The Incredible Dr. Pol - General Discussion

[parrotfeathers]

Does anyone else think it odd that when someone comes in with something (not necessarily an emergency) that requires some surgical intervention (even an abscess) the vets just stick the dog/cat in the butt and take it to surgery immediately?   Maybe it's just the perception of them doing that, but it seems vets would have a full appointment schedule that needed to be kept.

[LittleIggy]

It was cool seeing Dr. Nicole being the mentor now! 
Poor constipated cat! I bet she felt a lot better after getting those nuggets out! 😆

Isadore the baby alpaca is adorable!

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Was there no update on the two-week old lethargic kitten? I hope that doesn't mean it ultimately passed away. 

[LittleIggy]

11 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Was there no update on the two-week old lethargic kitten? I hope that doesn't mean it ultimately passed away. 

They don’t do updates on all the featured cases the way they do on The Vet Life. Hopefully, the kitten made it.

[SRTouch]

24 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

They don’t do updates on all the featured cases the way they do on The Vet Life. Hopefully, the kitten made it.

Yeah, but wish they would. Remember awhile back there was a cow down, and Dr Emily (?) left before it got up - then no update. With my font setting, I still have a post at top of pg 6 asking if cow ever got up

[parrotfeathers]

Looks like Dr. Nicole is going to take Dr. Emily's popular place on the show very nicely.  She has a great personality and is very cute too.

Two new vets--finally a man too.

[Bastet]

I really wanted to know if that little kitten made it.  I knew she wasn't feeding her (him? I don't remember if they said, so I'll go with her) enough, and hope she didn't get too far behind the eight ball.

"I don't want a lot of puppies to take care of."  Then spay your dog, moron.

Tater is adorable and entertaining, but I don't find it appropriate for him to wander the waiting room like that.  Pets who don't feel well and/or are anxious about being at the vet don't need a curious cat in their faces.  Especially with how many clients don't properly restrain their pets, it's not fair to him, either - someone could snap and injure him.

That was one seriously dry poop that came out of the dehydrated cat!  LOL at the enema kicking in before they'd even got her back in the car.

This was the first episode I'd watched in a while, and it reminded me of something that bugs me about Dr. Pol - he frequently refers to pets as the opposite sex of what they are.  On the one hand, that's no big deal, but on the other it's representative of the assembly line process they have going on.  You can still get people in and out quickly while taking five seconds to look at the top of the chart for the pet's basic info.

[smittykins]

On one of the “Deja MOO” episodes, it says that he sometimes says “he” when the animal is female because it’s easier for him to say than “she,” but I do notice that he also calls males “she,” so 🤷‍♀️.

(I also remember a case where even the humans of a tortoiseshell cat alternated between “he” and “she,” even though torties are almost exclusively female).

Edited March 2, 2020 by smittykins

[LittleIggy]

All those Great Danes! 😊 Can’t imagine how much food they go through. Is the Doc and Diane’s house right behind the clinic? 
Sam the horse was gorgeous. He has such long legs. Those flies! 😬

Dr. Nicole carrying the tiny kitten in her pocket was cute.

[Rammchick]

15 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

All those Great Danes! 😊 Can’t imagine how much food they go through. 

My thoughts always go to the results of all the food they must go through.  Yikes!

[LittleIggy]

I’ve started a forum for “Critter Fixers: Country Vets” if anyone is interested. I enjoyed (well, it had sad moments...) the first episode.

[DonnaMae]

On 3/7/2020 at 8:28 PM, LittleIggy said:

 Is the Doc and Diane’s house right behind the clinic? 

No

[LittleIggy]

I hope the neighbor who shot the cat was prosecuted. 🤬 A similar thing happened recently here in VA: https://wjla.com/news/local/cupids-homecoming-beloved-cat-shot-by-arrow-finds-forever-home

That little cat with the grub in her neck was so pretty! 
This episode seemed to be out of order since the two new vets weren’t in it.

[smittykins]

I was hoping to hear at the end that the neighbor was arrested(and the cat was SO lucky to not have permanent damage).

[pasdetrois]

Quote

A similar thing happened recently here in VA:

Can't resist adding: that's "my" shelter. It was established for equine rescue when the county was more rural, and evolved into today's facility that provides rescue and the county's animal control. It is a non-profit that contracts with the county.

Edited March 15, 2020 by pasdetrois

[Rammchick]

Apparently Dr. Pol can't tell the difference between a bulldog and a Boston terrier 😉

[Hooper]

I watched a couple episodes yesterday and they are merging together in my head right now, instead of practicing responsible mental distancing.  Anyhoo, regarding Charles's great Dane, Atlas:  

First I'm glad Atlas is making a good recovery.  Second, I hope that the room full of vets scouring their Merck manuals for a clue as to what was causing Atlas's lameness was a bit of melodrama staged for the camera. I hope that a 70 + year old veterinarian who claims to have had great Danes his whole life wasn't taken by surprise by the existence of HOD.  HOD is pretty common in great Danes and lots of other adolescent  large dogs that a vet with "thousands of patients" would have treated over the course of 40 some years of practice.  Assuming the medical mystery was staged, I wish that instead they had used those 30 seconds of air time to have Dr Pol explain that stuffing puppies with high protein chow to maximize growth can lead to lots of orthopedic problems in medium an large breed dogs.

[pasdetrois]

My vet told me years ago to not feed my Lab pups too much protein because of HOD.

[pasdetrois]

On one of the recent episodes Pol felt it was his place to correct a young woman's use of the term "Oh my God." Twice. I know he's very religious but this is not his place.

[LittleIggy]

13 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

On one of the recent episodes Pol felt it was his place to correct a young woman's use of the term "Oh my God." Twice. I know he's very religious but this is not his place.

What did he say to her?

[nokat]

Nostrils too small to breath. Please don't breed dogs because they are cute because they have so many health problems.
 

[nokat]

10 minutes ago, nokat said:

Nostrils too small to breath. Please don't breed dogs because they are cute because they have so many health problems.

 

Heads too big too fit through the birth canal, nostrils so small they can't breath. Please please stop.
 

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, nokat said:

Nostrils too small to breath. Please don't breed dogs because they are cute because they have so many health problems.
 

Cats too. There are feline breeds with that smushed up face (can’t remember the technical term) as well. I also hate the breeding of cats like the Munchkin. 

[nokat]

Just now, LittleIggy said:

Cats too. There are feline breeds with that smushed up face (can’t remember the technical term) as well. I also hate the breeding of cats like the Munchkin.

Yes, they have breathing problems and eye problems.  Is obviously very bothered by breeders who make animals suffer because of aesthetics.
 

[nokat]

Just looked up Munchkin, it's the dwarfism gene in cats. If that just happened, I would love that kitty, but to purposely breed for it, no words.
 

[Minivanessa]

I just can't with these backyard breeders. S14:E11 is on right now. Two owners with pregnant dogs who obviously had NO vet care, one dog was also in dire need of grooming, who ran into labor and delivery difficulties at home and so hours later their owners brought them in. One of them had dead pups and the other one didn't lose any pups. I assume they were breeding them to sell the puppies. I really don't give a shit if they say they can't afford vet care. They can afford tattoos and haircuts and cars. I would be surprised if they had the puppies checked by a vet or vaccinated prior to selling them. 

There have also been cases where people brought newly purchased puppies into the clinic who had parvo. From backyard fucking breeders.

AARGH!

[SRTouch]

1 hour ago, Jeeves said:

I just can't with these backyard breeders. AARGH!

Agree 1000% percent! Add the fools who keep the backyard breeders in business by often pay outrageous amounts for the puppies.

[tres bien]

It seems like this is on 24/7.

Not a fan.

[TishB]

On 3/1/2020 at 2:30 PM, SRTouch said:

Yeah, but wish they would. Remember awhile back there was a cow down, and Dr Emily (?) left before it got up - then no update. With my font setting, I still have a post at top of pg 6 asking if cow ever got up

You mean the one who’s neck got caught in the chute during a hoof trim? That was Dr. Brenda. And no, Patches the cow never got back up. The owner ultimately had her come back out and euthanize her a few days later. 

I just finished that episode tonight. (I dvr them and binge a bunch at once)

[SRTouch]

On 5/4/2020 at 11:19 PM, TishB said:

You mean the one who’s neck got caught in the chute during a hoof trim? That was Dr. Brenda. And no, Patches the cow never got back up. The owner ultimately had her come back out and euthanize her a few days later. 

I just finished that episode tonight. (I dvr them and binge a bunch at once)

No, though I remember Brenda's chute accident. IIRC the one I'm talking about with Emily was a new mother with calcium deficiency....... watched these shows so much that I'm often diagnosing problem while doctor is still explaining it...... anyway, as I remember, Emily gave the cow calcium, but left before cow stood up and we never heard if cow recovered

[LittleIggy]

Back on July 11! Yay!

[sue450]

On 5/30/2020 at 9:33 PM, LittleIggy said:

Back on July 11! Yay!

so who okayed that theme song in the commercial for the new season..it is terrible the vibratto,,, what the heck were they thinking?????

[Rammchick]

The compilation episode that was on this past weekend contained the incident germane to this case:

https://www.dvm360.com/view/court-rules-against-tv-veterinarian-dr-pol

Interestingly, it was Charles' dog, Athena.  And based on what we saw, it looked like an ovary sparing spay, which is also somewhat controversial (though appropriate, given the dog's age).  After all this time of watching him, I think we're all used to his "James Herriot" mannerisms, but it is striking to see how differently he conducts himself vs. all the other TV vets that are currently on.  He also throws antibiotics at everything like it's James Herriot (Alf Wight)'s time, and they were just coming into wide usage.

I did have to laugh, though, at one of the compilation episodes that had the case with the dog with the enlarged prostate.  Probably every other time he said it, he said "prostrate".

 

[parrotfeathers]

1 hour ago, Rammchick said:

Interestingly, it was Charles' dog, Athena

Wonder why the AG got involved--who would have complained since it was Athena?

<<In 2015, the state received another complaint from a horse’s owners stating that Dr. Pol was not wearing a cap, gown or gloves when treating a cut on their horse’s leg>>

This is funny beyond words.

[Minivanessa]

The linked story says the charges included failing to request assistance in locating the uterus during surgery. But I also recently watched the episode when Dr. Pol had trouble when spaying Athena - and he DID ask for assistance. One of the young women vets (not a regular, maybe an intern?). He specifically called her in and asked her to help and commented that because her hands were smaller she probably had an advantage over him, or words to that effect. That was all in the episode. 

[Rammchick]

21 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

The linked story says the charges included failing to request assistance in locating the uterus during surgery. But I also recently watched the episode when Dr. Pol had trouble when spaying Athena - and he DID ask for assistance. One of the young women vets (not a regular, maybe an intern?). He specifically called her in and asked her to help and commented that because her hands were smaller she probably had an advantage over him, or words to that effect. That was all in the episode. 

I know, I thought that was odd, unless this was pertaining to another case with similar details.

As for who might complain if it was indeed Athena, it looks like it was a vet who watched the show.

[parrotfeathers]

7 hours ago, Jeeves said:

The linked story says the charges included failing to request assistance in locating the uterus during surgery. But I also recently watched the episode when Dr. Pol had trouble when spaying Athena - and he DID ask for assistance. One of the young women vets (not a regular, maybe an intern?). He specifically called her in and asked her to help and commented that because her hands were smaller she probably had an advantage over him, or words to that effect. That was all in the episode. 

That episode ran this week.  It was on my DVR.  It was Athena and Charles said he wanted a very tiny incision.   I thought it was a tech that found it for him.  Interestingly enough, Dr. Brenda delivered a boatload of puppies via c-section with no gown or face mask.   I imagine that's just their clinic guidelines.  

I have to add it is no longer recommended that bitches be spayed at 6 months.  I let my girls go through 2 heat cycles.  

Edited July 2, 2020 by parrotfeathers

[Minivanessa]

2 minutes ago, parrotfeathers said:

That episode ran this week.  It was on my DVR.  It was Athena and Charles said he wanted a very tiny incision.   I thought it was a tech that found it for him.  Interestingly enough, Dr. Brenda delivered a boatload of puppies via c-section with no gown or face mask.   I imagine that's just their clinic guidelines.  

Yep, it could have been a tech he called in. I know it wasn't one of the other regular vets, but they've had some young vets sort of come and go, so I didn't remember for sure if it was a vet or a tech.

[parrotfeathers]

Just now, Jeeves said:

Yep, it could have been a tech he called in. I know it wasn't one of the other regular vets, but they've had some young vets sort of come and go, so I didn't remember for sure if it was a vet or a tech.

He did seem to bumble though the surgery though....

[Minivanessa]

1 minute ago, parrotfeathers said:

He did seem to bumble though the surgery though....

That was my impression. He did say, once the uterus was located, that it was up behind the spleen, or stuck to the spleen, or something like that. At any rate it wasn't his finest hour, IMO. 

[Bastet]

11 hours ago, Rammchick said:

He also throws antibiotics at everything like it's James Herriot (Alf Wight)'s time, and they were just coming into wide usage.

That drives me nuts!

With the last batch of episodes, something else I was watching was on at the same time (it probably coincided with either the last run of Pit Bulls and Parolees or that of The Vet Life), and I didn't even make the effort to watch the re-runs, because I wasn't up for getting frequently irritated with some of the practices at Pol and by some of the farmers, and all the damn breeders they have for clients.

This time around if there's nothing else on, I'll give it another try.  But I have a hard time with this show in a way I don't the others.  Like Dr. Emily said in her blog post that gave some background on how the clinic is run and why she left, it's not the safest or the best, but it's also a lifeline for people who can't afford anything better - in an area where a whole lot of people fall into that category.  But, like I said when she wrote it, Dr. Pol could afford to do better - by his patients/clients and his grossly underpaid staff - but a real "my way is good enough" proud defiance to change is firmly set in his mind.

 

Edited July 2, 2020 by Bastet

[Rammchick]

12 hours ago, Bastet said:

But I have a hard time with this show in a way I don't the others.  Like Dr. Emily said in her blog post that gave some background on how the clinic is run and why she left, it's not the safest or the best, but it's also a lifeline for people who can't afford anything better - in an area where a whole lot of people fall into that category.  But, like I said when she wrote it, Dr. Pol could afford to do better - by his patients/clients and his grossly underpaid staff - but a real "my way is good enough" proud defiance to change is firmly set in his mind.

 

Once you go down the road of noticing all the deficiencies in this practice, it's hard to go back.  Watching Pol stick his hand into a pig's cervix without gloves on, castrating bulls with no anesthesia...it goes on and on.  In the dictionary next to the words "old school" is a picture of Jan Pol.

You can see from some of the clientele that come in that they're far from "well to do".  But Dr Jeff (of Rocky Mountain Vet) also has impoverished clients and he takes all the necessary precautions and uses the appropriate PPE.  There's really no excuse for that.

[LittleIggy]

The condition of Holly that poor mastiff made me so angry. 😡 It was wonderful to see her in the update looking happy and wonderful. I hope she finds a great forever home.

Sly, the cat with the eye injury, was polydactyl.

Abigail is adorable. Congratulations to Beth and Charles (who needs to trim his beard or the baby will think her dad is Bigfoot!).

[Bastet]

I had this on as background noise; it remains something I'll only watch if nothing better is on.

The Pol clinic continues to employ the most rudimentary treatments in veterinary medicine.  (Which, again, is great for those who - given the dearth of services in the area - would otherwise have to choose between proper treatment and nothing.  But damn; there doesn't have to be such a discrepancy.) 

And Dr. Pol still doesn't know the sex of his patients; it's a seemingly little thing, but that would bug me as a client.

With treatment available for cheap at this factory farm of veterinary care, how do you let a growth form on your cat's face for months before bringing her (or him; I join Dr. Pol in not remembering the sex, but I don't have a file - or animal - in front of me) in?  Waiting for a paycheck and/or day off even under those circumstances, sure.  But she didn't notice how extensively the cat was scratching in order to realize something was going on in the ear, so that the scratching actually created a visible external wound and it still took months to seek veterinary attention.

At least Dr. Brenda doesn't rely on the "I can tell by feel/the animal's movements" test of whether a limb is broken and uses one of them newfangled x-ray machines to find out.

But, holy shit, the shove a cow in the chute, unsedated, and clamp off its balls to eventually shrivel up and fall off method never fails to make me cringe.  That can't really be the best farm practice, given what goes on in the most basic mobile neuter clinics for cats and dogs.

Did she say that cattle farmer was two years shy of turning 90?  He did not look 88!

Holly's transformation was lovely.

As was Diane and Jan's reaction to their latest grandchild.  Charles and Beth both annoy me in several ways, and I think a man who's "a child at heart" is going to be a problematic co-parent at best, but they seem well suited and devoted to each other, and thrilled to be parents, so I wish them the best with little Abigail. 

[Rammchick]

32 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I had this on as background noise; it remains something I'll only watch if nothing better is on.

The Pol clinic continues to employ the most rudimentary treatments in veterinary medicine.  (Which, again, is great for those who - given the dearth of services in the area - would otherwise have to choose between proper treatment and nothing.  But damn; there doesn't have to be such a discrepancy.) 

And Dr. Pol still doesn't know the sex of his patients; it's a seemingly little thing, but that would bug me as a client.

With treatment available for cheap at this factory farm of veterinary care, how do you let a growth form on your cat's face for months before bringing her (or him; I join Dr. Pol in not remembering the sex, but I don't have a file - or animal - in front of me) in?  Waiting for a paycheck and/or day off even under those circumstances, sure.  But she didn't notice how extensively the cat was scratching in order to realize something was going on in the ear, so that the scratching actually created a visible external wound and it still took months to seek veterinary attention.

At least Dr. Brenda doesn't rely on the "I can tell by feel/the animal's movements" test of whether a limb is broken and uses one of them newfangled x-ray machines to find out.

But, holy shit, the shove a cow in the chute, unsedated, and clamp off its balls to eventually shrivel up and fall off method never fails to make me cringe.  That can't really be the best farm practice, given what goes on in the most basic mobile neuter clinics for cats and dogs.

Did she say that cattle farmer was two years shy of turning 90?  He did not look 88!

Holly's transformation was lovely.

As was Diane and Jan's reaction to their latest grandchild.  Charles and Beth both annoy me in several ways, and I think a man who's "a child at heart" is going to be a problematic co-parent at best, but they seem well suited and devoted to each other, and thrilled to be parents, so I wish them the best with little Abigail. 

 I suspect that not every farmer calls the vet for castrations, and using that emasculator is the way they do it.  It does seem cringy, but the cows don't seem to mind all that much.

When it comes to Charles and Beth, I'm glad for the fast forward on my remote 😉

[Bastet]

Just now, Rammchick said:

It does seem cringy, but the cows don't seem to mind all that much.

It was all in the editing, but I loved the WTF?-style "moo" shown when Dr. Brenda said one of the cows they'd trapped in the chute was a heifer so she'd just be vaccinating.

[parrotfeathers]

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

The Pol clinic continues to employ the most rudimentary treatments in veterinary medicine. 

But at least he was wearing gloves in surgery in the "new" episode I saw this week.

After much thought, I decided I was okay with some of his practices.   Not everyone can afford $500-$750 to spay a bitch.  At least he is getting the people to come in and have their animals treated.  I will say I'm amazed at the number of people on the show who don't appear to be vaccinating their pups for Parvo.

[LittleIggy]

10 hours ago, Rammchick said:

 I suspect that not every farmer calls the vet for castrations, and using that emasculator is the way they do it.  It does seem cringy, but the cows don't seem to mind all that much.

 

I would expect the assembly line castration that Dr. Brenda was doing is par for the course when doing a lot of cattle. Castrating a la spay/neuter clinics would not be cost effective. 

[parrotfeathers]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I would expect the assembly line castration that Dr. Brenda was doing is par for the course when doing a lot of cattle. Castrating a la spay/neuter clinics would not be cost effective. 

Yea, that's probably for an episode of Heartland Docs.   On Heartland Docs he uses an ultrasound to determine cow pregnancy.  Dr. Pol just uses his hands.

[LittleIggy]

Poor horse. ☹️
That was the sweetest pot bellied pig I had ever seen.

Klingon. 😆

Edited July 19, 2020 by LittleIggy