The Incredible Dr. Pol - General Discussion

[Rammchick]

23 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

The Tater and Timothy tripod-cat conference was cute!

It looked like they were comparing notes!

[seasons]

New episode tonight - noticed all the vets wearing masks but hardly any pet owners so far...

 

 

 

dr brenda took rectal temp of some farm animal and just put it right back in her pocket! 

Edited February 7, 2021 by seasons

[Rammchick]

The mask wearing was pretty loosy goosy, overall.  Sometimes they were masked, other times, not.  Some of it could have been filmed fairly early on last year, but from the way the leaves on the trees looked, it was mostly summertime.  Also, Pol should have been wearing a better mask than that.

So they do have a portable ultrasound!  So why doesn't he use it?  He preg checked the camels and couldn't feel the calves.  Seems like that was an opportunity to use the ultrasound.

6 hours ago, seasons said:

dr brenda took rectal temp of some farm animal and just put it right back in her pocket! 

And Pol appears to keep the same glove on when he preg checks multiple animals!

 

 

[parrotfeathers]

5 hours ago, Rammchick said:

So they do have a portable ultrasound!  So why doesn't he use it?

He may not have enough experience using it.   I know a small animal clinic that has one and no one knows how to use it (as in read the images).

[CrazyInAlabama]

My vet had a portable ultrasound, but it wasn't the clarity of a human one.    The ones with the better pictures are very fragile, and expensive  

[LittleIggy]

Poor little Buttercup! 🎶More like poor little vet! 😆

[Rammchick]

On 2/7/2021 at 6:02 AM, parrotfeathers said:

He may not have enough experience using it.   I know a small animal clinic that has one and no one knows how to use it (as in read the images).

At the very least, it appears that his new, younger colleagues have some experience.  I also wondered if it would work with a camel, if the image would be worth anything.

[LittleIggy]

I’m so glad that Amish horse got better. It hurt my heart to see him in pain like that.

I’m not a pus fan so 🤢 with the piglet abscess!

Loved Dr. Nicole giving Tater some well-deserved attention.

[smittykins]

I ❤️ Tater!

[LittleIggy]

That dude said his dog Ox had been porcupined six times! How dumb is that dog? Aptly named, I guess. I hope Zeus is smarter than Ox. My face hurt just looking at Zeus! 😳

OMG, puppies! 🥰

Pip had the prettiest green eyes. Glad his tail healed.

[SRTouch]

Sometimes very smart dogs have next to no common sense when 

13 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

That dude said his dog Ox had been porcupined six times! How dumb is that dog? Aptly named, I guess. I hope Zeus is smarter than Ox. My face hurt just looking at Zeus! 😳

Unfortunately, some dogs lose any sort of common sense when instincts kick in. In my lifetime I've only had one purebred pup, a daschund, named Bo. He was both very intelligent, but also hard to train because he was so stubborn - pretty much like you see when you read the breed charactetistics. Also had a very strong prey drive since the breed was original bred for hunting badgers. What that has to do with the porcupine quilted dogs is that once Bo decided to go after something, you had to physically restrain him. Prime example was the wasps that built nests every year under the railings on on fence. Every year Bo would jump up and be stung multiple times until his snout would be swollen - never learned that 1) he couldn't jump high enough to get the nest, or 2) to just leave the wasps alone.

[smittykins]

Dr. Pol has even said than in his experience, most dogs never learn their lesson when it comes to porcupines.

[parrotfeathers]

I haven't seen a lot of this season's episodes.  Were they all new or did they include scenes from older episodes?  

[Claire85]

There were some scenes from older episodes because Dr. Emily popped up briefly in a “new” episode I saw over the weekend. 

[parrotfeathers]

16 hours ago, Claire85 said:

There were some scenes from older episodes because Dr. Emily popped up briefly in a “new” episode I saw over the weekend. 

That's weird to me.   They are bound to have enough new footage to make the episodes!

[smittykins]

Has anyone been able to confirm the story that Dr. Brenda no longer wishes to be on camera?

[Rammchick]

3 hours ago, smittykins said:

Has anyone been able to confirm the story that Dr. Brenda no longer wishes to be on camera?

Have a look at this -- 

 

Edited March 5, 2021 by Rammchick

[parrotfeathers]

On 3/5/2021 at 2:50 PM, Rammchick said:

Have a look at this -- 

Maybe the show gave her a raise and made it worth it to continue being on camera even though it could get aggravating at times.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I've read in several places that she stopped filming quite a while ago.    She's still at the clinic, and though she might show up occasionally, or be in older footage, she doesn't want to film any longer.    She was never happy with the extra time for filming, and said it took away from doing her best work with the animals.     

[LittleIggy]

Wow, Doc Pol is 78 and still going strong. Good on him!

I bet that poor horse had to be put down. ☹️ I tried to ignore that man’s “I don’t take a knee” t-shirt. 😡

I can appreciate how welcome a “puppy break” must be after having your arm up a cow’s ass or lancing an abscess. 😆

Glad S’mores healed up fine.

[Jeeves]

I think we've seen Dr. Brenda in some scenes with a mask, going to meet clients out in the parking lot. Meaning, she was agreeing to be part of the show as recently as last summer. Maybe she was thinking she'd step back from the show and then the pandemic upended everything and she reconsidered. 

I'm probably as happy to see the healthy puppy footage, as the vets are to have healthy puppy exams in their schedules. Certainly a nice change from a terminally ill or injured animal.

I remember one of the vets, I think Dr. Emily, talking about how after euthanizing an animal at the clinic, which is a sad thing for them and for the owner, they had to switch gears immediately, and go straight to the next appointment. Fully tuned into that next patient's condition and needs, and not bringing the emotional baggage of the euthanasia into the room with them. It made me stop and think about all my vet visits with my dogs and cats, and how I took it for granted that the vet in the room had nothing more important to deal with than my animal. I admit, it never crossed my mind to wonder what the vet had just been dealing with or handling before they walked in to see us for our appointment. 

Yes, Pol at 78 is still going strong. I'm glad he had his messed-up ankle surgically repaired a few years ago. It was getting painful just to watch him walk with his right foot at a strange angle, and he limped. IIRC sometimes the limp was worse and I would wonder how painful it must be for him. In some episodes he's talked about growing up in the Netherlands as a child born during WWII. I think they probably lived through hardships and deprivations, during and after the war, that were pretty bad. That may have sparked the hard-working part of his nature and may also account for how frugal he can be about things. Although I'm glad he and Diane have that nice house on that nice land. Which we see him constantly working on when he's not working on animals. He does seem to be really grateful for the life he is living and to enjoy his days. 

[AncientNewbie]

I cringe at Pol's old school actions sometimes, but he's just like a large animal vet I remember from when I was a kid with the blunt summation of every case. "Yep, it's gonna die. Next,"

His facilities really do seem subpar compared to some of the other vet shows, though. There was one ep where I noticed Dr. Ray encouraging a big dog to walk down the stairs to xray so he didn't have to carry it.

[Rammchick]

19 hours ago, AncientNewbie said:

I cringe at Pol's old school actions sometimes, but he's just like a large animal vet I remember from when I was a kid with the blunt summation of every case. "Yep, it's gonna die. Next,"

His facilities really do seem subpar compared to some of the other vet shows, though. There was one ep where I noticed Dr. Ray encouraging a big dog to walk down the stairs to xray so he didn't have to carry it.

He's one of these "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," sorts.  It's been working fine for him all these years so he doesn't see the need to upgrade much.  That facility definitely limits him -- he's said there isn't any option for updating the x-ray being in the basement and so on.  But you're so right -- compared to other vets who work in underprivileged areas, his practice looks like what you see in All Creatures Great and Small.

Edited March 19, 2021 by Rammchick

[cinsays]

3 hours ago, Rammchick said:

He's one of these "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," sorts.  It's been working fine for him all these years so he doesn't see the need to upgrade much.  That facility definitely limits him -- he's said there isn't any option for updating the x-ray being in the basement and so on.  But you're so right -- compared to other vets who work in underprivileged areas, his practice looks like what you see in All Creatures Great and Small.

Did he explain why the x-ray can;t be moved upstairs? Didn't they just add on another wing? Seems they could have just added a bit more to move that up and put something they don't need every few minutes that has someone carrying animals up and down would be a smart move.

[CrazyInAlabama]

My guess is because of the weight, the Xray will be in a basement for stability.    I'm sure if they added a facility for the xray machine, it would have to be on it's own concrete slab, and might need shielded walls, and would have to be down a ramp (like from the parking lot to the front door) and attached by a walkway from the main building to the Xray room.     They're in a raised mobile home, so they're limited by the amount of weight that the structure of the trailer base can hold.       

[Rammchick]

3 hours ago, cinsays said:

Did he explain why the x-ray can;t be moved upstairs? Didn't they just add on another wing? Seems they could have just added a bit more to move that up and put something they don't need every few minutes that has someone carrying animals up and down would be a smart move.

I don't think he's ever said exactly why, just that it couldn't be moved.  But I suspect it's for the reasons CrazyInAlabama said above .

[parrotfeathers]

2 hours ago, Rammchick said:

I don't think he's ever said exactly why, just that it couldn't be moved. 

X-ray machines aren't really that big.     But they are quite expensive and perhaps he doesn't want to buy a more modern one.   But Crazy might have made some good points.

Edited March 19, 2021 by parrotfeathers

[Jeeves]

I'm with @CrazyInAlabama - they would have to find room upstairs for the X-ray equipment, and they seem to already be pretty crowded. They couldn't just bung the X-ray machine into a multipurpose room; it would need not only structural support but shielding. 

Which brings us to the subject of money. IIRC a few seasons ago, they were shown adding on to the clinic building. They could have moved the X-ray room then. But I suspect the cost of making one of the rooms an X-ray room was considered too high. It's obviously a prefab type building, designed to be a residence and converted with absolute minimal expense for use as a vet clinic. IMO Pol could move the X-ray room upstairs; he just doesn't want to shell out the money it would cost. I can't believe that in all the years they've had that X-ray room in the basement, nobody's taken a tumble when carrying an animal down or up. SMH. Doc Pol is just cheap as all get out when it comes to his vet clinic. I think about that when they show that nice big house the Pols live in, on all that land with a little lake and all. 

[Rammchick]

On 3/20/2021 at 7:24 AM, Jeeves said:

I can't believe that in all the years they've had that X-ray room in the basement, nobody's taken a tumble when carrying an animal down or up. 

Not that we know of, anyway.  And poor Brenda with her bad knees -- I hope she gets someone else to carry it for her.

Edited March 22, 2021 by Rammchick

[LittleIggy]

I turned on NatGeo Wild when I got home this afternoon, and the episode with the Pols’ grandchildren helping out at the Clinic was on. Made me sad seeing them working together and knowing that the grandson died at such a young age. ☹️

[Raiderred]

On 10/7/2020 at 11:31 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

There's was an article asking Dr. Pol if he ever will retire, and what will happen to the practice, and the show if that happens.   Dr. Pol said a long time ago, that he would have a hard time finding someone who wants to work long-term in a large and small animal practice.  Not many people want a very heavy schedule of farm and office calls, combined with emergency calls.    I suspect that when the large animal oriented vet school at Texas Tech opens, that the instructors will come from people who enjoy large animal practice, but hate the work schedule, so that will siphon off quite a few vets for that.  

Wreck 'em Tech!  Love seeing my alma mater being discussed.  We have a ranch and the extra vets from Tech will help a great deal for all of us with large animals.

[RealityCheck]

I just saw an ad for that a new season of THE INCREDIBLE DR POL is premiering July 10 at 9PM>

[parrotfeathers]

13 hours ago, RealityCheck said:

I just saw an ad for that a new season of THE INCREDIBLE DR POL is premiering July 10 at 9PM>

Looking forward to it.  I hope they don't include segments from previous years!  That isn't a new season (to me).

[Rammchick]

5 hours ago, parrotfeathers said:

Looking forward to it.  I hope they don't include segments from previous years!  That isn't a new season (to me).

They usually create compilation shows to throw even more Pol content at us.  It must be a huge show for them.

[LittleIggy]

45 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

They usually create compilation shows to throw even more Pol content at us.  It must be a huge show for them.

I believe it is NatGeoWild’s #1 show.

[parrotfeathers]

8 hours ago, Rammchick said:

They usually create compilation shows to throw even more Pol content at us.  It must be a huge show for them.

Sorry what I said wasn't too clear really.  I love all the reruns.  What I didn't like last year is a new season would have segments/vet visits in the "new" shows that were reruns from the last year.

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, parrotfeathers said:

Sorry what I said wasn't too clear really.  I love all the reruns.  What I didn't like last year is a new season would have segments/vet visits in the "new" shows that were reruns from the last year.

NGW does the same with Dr Oakley, Yukon Vet.

[Stockdog]

On 9/5/2020 at 8:08 PM, Rammchick said:

Ok, the dog, Abby, on this week's episode, looked like she might have had vestibular disease, which can resolve.  We saw him do no diagnostics, but Pol immediately said it was "something with the brain", and that there was nothing that could be done.  Actually, there are a bunch of things that can be done.  I don't think that dog needed to be put down.

I agree!  I’ve had 2 dogs and known 2 others friends dogs with this syndrome.  All the dogs recovered and lived on, sometimes with recurring episodes that also resolve.  And the dog is very much “there” and just needs support to finding food and water until they recover from the dizziness.  The puking was from being dizzy.   
Sometimes it’s ear problems, not just “something with the brain”.  How terrible that lady lost her companion when Abby probably had a couple years left!  

[GreyBunny]

On 5/23/2021 at 2:45 PM, RealityCheck said:

I just saw an ad for that a new season of THE INCREDIBLE DR POL is premiering July 10 at 9PM>

Shameful this incompetent negligent gasbag still has a show or a license. He and his merry band of idiots should have been kicked out of the veterinary profession years ago.

Edited July 5, 2021 by GreyBunny

[pasdetrois]

I am infuriated. My last Lab lived with treatment for vestibular disease as an old guy. Unless Pol was referring to stroke or tumor, he blew it. Both conditions were ruled out via MRI for my dog. Pol needs to go.

[Bastet]

I had to quit watching this show because too many problematic things were keeping me from being able to enjoy, but I've found a great substitute in terms of seeing a rural practice treating both pets and farm animals, but without the outdated ideas and procedures - Critter Fixers on Nat Geo Wild.  It's in the middle of season two, but I just recently came across it.

[Rammchick]

22 hours ago, Bastet said:

I had to quit watching this show because too many problematic things were keeping me from being able to enjoy, but I've found a great substitute in terms of seeing a rural practice treating both pets and farm animals, but without the outdated ideas and procedures - Critter Fixers on Nat Geo Wild.  It's in the middle of season two, but I just recently came across it.

These guys are so lovely (I love how they call all the patients, "babies").  And their clients clearly adore them.  It's always sad when their season ends (this past Saturday was the finale).  On the other hand, here with go with more Pol.  Don't know why I keep watching this.

Edited July 6, 2021 by Rammchick

[AncientNewbie]

I'm torn, for all the reasons stated above, but I also need a vet show and this is what they are offering...shame I didn't turn to vices like liquor instead of reality tv canine medicine. 

[LittleIggy]

On 7/5/2021 at 2:23 PM, Bastet said:

I had to quit watching this show because too many problematic things were keeping me from being able to enjoy, but I've found a great substitute in terms of seeing a rural practice treating both pets and farm animals, but without the outdated ideas and procedures - Critter Fixers on Nat Geo Wild.  It's in the middle of season two, but I just recently came across it.

I made a topic for them the first season. I love those guys. They are so down to earth and caring. Funny, too. They take good care of those “babies”!

[LittleIggy]

That horse’s leg wound with the bone exposed looked horrific! 😬 Glad it healed.

Wow, the doggie who was hit by the car must be made of stern stuff. He can take a licking and keep on ticking.

Always great to see Tater!

[Rammchick]

So here we go again.  Did he do bloodwork on the bearded dragon to make sure it's calcium levels are OK?  My bet is, no.

And once again, he threw antibiotics at something that may or may not have needed them.  Can't remember which patient it was already, which tells you how well I pay attention.

Welcome to the new season, everyone ;)

[LittleIggy]

The screen at the beginning of each episode says that the entire examinations are not shown.

[Bastet]

5 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

The screen at the beginning of each episode says that the entire examinations are not shown.

A similar disclaimer is rightly shown at the beginning of any episode of any show about veterinary services.  But it's easy to pick up on patterns, and what's shown on this series clearly indicates the reasons Dr. Emily stayed for the time she did and the reasons she was refreshingly honest about leaving are all in complicated co-existence.  Dr. Pol could and should do better, especially with the money brought in by the show.

[Rammchick]

11 hours ago, Bastet said:

A similar disclaimer is rightly shown at the beginning of any episode of any show about veterinary services.  But it's easy to pick up on patterns, and what's shown on this series clearly indicates the reasons Dr. Emily stayed for the time she did and the reasons she was refreshingly honest about leaving are all in complicated co-existence.  Dr. Pol could and should do better, especially with the money brought in by the show.

Agreed.  I'm well aware of the disclaimer, but on a reptile, Ca/P levels are very important and shouldn't just be "called good" if the reptile looks healthy.  Particularly since that's what the animal was there for.  As I intimated above, I suspect he didn't do any bloodwork at all.

[Jaded]

This has probably been mentioned already. Apologies if I'm repeating something.

I've been seeing Dr. Pol branded products on Chewy's site. None of them have many reviews, the reviews they do have are pretty low in regards to star level and the stuff seems expensive. I haven't really clicked on anything since I don't want Chewy to recommend that line to me. Maybe I'll look at some of it using anonymous browsing.