Animal Health VIPS - Veterinary Integrative & Performance Specialists

12/23/2024

Evidently our failed foster Siamese kitten Brie is a big Giant Slalom fan!

12/22/2024

This was too funny not to share…

I laughed the whole time I read this.
(A letter from someone who wants to remain anonymous, who farms, writes well and actually tried this)
I had this idea that I could rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it. The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that, since they congregate at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there (a bold one will sometimes come right up and sniff at the bags of feed while I am in the back of the truck not 4 feet away), it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home.
I filled the cattle feeder then hid down at the end with my rope. The cattle, having seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. They were not having any of it. After about 20 minutes, my deer showed up-- 3 of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope. The deer just stood there and stared at me. I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end so I would have a good hold.
The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation. I took a step towards it, it took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope, and then received an education. The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope.
That deer EXPLODED. The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a c**t. A cow or a c**t in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity. A deer-- no Chance. That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it je**ed me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I had originally imagined. The only upside is that they do not have as much stamina as many other animals.
A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this, since I was mostly blinded by the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head. At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope.
I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At the time, there was no love at all between me and that deer. At that moment, I hated the thing, and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual. Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer's momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in. I didn't want the deer to have to suffer a slow death, so I managed to get it lined back up in between my truck and the feeder - a little trap I had set before hand...kind of like a squeeze chute. I got it to back in there and I started moving up so I could get my rope back.
Did you know that deer bite? They do! I never in a million years would have thought that a deer would bite somebody, so I was very surprised when ..... I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist. Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and slide off to then let go. A deer bites you and shakes its head--almost like a big dog. They bite HARD and it hurts.
The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw back slowly. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective.
It seems like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was likely only several seconds. I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be questioning that claim by now), tricked it. While I kept it busy tearing the tendons out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that rope loose.
That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day.
Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their back feet and strike right about head and shoulder level, and their hooves are surprisingly sharp... I learned a long time ago that, when an animal -like a horse --strikes at you with their hooves and you can't get away easily, the best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can escape.
This was not a horse. This was a deer, so obviously, such trickery would not work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I screamed like a woman and tried to turn and run. The reason I had always been told NOT to try to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so different from horses after all, besides being twice as strong and 3 times as evil, because the second I turned to run, it hit me right in the back of the head and knocked me down.
Now, when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it does not immediately leave. I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are laying there crying like a little girl and covering your head.
I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away. So now I know why when people go deer hunting they bring a rifle with a scope......to sort of even the odds!!
An Educated Farmer. 🤣🤣🤣
Credit; The original owner

12/22/2024

Ilulissat harbor, Greenland 🇬🇱

12/22/2024

Working dogs…I tell ya’ - most are smarter than we are…

12/22/2024

Lol…

12/21/2024

The veil is thin this time of year and many of our animals take advantage, telling us they choose to transform back into Source. I’d like to wish Godspeed to a consulting patient who recently did just that - George the White Rhino! He is almost an age record holder for captive rhino (48) and was always a super good boy for his thermal exams. Send best transformational 🌈 wishes to him and supportive prayers to his partner, Princess, and all his caregivers who no doubt will miss him.

Utah’s Hogle Zoo is mourning the loss of beloved male southern white rhino George on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.

12/19/2024

FYI - we have never used this drug from day 1. First, because I don't jump onto new drug bandwagons. 2, I was suspicious about whether it was a good idea to do a body-wide block of Nerve Growth Factor. 3, there are plenty of other good ways that are less invasive to manage arthritis pain. 4, I had been talking to my vet friends in the UK and Europe who had been telling me about the problems they had been seeing.

After treating 3 Librela complication cases in one two-week period alone (and there have been several more since), now I know that my basic parental training of "trust but verify" was absolutely correct. Welcome to the corporate approach to veterinary medicine.

We're always here to provide non-corporate agenda, practical and service-oriented advice on various animal health topics. While the approach is mostly integrative, as a Boarded specialist and scientific reviewer, I can play (and blend) both sides of the field!

The agency said it had reviewed more than 3,600 cases of side effects, including deaths, reported for dogs that took the drug Librela.

12/19/2024

https://www.wsj.com/health/pharma/fda-warns-about-dangers-of-dog-pain-drug-61b1dd63

The agency said it had reviewed more than 3,600 cases of side effects, including deaths, reported for dogs that took the drug Librela.

12/17/2024

FYI…finally, some awareness where it should have been to begin with.

The FDA has identified and analyzed adverse events in dogs treated with Librela (bedinvetmab injection).

12/15/2024

Animal Health VIPS (Veterinary Integrative & Performance Specialists) is super excited to announce that Dr. Anita Fosburg has joined our practice. Dr. Kim is Utah's only Boarded Specialist in Canine Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation and is long-time and highly experienced integrative practitioner. She used to work with Dr. Anita many moons ago at All Pet Complex in Taylorsville (general and ER practice) and now this due is back together! Dr. Anita is now certified in Veterinary Rehab and Medical Acupuncture and will be bringing her vast Rehab (aka PT) talent to enhance the care of Utah patients, both in the office and at home (Park City only for now). Dr. Anita is also very talented in myofascial and manual therapies. Please welcome Dr. Fosburg to Animal Health VIPS - we ARE taking new patients.

Please reach us at 435-647-0807 with any questions. We are a small practice with the same staffing problems as everyone else, so please be patient as we take a day or two to get people called back.

BIO: Anita has worked as a companion animal general practitioner in the Salt Lake valley area since graduation from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1991, with 16 years of combined canine and feline medicine. Her life long interest in sports medicine/physical therapy, and increasing dissatisfaction with the veterinary profession led her to change careers and focus on human physical therapy, as a P.T. assistant (PTA), and fitness trainer for 17 years, with the goal of "going back to school" at the University of Utah's Physical Therapy
program. Eventually life led Anita back into veterinary practice, and she decided to combine that with new veterinary specialties in both Rehabilitation and Acupuncture.

12/10/2024

Truth here!

What does it really mean to "let them go on a good day?"

It means it will be your hardest day. It won't matter if you've never done it before, or if you're gifted a dozen good days, each good day is always the hardest one.

It means they won't know what the fuss is about, why they're getting so many treats and extra belly scratches and hugs.

It means you will second guess your decision right up to the very last moment, the very last breath. You'll second guess yourself afterwards.

They'll knicker at you when you arrive, just like any other day.

The weather, perfect. They are content. They look sound today. They are breathing well, eating well, they get up easily enough from a nap in the sun....the list goes on. Whatever issue they struggle with, today they aren't.

Today you euthanize them.

This is what going on a good day means: sending them out while they are happy, while they are healthy, while they are eating well, walking well, etc. You make the choice to do it before an emergency takes the choice away from you, before your horse has to experience any more trauma or pain.

Their last memory will be filled with love.

It'll rip your heart out every time.

We can see the patterns and the increasing trends. We can predict it a little. We can obsess over the past and worry about the future.

Fortunately, horses, all animals, live in the moment. They don't worry about those things. They aren't worried about winter. They aren't worried about July, or allergies, or progressive diseases like cushings or dsld. They don't think about the close calls they've had before, and they certainly aren't thinking about the close calls that are destined to come, as their body continues to age and break down. They just are. They are happy and healthy, or fearful and in pain, on that day, in that moment.

It is the most difficult, most loving gift we are blessed to be able to give.

And that first ice storm will come, that first deep snow, that first heat wave....and you will find a little relief, no longer doubting the choice you made.

They were happy, and safe, and loved. That is all that matters.

It is never easy. ~Kelly Meister, author

12/07/2024

I respect the heck out of this horsewoman and think she was pretty much railroaded. We have all had those moments where we have lost our tempers with an animal. The key is to learn from it, apologize and promise to handle things differently next time. I find it very suspicious that this would be brought forward 4 years after the fact and that NO ONE came to her defense…including those riders who have a reputation of being repeatedly a bit rough with horses (this is why I won’t do FEI work anymore). Charlotte has handled this with class and bravery…she’s a great role model…still!

STATEMENT FROM CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN

I fully respect the verdict issued by the Federation for
Equestrian Sports (FEI), released today.

As the federation has recognised, my actions in the video do not reflect who I am and I can only apologise again. I understand the responsibility that comes with my position in the sport, and I will forever aim to do better.

This has undoubtedly been one of the darkest and most difficult periods of my life, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me during this time. To those of you who have sent messages, emails and tried to reach me to check in on how lam - thank you. Every kind word truly has made a difference, more than you'll ever know.

What I was unable to share at the time is that I am currently pregnant, with my baby due in February. This was planned well before the Olympics and something my partner Dean and I have been excited about for a long time.

At the moment, the energy I have is focused on Dean and our daughter Isabella, and we are all very much looking forward to the arrival of our new family member.

Charlotte Dujardin, 5th December 2024

11/30/2024

lol…and who says different species can’t be friends…

11/28/2024

We’re thankful for all our clients and the wonderful animals they’ve brought into our lives. Here’s a great story of the power of our love for animals. Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Upon retirement, the four-legged explosives expert who’d served in Iraq found a forever home – one he surely finds familiar.

11/16/2024

Sorry I’ve been off for a bit but it’s been a crazy autumn at many levels including a lot of international lecturing. To get back and rolling again, I’d like to put a shout out for a new textbook that just arrived today! And, boy, it’s a super well-done book! This is one of the most in-depth books on Equine Rehab that I’ve ever seen, and I’m proud to have been a small part of it. It’s been a couple years in the works. It is available from VAHL books (https://vahl.vet/product/essential-facts-of-equine-physical-therapy-rehabilitation-and-sports-medicine/)!