 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

Nothing wrong with healthy respect, so long as snakes aren't killed just for being snakes (something you guys would never do, I'm sure).

Of course not; I don't like them, I don't want to be around them, but I don't want harm to come to them.  Like kids, only easier to avoid.

[nitrofishblue]

I am not a great lover of snakes but I respect and love all creatures of God. Way back when my step-son was seven, he wanted a corn snake for his birthday. Dear dad got him one. It was a baby and looked like a pencil. See the photo. The second photo was taken about five years ago. He has grown more. I have no idea how long a corn snake lives.

Well, the boy's mother hated the snake and refused in helping take care of it. Dad had to drive 25 miles every two weeks to feed it. Mom decided to flush the snake down the toilet when she was evicted.

As I said I am not a snake lover but I could not allow her to do that. I told dad to go get the snake and we would take it. Fast forward to today when the step-son is now 32 years old and we still have Barney (his name). He is now just a tad bit bigger like about four foot long. I have learned how to accept him (or it).

To be honest I am a dog lover and was a volunteer at the local SPCA for 17 years. I always joke that the snake is so very low maintenance. He gets fed every 2-3 weeks, never needs to go out for a walk, doesn't piss off the neighbors with barking, doesn't poop in the neighbor's yard, doesn't require toys, doesn't pee on the carpet. He has become a family member. A couple of years ago he gave us a scare. A visitor was looking at him and had taken the weights off the screen topper, leaving it a bit skewed. Of course he decided it would be a good idea to go exploring. It became quite the search looking for him. At that time we had two dogs. I was afraid one of them might have gotten old of him. Couldn't find a trace of the boy. About a week later I was pulling my car out of the garage. I noticed a funny orange pile curled up against the concrete wall on the inside of the garage. It was Barney and it was like he was frozen. This was in February so it was cold. We got him back into his tank with the heating pad going. He surprised all of us by thawing out and was as good as could be. He is fine and just shed over the weekend

[Gwendolyn]

5 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Nothing wrong with healthy respect, so long as snakes aren't killed just for being snakes (something you guys would never do, I'm sure).

Oh, no, no I'd never harm a snake. Now scream and run away when they slither through the grass while I'm picking up dog poo, that's a entirely different matter (we have garter snakes in the back yard).

There's a pet for all types. I'm all about dogs and cats, my cousin is horse crazy, my sister-in-law is all about her guinea pigs. All that matters is responsible pet owners and people do their research before getting a pet.

nitrofishblue  I think it's great you took on Barney! I'd take in a snake too, before I let someone flush it.

[SRTouch]

1 hour ago, Gwendolyn said:

There's a pet for all types. I'm all about dogs and cats, my cousin is horse crazy, my sister-in-law is all about her guinea pigs. All that matters is responsible pet owners and people do their research before getting a pet.

I grew up with dogs and cats. Back then I would have said I was a dog person who loved all animals.Then came 20 years as a single soldier......l didn't feel it right to get a companion animal knowing I could be deployed and be gone for 6 months on short notice or sent overseas for even longer....... once I retired I found my first pet - a cockatiel with a broken wing that the pet store gave me (course spent a lot getting a cage/toys/food etc). I got the bird because my landlord mistakenly thought a caged bird couldn't damage an apartment - so Sunny peeled wallpaper off the wall😦 Then I got into feeding ferals, and for past 20 years I have averaged 6 cats at a time, as I am the WORST foster person and always seem to end up with at least the mama cat after kittens find homes. In addition to my rescues cats, I also ended up with rats (1 pet rat showed up on the patio years ago, and got her a companion rat, so on and on so. Now I have 3 rats and the original, Hanna, passed on years at least 10 years ago.

[LittleIggy]

I really liked the Alligator Girl working at her uncle’s alligator sanctuary over the summer. She was fearless!

[Bastet]

I liked the Spay Panama segment.  The dogs brought over from a neighboring island all conked out together after surgery was so cute, how one's paws were on top of another.

Poor Nitro; it's heart-wrenching when they so visibly don't feel well.  I love the trick of having Mom and Dad come try to feed him to see if that would work to get him to eat; I've done that when my cats have been hospitalized, and sometimes it works.

And poor little Fred, with his Napoleon complex winding him up in surgery with torn muscle and a bruised kidney.  He has such cute spots on his shaved belly.

To dump your pet because you don't want to pay what a low-cost clinic would charge takes a special breed of asshole, especially when it's a kitten and you don't even know the cause and thus the treatment and prognosis.  I bet it was a breeder who considered her defective - since the poor little cat couldn't make her/him money, just dump her.  I love that Jes fell for her.  I mean, the fact someone selectively bred to continue a genetic mutation, creating a "designer" breed with all kinds of problems many who simply must have one aren't equipped to deal with is a decades-long problem, but this little cat exists, got dumped, and now will have love and appropriate care.

I've always loved how Fred and Tina just hang out together all day while Jeff and Jes work, so add GiGi into the mix and I nearly squealed.  GiGi snuggling up to Tina's fur to get warm and Fred giving the nekkid cat a bath?!  I love it.  And I love Jes calling them his daughters, and laughing at the fact he has a long-haired Dalmation and a hairless cat.

[jaimesommers]

I laughed when Jeff was leaving for his trip to Panama and Petra told him, “Fred and I will miss you. The cat will not.” 😆