Dr. Jeff, Rocky Mountain Vet - General Discussion

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Rabbittron said:

The spay and neuter is not only for the TV show if you want to be a patient of his you must have your pets spayed and neutered you have no choice in the matter.

I know; I said the show was just one of several key ways the clinic's spay/neuter policy is made readily available to potential clients even before they come in and are informed of it.  And of course it isn't only for the show; it's his mission to battle the pet overpopulation crisis.  His reasons are well stated (not to mention well founded), and those who don't want to accept the policy have numerous other options in the area.

I only saw tonight's episode during commercials, and didn't record, so I'll have to watch the midnight repeat.  I'm glad to hear all the stories featured had happy outcomes; this series focuses heavily on those, so it's a safe bet, but it's good to know.

Edited July 15, 2018 by Bastet

[2727]

You know who we haven't seen in a while is the shorter, dark-haired receptionist who was learning to be a vet tech. She's been with Dr. Jeff for years and I think was one of his cross country students.

I kind of want Amy and Don to start dating. They're both so adorable!

[Bastet]

Coco is adorable; I love the coloring on her head, and the way she perked up and started sticking her paws through the cage door the next day was cute - and her with her cat tree was even cuter.

Zena’s scan showed brain damage, and recovery from jaw reconstruction surgery is intense; I was really hoping it was worth it.  Her whimpering when Dr. Jeff examined her was hard to listen to.  But, wow – like Dr. Jeff said, her transformation the next day was profound (and surprising).  What a happy ending.

The young woman who got attached to the rats used as a prank and devoted herself to taking care of them was nice.  When I was a young teen, a friend had a pet rat and I used to play/cuddle with him or her.  I have no interest in having one, or, quite frankly, even in handling one now, but they’re cute and sociable and I liked her bond with them.  Not to mention Petunia’s cute tiny paws.  And of course Shelley (the vet tech) kissed her; she smooches all her patients, and it’s sweet.

I like all the other alpacas gathered at the fence, watching, like, “What are they doing to our buddy?!”

[SunnyBeBe]

I love the policy on mandatory spay and neutering. Apparently many pet owners don't have the proper judgment to have it done. Recall the cat last week who was gone for a week and returned home injured?  The pet owner said the cat was her other baby.  Really?  She allows the female cat, who is not spayed to roam freely outside? Hmmm...glad the clinic insisted on spaying her. 

I've really come to respect Dr. Jeff's wife.  She seems to be quite a talented surgeon.  I can't help but, wonder what she would look like with her natural hair color, though. lol

I realize that neutering flock animals in the field is necessary, but, every time I see them with those big bolt cutter looking things, I just cringe.  It still seems so primitive to me.  

Edited July 15, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[LittleIggy]

Go Paco! Glad he got a good forever home. He was quite a trooper.

Why do dogs eat such ridiculous ??

[2727]

I fell in love with Cappuccino The Beautiful. Such a loving and calm nature, too.

Owners think they're doing their cats a favor and being nice by letting them outside to roam and indulge in prey behavior, but somehow they don't recognize the danger. "I love this animal so much! Now go play in the street at night."

[SunnyBeBe]

7 hours ago, 2727 said:

I fell in love with Cappuccino The Beautiful. Such a loving and calm nature, too.

Owners think they're doing their cats a favor and being nice by letting them outside to roam and indulge in prey behavior, but somehow they don't recognize the danger. "I love this animal so much! Now go play in the street at night."

I agree that letting the pets out to roam at night seems to be common around Denver.  I don't get it.  Don't these people read anything about pet care or watch tv shows about animals?  It's hardly a new concept that letting a pet roam freely is unsafe and often illegal.  I have read that this idea that the pet needs to roam freely is a figment of the human's imagination and not based on any real feelings that an animal has. 

 Rarely, will a cat who goes outside near a road, be lucky enough to make it very long.   We did see a neighborhood cat who was clever enough to use a drainage pipe underneath the road to get to the other side!  But, he was killed by some other method, as he disappeared one day.  

Dr. Jeff really must have a servant's heart.  He is so devoted to helping the animals in poor communities.  He seems to never take off work.  I'm not sure that seeing all of that poverty for both the humans and animals wouldn't be too stressful for me.  I admire him for his efforts. 

Edited July 22, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[LittleIggy]

7 hours ago, 2727 said:

I fell in love with Cappuccino The Beautiful. Such a loving and calm nature, too.

Owners think they're doing their cats a favor and being nice by letting them outside to roam and indulge in prey behavior, but somehow they don't recognize the danger. "I love this animal so much! Now go play in the street at night."

There was a PSA with a little girl running around the neighborhood. The voiceover was the mother saying the typical things a cat owner who lets their cat out say. Stuff like “She fusses until I let her out; she always comes home, etc.” The message was would you let your child out to run free the way you do your cat.

[nitrofishblue]

I volunteer at the local spca. I hear folks talk all the time about their cats. They feel that it is OK to let cats roam freely at night. However, they don't allow their dogs to roam. The leash law and big fine helps that. Maybe there should be the same restrictions on cats.

[SunnyBeBe]

I don't think cat owners realize that not only do the cats risk their own health, but, they can make enemies in the neighborhood by walking on neighbor's cars and leaving paw prints on top. The cats may capture and kill birds and squirrels on neighbor's property, when they don't want them killed. And, they can meow and make a lot of noise outside other people's houses.  That can be annoying. So, as a cat owner, you really take a chance that someone may harm your cat to keep them off their property.  That's on the pet owner, imo.  OH, additionally cats can get diseases from other cats that they may come into contact with like feline FIV.  

https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_ct_feline_immunodeficiency_virus_infection

Ok.  That completes my PSA.  lol 

[TwirlyGirly]

On ‎7‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 1:52 PM, LittleIggy said:

There was a PSA with a little girl running around the neighborhood. The voiceover was the mother saying the typical things a cat owner who lets their cat out say. Stuff like “She fusses until I let her out; she always comes home, etc.” The message was would you let your child out to run free the way you do your cat.

I'm so glad you said this.

A few years ago, I was thinking about cat intelligence, and wondered how cat intelligence compares to human intelligence. (Ignoring for the moment whether it's fair to compare, as animals do have a different type of intelligence).

I found a source that said cats have about the same intelligence as a two year old child. Thinking back over the many cats I've owned since I was a child, that seems about right.

One of the three cats I have now, Nicodemus von Wittykitty, is an Instagram cat. At least once a week I see a post in his feed about a kitty that was killed or seriously injured outside, and it breaks my heart. Every time I see one of these, I think "Would you let your 2-year-old outside alone? Let them wander around unaccompanied? What if they begged? Tried to slip out when you weren't paying attention?"

Of COURSE not.

We know toddlers simply aren't capable of identifying and avoiding potentially dangerous situations. If a 2-year-old figured out how to open a door and get out, their parent(s) would do SOMETHING to make it impossible for them to slip through unawares.

It's also almost universally known an indoor cat lives to an average age of 14, while a cat allowed to go outdoors unaccompanied lives to an average age of seven.

We do everything possible to prevent our kids from being hit by cars, mauled by animals, and/or stolen by evil people who might torture and/or kill them - because we know this stuff can happen. We also know pets allowed outdoors alone face the exact same dangers. Why are some people reluctant to protect their pets from the same things they wouldn't even question protecting their children from?

Climbing down off my soapbox now - but this really riles me up. 

[chenoa333]

I hate ignorant dumbass cat owners. Here in South Orange county Ca, coyotes always have dinner waiting for them...

ETA: Thanks TwirlyGirly for getting on your soapbox! 

Edited July 24, 2018 by chenoa333

[LittleIggy]

Rocky was amazing! I didn’t know it was possible to survive a rattlesnake bite without anti-venom.

Sasquatch’s dad really loved him. Cat guys are awesome! ?? ?

[2727]

Rocky sure wormed his way into everyone's hearts! Even Dr. Jeff was acting ever so slightly googly towards him. Both Rocky and Sasquatch pretty much fought back cured themselves with the help of some supportive care.

I wanted to reach through the TV and give Sasquatch a good brushing, though.

Nice to see Tank happily chowing down on the strawberries and good that his new owner quickly recognized the signs of illness in a pretty phlegmatic animal.

I've only been around horses a handful of times in my life so am very ignorant, but I can't wholly view taming Little Brother so he can be ridden as a success. I feel a little sorry for horses being put to work -- on ranches, ridden for recreation, rodeos, thoroughbred racing, etc.

[SunnyBeBe]

I wondered about that too.  I would think that a truly wild horse should stay that way, but, my take on the feral horse that they featured last night, was that he would not be able to survive as a wild horse. Plus, there are regulations about them and I suppose that he did not qualify.  Therefore the only option was for him to be adopted by a rescue or private person.

http://www.kbrhorse.net/whb/blmco.html

https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/herd-management/herd-management-areas/colorado

Once again, I wonder why the pet owners allowed that sweet little dog to roam outside and get hit by a car.  So bizarre to me. Was she an older dog or puppy?  They didn't mention having her spayed.  

[SRTouch]

12 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Rocky was amazing! I didn’t know it was possible to survive a rattlesnake bite without anti-venom.

Thing about rattlesnakes is the amount of venom injected can vary from no venom at all to enough to kill an elephant - well, maybe not an elephant, but you get what I mean. IIRC something like 15-20% of bites inject no venom at all. Also, venom varies according to age, species, and intent of the snake. As Dr Jeff said on the show, if the snake is pissed he may give a bigger dose. Rattlesnakes are born live, and when young have less control over amount of venom injected and many believe more potent venom with a higher level of neurotoxic - also, the Mojave rattlesnake has the higher neurotoxic venom as an adult. So long story shorter, most bites are survivable without antivenom, but the quicker antivenom is administered the less chance of permanent or long lasting damage.

12 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Sasquatch’s dad really loved him. Cat guys are awesome! ?? ?

No comment .... but I AM a cat daddy to six kitties ?

[walnutqueen]

33 minutes ago, SRTouch said:

No comment .... but I AM a cat daddy to six kitties ?

Dang, I think I just ovulated - despite the fact that my last egg died decades ago!   ;-)

Rocky seemed like such a happy-go-lucky dog.  I adore pit bulls - they invariably look like they're smiling, which makes me smile.

[Bastet]

I need to start recording this; the first airing is too early, I'm watching something else during the second, and then half the time I fall asleep during the midnight one.  And last night was one of those times.  So I just saw bits and pieces and have a couple of questions:

Why did 24 hours pass between Rocky being bitten by the snake and him getting to the vet?

Did the cat's eyesight come back?

[LittleIggy]

8 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I need to start recording this; the first airing is too early, I'm watching something else during the second, and then half the time I fall asleep during the midnight one.  And last night was one of those times.  So I just saw bits and pieces and have a couple of questions:

Why did 24 hours pass between Rocky being bitten by the snake and him getting to the vet?

Did the cat's eyesight come back?

Sasquatch’s dad said his eyesight seemed to be mostly back.

Regarding snakebites, on “I Was Prey” a guy got bitten by a rattler he had just killed (stupidly picked it up by the tail) and came very close to death’s door. Rattler’s Revenge!

Little Brother was a gorgeous horse!

[2727]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

Why did 24 hours pass between Rocky being bitten by the snake and him getting to the vet?

Too many vet shows on one night, but as I recall, the family had taken him to another practice and they quoted $2K+. They had kept Rocky overnight on oxygen at no charge.

From what we've seen when fees have been discussed, my guess is that for a quick surgery to open the wound, some meds and a couple of nights at the clinic, Dr. Jeff charged $300 or less.

[Bastet]

The apartment fire cat had been in an oxygen chamber at another hospital, because that's all the owner could afford to do for him (and if the other vet clinic did that for free, that's really cool, because you pay for that by the hour and it's not cheap).  With Rocky, if they'd taken him someplace else sooner, he would have received anti-venom (unless they didn't have any, although it sounded like Planned Pethood didn't have any, either) -- if they could afford it.  I know the set-up for a lot of these cases is that owners can't afford to pay regular price, so they wind up at Planned Pethood, and the anti-venom isn't cheap, so I suspected it was one of those scenarios, but wondered if maybe instead they hadn't found the dog until a while had passed, didn't initially realize it was a rattlesnake bite, or something else.

[chenoa333]

8 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

Dang, I think I just ovulated - despite the fact that my last egg died decades ago!   ;-)

Rocky seemed like such a happy-go-lucky dog.  I adore pit bulls - they invariably look like they're smiling, which makes me smile.

Lol! I think i just fell in love (for ths first time ever)  with SRTOUCH.  I can't resist a cat daddy!!

[Bastet]

I went to my parents' house for dinner tonight, and they'd recorded the episode.  Now I can answer my own question about Rocky's delayed treatment:  The owners tried to take care of the leg themselves the day it happened (it sounded like, while they knew he'd been bitten by something at some point during the day, they did not see it happen and thus didn't know for sure it was a rattlesnake bite) and then when it was crazy swollen the next day, they took him to another vet clinic where they were quoted $2000 for treatment.  (The anti-venom is expensive - Dr. Jeff even said that's one reason they don't stock it [on top of not seeing many snake bites] - but I'm not sure whether the other clinic was proposing to treat that way, or if enough time had already passed that they would have been doing what Dr. Jeff wound up doing.)  Unable to afford that, they went to Planned Pethood. 

Rocky did indeed have an adorable smile.

And Sassquatch was so cute during the x-ray, with those little meows.

Edited July 30, 2018 by Bastet

[shirazplease]

Quote

Sorry but he forces you to spay and neuter or get out.

Good for him.  Until cities or states enact mandatory spay and neuter, there will be people like me who have to walk up and down between rows of howling, scared, barking dogs and crying, terrified cats reaching for you through the bars of the cage and decide who lives and who dies according to who I think I can get adopted out through rescue.  And if you breed your animal and you are ignorant enough to think you have control over what happens to the offspring, and that offspring's offspring then you have no business taking care of a houseplant, much less a living breathing animal with very specific needs.  These aren't commodities.

[raven]

On 7/28/2018 at 11:50 PM, LittleIggy said:

Sasquatch’s dad really loved him. Cat guys are awesome! ?? ?

That was great, he was so happy to have him back.

Rocky crying while they were examining him was heartbreaking.  I liked hearing that the dad cleared all the brush where he was bitten originally.

We didn't get a little epilogue on the chihuahua who had the eye removed.  I hope he's doing well. 

[Crazy Bird Lady]

On 6/17/2018 at 1:36 AM, SRTouch said:

Finally watched last week's episode tonight (working nights sure plays havoc on keeping up). Agreed with everything you said... but what really struck me was the horror of 13 healthy, beautifil, husky pups almost put down when puppy mill saw profit margin go down. ??? really, too old at two months to sell, so just put them down ?

Sadly, I think that's pretty much routine. They also kill any that aren't perfectly formed at birth --cleft palate, etc. There are lots of animal breeders out there who really don't care about the animals, only about the "bottom line". I "rescued" a cockatiel (bird) like that --she had plenty of water but lived in a small cage with nothing but a breeding box, no toys at all and no love from humans.

[SRTouch]

12 minutes ago, Crazy Bird Lady said:

Sadly, I think that's pretty much routine. They also kill any that aren't perfectly formed at birth --cleft palate, etc. There are lots of animal breeders out there who really don't care about the animals, only about the "bottom line". I "rescued" a cockatiel (bird) like that --she had plenty of water but lived in a small cage with nothing but a breeding box, no toys at all and no love from humans.

Ah, breeders - I have very little to say about breeders, since I was taught not to cuss as a kid. With the numbers of potentially great animals looking for homes, I don't understand people buying puppy mill puppies. If you HAVE to get a certain breed, know the reputation of the breeder, and if possible visit the kennel. Oh, and in case you missed it from my earlier posts, I am 100% behind Planned Pethood's spay/neuter policy.

On a happier note, your post reminds me of my first cockatiel. Back when I was an apartment dweller, the place where I rented had a no pet policy - but made an exception for birds and fish. So, when I saw a sign that a cockatiel at a pet store was NOT for sale, I asked about her. Seems a previous idiot customer idiot, who knew nothing about birds, had purchased and returned her. Idiot must have grabbed her while wearing black gloves and broken her wing, since one wing had a permanent droop and she was a glider rather than a flier. (I had her almost 20 years, and she went nuts if she saw me come inside wearing gloves.) Anyway, the shop had a couple resident birds, so when the idiot brought her back the owner took her back. Long story short, I used to visit the store just to see and visit their resident/not for sale birds, made friends with the cockatiel and eventually the owner gave her to me. (Course, she may have been free, but I ended up being a regular paying customer since I needed a cage, toys, food etc for the next 20 years ?.) Like I said, she didn't fly so much as glide as she couldn't get any lift, so would climb up something, then jump off and circle the room a few time getting lower each circuit. Used to walk along following me from room to room. Great companion with quite the personality.

[chenoa333]

On 7/29/2018 at 9:36 AM, SRTouch said:

Thing about rattlesnakes is the amount of venom injected can vary from no venom at all to enough to kill an elephant - well, maybe not an elephant, but you get what I mean. IIRC something like 15-20% of bites inject no venom at all. Also, venom varies according to age, species, and intent of the snake. As Dr Jeff said on the show, if the snake is pissed he may give a bigger dose. Rattlesnakes are born live, and when young have less control over amount of venom injected and many believe more potent venom with a higher level of neurotoxic - also, the Mojave rattlesnake has the higher neurotoxic venom as an adult. So long story shorter, most bites are survivable without antivenom, but the quicker antivenom is administered the less chance of permanent or long lasting damage.

No comment .... but I AM a cat daddy to six kitties ?

And I'll bet you're' already spoken for!! Such is life. Lol! 

On 7/29/2018 at 9:36 AM, SRTouch said:

Thing about rattlesnakes is the amount of venom injected can vary from no venom at all to enough to kill an elephant - well, maybe not an elephant, but you get what I mean. IIRC something like 15-20% of bites inject no venom at all. Also, venom varies according to age, species, and intent of the snake. As Dr Jeff said on the show, if the snake is pissed he may give a bigger dose. Rattlesnakes are born live, and when young have less control over amount of venom injected and many believe more potent venom with a higher level of neurotoxic - also, the Mojave rattlesnake has the higher neurotoxic venom as an adult. So long story shorter, most bites are survivable without antivenom, but the quicker antivenom is administered the less chance of permanent or long lasting damage.

No comment .... but I AM a cat daddy to six kitties ?

And I'll bet you're' already spoken for!! Such is life. Lol!   (Sorry mods... I didn't intend to turn this into a dating forum! ) I digress. 

On 7/29/2018 at 9:36 AM, SRTouch said:

Thing about rattlesnakes is the amount of venom injected can vary from no venom at all to enough to kill an elephant - well, maybe not an elephant, but you get what I mean. IIRC something like 15-20% of bites inject no venom at all. Also, venom varies according to age, species, and intent of the snake. As Dr Jeff said on the show, if the snake is pissed he may give a bigger dose. Rattlesnakes are born live, and when young have less control over amount of venom injected and many believe more potent venom with a higher level of neurotoxic - also, the Mojave rattlesnake has the higher neurotoxic venom as an adult. So long story shorter, most bites are survivable without antivenom, but the quicker antivenom is administered the less chance of permanent or long lasting damage.

No comment .... but I AM a cat daddy to six kitties ?

And I'll bet you're' already spoken for!! Such is life. Lol!   (Sorry mods... I didn't intend to turn this into a dating forum! ) I digress. 

Thanks SRTOUCH for the info on rattlesnake bites/venom. Very interesting. 

[chenoa333]

I had nothing to do with the double posts! ^^^^ 

[Bastet]

The cat losing weight but eating a lot pretty much had to mean hyperthyroidism or diabetes; at his age, sex, and size, I was putting my money on diabetes.  I wish they’d discussed diet (other than the owner's comment in the update about “once we get his diet figured out,” but even then she was still talking about insulin, too), because a high-protein, very low-carb diet could stabilize his blood glucose so he wouldn’t need insulin.  But there was a lot of stuff about diabetes management I’m sure they discussed but didn’t show, simply for time, so maybe Dr. B did go over it with her and it just didn’t air.  I wish it had, though – it’s good info to share with the audience.

I hate those grass awns; they’re so hard to get out of anything (including paws). 

Bear’s “eyebrows” darting around under that cone of shame – what a cute face!  And I laughed out loud when he sprawled out on the floor with his hind legs spread open.  He is one lucky dog to have survived that injury!

“There’s growling sometimes when they eat, but no aggression.”  Um, that’s pretty much the definition of food aggression.  If they love each other the rest of the time, separate them at meal time, and life will be good.  I’m surprised Buster had to stay as long as he did; maybe the owner wasn’t able to take care of the drain at home.

“He’s having his testicles removed.  Probably not a bad idea on most males.”  Hee.

[LittleIggy]

The cat with diabetes was a very handsome lad. Very leonine. I ❤️ Dr. Jeff B! He’s my tv vet crush. ?

[raven]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I ❤️ Dr. Jeff B! He’s my tv vet crush. ?

I always liked him but the beard puts him at another level!

Bear was cute a button.  I'm trying not to lecture about someone, yet again, letting their un-neutered dog run around outside.  I'm glad Dr. Jeff does mandatory spay/neuter.

I loved Fallon.  Short legs, long body, so cute.  Hey lady, put a harness on him and take a few lessons with him, he won't pull on the leash so much.

12 hours ago, Bastet said:

“There’s growling sometimes when they eat, but no aggression.”  Um, that’s pretty much the definition of food aggression. 

I know, right??  Sometimes the simple solutions evade people.

[2727]

As a viewer, I don't know how much of an owner's story is true or perhaps misremembered/misstated, but if another vet practice seriously wanted to amputate that dog's leg because of an infected grass awn in the paws, shame on them.

Re food aggression: I ended up feeling kind of sorry for the German Shepard because it sounded like the owner didn't give a crap about him. Probably got banished to the back yard for good.

Edited August 5, 2018 by 2727

[walnutqueen]

I love how Dr. Jeff and staff hold clinics in under-served communities.  These are some of my favorite segments.

Bear's recovery (nevermind survival) was amazing, as was the complex surgery to save his life.  Lots of places would never dream of tackling these kind of difficult cases, but Dr. Jeff & staff take it all in stride.

Fred is SUCH a delight!  He seems to go everywhere with Jeff & Petra, and is always so damned happy (yet well-behaved).

[SRTouch]

19 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

Fred is SUCH a delight!  He seems to go everywhere with Jeff & Petra, and is always so damned happy (yet well-behaved).

Help me out, here. Trying to remember where Fred came from, and thinking he was one of those owner surrender types where the owner came in asking that he be put down because owner no longer wanted him.... anyway, he's a great ambassador for all those unwanted animals looking for a home.

One of my favorite stories, being a cat daddy nowdays, is the original shelter kitty to go viral - Morris the Cat of the old 9 lives commercials https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_the_Cat

[walnutqueen]

14 minutes ago, SRTouch said:

Help me out, here. Trying to remember where Fred came from, and thinking he was one of those owner surrender types where the owner came in asking that he be put down because owner no longer wanted him.... anyway, he's a great ambassador for all those unwanted animals looking for a home.

Yes, the owners did want him euthanized, but I can't remember why - I think he had an injured leg?  Dr. Jeff convinced them to surrender Fred; then he & Petra fell in love with him during the recovery phase, if I'm not mistaken.

[2727]

Fred reminds me of Buckeye Bottoms' awesome dog Kevin, who I might even like more than his owner.

[Diane M]

I believe I saw a wedding band on Dr. Don's finger.

[LittleIggy]

There’s a history of coyotes where you live, yet you let your cat out? You love your cat, yet his hair is matted? ?

I wanted to snuggle Bear. What a sweetie!

[Cpink]

Re:Fred, I think he'd ingested a foreign body. He was a repeat offender and the owners wanted him killed so they wouldn't have to keep paying for the surgeries. Poor guy. He sure lucked out!

[SunnyBeBe]

19 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

There’s a history of coyotes where you live, yet you let your cat out? You love your cat, yet his hair is matted? ?

I wanted to snuggle Bear. What a sweetie!

Yeah and the cat's rabies shot wasn't even current.  I'm not sure how safe it is to treat an animal who may have contracted rabies...especially ungloved!  

These pet owners really do push my last nerve.  They need to shut up about how much they love their pet and take proper care of them.  I can't imagine how disgusting it must be for the professionals are trying to provide them medical treatment. 

I don't have a very good feeling for that beautiful dog that ate the sock.  When a dog is that OCD over swallowing anything in his path.......it's only a matter of time before he's going to ingest something that kills him.  And, how many surgeries can one family affford...even if they are at a reduced rate.  It's unfortunate, because he seemed like a lovely dog in every other way. 

I know that one foster care lady was trying to comfort that very high strung PTSD dog, but, all that coddling, is likely reinforcing his anxiety.  She needs to teach him to be more confident about himself, not reward the insecurity.  I hope the meds will help break the cycle. 

Edited August 12, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[Barb1959]

That poor cat!  He is so beautiful!  Hey I know!  If you love him so much keep him in the house!!  I wanted to smack'em!

[LittleIggy]

There has to be a way to train a dog not to injest random stuff in its path. Spray bitter apple on things and put them on the floor? ?

[SunnyBeBe]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

There has to be a way to train a dog not to injest random stuff in its path. Spray bitter apple on things and put them on the floor? ?

It seems as if some dogs are just really prone to do that.  It's not just labs and retrievers either. I had a friend who's terrier was really obsessed with it.  They couldn't even have trash cans in the house that weren't locked tight. 

[Bastet]

My friend's two labs grew out of their compulsion to eat anything and everything (including the kitchen cabinets), so hopefully Bear does the same -- before he eats something more harmful than a sock.

If the people with the matted cat didn't love him, they wouldn't have brought him to the vet in the first place, and they wouldn't have cried when he was returned to them with a big row of stitches.  They're extremely ignorant (letting a cat out overnight, and in coyote territory, no less?!), not uncaring.  There are people out there who inexplicably have pets despite being so uninterested in them that putting down a bowl of food is the only care they give (so that if the pet gets sick/injured, the response is, "Eh, it's just a cat/dog; he'll either get better or die" rather than a trip to the vet).  Those two were not that type of owner, so I hope this was a wake-up call that their love needs to be expressed with actions that keep him safe, not just cuddles.

A dog with severe separation anxiety requires a very specific type of owner (it's not just about working from home, it's about being able to take the dog with you or hire a dogsitter to stay home with him every single time you do go somewhere), so I'm glad Chandler found someone up to the task, and hope the combination of medication and time to emotionally heal from the flood trauma ultimately lessen his symptoms so he doesn't have to be accompanied 24/7.

[2727]

There was an episode of Lucky Dog that showed how Brandon trains to decrease separation anxiety; it's a long process.

The lackadaisical/uneducated owners we see at PPP do seem to still care about their animals, by and large. Compare them to those who relinquish their pets after a storm, turn them in at a shelter because of behavioral problems, or simply chain them outside 24/7.

Edited August 13, 2018 by 2727

[SunnyBeBe]

I have more respect for owners who relinquish pets that they can not care for, than those who insist on keeping them and then not provide them with proper care, control and protection.  

[chenoa333]

Just now watching the episode from 10/28/2017 where Dr. J and his crew go to Mexico. I cry tears of sadness for these poor sweet people and their beloved pets. Then come the tears of happiness because they are so grateful that someone really cares and they get to take their pet(s) home alive and well! 

[LittleIggy]

Nalla is a champ. I doubt her owners had much to steal.

[walnutqueen]

15 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Nalla is a champ. I doubt her owners had much to steal.

Nala's story of courage & heroism tugged at my heartstrings.  I wish the penalties for harming an animal were heavier; I want those two armed robbers to rot in jail. for more than just the robbery and assault on the owner.

Hector cracked me up when he said that Dr. Jeff's spirit animal is a wolf, while his own is probably a chubby bear.  ;-)