I’ve watched this show since it started back in 2011 and I’ve noticed that a lot of the cat/dog owners are borderline neglectful.
People not noticing gaping wounds on their dog’s side until its infected, dogs/cats allowed to allowed to roam free and getting hit by cars, etc.
Two clients that come to mind are a pot bellied pig so fat it couldn’t see and a young toy poodle that roamed to the neighbors, ate string, and ended up dying due to, if I remember correctly, the string wrapping around the intestines.
Some pet owners are neglectful, for various reasons. I’ve been binging, “Supervet,” and it’s the same story there. IRL, one neglect case probably shows up for every 25 “check-up” type visits, but since TV needs unrelenting drama, you’re going to see all those back-to-back. And accidents DO happen. A retractable leash came apart in my hands a few weeks back, when my one dog just had to chase some rabbits across a field; that could have ended nastily. And I consider myself a huge worry-wart vis my dogs. Plus, TV is going to focus on the most extreme cases.
Keep in mind that “reality” is used sarcastically in labeling such shows. A lot of stuff is faked.
So perhaps the producers scout shelters looking for a dinged up animal, find an “owner” to bring it in, etc.
It could easily be like those “house hunter” type shows where the prospective owners have already found the house they want (and may have bought it already) before the filming of the segment starts.
The poodle seems to be a sad accident rather than neglectful. Maybe it had do with different culture, but a lot of places allow dogs to roam free rather than locked at home.
Besides the dog ate a string, could happen easily at home too.
Almost all American pets are too fat. This isn’t due to neglectfulness as much as overindulgence. And putting your pet on a diet can be harder than putting yourself on a diet.
I just saw an episode of Dr. Pol where someone brought in their dog with a leg injury. They were frantic, because the dog was already missing one back leg. So it came out during the course of the episode that they had tried to sew up this injury themselves at home, and they had waited a few days to bring the dog to the vet. The other bag leg had to be amputated because the dog got hurt jumping out of a truck, and they had tried to treat that themselves, too. :rolleyes: It was like an avalanche of stupidity.
Sadly, a lot of people get a pet because it is a thing to do, without any idea of how to take care of one.
Many years ago, I had some friends who had a much loved dog, and a cat. They got the cat to catch the mice they frequently had in their house and figured cats were zero maintenance pets. Hence it wasn’t in the least bit used to human attention or affection. They literally never attempted to interact with it or give it attention.
One day at a small gathering in their house, the cat came out and I attempted to interact with it. It would hiss at me a lot, but stay right where it was, allowing me to touch it just a little bit. A mutual friend who had never had cats (and had a thing about being afraid of single men and thinking ill of them :rolleyes:) started yelling at me to leave the cat alone. As I responded: “If the cat was bothered by me, it would leave. But you’ll notice that it is staying right near me and looking for more.” The other cat owners stepped in to defend me.
Yep, and because so many pets are overweight, people see that as the norm. One of my dogs looks skinny, but my vet assures me he is actually the correct weight. Some people think he’s starving.
Yep. Adopt a retired racing greyhound, keep it at it’s correct weight (general rule is about 5% over race weight) and you’ll get people telling you that you’re starving your dog and should feed it more. Kids marvel that they can feel the spine and wonder if that’s normal. People are so used to fat pets that they think a normal weight animal is starved.
Having said that, though, different breeds have different weight requirements. A bulldog is supposed to be pretty round and a labrador is supposed to be kind of barrel-shaped. Which leads us to another bit of negligence: people don’t research their breeds to know what their pet is supposed to be like or how to properly care for it. They just buy or adopt “cute”.
The show is produced by Charles and his boyfriend so I would guess they’re not trying to misrepresent his own dad’s business – I mean, I’m sure they look for more interesting cases from what comes in, but there’s enough going on there they wouldn’t need to go looking outside.
Any animal owner who is willing to take their pet to Dr. Pol is neglectful by definition. I am sure he is the least expensive practitioner in the area, and you get what you pay for. A responsible pet owner who cares for the welfare of their animals would be going to a less colorful but more competent practitioner.
I have seen 3-4 episodes and Dr. Pol proudly committed several instances of malpractice on every one. Suffice it to say, no animal, even those with hooves, should ever have surgery performed on them while the veterinarian is barehanded. Sticking surgical instruments in your mouth (as he does when castrating horses) is not how you keep them sterile throughout a procedure and is way below the current standard of care.
Ask a vet about Dr. Pol, they will roll their eyes and change the subject.
Sternvogel, I take it you’ve never seen the lamb castration episode of Dirty Jobs? :eek: Seriously though, the issue of sterile conditions in the barnyard (or lack thereof) has been acknowledged a few times.
And I wouldn’t begin to imagine that what we see on the show represents anything close to the entire course of treatment for any animal – it’s a reality show, with a tremendous amount of unused footage. Only the exciting/gross/touching moments make for good TV.
Regarding the level of care given to the animals by their owners: the region seems to be extremely rural. A significant number of the dogs and cats appear to be outdoor animals – hunting dogs who spend their time in kennels, or barn cats who are expected to reduce the number of rodents on the property. The owners still care about their animals, just not quite the same way other people care for animals they view as pets. I guess it’s a cultural thing?