M&C: Talk about the reindeer farm! How cute those babies were. Angel was a real trooper. Was I imagining they were more friendly than a cow or horse? They seemed to like people very much. Angel’s cute as a button reindeer baby! But the episode Three Vets and a Baby tonight ends in a scary human emergency. We spoke with Dr. Brenda about all these big first steps, happy birthdays, farm visits and the scary closing scene with Dr. Emily on Dr. Pol tonight: Monsters and Critics: The episode tonight features a pregnant mare you tend to, her foot seems sore and she limps. How do you find out if the horse has a treatable abscess and explain how the pinchers work on the hoof? Classy has a bad hoof as Dr. Brenda examines I try to use her natural “fight or flight” response to help get her to move where I want the cow to be. There are no written safety protocols to follow, just a matter of knowing normal cow behavior, and assessing the immediate working environment and using these things to my advantage to protect myself and keep the cow safe also.

Angel Poi Spiral Poi- Practice Poi (Yellow) AKA Scarf Fairy

M&C: How do you get a cow in distress to trust you enough to do internal exams – how do you keep from being trampled or smashed against something? What are the safety protocols you must follow?

M&C: So the episode ends with Dr. Emily being rushed to the hospital. We know from our interview with Dr. Pol she had her baby, but can you talk about that night and how does being one veterinarian light affect your day to day schedule? Dr. Brenda: Life as a veterinarian is full of variety. I never really know what I may have to do from day to day. We start the day with a schedule and a plan, but the plan gets modified as needed depending on what phone calls come in and what emergencies happen. The ability to multi-task and work with plan B (or plan C or D, etc) are very important skills. While she is getting her cute on, Dr. Pol and son Charles visit Terry Anderson and his bird rescue. It’s beauty day as nails and beaks are trimmed up. Dr. Pol explains the idiosyncrasies of owning and caring for birds too. Dr. Brenda: I attended college at Michigan State University. I answered a help wanted ad in the AVMA journal (magazine) to find my way to Pol Veterinary Services. Dr. Brenda: The reindeer at Rooftop Landing are awesome! Angel is great as a pet and as a mother. The reindeer calves get a lot of attention from the humans at Rooftop. The newborn calves are handled by humans almost immediately after being born [in] a process called imprinting so that they are as comfortable with their human “herd” as they are with the rest of the reindeer herd. This is very important for the reindeer’s future as an ambassador for Santa and the Rooftop Landing Reindeer farm. The calves like to visit with people, and they are great fun to watch.