1 00:00:02,460 --> 00:00:04,838 -NARRATOR: This time... -MICHELLE: (gasps) Ah. Oh, that hurt. 2 00:00:04,921 --> 00:00:06,047 NARRATOR: Dr. Michelle Oakley 3 00:00:06,131 --> 00:00:07,632 gets a taste of her own medicine. 4 00:00:07,716 --> 00:00:09,134 MICHELLE: Did he pee in there? 5 00:00:09,217 --> 00:00:10,635 -Ugh. -NARRATOR: Then a bullied reindeer... 6 00:00:10,719 --> 00:00:12,429 -DENISE (off screen): Oh. -MICHELLE (off screen): Oh. 7 00:00:12,512 --> 00:00:14,264 -Don't pick on him. -NARRATOR: Puts up a fight of his own. 8 00:00:14,347 --> 00:00:16,099 MICHELLE: Heads up. 9 00:00:16,182 --> 00:00:17,684 We can barely control him. 10 00:00:17,767 --> 00:00:19,102 Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you okay? 11 00:00:19,185 --> 00:00:20,812 NARRATOR: And a suspicious sample... 12 00:00:20,895 --> 00:00:22,105 MICHELLE (off screen): What were you into? 13 00:00:22,188 --> 00:00:23,148 NARRATOR: Leads to a jaw-dropping discovery. 14 00:00:23,231 --> 00:00:25,191 MICHELLE: (sniffs, gasps) 15 00:00:28,194 --> 00:00:30,196 -(phone rings) -MICHELLE (off screen): Hello? 16 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:32,824 Oh, no, okay. 17 00:00:32,907 --> 00:00:33,950 Why don't you grab her and meet me at the clinic. 18 00:00:34,034 --> 00:00:36,119 And I'm about ten minutes out. Okay. 19 00:00:37,412 --> 00:00:38,747 NARRATOR: Dr. Michelle Oakley's day begins 20 00:00:38,830 --> 00:00:40,707 -with an emergency... -(car beeps) 21 00:00:40,790 --> 00:00:42,125 And a rush to the clinic. 22 00:00:42,208 --> 00:00:44,711 MICHELLE (off screen): So Savannah just called, 23 00:00:44,794 --> 00:00:47,547 and her dog, Kuma, just had ten puppies. 24 00:00:47,630 --> 00:00:50,341 It's been three days since Kuma gave birth. 25 00:00:50,425 --> 00:00:51,760 The puppies are doing okay, 26 00:00:51,843 --> 00:00:53,386 but Kuma is not. 27 00:00:53,470 --> 00:00:55,013 SAVANNAH (off screen): Thanks a lot. 28 00:00:55,096 --> 00:00:57,849 MICHELLE (off screen): Kuma is starting to stagger; she's tripping; 29 00:00:57,932 --> 00:00:59,476 she's not using her hind end very well; 30 00:00:59,559 --> 00:01:01,311 so this is a real emergency. 31 00:01:01,394 --> 00:01:03,146 We need to check her out right away. 32 00:01:03,229 --> 00:01:05,523 So how old is she? 33 00:01:05,607 --> 00:01:06,566 SAVANNAH: Probably about a year. 34 00:01:06,649 --> 00:01:07,609 MICHELLE: A year? Okay. 35 00:01:07,692 --> 00:01:08,651 And this is her first litter obviously, then? Okay. 36 00:01:08,735 --> 00:01:09,694 SAVANNAH: Yes. 37 00:01:09,778 --> 00:01:11,321 MICHELLE (off screen): And when did she have the puppies? 38 00:01:11,404 --> 00:01:12,363 SAVANNAH (off screen): Three days ago. 39 00:01:12,447 --> 00:01:13,740 MICHELLE (off screen): Three days ago, okay. 40 00:01:13,823 --> 00:01:17,869 SAVANNAH: Initially, she couldn't get into the puppy box that we have, 41 00:01:17,952 --> 00:01:20,622 which is not very tall at all. 42 00:01:20,705 --> 00:01:22,415 So we knew that something was kind of off. 43 00:01:22,499 --> 00:01:24,000 And then she couldn't go up steps, 44 00:01:24,084 --> 00:01:27,337 and so we knew it was kind of time to do something. 45 00:01:27,420 --> 00:01:28,838 MICHELLE: Hi, beautiful queen. 46 00:01:28,922 --> 00:01:31,049 Oh, my goodness. You're so pretty. 47 00:01:31,132 --> 00:01:32,550 And you just keep an eye on the babies. 48 00:01:32,634 --> 00:01:34,302 -We'll let you stay right there. -(puppies mewl) 49 00:01:34,385 --> 00:01:35,386 So what have you noticed 50 00:01:35,470 --> 00:01:38,389 besides the hind end kind of giving up here? 51 00:01:38,473 --> 00:01:41,684 SAVANNAH: Um, she was kind of cradling her right front leg, 52 00:01:41,768 --> 00:01:43,269 almost like she had, like, sprained it or something. 53 00:01:43,353 --> 00:01:44,813 MICHELLE (off screen): Uh-huh. Yeah. 54 00:01:44,896 --> 00:01:48,149 When you see a dog with its back end that's not working, I mean, you-- 55 00:01:48,233 --> 00:01:50,610 you have to wonder about things like trauma. 56 00:01:50,693 --> 00:01:52,779 She could've gotten injured. 57 00:01:52,862 --> 00:01:55,406 But Kuma is showing signs both in her front legs and her back legs, 58 00:01:55,490 --> 00:01:58,326 and so that makes me think about something that's affecting her whole body. 59 00:01:58,409 --> 00:02:01,663 You don't want to put any weight on that leg, do you? 60 00:02:01,746 --> 00:02:03,456 NARRATOR: Michelle performs a physical exam 61 00:02:03,540 --> 00:02:06,000 to home in on the source of Kuma's paralysis. 62 00:02:06,084 --> 00:02:07,877 MICHELLE: So do you see that? 63 00:02:07,961 --> 00:02:10,630 That tells me she's got a little bit of a neurologic problem going on 64 00:02:10,713 --> 00:02:12,340 with some nerves here. 65 00:02:12,423 --> 00:02:15,093 When I have her stand 66 00:02:15,176 --> 00:02:17,345 with her foot knuckled, it's a reflex 67 00:02:17,428 --> 00:02:19,055 that a dog will just flip it forward, and she's not doing that at all. 68 00:02:19,139 --> 00:02:21,808 And this one, she won't even really put down. 69 00:02:21,891 --> 00:02:23,101 It's not really common, actually. 70 00:02:23,184 --> 00:02:24,686 In fact, it's uncommon. 71 00:02:24,769 --> 00:02:28,398 NARRATOR: It's a clue that could point to complications during Kuma's labor 72 00:02:28,481 --> 00:02:30,817 and the delivery of her puppies. 73 00:02:30,900 --> 00:02:31,860 MICHELLE: Was it difficult? 74 00:02:31,943 --> 00:02:33,111 Like, were there any that were stuck 75 00:02:33,194 --> 00:02:34,571 that you think took a while, or... 76 00:02:34,654 --> 00:02:36,781 SAVANNAH: There was one that was breech. 77 00:02:36,865 --> 00:02:38,074 MICHELLE: Okay. 78 00:02:38,158 --> 00:02:40,785 SAVANNAH: And then two of them had their sacs already broken. 79 00:02:40,869 --> 00:02:41,828 MICHELLE: Uh-huh. 80 00:02:41,911 --> 00:02:43,246 SAVANNAH (off screen): So she had a little bit of a harder time... 81 00:02:43,329 --> 00:02:44,330 MICHELLE: Okay. 82 00:02:44,414 --> 00:02:45,874 SAVANNAH (off screen): ...expelling those. 83 00:02:45,957 --> 00:02:47,542 MICHELLE (off screen): It could be low calcium. 84 00:02:47,625 --> 00:02:50,420 (dramatic music) 85 00:02:50,503 --> 00:02:52,797 So when I hear about a dog that's having difficulty pushing-- 86 00:02:52,881 --> 00:02:56,301 she's kind of slowing down as she's giving each puppy-- 87 00:02:56,384 --> 00:02:58,803 one of the things I worry about right away is low calcium. 88 00:02:58,887 --> 00:03:00,847 I think it is a low-calcium eclampsia. 89 00:03:00,930 --> 00:03:02,432 -That's, like, another name for it. -SAVANNAH: Okay. 90 00:03:02,515 --> 00:03:04,225 MICHELLE: So then that will cause, 91 00:03:04,309 --> 00:03:05,268 like, neurologic deficits. 92 00:03:05,351 --> 00:03:06,394 Like, usually with low calcium, 93 00:03:06,477 --> 00:03:08,438 there's shaking; there are tremors; they're weak. 94 00:03:08,521 --> 00:03:10,648 Kuma just had ten puppies, 95 00:03:10,732 --> 00:03:13,651 and that's a huge calcium pull from her body. 96 00:03:13,735 --> 00:03:16,863 You have noticed they're latching on and nursing okay and stuff? Okay. 97 00:03:16,946 --> 00:03:19,324 All the calcium is kind of going into making milk 98 00:03:19,407 --> 00:03:21,201 and to growing these puppies, and so, 99 00:03:21,284 --> 00:03:23,912 that will cause problems with her muscles. 100 00:03:23,995 --> 00:03:25,371 The dog can start to shake and tremor 101 00:03:25,455 --> 00:03:27,790 because the nerves aren't working properly 102 00:03:27,874 --> 00:03:29,375 and the muscles aren't working properly. 103 00:03:29,459 --> 00:03:30,877 So I'm gonna go ahead and, right away, 104 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,046 give her some calcium right now. 105 00:03:33,129 --> 00:03:35,506 So I'm gonna do that in, like, three or four spots... 106 00:03:35,590 --> 00:03:36,925 kind of down low. 107 00:03:37,008 --> 00:03:38,259 Hi, missus. I'm sorry. 108 00:03:38,343 --> 00:03:40,803 I know. I gotta give you a little pinch. 109 00:03:40,887 --> 00:03:42,305 Without treatment-- giving her calcium-- 110 00:03:42,388 --> 00:03:43,973 Kuma will continue to deteriorate. 111 00:03:44,057 --> 00:03:45,225 She would progress 112 00:03:45,308 --> 00:03:48,478 to full-on tremors and then seizures, and her heart would likely stop. 113 00:03:48,561 --> 00:03:51,231 So no sign of any seizures or anything like that? 114 00:03:51,314 --> 00:03:52,649 No shaking or trembling at all? 115 00:03:52,732 --> 00:03:54,317 -SAVANNAH: Mm-mm. -MICHELLE: No. Okay. 116 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,863 ♪ ♪ 117 00:03:58,947 --> 00:03:59,906 Okay. 118 00:03:59,989 --> 00:04:02,075 You've had your calcium. 119 00:04:02,158 --> 00:04:06,079 NARRATOR: The injection should stop Kuma's downward spiral, 120 00:04:06,162 --> 00:04:08,122 but her low calcium may have already caused 121 00:04:08,206 --> 00:04:10,625 another serious situation. 122 00:04:10,708 --> 00:04:12,001 MICHELLE: I think we better make sure there's nothing in-- 123 00:04:12,085 --> 00:04:13,044 -like, not a puppy in there. -SAVANNAH: Yeah. 124 00:04:13,127 --> 00:04:15,672 When Kuma became low-calcium, 125 00:04:15,755 --> 00:04:18,049 that also can cause her to have some uterine inertia, 126 00:04:18,132 --> 00:04:21,219 which means her uterus is just not working. 127 00:04:21,302 --> 00:04:22,387 Every now and then, 128 00:04:22,470 --> 00:04:25,390 you can get a puppy that's stuck in the birth canal. 129 00:04:25,473 --> 00:04:27,934 There could be more in there that she just wasn't able to push out. 130 00:04:28,017 --> 00:04:29,978 If there's a puppy inside, 131 00:04:30,061 --> 00:04:31,813 it's likely the puppy is dead at this point. 132 00:04:31,896 --> 00:04:35,400 But the problem is, is the puppies that are left inside, 133 00:04:35,483 --> 00:04:36,442 they become macerated. 134 00:04:36,526 --> 00:04:37,777 They start to break down. 135 00:04:37,860 --> 00:04:40,029 Kuma can become very sick, and she could even die from that. 136 00:04:40,113 --> 00:04:42,282 NARRATOR: To ensure no puppies remain, 137 00:04:42,365 --> 00:04:45,368 Michelle must X-ray Kuma's entire reproductive tract. 138 00:04:45,451 --> 00:04:46,577 (tense music) 139 00:04:46,661 --> 00:04:47,620 (device beeps) 140 00:04:47,704 --> 00:04:48,997 MICHELLE: Perfect. 141 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:50,331 Good girl. 142 00:04:50,415 --> 00:04:52,125 That's it. 143 00:04:52,208 --> 00:04:53,918 So if she does have a puppy stuck, 144 00:04:54,002 --> 00:04:55,461 then that's something we need to take care of right away. 145 00:04:55,545 --> 00:04:57,547 I'd have to go in surgically 146 00:04:57,630 --> 00:04:59,340 and remove the dead puppy. 147 00:04:59,424 --> 00:05:01,634 NARRATOR: Michelle carefully inspects the image 148 00:05:01,718 --> 00:05:04,220 for any sign of a fetal skeleton. 149 00:05:04,304 --> 00:05:05,305 MICHELLE: Dang it. 150 00:05:05,388 --> 00:05:08,308 I hate to do this, but I-I do feel like I-I need to do one more 151 00:05:08,391 --> 00:05:11,102 a little bit further up. 152 00:05:11,185 --> 00:05:13,521 'Cause I just see the edge of something, and I want to be super sure. 153 00:05:13,604 --> 00:05:15,857 So it just looks a little suspicious 154 00:05:15,940 --> 00:05:18,067 along the edge of her uterus, so what I need to do 155 00:05:18,151 --> 00:05:19,902 is get a different view and make sure that there's nothing there. 156 00:05:19,986 --> 00:05:21,279 (device beeps) 157 00:05:21,362 --> 00:05:24,532 ♪ ♪ 158 00:05:24,615 --> 00:05:25,700 No puppies. 159 00:05:25,783 --> 00:05:27,660 Whoo, whoo! Yay. 160 00:05:27,744 --> 00:05:30,038 For sure. For sure this time. 161 00:05:30,121 --> 00:05:32,415 NARRATOR: Now that Kuma's in the clear, 162 00:05:32,498 --> 00:05:35,043 Michelle gives her puppies their first health exam. 163 00:05:35,126 --> 00:05:37,920 MICHELLE: Oh, my goodness. You guys are so cute. 164 00:05:38,004 --> 00:05:39,005 Even though this is awesome, 165 00:05:39,088 --> 00:05:40,590 I'm actually just checking to make sure there's no cleft palates. 166 00:05:40,673 --> 00:05:42,675 So I'm just putting my finger in 167 00:05:42,759 --> 00:05:43,968 and feeling the roof of the mouth, 168 00:05:44,052 --> 00:05:45,219 having a look at the color really quick. 169 00:05:45,303 --> 00:05:46,262 (puppy squeals) 170 00:05:46,346 --> 00:05:47,722 So you can see, the mouth looks good. 171 00:05:47,805 --> 00:05:50,391 I can feel they've got a good suckle. 172 00:05:50,475 --> 00:05:53,936 Umbilical area looks pretty good-- no hernia or anything-- 173 00:05:54,020 --> 00:05:56,105 and very well hydrated. 174 00:05:56,189 --> 00:05:57,732 Fabulous. 175 00:05:57,815 --> 00:05:59,400 Okay. Everybody looks great. 176 00:05:59,484 --> 00:06:00,693 (puppy mewls) 177 00:06:00,777 --> 00:06:02,528 (mellow music) 178 00:06:02,612 --> 00:06:05,198 NARRATOR: With ten happy, healthy puppies, 179 00:06:05,281 --> 00:06:09,202 Michelle needs to make sure Kuma has enough calcium in her milk for them all. 180 00:06:09,285 --> 00:06:10,328 MICHELLE (off screen): So I'm gonna have you 181 00:06:10,411 --> 00:06:11,913 give her some, like, oral Tums and things like that 182 00:06:11,996 --> 00:06:13,456 to keep the calcium going for a few days. 183 00:06:13,539 --> 00:06:14,499 Okay? 184 00:06:14,582 --> 00:06:16,876 We're gonna be giving her, like, puppy kibble. 185 00:06:16,959 --> 00:06:19,587 Like, she actually needs to have free-choice puppy food right now. 186 00:06:19,670 --> 00:06:20,880 -SAVANNAH: Okay. -MICHELLE (off screen): Because that will 187 00:06:20,963 --> 00:06:22,090 have a really good calcium-phosphorous balance, 188 00:06:22,173 --> 00:06:23,257 but also the calories, 189 00:06:23,341 --> 00:06:24,592 'cause she's gonna need a ton of calories 190 00:06:24,675 --> 00:06:25,635 to be feeding these guys 191 00:06:25,718 --> 00:06:26,761 over the next little bit. 192 00:06:26,844 --> 00:06:27,804 Good job, Kuma. 193 00:06:27,887 --> 00:06:29,389 -And good job, Savannah. -SAVANNAH: (chuckles) 194 00:06:29,472 --> 00:06:30,932 MICHELLE: It's just so nice to see 195 00:06:31,015 --> 00:06:33,768 how quickly, you know, she's responding to treatment. 196 00:06:33,851 --> 00:06:35,353 -SAVANNAH: Thank you. -MICHELLE: You are welcome. 197 00:06:35,436 --> 00:06:37,063 I'll see you guys later. 198 00:06:37,146 --> 00:06:38,106 Go on, sweetie. 199 00:06:38,189 --> 00:06:39,148 SAVANNAH: Got it? 200 00:06:39,232 --> 00:06:40,358 MICHELLE (off screen): You're moving a little bit better already. 201 00:06:40,441 --> 00:06:42,443 Seeing her just walk out like, "No problem," 202 00:06:42,527 --> 00:06:45,780 it's really nice to see that she's making her way out on her own, 203 00:06:45,863 --> 00:06:47,281 and I know she's gonna be fine. 204 00:06:47,365 --> 00:06:48,825 Good stuff. 205 00:06:50,410 --> 00:06:52,745 (rustic music) 206 00:06:52,829 --> 00:06:54,455 ♪ ♪ 207 00:06:54,539 --> 00:06:56,332 NARRATOR: Cold weather has arrived 208 00:06:56,416 --> 00:06:58,918 in Palmer, Alaska... 209 00:06:59,001 --> 00:07:00,878 and Michelle is visiting a very special farm 210 00:07:00,962 --> 00:07:04,257 where iconic northern creatures thrive. 211 00:07:04,340 --> 00:07:05,716 MICHELLE: Wow. 212 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:07,260 It's nice to be here in the winter. 213 00:07:07,343 --> 00:07:08,845 DENISE: Thanks for coming. 214 00:07:08,928 --> 00:07:10,221 Wintertime at the reindeer farm 215 00:07:10,304 --> 00:07:12,557 is actually really great. 216 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:14,559 They are arctic animals, 217 00:07:14,642 --> 00:07:17,520 and this time of year is when you find reindeer typically at their healthiest, 218 00:07:17,603 --> 00:07:19,647 and--and they love it. 219 00:07:19,730 --> 00:07:21,899 NARRATOR: But one member of Denise's happy herd 220 00:07:21,983 --> 00:07:23,985 is having a rough season. 221 00:07:24,068 --> 00:07:26,195 DENISE (off screen): So I've got this one 222 00:07:26,279 --> 00:07:28,281 that has some bowlegs. 223 00:07:28,364 --> 00:07:29,740 And all the other reindeer pick on him. 224 00:07:29,824 --> 00:07:30,908 -MICHELLE: Aw. -DENISE: And-- 225 00:07:30,992 --> 00:07:32,076 MICHELLE: They don't let him play their reindeer games? 226 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:33,453 -DENISE: No. (laughs) -MICHELLE: Aw. 227 00:07:33,536 --> 00:07:36,372 DENISE (off screen): We named him Rudolph because he has some issues 228 00:07:36,456 --> 00:07:38,666 and he gets picked on 229 00:07:38,749 --> 00:07:40,918 and he's got some bowlegs. 230 00:07:41,002 --> 00:07:43,963 But Michelle is going to see 231 00:07:44,046 --> 00:07:45,131 what's causing this. 232 00:07:45,214 --> 00:07:47,091 -That's him right there. -MICHELLE (off screen): Aw. 233 00:07:47,175 --> 00:07:48,301 DENISE (off screen): Doesn't he look sad? 234 00:07:48,384 --> 00:07:50,344 MICHELLE: Oh, dude, you do look sad. 235 00:07:50,428 --> 00:07:52,054 DENISE: He's only, you know, seven months old. 236 00:07:52,138 --> 00:07:55,766 He's so young, and I don't want him uncomfortable and hurting. 237 00:07:55,850 --> 00:07:57,059 -You see it? -MICHELLE (off screen): Oh, 238 00:07:57,143 --> 00:07:58,102 it's the front legs. 239 00:07:58,186 --> 00:07:59,270 Yeah, I can see it. Yup. 240 00:07:59,353 --> 00:08:00,605 He was either born with 241 00:08:00,688 --> 00:08:02,523 or developed bowlegs in the front. 242 00:08:02,607 --> 00:08:04,525 So his legs, instead of being nice, normal straight, 243 00:08:04,609 --> 00:08:05,693 they--they bow out 244 00:08:05,776 --> 00:08:09,155 right at what's called the carpus, which looks like a knee. 245 00:08:09,238 --> 00:08:10,573 And that's making it hard for him to move around. 246 00:08:10,656 --> 00:08:12,325 He's starting to show some signs of lameness. 247 00:08:12,408 --> 00:08:15,161 Are you certain that it wasn't there when he was a baby? 248 00:08:15,244 --> 00:08:16,245 -Or you're not sure? -DENISE: I'm not certain. 249 00:08:16,329 --> 00:08:18,331 -I didn't notice it. -MICHELLE: Okay. Yeah. Right. 250 00:08:18,414 --> 00:08:21,042 NARRATOR: Rudolph's bowlegs make it hard for him to escape 251 00:08:21,125 --> 00:08:22,376 from the rest of the herd, 252 00:08:22,460 --> 00:08:25,171 and that's just the start of his troubles. 253 00:08:25,254 --> 00:08:26,255 MICHELLE: He has been pushed into a fence, 254 00:08:26,339 --> 00:08:27,465 and he damaged the base of his antlers. 255 00:08:27,548 --> 00:08:29,509 -Can't really grab his antlers, can you? -DENISE: We wanna just put the halter 256 00:08:29,592 --> 00:08:31,385 -around his nose real quick, right? -MICHELLE: Yeah. 257 00:08:31,469 --> 00:08:32,637 DENISE: Can you see that pus on the eyelid? 258 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:34,138 MICHELLE: Mm. Yeah. 259 00:08:34,222 --> 00:08:35,389 And he's got an infection in his eye. 260 00:08:35,473 --> 00:08:37,642 Oh, yeah. You got a blue eye. 261 00:08:37,725 --> 00:08:40,478 -DENISE: Yeah. -MICHELLE: What happened to you now? 262 00:08:40,561 --> 00:08:41,812 So he's really kind of pathetic. I feel bad for him. 263 00:08:41,896 --> 00:08:43,689 And we really just want to get him feeling better 264 00:08:43,773 --> 00:08:45,525 and see if he can get back out with the group. 265 00:08:45,608 --> 00:08:47,777 He's g--he's a bit of a mess, isn't he? 266 00:08:47,860 --> 00:08:48,819 DENISE: And no friends. 267 00:08:48,903 --> 00:08:50,238 MICHELLE: And no friends on top of it. 268 00:08:50,321 --> 00:08:51,572 DENISE: (chuckles) Except for his mother. 269 00:08:51,656 --> 00:08:52,615 -(laughs) -MICHELLE: Well, that's good. 270 00:08:52,698 --> 00:08:55,326 At least Mommy loves you. 271 00:08:55,409 --> 00:08:57,328 NARRATOR: To get a closer look at Rudolph's many ailments, 272 00:08:57,411 --> 00:08:59,163 Michelle and Denise need to first separate him 273 00:08:59,247 --> 00:09:01,290 from the bullies in the pen. 274 00:09:01,374 --> 00:09:02,333 DENISE: And there was-- 275 00:09:02,416 --> 00:09:03,709 -BOTH: Oh! -DENISE: Hey. 276 00:09:03,793 --> 00:09:05,586 -MICHELLE: Don't pick on him. -DENISE: They all pick on him. 277 00:09:05,670 --> 00:09:07,421 -MICHELLE: Are they mean to you? -DENISE: Here, we've got the other... 278 00:09:07,505 --> 00:09:09,423 NARRATOR: The herd's treatment of Rudolph may look harsh, 279 00:09:09,507 --> 00:09:11,926 but it's instinctual behavior. 280 00:09:12,009 --> 00:09:13,594 MICHELLE (off screen): The ones that are acting a bit different, 281 00:09:13,678 --> 00:09:15,263 that aren't moving as nice, 282 00:09:15,346 --> 00:09:18,182 you know, they can attract the attention of predators. 283 00:09:18,266 --> 00:09:21,185 DENISE: George. George. 284 00:09:21,269 --> 00:09:22,603 Back up. 285 00:09:22,687 --> 00:09:25,106 MICHELLE: And so the group tends to exclude him a bit. 286 00:09:25,189 --> 00:09:26,566 C'mon, baby. 287 00:09:26,649 --> 00:09:28,359 DENISE: He's not--not halterbroken. 288 00:09:28,442 --> 00:09:30,069 -MICHELLE: Oh, I see that. -DENISE: (laughing) 289 00:09:30,152 --> 00:09:32,947 NARRATOR: Rudolph needs to be moved inside for his exam, 290 00:09:33,030 --> 00:09:35,324 but he's not used to being tethered. 291 00:09:35,408 --> 00:09:37,076 -DENISE: Oh-- -MICHELLE: Ooh--watch-- 292 00:09:37,159 --> 00:09:38,369 Popeye doesn't get out. Ooh, ooh. 293 00:09:38,452 --> 00:09:40,246 Heads up. Heads up. 294 00:09:40,329 --> 00:09:41,289 -Hold on, baby. -DENISE: Okay. 295 00:09:41,372 --> 00:09:42,707 MICHELLE: Sorry. My hand was twisted, there. 296 00:09:42,790 --> 00:09:44,792 He's pulling Denise and I all over the place. 297 00:09:44,875 --> 00:09:47,545 DENISE (off screen): Okay. If you could shut that gate real quick. 298 00:09:47,628 --> 00:09:48,629 MICHELLE: Can you come in or out? 299 00:09:48,713 --> 00:09:49,880 'Cause I got to shut it so they don't get out. 300 00:09:49,964 --> 00:09:51,507 DENISE: Down, girl. Leave him alone. 301 00:09:51,591 --> 00:09:53,134 MICHELLE: We can barely control 'em. 302 00:09:53,217 --> 00:09:54,885 -DENISE: (grunts) -MICHELLE (off screen): Okay. Okay. 303 00:09:54,969 --> 00:09:56,345 Oh, it's me. It's me. Okay-- 304 00:09:56,429 --> 00:09:57,388 -(gasps) -DENISE: Whoa! 305 00:09:57,471 --> 00:09:58,639 -MICHELLE: Oof. Are you okay? -DENISE: (struggling) Yup. 306 00:09:58,723 --> 00:09:59,890 MICHELLE (off screen): Hold on. Hold on. It's okay. It's okay. 307 00:09:59,974 --> 00:10:02,059 -(reindeer chuffs) -Whoa, whoa, whoa. 308 00:10:06,397 --> 00:10:09,317 NARRATOR: Rudolph the reindeer needs urgent medical attention. 309 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:11,068 MICHELLE: Okay. Okay. Oh, it's me. It's me. 310 00:10:11,152 --> 00:10:12,111 Ah, okay. (gasps) 311 00:10:12,194 --> 00:10:13,863 -Are you okay? -DENISE: Yup. 312 00:10:13,946 --> 00:10:16,157 NARRATOR: But the young calf is fighting back like a bucking bull. 313 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:18,117 -(reindeer chuffs) -MICHELLE: Whoa, whoa, whoa. 314 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:19,744 -DENISE: Sorry. -MICHELLE (off screen): Okay, buddy. 315 00:10:19,827 --> 00:10:21,871 Heads up. Wild reindeer. 316 00:10:21,954 --> 00:10:23,080 It's okay. 317 00:10:24,498 --> 00:10:26,208 -DENISE: Okay. -MICHELLE: Goodness. 318 00:10:26,292 --> 00:10:28,085 NARRATOR: Finally, Rudolph tires out, 319 00:10:28,169 --> 00:10:29,587 and Michelle can inspect 320 00:10:29,670 --> 00:10:31,172 his infected eye. 321 00:10:31,255 --> 00:10:32,715 MICHELLE: Oh, my goodness, with the blue eye. 322 00:10:32,798 --> 00:10:35,009 Sometimes when they get 323 00:10:35,092 --> 00:10:36,636 a lot of, you know, ice and wind, 324 00:10:36,719 --> 00:10:39,513 they will end up with, like, a lot of trauma to the eye, 325 00:10:39,597 --> 00:10:43,059 and then they'll get a bluish hue to the surface of the cornea. 326 00:10:43,142 --> 00:10:44,101 He's got a little David Bowie going on. 327 00:10:44,185 --> 00:10:46,771 I mean, he's got this one blue eye and this other brown one. 328 00:10:46,854 --> 00:10:48,189 The surface of the cornea, 329 00:10:48,272 --> 00:10:50,566 which should be totally clear and smooth, 330 00:10:50,650 --> 00:10:52,568 has some inflammation or infection going on, 331 00:10:52,652 --> 00:10:54,945 and then those cells reflect the light 332 00:10:55,029 --> 00:10:56,072 and it all looks blue. 333 00:10:56,155 --> 00:10:57,490 Right now, I'm trying to look to see if there's anything, 334 00:10:57,573 --> 00:11:00,242 like, in the chamber of the eye. 335 00:11:00,326 --> 00:11:04,080 We want to make sure that there's nothing stuck in there 336 00:11:04,163 --> 00:11:05,623 or it's not ulcerating. 337 00:11:05,706 --> 00:11:07,333 It doesn't look like there's much in there. 338 00:11:07,416 --> 00:11:10,753 I'm having a hard time seeing what's going on. 339 00:11:10,836 --> 00:11:12,963 So what I need to do is actually put some stain in there 340 00:11:13,047 --> 00:11:14,590 and see if there's been some injury 341 00:11:14,674 --> 00:11:16,300 to the surface of the eye. 342 00:11:16,384 --> 00:11:18,928 (tense music) 343 00:11:19,011 --> 00:11:20,221 Ooh. Creepy eye. 344 00:11:20,304 --> 00:11:22,640 I just put some fluorescein stain in there. 345 00:11:22,723 --> 00:11:25,851 And so, that will stick to any kind of, um, defect 346 00:11:25,935 --> 00:11:27,311 in the surface of the cornea-- 347 00:11:27,395 --> 00:11:29,897 like if there's an ulcer or something like that. 348 00:11:29,980 --> 00:11:31,023 Let's flush all that away. 349 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:34,735 Uh-oh. Guess what? 350 00:11:34,819 --> 00:11:37,321 -I see stain stuck where it shouldn't be. -DENISE (off screen): Oh, dear. 351 00:11:37,405 --> 00:11:39,699 MICHELLE (off screen): Oh, baby. Darn it. 352 00:11:39,782 --> 00:11:40,741 Unfortunately, 353 00:11:40,825 --> 00:11:42,576 a bunch of the stain won't flush away 354 00:11:42,660 --> 00:11:44,412 and it's stuck right in the middle of his cornea, 355 00:11:44,495 --> 00:11:46,997 so that tells me that there's actually a bit of an ulcer starting. 356 00:11:47,081 --> 00:11:49,667 NARRATOR: A corneal ulcer is a sore 357 00:11:49,750 --> 00:11:52,795 usually caused by dryness, infection, or trauma. 358 00:11:52,878 --> 00:11:53,838 MICHELLE (off screen): So as you can see, 359 00:11:53,921 --> 00:11:56,340 the stain rinsed away from everywhere 360 00:11:56,424 --> 00:11:57,508 -except for that one big, honking spot. -DENISE (off screen): Yes. 361 00:11:57,591 --> 00:12:00,094 NARRATOR: Left untreated, it could continue to grow. 362 00:12:00,177 --> 00:12:01,762 MICHELLE (off screen): That can perforate 363 00:12:01,846 --> 00:12:04,515 into the eyeball and--and start a major infection. 364 00:12:04,598 --> 00:12:07,101 He can actually lose his eye. 365 00:12:07,184 --> 00:12:08,894 It's at least into the first couple layers. 366 00:12:08,978 --> 00:12:11,731 NARRATOR: To stop the ulcer from spreading further, 367 00:12:11,814 --> 00:12:14,483 Michelle will inject antibiotics 368 00:12:14,567 --> 00:12:16,402 straight into his eyelid. 369 00:12:16,485 --> 00:12:17,987 MICHELLE (off screen): All right. 370 00:12:19,113 --> 00:12:23,826 So I'm injecting penicillin, actually, into the tissues under his eye. 371 00:12:24,869 --> 00:12:25,870 And so, you can see, 372 00:12:25,953 --> 00:12:27,329 that's a bubble of penicillin, 373 00:12:27,413 --> 00:12:29,540 and that's gonna leak out over the next two or three days. 374 00:12:29,623 --> 00:12:31,542 And--okay, okay. 375 00:12:31,625 --> 00:12:33,043 -We can let him up, actually. -DENISE: Let him up? 376 00:12:33,127 --> 00:12:34,837 MICHELLE: And that seems to work wonders. 377 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:36,380 NARRATOR: It may take up to two weeks 378 00:12:36,464 --> 00:12:37,798 for Rudolph's eye to heal completely. 379 00:12:37,882 --> 00:12:40,593 In the meantime, to defend himself in the pen, 380 00:12:40,676 --> 00:12:43,345 his antlers need attention. 381 00:12:43,429 --> 00:12:45,639 MICHELLE: The other issue is this antler. 382 00:12:45,723 --> 00:12:47,516 DENISE (off screen): Yeah, he kept getting stuck in the fence. 383 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:49,059 MICHELLE: Oh, okay. 384 00:12:49,143 --> 00:12:50,436 DENISE: So that's why we cut the antlers, 385 00:12:50,519 --> 00:12:52,062 'cause he would reach through and then couldn't get back out. 386 00:12:52,146 --> 00:12:53,314 MICHELLE: Oh, okay. 387 00:12:53,397 --> 00:12:55,983 When he was stuck, he may have damaged the base of his antler, 388 00:12:56,066 --> 00:12:58,360 and when you get a crack in an antler that's growing, 389 00:12:58,444 --> 00:13:00,529 bacteria can get in there, and then it gets an infection. 390 00:13:00,613 --> 00:13:02,281 DENISE (off screen): Other reindeer owners have found... 391 00:13:02,364 --> 00:13:03,824 -MICHELLE: Yeah. -DENISE (off screen): When there's pus 392 00:13:03,908 --> 00:13:05,367 -leaking really at the... -MICHELLE: The base? 393 00:13:05,451 --> 00:13:06,410 -DENISE: Really below the base. -MICHELLE: Mm-hmm. 394 00:13:06,494 --> 00:13:08,579 DENISE: It has gone to the brain. 395 00:13:08,662 --> 00:13:09,789 MICHELLE: Right. That's certainly a concern. 396 00:13:09,872 --> 00:13:12,249 If they do have an infection in the antler, 397 00:13:12,333 --> 00:13:15,252 even if it starts here, it can track down. 398 00:13:15,336 --> 00:13:18,088 That infection can actually travel down the pedicle 399 00:13:18,172 --> 00:13:20,466 and get, you know, in the skull, get actually right into the brain. 400 00:13:20,549 --> 00:13:22,301 NARRATOR: Infection in the brain 401 00:13:22,384 --> 00:13:24,553 would likely spell death for the ailing reindeer. 402 00:13:24,637 --> 00:13:28,432 MICHELLE: One by one, we're getting you fixed right up. 403 00:13:28,516 --> 00:13:31,268 Look at you, sad baby. 404 00:13:31,352 --> 00:13:32,978 NARRATOR: Michelle flushes the area 405 00:13:33,062 --> 00:13:35,564 and injects powerful antibiotics into his wound. 406 00:13:37,608 --> 00:13:40,027 MICHELLE: This is like, pus, that's matted around here. 407 00:13:40,110 --> 00:13:43,489 And so just trying to get it all out of the way 408 00:13:43,572 --> 00:13:46,075 to make sure there's no, like, crack down low or any-- 409 00:13:46,158 --> 00:13:47,576 (grunts) Like that. Sorry, love. 410 00:13:48,744 --> 00:13:49,912 Flush that a bit. 411 00:13:49,995 --> 00:13:51,580 Okay, okay, okay. Hey, hey. Hey. 412 00:13:51,664 --> 00:13:54,250 Are you okay? 413 00:13:54,333 --> 00:13:55,543 Nope. 414 00:13:55,626 --> 00:13:56,710 DENISE: He kicked me in the face. 415 00:13:56,794 --> 00:13:58,087 (both chuckle) 416 00:13:58,170 --> 00:14:02,132 So Rudolph gets picked on, but he is pretty strong. 417 00:14:02,216 --> 00:14:04,468 MICHELLE (off screen): He is way stronger than he seems, you know? 418 00:14:04,552 --> 00:14:07,888 NARRATOR: Now that Rudolph's eye and antler have been treated, 419 00:14:07,972 --> 00:14:10,516 Michelle has one more problem to tackle: 420 00:14:10,599 --> 00:14:12,059 those bowlegs. 421 00:14:12,142 --> 00:14:15,896 MICHELLE: So first thing I'm gonna do is just feel his legs. 422 00:14:15,980 --> 00:14:17,022 Making sure 423 00:14:17,106 --> 00:14:18,983 that it moves normally, that it can bend normally. 424 00:14:19,066 --> 00:14:20,901 And sometimes, even lower in the joint is contracted. 425 00:14:20,985 --> 00:14:22,778 It'll cause the knees to bow out. 426 00:14:24,446 --> 00:14:26,532 So no swelling in the joint at all. 427 00:14:26,615 --> 00:14:27,575 DENISE (off screen): Really? 428 00:14:27,658 --> 00:14:28,951 MICHELLE: Nothing obvious that I could feel. 429 00:14:29,034 --> 00:14:29,994 You know what I mean? 430 00:14:30,077 --> 00:14:32,496 NARRATOR: There are no clear explanations for Rudolph's deformity, 431 00:14:32,580 --> 00:14:35,875 so Michelle turns to a trusted diagnostic tool. 432 00:14:35,958 --> 00:14:37,710 MICHELLE (off screen): Why don't we go ahead and get the x-rays done. 433 00:14:37,793 --> 00:14:39,003 (tense music) 434 00:14:39,086 --> 00:14:40,212 Okay. 435 00:14:41,297 --> 00:14:43,048 You are so good. 436 00:14:44,758 --> 00:14:46,594 -DENISE: Oh, look at that. -MICHELLE: Yeah. 437 00:14:46,677 --> 00:14:47,761 DENISE (off screen): Bent. 438 00:14:47,845 --> 00:14:49,388 -MICHELLE: You can even see the bow... -DENISE: Yeah. 439 00:14:49,471 --> 00:14:50,681 MICHELLE (off screen): In the radius and ulna there 440 00:14:50,764 --> 00:14:52,391 that are kind of like, whoosh, you know-- like, out to the side. 441 00:14:52,474 --> 00:14:53,601 DENISE (off screen): And they would normally be straight, right? 442 00:14:53,684 --> 00:14:55,394 MICHELLE: Yeah. They would normally be straight. 443 00:14:55,477 --> 00:14:56,437 DENISE (off screen): So it's actually the bone that's bent. 444 00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:58,522 MICHELLE (off screen): I can see there's a deformity in the bone. 445 00:14:58,606 --> 00:14:59,899 It's basically a curved shape, 446 00:14:59,982 --> 00:15:02,276 and that's what's causing his whole legs to--to bow out. 447 00:15:02,359 --> 00:15:03,903 We'll never know what caused it. 448 00:15:03,986 --> 00:15:05,237 It could have been something 449 00:15:05,321 --> 00:15:06,864 that happened during gestation. 450 00:15:06,947 --> 00:15:08,407 it could have been something that happened soon after, 451 00:15:08,490 --> 00:15:09,783 when he was trying to walk. 452 00:15:09,867 --> 00:15:12,578 Uh, in any case, there's not a whole lot we can do for it at this point. 453 00:15:12,661 --> 00:15:14,788 -That looks funny, right there. -DENISE (off screen): Mm-hmm. 454 00:15:14,872 --> 00:15:16,373 MICHELLE: That looks like almost like a little chip or something. 455 00:15:16,457 --> 00:15:18,042 DENISE (off screen): Oh. 456 00:15:18,125 --> 00:15:21,086 NARRATOR: A closer look reveals more bad news. 457 00:15:21,170 --> 00:15:23,464 MICHELLE: You can see how things are just not lined up properly. 458 00:15:23,547 --> 00:15:25,382 DENISE (off screen): Yeah. 459 00:15:25,466 --> 00:15:27,009 MICHELLE: So unfortunately, it does look like 460 00:15:27,092 --> 00:15:30,554 he's got bits of yucky bone or cartilage that are jumping out. 461 00:15:30,638 --> 00:15:33,849 We're starting to see some pretty significant arthritis. 462 00:15:33,933 --> 00:15:36,060 He's got some defects in his cartilage. 463 00:15:36,143 --> 00:15:38,771 And he's a young animal. 464 00:15:38,854 --> 00:15:40,856 So he can't be with this group of youngsters 465 00:15:40,940 --> 00:15:43,400 that want to fight and knock him around that he's trying to run from. 466 00:15:43,484 --> 00:15:46,487 Kind of less movement would be better for him right now, 467 00:15:46,570 --> 00:15:48,989 but how long can you do that? 468 00:15:49,073 --> 00:15:52,284 DENISE: I think we're gonna try to move him and his mom in with the grandmas. 469 00:15:52,368 --> 00:15:53,786 You know, he won't have to walk as far for food. 470 00:15:53,869 --> 00:15:55,663 -MICHELLE (off screen): Oh, yeah. -DENISE: They also have arthritis. 471 00:15:55,746 --> 00:15:59,291 MICHELLE: Right. Aww. Okay, that sounds like a great plan. 472 00:15:59,375 --> 00:16:01,168 The old granny reindeer also have arthritis, 473 00:16:01,251 --> 00:16:03,837 and, you know, he just wants to be with other reindeer. 474 00:16:03,921 --> 00:16:06,674 It'll be nice to put them in a group in the old granny pen, 475 00:16:06,757 --> 00:16:08,509 and they can all kind of hang out together. 476 00:16:08,592 --> 00:16:10,678 If it becomes more progressive and more of a problem, 477 00:16:10,761 --> 00:16:12,846 he can have, like, daily meloxicam. 478 00:16:12,930 --> 00:16:15,557 DENISE: Okay. So we could give it to all of the grandmas too. 479 00:16:15,641 --> 00:16:16,684 MICHELLE (off screen): You could be doing that. 480 00:16:16,767 --> 00:16:17,810 DENISE: Dr. Oakley gave us some suggestions 481 00:16:17,893 --> 00:16:19,728 that we can maybe offer him 482 00:16:19,812 --> 00:16:23,232 to try to get through the arthritis 483 00:16:23,315 --> 00:16:26,527 and see if we can at least let him get, you know, 484 00:16:26,610 --> 00:16:29,405 a little more grown up and--and see how he does. 485 00:16:29,488 --> 00:16:31,407 MICHELLE: Okay, we are done picking on you. 486 00:16:31,490 --> 00:16:33,534 I'm so sorry you get picked on all the time. 487 00:16:33,617 --> 00:16:35,035 You poor baby. 488 00:16:35,119 --> 00:16:36,829 DENISE: All right. 489 00:16:36,912 --> 00:16:39,039 MICHELLE: (grunting) Oh, come on, buddy. 490 00:16:39,123 --> 00:16:41,583 Rudolph's had a really tough go of it, 491 00:16:41,667 --> 00:16:43,168 but I love working with these underdogs, 492 00:16:43,252 --> 00:16:45,462 these animals that seem like there's no hope. 493 00:16:45,546 --> 00:16:46,714 Look. There's Mommy. 494 00:16:46,797 --> 00:16:50,676 And then with just, you know, a little bit of extra attention, 495 00:16:50,759 --> 00:16:53,303 a little bit of extra love and effort, 496 00:16:53,387 --> 00:16:56,557 we can get them to pull through, and they're right back on their happy way. 497 00:16:56,640 --> 00:16:57,725 I really think he can come around 498 00:16:57,808 --> 00:16:59,309 and still lead a happy, healthy life. 499 00:16:59,393 --> 00:17:01,603 Oh, my goodness. Oh. 500 00:17:01,687 --> 00:17:03,647 -Whoo. -DENISE (off screen): (laughs) 501 00:17:03,731 --> 00:17:04,857 MICHELLE (off screen): Yeah. Aww. 502 00:17:04,940 --> 00:17:07,359 DENISE: See how he trots off with his little bowlegs? 503 00:17:07,443 --> 00:17:08,986 MICHELLE (off screen): Yeah. He's happy to go. 504 00:17:09,069 --> 00:17:10,738 DENISE (off screen): (laughs) 505 00:17:12,114 --> 00:17:14,825 (acoustic music) 506 00:17:14,908 --> 00:17:17,244 NARRATOR: With a plan to check on Rudolph at a later date, 507 00:17:17,327 --> 00:17:20,330 Michelle makes her way to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center 508 00:17:20,414 --> 00:17:22,207 to see a prickly patient. 509 00:17:23,250 --> 00:17:25,252 MICHELLE (off screen): Love me some Snickers. 510 00:17:25,335 --> 00:17:27,337 So is he seven? Eight years old? 511 00:17:27,421 --> 00:17:30,215 -SARAH: He's 14. -MICHELLE: 14? 512 00:17:30,299 --> 00:17:32,593 Jeez! 513 00:17:32,676 --> 00:17:34,094 Snickers is my fave. 514 00:17:34,178 --> 00:17:36,180 He is a North American porcupine. 515 00:17:36,263 --> 00:17:38,390 He's been here most of his life. 516 00:17:38,474 --> 00:17:39,725 -He seems pretty gentle. -SARAH: Yeah. 517 00:17:39,808 --> 00:17:41,643 MICHELLE: Although he would poke me if he could. 518 00:17:41,727 --> 00:17:43,228 -SARAH: He would. -MICHELLE: He probably will. 519 00:17:43,312 --> 00:17:44,855 SARAH: Snickers is our education ambassador. 520 00:17:44,938 --> 00:17:48,358 MICHELLE: Ah. Smells like porcupines. (sniffing) 521 00:17:48,442 --> 00:17:50,986 SARAH (off screen): He goes around to a bunch of schools, 522 00:17:51,070 --> 00:17:53,489 so a lot of people in the state know him and they--they love to see him. 523 00:17:53,572 --> 00:17:55,199 MICHELLE: Oh, my. Look what's here. 524 00:17:55,282 --> 00:17:56,283 SARAH: Stinkers. 525 00:17:56,366 --> 00:17:58,160 MICHELLE: Hi, Stinker Snickers. 526 00:17:58,243 --> 00:17:59,328 What's up? 527 00:17:59,411 --> 00:18:02,122 NARRATOR: At 14, Snickers is nearing the 20-year maximum lifespan 528 00:18:02,206 --> 00:18:03,707 for a captive porcupine. 529 00:18:03,791 --> 00:18:05,667 SARAH (off screen): Oh, come on, bud. 530 00:18:05,751 --> 00:18:07,920 NARRATOR: At this age, threats to his health 531 00:18:08,003 --> 00:18:10,422 include arthritis, anemia, 532 00:18:10,506 --> 00:18:11,757 and respiratory problems. 533 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:13,467 MICHELLE (off screen): Look at your beautiful winter coat. 534 00:18:13,550 --> 00:18:14,510 SARAH (off screen): Come here, bud. 535 00:18:14,593 --> 00:18:15,719 NARRATOR: Michelle needs to give the old man 536 00:18:15,803 --> 00:18:18,138 a complete physical to make sure he continues 537 00:18:18,222 --> 00:18:19,515 to age gracefully. 538 00:18:19,598 --> 00:18:20,808 MICHELLE (off screen): He's like, "Okay. I'll go in there." 539 00:18:20,891 --> 00:18:23,268 SARAH: I'm just a little concerned with his age. 540 00:18:23,352 --> 00:18:24,770 We're gonna have to anesthetize him. 541 00:18:24,853 --> 00:18:26,980 MICHELLE: Nice porcupine capture. 542 00:18:27,064 --> 00:18:29,441 SARAH (off screen): Putting them under, sometimes, with an older animal, 543 00:18:29,525 --> 00:18:32,111 especially a rodent, just kind of concerns me a little bit. 544 00:18:32,194 --> 00:18:33,737 So we'll--we'll see what happens. 545 00:18:33,821 --> 00:18:35,405 MICHELLE (off screen): Sorry you didn't get any snacks. 546 00:18:35,489 --> 00:18:37,366 It was false advertising. 547 00:18:37,449 --> 00:18:38,784 SARAH: He's the man. (laughs) 548 00:18:38,867 --> 00:18:42,579 So it's really important that we take care of our Mr. Snickers. 549 00:18:42,663 --> 00:18:45,457 MICHELLE (off screen): Go ahead and set him up here. 550 00:18:45,541 --> 00:18:47,668 (intriguing music) 551 00:18:47,751 --> 00:18:49,044 ♪ ♪ 552 00:18:49,128 --> 00:18:50,170 To do a complete physical on him, 553 00:18:50,254 --> 00:18:52,339 he's gonna need to hold still. 554 00:18:52,422 --> 00:18:53,549 And he won't do that if he's awake. 555 00:18:53,632 --> 00:18:56,218 So that's gonna require anesthesia. 556 00:18:58,053 --> 00:18:59,847 So I'm just mixing up his drugs right now. 557 00:18:59,930 --> 00:19:01,974 Get him injected. 558 00:19:02,057 --> 00:19:03,725 He has got a smell. 559 00:19:03,809 --> 00:19:05,936 Porcupines, you can smell their little houses 560 00:19:06,019 --> 00:19:09,356 a long ways away when you're out in the-- out in the bush. 561 00:19:09,439 --> 00:19:11,316 NARRATOR: It isn't just their quills that pose a danger. 562 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:16,113 When they feel threatened, porcupines emit an odor to ward off potential predators. 563 00:19:16,196 --> 00:19:17,781 MICHELLE: It's kind of like a BO smell, honestly. 564 00:19:17,865 --> 00:19:19,616 It's not a great smell. 565 00:19:19,700 --> 00:19:21,201 Porcupine, in general, 566 00:19:21,285 --> 00:19:23,162 have a very musky odor about them. 567 00:19:23,245 --> 00:19:26,290 It's like serious BO. It's a little PO. 568 00:19:26,373 --> 00:19:28,750 It's porcupine odor, and it's very distinctive. 569 00:19:28,834 --> 00:19:31,461 I hate to be poking him. He's used to being the poker. 570 00:19:31,545 --> 00:19:34,548 He's got 40,000 quills all over his body. 571 00:19:34,631 --> 00:19:36,258 He's got a very muscular tail 572 00:19:36,341 --> 00:19:39,344 that could just whip around and slap me with quills anytime when he's irritated. 573 00:19:39,428 --> 00:19:42,931 Let's try the tipping over and see what I can get out. 574 00:19:43,015 --> 00:19:45,309 (playfully) Oh, wow. What's happening? 575 00:19:45,392 --> 00:19:46,351 Where's that tail? 576 00:19:46,435 --> 00:19:47,436 NARRATOR: In order to sedate Snickers, 577 00:19:47,519 --> 00:19:50,689 the best place to inject the drugs is into his tail. 578 00:19:50,772 --> 00:19:53,650 But it's also a difficult spot to reach. 579 00:19:53,734 --> 00:19:54,943 MICHELLE: Ooh. (grunts) 580 00:19:55,986 --> 00:19:57,321 -SARAH: His whole tail should be... -MICHELLE: Oh, there's your tail. 581 00:19:57,404 --> 00:19:58,864 There's your tail. 582 00:19:58,947 --> 00:20:00,407 (tense music) 583 00:20:00,490 --> 00:20:01,617 ♪ ♪ 584 00:20:01,700 --> 00:20:02,659 Okay. 585 00:20:02,743 --> 00:20:04,119 NARRATOR: The sedation's in. 586 00:20:04,203 --> 00:20:07,748 Now they must wait for Snickers to fall asleep. 587 00:20:07,831 --> 00:20:09,082 MICHELLE: Sorry, Snickers. 588 00:20:09,166 --> 00:20:10,542 Old grandpa pants. 589 00:20:10,626 --> 00:20:12,377 -SARAH: What happened? -MICHELLE: (laughs) Oh, my goodness. 590 00:20:13,503 --> 00:20:14,630 He dripped on me. 591 00:20:14,713 --> 00:20:16,089 SARAH: Oh. 592 00:20:16,173 --> 00:20:17,424 MICHELLE: Hopefully there was no pee in that. 593 00:20:17,507 --> 00:20:20,093 -It was mostly just melted snow. -SARAH: Yikes. 594 00:20:20,177 --> 00:20:22,012 -MICHELLE: Did he pee in there? -SARAH: Most likely. 595 00:20:27,267 --> 00:20:28,685 MICHELLE: (sighs) 596 00:20:28,769 --> 00:20:31,021 Snickers peed in my eye. 597 00:20:31,104 --> 00:20:33,273 Our fatal error was to tip the crate up 598 00:20:33,357 --> 00:20:34,316 and then for me to get underneath there. 599 00:20:34,399 --> 00:20:36,151 There was something dripping on my face. 600 00:20:36,235 --> 00:20:38,153 I just thought, "Oh, it's just melting snow." 601 00:20:38,237 --> 00:20:41,365 And then a little bit was, like, salty, 602 00:20:41,448 --> 00:20:44,701 and I was like "No!" (imitates gagging) 603 00:20:44,785 --> 00:20:47,329 -(gags) -SARAH: Survival juice. (laughs) 604 00:20:47,412 --> 00:20:49,873 So Snickers by default ended up marking Dr. Oakley, 605 00:20:49,957 --> 00:20:51,416 so now she's his. 606 00:20:51,500 --> 00:20:52,918 (awkward music) 607 00:20:53,001 --> 00:20:55,462 NARRATOR: Now that Snickers is down for the count, 608 00:20:55,545 --> 00:20:57,589 Michelle can give him a thorough exam 609 00:20:57,673 --> 00:21:00,467 while minimizing her chance of getting quilled. 610 00:21:00,550 --> 00:21:03,428 MICHELLE: He's so cuddly. I told you he's cuddly. 611 00:21:03,512 --> 00:21:05,055 He is. He really is. 612 00:21:05,138 --> 00:21:07,140 Okay. 613 00:21:07,224 --> 00:21:08,892 The last time he had a checkup 614 00:21:08,976 --> 00:21:10,602 was about, ooh, 615 00:21:10,686 --> 00:21:12,104 almost five years ago. 616 00:21:12,187 --> 00:21:13,146 And he's getting to be older. 617 00:21:13,230 --> 00:21:14,731 He's definitely in the geriatric stage, 618 00:21:14,815 --> 00:21:16,566 being 14, 619 00:21:16,650 --> 00:21:17,859 so we're gonna do a complete physical. 620 00:21:17,943 --> 00:21:19,236 To listen to his lungs, 621 00:21:19,319 --> 00:21:21,863 you got to kind of go underneath where there's no quills. 622 00:21:21,947 --> 00:21:24,616 A lot of porcupine tend to get respiratory diseases, 623 00:21:24,700 --> 00:21:28,120 pneumonia--it's not uncommon in captivity where they can get sinus infections. 624 00:21:28,203 --> 00:21:30,622 That sounds good. 625 00:21:30,706 --> 00:21:32,666 And his lungs look really nice, really clear. 626 00:21:32,749 --> 00:21:35,252 So we're gonna keep going, kind of nose to tail. 627 00:21:35,335 --> 00:21:37,379 (gasps) Ah! (inhales sharply) 628 00:21:38,922 --> 00:21:40,048 (rasping) I deserve that. 629 00:21:40,132 --> 00:21:41,300 -SARAH (off screen): Ooh. -MICHELLE: Oh, that hurt. Okay. 630 00:21:41,383 --> 00:21:42,676 SARAH (off screen): That was in the fingertip. 631 00:21:42,759 --> 00:21:43,802 MICHELLE: Yup, right in the fingertip. 632 00:21:43,885 --> 00:21:46,847 Getting quilled hurts like heck. 633 00:21:46,930 --> 00:21:49,891 Even though he's sedated, he's getting his revenge. 634 00:21:49,975 --> 00:21:52,227 Sir Pokes-a-Lot. 635 00:21:52,311 --> 00:21:54,730 Okay. Blood will be tricky. 636 00:21:54,813 --> 00:21:57,107 We can try and do a forearm. 637 00:21:57,190 --> 00:22:01,278 NARRATOR: Michelle won't let the quilling derail her exam... 638 00:22:01,361 --> 00:22:02,946 Instead serving up a poke of her own. 639 00:22:03,030 --> 00:22:06,325 MICHELLE: Okay. So you hold off with your thumb right there. 640 00:22:06,408 --> 00:22:07,492 NARRATOR: But that's easier said than done. 641 00:22:07,576 --> 00:22:09,244 MICHELLE: Ow. 642 00:22:09,328 --> 00:22:10,454 (tool whirring) 643 00:22:10,537 --> 00:22:12,873 It's tricky getting a blood sample from these guys. 644 00:22:12,956 --> 00:22:14,082 Ah! 645 00:22:14,166 --> 00:22:15,625 They're basically, 646 00:22:15,709 --> 00:22:18,712 you know, like a big rodent sausage. 647 00:22:18,795 --> 00:22:20,547 Their legs are really short and fat, 648 00:22:20,630 --> 00:22:22,674 and so it's hard to get at those veins. 649 00:22:22,758 --> 00:22:25,344 They do have veins in similar spots, 650 00:22:25,427 --> 00:22:26,511 but they have fat arms and thick skin. 651 00:22:26,595 --> 00:22:27,929 So that's tricky. 652 00:22:28,013 --> 00:22:29,639 Okay. Get that out of there. 653 00:22:29,723 --> 00:22:30,974 You want to hold that off for now? 654 00:22:32,100 --> 00:22:34,770 Too many pokes. And it's not fair. 655 00:22:34,853 --> 00:22:36,229 You don't want to poke people. 656 00:22:36,313 --> 00:22:39,316 Okay, so let's start getting some x-rays. 657 00:22:39,399 --> 00:22:42,110 NARRATOR: Because he's moving slowly, 658 00:22:42,194 --> 00:22:43,570 the staff is concerned Snickers may have arthritis. 659 00:22:43,653 --> 00:22:46,907 But the only way to be certain is to take x-rays. 660 00:22:46,990 --> 00:22:51,203 MICHELLE (off screen): Do you want to lay on your side for just a minute? 661 00:22:51,286 --> 00:22:52,496 SARAH (off screen): Oh. 662 00:22:52,579 --> 00:22:55,248 MICHELLE: (stifles sound, grunts) 663 00:22:55,332 --> 00:22:56,416 (exhaling) Okay. 664 00:22:56,500 --> 00:23:00,504 Oh. You got me. You got me. 665 00:23:00,587 --> 00:23:02,089 So as I was waiting for the x-ray to come up, 666 00:23:02,172 --> 00:23:03,673 I was kind of on pins and needles. 667 00:23:03,757 --> 00:23:04,716 (cymbal shimmering) 668 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:05,801 See what I did there? 669 00:23:05,884 --> 00:23:08,011 NARRATOR: The x-rays will show Michelle the extent 670 00:23:08,095 --> 00:23:10,972 of the wear in the porcupine's joints. 671 00:23:11,056 --> 00:23:12,724 SARAH: Do you see any arthritis right away? 672 00:23:12,808 --> 00:23:15,435 MICHELLE: No. Nothing jumping out at me. 673 00:23:15,519 --> 00:23:18,605 Actually, it does not look bad at all for his age and everything. 674 00:23:18,688 --> 00:23:21,233 He kind of moves a little slow, 675 00:23:21,316 --> 00:23:23,276 so I thought maybe we'd see something. 676 00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:24,986 But all his bones and joints look really good. 677 00:23:25,070 --> 00:23:27,489 Oh, hello, beautiful. 678 00:23:27,572 --> 00:23:30,158 I'm so sorry about all the poking. 679 00:23:30,242 --> 00:23:33,120 So just from the physical exam and the x-rays, 680 00:23:33,203 --> 00:23:34,704 he looks really good for-- especially for 14. 681 00:23:34,788 --> 00:23:35,872 Really impressive. 682 00:23:35,956 --> 00:23:38,542 SARAH: Dr. Oakley was pretty pleased with what she saw and what she found. 683 00:23:38,625 --> 00:23:40,877 And so, yeah, he's looking pretty good. 684 00:23:40,961 --> 00:23:43,463 MICHELLE: (gasps) He got me again. 685 00:23:43,547 --> 00:23:45,173 Ow. And that one hurt the worst. 686 00:23:45,257 --> 00:23:46,508 He's trying to get me back. 687 00:23:46,591 --> 00:23:48,260 NARRATOR: Snickers is done for the day. 688 00:23:48,343 --> 00:23:50,720 He will continue in his post as a goodwill ambassador 689 00:23:50,804 --> 00:23:52,848 for the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. 690 00:23:54,182 --> 00:23:56,560 MICHELLE: Oh. Lookit. Got me again. 691 00:23:56,643 --> 00:23:59,229 That was close. 692 00:23:59,312 --> 00:24:00,814 A near piercing. 693 00:24:00,897 --> 00:24:02,441 Snickers has peed on my face, 694 00:24:02,524 --> 00:24:04,734 rubbed his nasty scent on us, 695 00:24:04,818 --> 00:24:06,528 quilled me eight times. 696 00:24:06,611 --> 00:24:08,572 I mean, I love Snickers, but I'm done. 697 00:24:08,655 --> 00:24:12,242 For an old porcupine, he looks porcu-fine. 698 00:24:14,953 --> 00:24:19,291 (peaceful music) 699 00:24:19,374 --> 00:24:21,334 NARRATOR: Back in Haines, Alaska, 700 00:24:21,418 --> 00:24:23,587 Michelle is finishing up a day of clinic cases... 701 00:24:23,670 --> 00:24:24,921 MICHELLE (off screen): Let me know how the coughing is doing, okay? 702 00:24:25,005 --> 00:24:26,214 -CLIENT: Okay. -MICHELLE (off screen): All right. 703 00:24:26,298 --> 00:24:27,257 Bye-bye. 704 00:24:27,340 --> 00:24:28,675 NARRATOR: When she gets a late-night emergency call. 705 00:24:28,758 --> 00:24:30,635 (phone rings) 706 00:24:30,719 --> 00:24:31,845 MICHELLE (off screen): Hello. Dr. Oakley here. 707 00:24:31,928 --> 00:24:33,096 (tense music) 708 00:24:33,180 --> 00:24:34,139 Okay. 709 00:24:34,222 --> 00:24:35,974 So Kim just called, 710 00:24:36,057 --> 00:24:38,727 and one of her dogs is staggering very severely. 711 00:24:38,810 --> 00:24:41,563 She said he's kind of falling over. He seems totally out of it. 712 00:24:41,646 --> 00:24:45,108 She's worried about him having licked up something toxic. 713 00:24:45,192 --> 00:24:48,069 He was out roaming, so she's really not sure what he got into. 714 00:24:48,153 --> 00:24:51,573 Okay. So what I want you to do is take two tablespoons of water 715 00:24:51,656 --> 00:24:53,575 and two tablespoons of the hydrogen peroxide. 716 00:24:53,658 --> 00:24:55,452 And then you're gonna have him drink that. 717 00:24:55,535 --> 00:24:57,871 That should make him throw up within about ten minutes. 718 00:24:57,954 --> 00:25:00,707 So I told Kim to give Harvey some hydrogen peroxide. 719 00:25:00,790 --> 00:25:02,417 If he doesn't vomit right away, 720 00:25:02,501 --> 00:25:04,794 she's to wait 10 to 15 minutes and give it again. 721 00:25:04,878 --> 00:25:06,505 Hopefully, she can get him to vomit, 722 00:25:06,588 --> 00:25:09,758 and then I can maybe see, too, what he got into. 723 00:25:09,841 --> 00:25:14,804 ♪ ♪ 724 00:25:14,888 --> 00:25:19,100 KIM (off screen): When I got home from work, he was acting drunk. 725 00:25:19,184 --> 00:25:21,311 That was the only way I could describe it. 726 00:25:21,394 --> 00:25:23,355 He was stumbling around and he was leaning into me 727 00:25:23,438 --> 00:25:24,564 and pawing at the other dogs. 728 00:25:24,648 --> 00:25:27,192 MICHELLE: Okay, so tell me what you noticed. 729 00:25:27,275 --> 00:25:28,485 KIM: He's still a little skittish. 730 00:25:28,568 --> 00:25:30,654 MICHELLE: Okay. Mm-hmm. 731 00:25:30,737 --> 00:25:31,863 KIM (off screen): So I was concerned 732 00:25:31,947 --> 00:25:34,157 'cause I know he wasn't drunk, 733 00:25:34,241 --> 00:25:37,077 and I didn't know what the symptoms were for antifreeze. 734 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:39,412 MICHELLE: He looks a little more than 60 to me. 735 00:25:39,496 --> 00:25:40,747 -KIM: Does he? -MICHELLE: Yeah. But we'll see. 736 00:25:40,830 --> 00:25:42,082 Ooh. 737 00:25:42,165 --> 00:25:44,000 Oh, my goodness, buddy. 738 00:25:45,544 --> 00:25:47,462 -KIM: Oh, yeah, he's... -MICHELLE: Yeah, so he's 70. 739 00:25:47,546 --> 00:25:49,047 Okay, perfect. Come on, buddy. 740 00:25:49,130 --> 00:25:50,799 Come on over here. 741 00:25:50,882 --> 00:25:52,717 Yeah, you're dribbling a little pee, aren't you? 742 00:25:52,801 --> 00:25:54,219 I understand. 743 00:25:54,302 --> 00:25:55,428 So Harvey's looking pretty rough. 744 00:25:55,512 --> 00:25:57,806 He's staggering, 745 00:25:57,889 --> 00:25:58,974 his eyes are really red, 746 00:25:59,057 --> 00:26:01,142 and he keeps just sort of looking like he's about to pass out. 747 00:26:02,352 --> 00:26:04,437 I'm worried about him having licked up some antifreeze. 748 00:26:04,521 --> 00:26:06,106 Certainly, when a dog acts a little bit drunk, 749 00:26:06,189 --> 00:26:07,232 that's something you think about. 750 00:26:07,315 --> 00:26:09,651 It's common for dogs to ingest antifreeze 751 00:26:09,734 --> 00:26:11,945 because it has a very sweet taste. 752 00:26:12,028 --> 00:26:15,031 And it's a really deadly thing when a dog gets into it. 753 00:26:15,115 --> 00:26:17,284 -It looks like you brought me a present. -KIM (off screen): Yes. 754 00:26:17,367 --> 00:26:18,535 MICHELLE (off screen): Good work. 755 00:26:18,618 --> 00:26:23,248 So let me just have a look at what you brought me first. 756 00:26:24,583 --> 00:26:26,126 She was able to get him to throw up. 757 00:26:26,209 --> 00:26:28,670 I told her to bring what he threw up in a bag. 758 00:26:28,753 --> 00:26:31,548 And now I want to look and see what she brought. 759 00:26:31,631 --> 00:26:33,717 It's really important, now, to go through that 760 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:34,843 and see what we're dealing with 761 00:26:34,926 --> 00:26:37,345 because then I can give him, hopefully, the proper treatment 762 00:26:37,429 --> 00:26:38,972 for whatever the toxin is. 763 00:26:40,056 --> 00:26:41,182 Okay. 764 00:26:43,435 --> 00:26:44,686 What were you into? 765 00:26:44,769 --> 00:26:45,770 (sniffs) 766 00:26:45,854 --> 00:26:47,856 That smells like... (sniffs) 767 00:26:47,939 --> 00:26:48,940 Hash brownies. 768 00:26:53,153 --> 00:26:54,112 -KIM: (gasps) -MICHELLE: Yeah. 769 00:26:54,195 --> 00:26:55,905 -KIM (off screen): Oh... -MICHELLE: So, um, not that I would know. 770 00:26:55,989 --> 00:26:58,199 But I smell brownie and I definitely smell pot. 771 00:26:58,283 --> 00:27:01,411 I think I know why Harvey's looking a little green. 772 00:27:01,494 --> 00:27:03,705 -KIM: You stinker. Where did you get it? -MICHELLE (off screen): You... 773 00:27:03,788 --> 00:27:05,206 I know it's legal. 774 00:27:05,290 --> 00:27:07,626 I know it's legal in Alaska, but not for dogs. 775 00:27:07,709 --> 00:27:10,003 -KIM: Where did you get that? -MICHELLE: So... 776 00:27:11,046 --> 00:27:12,422 It was like a mixture 777 00:27:12,505 --> 00:27:15,216 of sweet brownies and Mary Jane. 778 00:27:15,300 --> 00:27:17,802 And it was like, "Oh, that's what it is." 779 00:27:17,886 --> 00:27:19,721 You know, it really was just so obvious 780 00:27:19,804 --> 00:27:22,932 just from kind of moving it around and getting the--the odor from it. 781 00:27:23,016 --> 00:27:24,643 I'm glad that he threw that up 782 00:27:24,726 --> 00:27:25,769 because that's a heck of a lot. 783 00:27:25,852 --> 00:27:28,271 See, 'cause it's not only the issue about the pot. 784 00:27:28,355 --> 00:27:29,814 It's also the issue about so much chocolate. 785 00:27:29,898 --> 00:27:31,232 So I don't know how much, um... 786 00:27:31,316 --> 00:27:32,484 -KIM (off screen): Oh, yeah. -MICHELLE: ...he actually got. 787 00:27:32,567 --> 00:27:34,194 -KIM: 'Cause that's deadly for him too. -MICHELLE: Right. Yeah. 788 00:27:34,277 --> 00:27:35,820 But he's a pretty big boy, 789 00:27:35,904 --> 00:27:39,074 so I think as long as we can get the IV fluids going, we'll be fine, okay? 790 00:27:39,157 --> 00:27:41,409 Chocolate can be toxic to dogs. 791 00:27:41,493 --> 00:27:43,953 For a smaller dog that eats a lot of dark chocolate, 792 00:27:44,037 --> 00:27:45,914 that--that can cause some toxicity. 793 00:27:45,997 --> 00:27:48,416 But with a big guy like Harvey 794 00:27:48,500 --> 00:27:49,542 and with just kind of, like, a brownie mix, 795 00:27:49,626 --> 00:27:51,419 it's certainly not a huge concern. 796 00:27:53,797 --> 00:27:55,256 We've got a hash brownie alert. 797 00:27:55,340 --> 00:27:56,883 You know, it's, it's hard not to tee-hee a little 798 00:27:56,966 --> 00:27:59,678 about--about what he got into, 799 00:27:59,761 --> 00:28:01,346 but, um, we still need to really watch him. 800 00:28:01,429 --> 00:28:04,224 KIM: Where did you get it? 801 00:28:04,307 --> 00:28:05,767 You silly. 802 00:28:05,850 --> 00:28:08,186 He's brought home boots, 803 00:28:08,269 --> 00:28:11,398 toilet paper--and I'm not talking about a roll of toilet paper. 804 00:28:11,481 --> 00:28:13,650 I'm talking, like, a 24-pack of toilet paper. 805 00:28:13,733 --> 00:28:15,568 MICHELLE (off screen): (laughing) Oh, my God. 806 00:28:15,652 --> 00:28:18,238 KIM: He's kind of like a weasel. He likes--he's a thief. 807 00:28:18,321 --> 00:28:20,281 He likes to steal things from people. 808 00:28:20,365 --> 00:28:22,409 (laughing) 809 00:28:22,492 --> 00:28:23,493 MICHELLE: ...stand. 810 00:28:23,576 --> 00:28:25,245 NARRATOR: Now that Michelle knows what Harvey got into, 811 00:28:25,328 --> 00:28:26,746 they need to get him through the night. 812 00:28:26,830 --> 00:28:28,832 MICHELLE: Yeah. One, two, three. 813 00:28:28,915 --> 00:28:30,583 Good boy. 814 00:28:30,667 --> 00:28:32,502 And I'll have you stay on this side here and steady him. 815 00:28:32,585 --> 00:28:33,545 Harvey's not out of the woods, 816 00:28:33,628 --> 00:28:35,547 knowing that this is what he ate. 817 00:28:35,630 --> 00:28:37,257 It still is serious. 818 00:28:37,340 --> 00:28:38,883 His body temperature is pretty low, 819 00:28:38,967 --> 00:28:40,885 which I see in a lot of these toxicities. 820 00:28:40,969 --> 00:28:44,264 KIM: He was really wet, hanging out in the snow. 821 00:28:44,347 --> 00:28:45,598 MICHELLE: Was he? Okay. 822 00:28:45,682 --> 00:28:49,227 Whoa, buddy. 823 00:28:49,310 --> 00:28:50,645 His body temperature has dropped significantly. 824 00:28:50,729 --> 00:28:53,857 He was basically just, like, vegging out in a snow bank, 825 00:28:53,940 --> 00:28:56,276 you know, staring at the northern lights. 826 00:28:56,359 --> 00:28:57,986 So that was dangerous because it was quite cold, 827 00:28:58,069 --> 00:29:00,363 and he's definitely hypothermic. 828 00:29:00,447 --> 00:29:02,073 NARRATOR: To make matters worse, 829 00:29:02,157 --> 00:29:04,701 marijuana naturally lowers heart rate and blood pressure, 830 00:29:04,784 --> 00:29:08,747 making it hard for Harvey to recover from his exposure to cold. 831 00:29:08,830 --> 00:29:09,831 MICHELLE: They can kind of wax and wane a bit. 832 00:29:09,914 --> 00:29:11,958 So I want to at least get the fluids going 833 00:29:12,041 --> 00:29:14,169 and get things kind of moving through. 834 00:29:14,252 --> 00:29:17,756 We're gonna run some IV fluids, some nice warm ones, 835 00:29:17,839 --> 00:29:19,841 'cause his body temperature is low, his heart rate's low. 836 00:29:19,924 --> 00:29:21,968 It's really just supportive care-- 837 00:29:22,051 --> 00:29:25,638 generally just keeping them warm and IV fluids, 838 00:29:25,722 --> 00:29:26,848 which supports their blood pressure. 839 00:29:26,931 --> 00:29:29,559 Let us roll the fluids. 840 00:29:29,642 --> 00:29:32,228 You want metabolism going really well right now 841 00:29:32,312 --> 00:29:34,063 so he can break the drugs down and get them out. 842 00:29:34,147 --> 00:29:36,941 I'm gonna get some hot packs and crank up the heat. 843 00:29:37,025 --> 00:29:40,028 (monitor beeping steadily) 844 00:29:40,111 --> 00:29:43,031 (tense music) 845 00:29:43,114 --> 00:29:45,742 ♪ ♪ 846 00:29:45,825 --> 00:29:49,704 NARRATOR: After an hour on IV fluids and hot-pad therapy... 847 00:29:49,788 --> 00:29:51,372 MICHELLE: Come on, buddy. 848 00:29:51,456 --> 00:29:53,166 NARRATOR: Harvey's body temperature is returning to normal. 849 00:29:53,249 --> 00:29:55,126 MICHELLE: Better than it was. 850 00:29:55,210 --> 00:29:56,252 KIM: Getting warm. 851 00:29:56,336 --> 00:29:58,379 NARRATOR: And the effects of the marijuana are starting to wear off. 852 00:30:00,006 --> 00:30:02,008 MICHELLE: Heart rate is good. A little high, but good. 853 00:30:02,091 --> 00:30:03,092 KIM: Oh, good. 854 00:30:03,176 --> 00:30:04,761 MICHELLE: And his color is very good. 855 00:30:06,429 --> 00:30:09,516 I think we're gonna be okay. You got on it right away. 856 00:30:09,599 --> 00:30:11,643 But I'd love to see him tomorrow. 857 00:30:11,726 --> 00:30:13,144 Harvey's come around really well. 858 00:30:13,228 --> 00:30:14,604 He's much more alert. 859 00:30:14,687 --> 00:30:15,730 His blood pressure seems to be up better. 860 00:30:15,814 --> 00:30:18,566 His heart rate is up. His body temperature is up. 861 00:30:18,650 --> 00:30:20,026 So I'm gonna go ahead and send him home. 862 00:30:20,109 --> 00:30:22,153 How fun are you? You like to party. 863 00:30:22,237 --> 00:30:24,656 But I am very confident 864 00:30:24,739 --> 00:30:26,241 he's gonna be just fine by tomorrow-- 865 00:30:26,324 --> 00:30:29,160 with a little bit of a hangover, and he'll definitely have the munchies. 866 00:30:29,244 --> 00:30:31,079 KIM: Jump in. Good boy. 867 00:30:34,791 --> 00:30:37,710 (upbeat music) 868 00:30:37,794 --> 00:30:39,462 NARRATOR: Some of Alaska's most majestic animals 869 00:30:39,546 --> 00:30:41,047 also need a visit from the doctor now and then. 870 00:30:44,384 --> 00:30:46,469 -MICHELLE: Hello. -KAREN (off screen): Hey. How are you? 871 00:30:46,553 --> 00:30:48,805 MICHELLE (off screen): Good. I am blown away by your new facility. 872 00:30:48,888 --> 00:30:50,098 GUY: Yeah. Welcome to the new clinic. 873 00:30:50,181 --> 00:30:52,684 NARRATOR: Bird TLC is one of the busiest 874 00:30:52,767 --> 00:30:55,854 rehabilitation centers for raptors in Alaska. 875 00:30:55,937 --> 00:30:58,189 MICHELLE: So, whoo, look at that. Ready to work. 876 00:30:58,273 --> 00:31:00,567 NARRATOR: Today, Michelle is seeing 877 00:31:00,650 --> 00:31:02,610 one of the clinic's smallest inhabitants. 878 00:31:02,694 --> 00:31:04,737 MICHELLE: So this one's a saw-whet owl? 879 00:31:04,821 --> 00:31:06,281 KAREN: Yeah. 880 00:31:06,364 --> 00:31:07,615 The last couple of days, he hasn't eaten great. 881 00:31:07,699 --> 00:31:08,658 MICHELLE (off screen): Oh. 882 00:31:08,741 --> 00:31:10,785 KAREN (off screen): We have a northern saw-whet owl. 883 00:31:10,869 --> 00:31:14,956 Was not acting like it could see very well, and it's not eating. 884 00:31:15,039 --> 00:31:17,959 And so today, wanted to have Dr. Michelle 885 00:31:18,042 --> 00:31:19,627 take a look at that. 886 00:31:19,711 --> 00:31:22,714 Just found on the ground, which is typical for what we have. 887 00:31:22,797 --> 00:31:23,756 MICHELLE (off screen): Yup. 888 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:25,049 KAREN: But did exhibit signs of head trauma. 889 00:31:25,133 --> 00:31:26,801 Both eyes were compromised. 890 00:31:26,885 --> 00:31:28,761 -MICHELLE: Okay. -KAREN: Saw quite a bit of blood. 891 00:31:28,845 --> 00:31:30,513 MICHELLE: So when it first came in, 892 00:31:30,597 --> 00:31:32,932 there was a lot of blood in the left eye. 893 00:31:33,016 --> 00:31:34,934 There was actually a lot of swelling. 894 00:31:35,018 --> 00:31:36,269 What happened was some type of head trauma. 895 00:31:36,352 --> 00:31:37,520 They think it was hit by a car. 896 00:31:37,604 --> 00:31:41,107 KAREN: Visually, you can approach the left side quietly 897 00:31:41,190 --> 00:31:43,401 and it does not appear to see you. 898 00:31:43,484 --> 00:31:44,444 MICHELLE (off screen): Okay. 899 00:31:44,527 --> 00:31:46,571 We need to check in and see how the sight's going, 900 00:31:46,654 --> 00:31:49,324 because we're hoping that this bird will continue to improve, 901 00:31:49,407 --> 00:31:50,700 and it can be released eventually. 902 00:31:50,783 --> 00:31:52,410 NARRATOR: The owl's eyesight is essential 903 00:31:52,493 --> 00:31:53,661 for survival in the wild. 904 00:31:53,745 --> 00:31:57,540 Without it, he will not be able to catch prey and will starve. 905 00:31:57,624 --> 00:31:59,667 MAN: Ready for a little owl? 906 00:31:59,751 --> 00:32:00,710 MICHELLE (off screen): Cutest, tiniest. 907 00:32:00,793 --> 00:32:02,837 Sixty-nine grams? 908 00:32:02,921 --> 00:32:06,299 MAN: Very, very cute, but already attacking me, so... 909 00:32:06,382 --> 00:32:08,801 MICHELLE (off screen): This is the cutest little saw-whet owl. 910 00:32:08,885 --> 00:32:10,345 It's about this big. 911 00:32:10,428 --> 00:32:12,055 -MAN: All right. -KAREN: There we are. 912 00:32:12,138 --> 00:32:13,389 MAN: I'm not sure the wings are in a good position. 913 00:32:13,473 --> 00:32:16,225 -KAREN: Okay. -MICHELLE: Cute. Look at you. 914 00:32:16,309 --> 00:32:18,478 Oh, you are something. Amazing. 915 00:32:18,561 --> 00:32:20,146 KAREN: So sometimes, with these little guys, 916 00:32:20,229 --> 00:32:21,814 when they hold their wings out like that, 917 00:32:21,898 --> 00:32:23,566 it's a little bit a sign of stress. 918 00:32:23,650 --> 00:32:25,068 MICHELLE: Right, yeah. 919 00:32:25,151 --> 00:32:26,277 I feel bad for this little guy. 920 00:32:26,361 --> 00:32:28,363 I mean, he was just moved to a new enclosure. 921 00:32:28,446 --> 00:32:29,447 He stopped eating. 922 00:32:29,530 --> 00:32:30,907 You know, he's a little bit stressed out. 923 00:32:30,990 --> 00:32:32,825 I need to get in there and see if his eye 924 00:32:32,909 --> 00:32:35,078 is permanently damaged or if there's any improvement, 925 00:32:35,161 --> 00:32:38,081 and hopefully, we can get him back out to the wild. 926 00:32:38,164 --> 00:32:39,707 There we go, buddy. 927 00:32:39,791 --> 00:32:41,542 MAN: There we go. 928 00:32:41,626 --> 00:32:43,711 MICHELLE: Just checking the pupillary light reflex. 929 00:32:43,795 --> 00:32:45,171 So when I check his pupillary light reflex, 930 00:32:45,254 --> 00:32:47,173 it's basically shining light in one eye, 931 00:32:47,256 --> 00:32:50,218 and then seeing if the pupil constricts, 932 00:32:50,301 --> 00:32:52,804 and if the other one also does a consensual response. 933 00:32:52,887 --> 00:32:55,390 NARRATOR: If the owl has permanently lost sight, 934 00:32:55,473 --> 00:32:58,267 he will never be able to return to the wild. 935 00:32:58,351 --> 00:32:59,978 MICHELLE: You see the right one. 936 00:33:00,061 --> 00:33:01,479 -KAREN (off screen): Mm-hmm. -MICHELLE: Nice. 937 00:33:01,562 --> 00:33:05,775 When you look at the left one, and not that good. 938 00:33:05,858 --> 00:33:07,944 Is it even there? 939 00:33:08,027 --> 00:33:09,153 Buddy, buddy. 940 00:33:13,783 --> 00:33:14,742 NARRATOR: Dr. Oakley is testing 941 00:33:14,826 --> 00:33:17,203 how a saw-whet owl's eye responds to light. 942 00:33:17,286 --> 00:33:19,622 MICHELLE: So I'm just checking the pupillary light reflex. 943 00:33:19,706 --> 00:33:21,874 NARRATOR: And what she sees is concerning. 944 00:33:21,958 --> 00:33:23,626 Hello! 945 00:33:23,710 --> 00:33:25,586 As I look more into the left eye, 946 00:33:25,670 --> 00:33:27,171 I can definitely see 947 00:33:27,255 --> 00:33:29,048 that something doesn't look quite right. 948 00:33:29,132 --> 00:33:32,093 The eye itself looks like it should be seeing, 949 00:33:32,176 --> 00:33:36,097 but on one side, it still doesn't quite seem to react. 950 00:33:36,180 --> 00:33:37,223 NARRATOR: To diagnose the problem, 951 00:33:37,306 --> 00:33:38,725 Michelle checks the pectin, 952 00:33:38,808 --> 00:33:40,268 a tiny organ responsible 953 00:33:40,351 --> 00:33:43,479 for supplying oxygen and nutrients to the eye. 954 00:33:43,563 --> 00:33:44,605 MICHELLE: Sometimes, with trauma, 955 00:33:44,689 --> 00:33:46,816 the pectin can look abnormal, 956 00:33:46,899 --> 00:33:49,110 so it can look like it's torn apart. 957 00:33:49,193 --> 00:33:51,279 It can look like there's blood coming from it. 958 00:33:51,362 --> 00:33:54,073 NARRATOR: The pectin is located deep inside the eye globe. 959 00:33:54,157 --> 00:33:56,784 If it's damaged, it would explain the owl's loss of sight. 960 00:33:56,868 --> 00:33:59,078 MICHELLE: This--this pectin looks totally normal to me. 961 00:33:59,162 --> 00:34:00,163 KAREN: Good. 962 00:34:00,246 --> 00:34:03,207 So it might be in the brain. 963 00:34:03,291 --> 00:34:05,126 -MICHELLE: Right. -KAREN: You know? 964 00:34:05,209 --> 00:34:06,878 MICHELLE: We suspect there's damage or swelling to the tracks 965 00:34:06,961 --> 00:34:08,921 that are kind of sending the images 966 00:34:09,005 --> 00:34:10,882 of what's seen by the eye into the brain 967 00:34:10,965 --> 00:34:13,134 that's causing a loss of sight in one eye. 968 00:34:13,217 --> 00:34:16,387 The good news is, physically, the eye looks perfectly normal, 969 00:34:16,471 --> 00:34:18,556 so if that eyesight seems to improve, 970 00:34:18,639 --> 00:34:20,183 this is a bird they can hopefully release 971 00:34:20,266 --> 00:34:21,684 back to the wild within a few months. 972 00:34:21,768 --> 00:34:23,853 NARRATOR: It will take weeks until the team will know 973 00:34:23,936 --> 00:34:26,689 if the owl has regained full sight. 974 00:34:26,773 --> 00:34:29,275 KAREN: Luckily, they're only just small and sharp. 975 00:34:29,358 --> 00:34:30,902 MICHELLE: I know. They are sharp. 976 00:34:30,985 --> 00:34:33,237 NARRATOR: Until then, they must figure out a way 977 00:34:33,321 --> 00:34:34,614 to help him take in nourishment, 978 00:34:34,697 --> 00:34:37,575 or he may not be strong enough for release. 979 00:34:37,658 --> 00:34:39,285 KAREN: So I've got some lovely mouse parts. 980 00:34:39,368 --> 00:34:41,287 MICHELLE: That looks delicious. Oh, nice. 981 00:34:41,370 --> 00:34:42,330 -KAREN: And then what-- -MICHELLE: Yeah. 982 00:34:42,413 --> 00:34:43,915 KAREN: You know, whatever's left over. 983 00:34:43,998 --> 00:34:45,500 MICHELLE: Mm-hmm. You and I can share it. 984 00:34:45,583 --> 00:34:47,543 -Okay. All right. -KAREN: Yeah. 985 00:34:47,627 --> 00:34:50,630 Let's have something little, shall we? 986 00:34:50,713 --> 00:34:52,298 MICHELLE: So yeah, that looks good. Little bit of liver or something. 987 00:34:52,381 --> 00:34:53,883 KAREN (off screen): I know. Yeah. Some organ meat. 988 00:34:53,966 --> 00:34:55,176 MICHELLE (off screen): You gotta eat your liver. 989 00:34:55,259 --> 00:34:56,219 He's a young owl, 990 00:34:56,302 --> 00:34:59,138 and he needs to eat a lot so he can grow properly. 991 00:34:59,222 --> 00:35:02,600 The best way is to use tongs and just hand-feed him right now. 992 00:35:02,683 --> 00:35:06,145 Aww. Aww. 993 00:35:06,229 --> 00:35:07,355 Ooh, delicious. Oh. 994 00:35:07,438 --> 00:35:08,898 BOTH: Mmm. 995 00:35:08,981 --> 00:35:11,150 -Oh, you look... -MAN (off screen): (laughs) 996 00:35:11,234 --> 00:35:12,902 MICHELLE: He needs it more than me. 997 00:35:12,985 --> 00:35:14,320 Yeah, I'm full. 998 00:35:14,403 --> 00:35:15,696 It's good to see him eating again. 999 00:35:15,780 --> 00:35:17,740 I mean, he has a ways to go to be released, 1000 00:35:17,824 --> 00:35:20,076 but the bird's on track. 1001 00:35:20,159 --> 00:35:22,370 It's just gonna take a while to hopefully see that resolution, 1002 00:35:22,453 --> 00:35:25,498 and if we do, then back out where he belongs. 1003 00:35:25,581 --> 00:35:27,250 All right, take care, guys. See you. 1004 00:35:30,211 --> 00:35:33,381 NARRATOR: Back in the Yukon, it's 8 degrees Fahrenheit, 1005 00:35:33,464 --> 00:35:35,133 and Michelle and her husband Shane 1006 00:35:35,216 --> 00:35:38,136 are headed to a local farm for some evening work. 1007 00:35:38,219 --> 00:35:40,138 SHANE: Now what do you got me doing? 1008 00:35:40,221 --> 00:35:43,349 MICHELLE: Today is the day of pig castrations. 1009 00:35:43,432 --> 00:35:44,392 SHANE: Hmm. 1010 00:35:44,475 --> 00:35:45,434 MICHELLE (off screen): When Shane and I first got together, 1011 00:35:45,518 --> 00:35:46,811 I was working on a pig farm, 1012 00:35:46,894 --> 00:35:48,229 and I knew he loved me then 1013 00:35:48,312 --> 00:35:50,606 because he would come and do my morning chores at the pig farm. 1014 00:35:50,690 --> 00:35:52,233 Now, that's love. 1015 00:35:52,316 --> 00:35:53,276 NARRATOR: Dev needs help 1016 00:35:53,359 --> 00:35:56,070 giving some six-week-old piglets their shots. 1017 00:35:56,154 --> 00:35:59,115 Any males in the group also need to be castrated. 1018 00:35:59,198 --> 00:36:00,199 -DEV (off screen): Hi. -MICHELLE: Hello. How's it going? 1019 00:36:00,283 --> 00:36:01,993 -DEV: Good. You? -MICHELLE: Good. 1020 00:36:02,076 --> 00:36:03,202 You got a whole pen of pigs for me, do you? 1021 00:36:03,286 --> 00:36:04,328 DEV (off screen): Yeah. 1022 00:36:04,412 --> 00:36:06,122 MICHELLE: They're big. 1023 00:36:06,205 --> 00:36:07,165 DEV: Dr. Oakley's coming over today 1024 00:36:07,248 --> 00:36:10,251 because we had two small litters of pigs, 1025 00:36:10,334 --> 00:36:13,337 and we did not castrate them ourselves 1026 00:36:13,421 --> 00:36:17,091 like we normally do when they're just a couple weeks old, 1027 00:36:17,175 --> 00:36:20,011 so they just need a little extra care. 1028 00:36:20,094 --> 00:36:22,513 So yeah, if we can give them their shot of iron. 1029 00:36:22,597 --> 00:36:25,016 MICHELLE: Yup. So even the females will get their shots? 1030 00:36:25,099 --> 00:36:26,058 DEV: Yes. 1031 00:36:26,142 --> 00:36:27,560 MICHELLE: Yes? Okay. Let's get set up. 1032 00:36:27,643 --> 00:36:28,936 NARRATOR: Iron shots are necessary 1033 00:36:29,020 --> 00:36:31,480 to stop the piglets from becoming anemic 1034 00:36:31,564 --> 00:36:33,983 and to help them fatten up during winter. 1035 00:36:34,066 --> 00:36:35,818 SHANE: This is my favorite part of the day. 1036 00:36:35,902 --> 00:36:37,778 -Pig wrangling. -DEV: Working inside. 1037 00:36:37,862 --> 00:36:40,072 -It's warm, it's light. -SHANE: Yeah. 1038 00:36:40,156 --> 00:36:41,699 MICHELLE (off screen): Yeah, this is civilized. 1039 00:36:41,782 --> 00:36:44,202 Dev and Shane are gonna bring me the piglets one by one, 1040 00:36:44,285 --> 00:36:45,661 and the girls will get the vitamin shot, 1041 00:36:45,745 --> 00:36:46,913 and I'll release them back to the pen, 1042 00:36:46,996 --> 00:36:48,581 and then the boys will get the snip-snip. 1043 00:36:48,664 --> 00:36:52,501 (pigs squealing) 1044 00:36:52,585 --> 00:36:53,920 -Boy or girl? -DEV (off screen): Girl. 1045 00:36:54,003 --> 00:36:56,547 MICHELLE: Girl? Good. 1046 00:36:56,631 --> 00:36:58,007 Late castration on a piglet 1047 00:36:58,090 --> 00:37:00,760 means they're bigger, they're squirmier. 1048 00:37:00,843 --> 00:37:03,679 Stop fooling around. Just grab a pig. 1049 00:37:03,763 --> 00:37:06,307 -They're definitely louder. -(pig squealing) 1050 00:37:06,390 --> 00:37:08,601 Should have brought my headphones. 1051 00:37:08,684 --> 00:37:10,561 Another little girly. 1052 00:37:10,645 --> 00:37:12,939 (pig squealing) 1053 00:37:13,022 --> 00:37:14,106 Okay. 1054 00:37:14,190 --> 00:37:16,484 That's a--oh, that's a female too, okay. 1055 00:37:16,567 --> 00:37:18,986 So far, every piglet coming at me has been female, 1056 00:37:19,070 --> 00:37:20,279 and that's awesome. 1057 00:37:20,363 --> 00:37:22,531 -Hi. -(pig squealing) 1058 00:37:22,615 --> 00:37:24,909 Ooh, you little stinkpot. 1059 00:37:24,992 --> 00:37:27,536 (pig squealing) 1060 00:37:27,620 --> 00:37:31,123 Okay, all done. That's a girl. 1061 00:37:31,207 --> 00:37:32,750 Okay. 1062 00:37:32,833 --> 00:37:34,502 Ooh! 1063 00:37:34,585 --> 00:37:35,544 Noisy. 1064 00:37:35,628 --> 00:37:38,714 It's a female too? Yes, cutie. 1065 00:37:38,798 --> 00:37:42,093 I like these numbers. 1066 00:37:42,176 --> 00:37:45,012 I definitely saw one male. Is it the last one? 1067 00:37:45,096 --> 00:37:48,349 -SHANE: It's the last one, yeah. -MICHELLE: One. Awesome. Okay. 1068 00:37:48,432 --> 00:37:50,142 DEV: Want to tag-team him? 1069 00:37:50,226 --> 00:37:51,560 SHANE (off screen): You get... 1070 00:37:51,644 --> 00:37:53,104 I'll wrangle, you grab. 1071 00:37:53,187 --> 00:37:54,981 DEV: Okay. 1072 00:37:55,064 --> 00:37:56,023 MICHELLE: For these guys that are six weeks old, 1073 00:37:56,107 --> 00:37:59,026 they're like, you know, 30, 40 pounds. 1074 00:37:59,110 --> 00:38:00,444 They're just a lot harder to handle. 1075 00:38:00,528 --> 00:38:02,655 So I'm glad I brought Shane today to help me. 1076 00:38:02,738 --> 00:38:04,615 (dramatic percussive music) 1077 00:38:04,699 --> 00:38:06,325 Just grab the thing. 1078 00:38:06,409 --> 00:38:08,035 -(pig squealing) -DEV: Just grab him. 1079 00:38:12,540 --> 00:38:14,125 (pig squealing) 1080 00:38:15,835 --> 00:38:18,004 DEV: Grab his front. 1081 00:38:18,087 --> 00:38:20,673 -(squealing) -(both laughing) 1082 00:38:20,756 --> 00:38:23,843 Just grab. Grab his front leg. 1083 00:38:23,926 --> 00:38:25,720 SHANE: Okay. 1084 00:38:25,803 --> 00:38:27,138 MICHELLE (off screen): Poor little beauty queen. 1085 00:38:27,221 --> 00:38:28,180 SHANE: Big one. 1086 00:38:28,264 --> 00:38:29,974 NARRATOR: The piglet's finally in hand. 1087 00:38:30,057 --> 00:38:31,726 Time to get to work. 1088 00:38:31,809 --> 00:38:33,352 MICHELLE: Oh, my, you're so cute. 1089 00:38:33,436 --> 00:38:35,104 Let me get a good muscle. 1090 00:38:35,187 --> 00:38:37,690 There we go, buddy. 1091 00:38:37,773 --> 00:38:39,608 So because this guy's a little bit older, 1092 00:38:39,692 --> 00:38:41,652 the risk of bleeding is significant, 1093 00:38:41,736 --> 00:38:43,237 so I go ahead and sedate them, 1094 00:38:43,321 --> 00:38:45,990 I do a local block, and then I actually have to tie it off 1095 00:38:46,073 --> 00:38:47,158 like a regular surgical procedure, 1096 00:38:47,241 --> 00:38:49,243 so there's a lot more involved with the big guys. 1097 00:38:49,327 --> 00:38:50,494 This is a local block. 1098 00:38:50,578 --> 00:38:54,040 What you do is put a little bit in each testicle. 1099 00:38:54,123 --> 00:38:55,916 NARRATOR: The Lidocaine interrupts the pain signals 1100 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:59,295 to the piglet's nervous system, so he won't feel a thing. 1101 00:38:59,378 --> 00:39:01,255 MICHELLE: Definitely if you leave the testicles 1102 00:39:01,339 --> 00:39:02,465 on these male pigs, 1103 00:39:02,548 --> 00:39:04,550 you'll have unwanted breedings, for one thing. 1104 00:39:04,633 --> 00:39:07,261 They'll grow a little better. There's less fighting. 1105 00:39:07,345 --> 00:39:09,930 So it's pretty much standard practice to do that. 1106 00:39:10,014 --> 00:39:11,932 NARRATOR: An incision is made on the scrotum, 1107 00:39:12,016 --> 00:39:13,976 and the testicle is extracted. 1108 00:39:14,060 --> 00:39:16,896 MICHELLE: So far, so good. 1109 00:39:16,979 --> 00:39:19,607 NARRATOR: The spermatic cord is then clamped, cut, 1110 00:39:19,690 --> 00:39:21,400 and tied off to prevent unwanted breeding. 1111 00:39:21,484 --> 00:39:24,153 MICHELLE: Getting ready to lop this one. 1112 00:39:24,236 --> 00:39:26,030 Okay. 1113 00:39:26,113 --> 00:39:27,782 There's one done. 1114 00:39:27,865 --> 00:39:30,868 NARRATOR: One to go. 1115 00:39:30,951 --> 00:39:32,745 MICHELLE: Pluh. 1116 00:39:32,828 --> 00:39:34,372 That's where the block was. 1117 00:39:34,455 --> 00:39:35,956 Ooh, my tongue's numb from that. 1118 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:38,084 DEV: (laughing) Tastes good? 1119 00:39:38,167 --> 00:39:39,877 MICHELLE: No, it's numb, 1120 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:41,712 from the--I think that was Lidocaine. 1121 00:39:41,796 --> 00:39:43,547 Piglet testicle juice shot in my mouth. 1122 00:39:43,631 --> 00:39:44,965 Ugh. 1123 00:39:45,049 --> 00:39:46,675 I need a full face shield. 1124 00:39:46,759 --> 00:39:48,135 Man, I have a glamorous job. 1125 00:39:48,219 --> 00:39:51,931 DEV: That's your reason now to not do the interview afterwards: 1126 00:39:52,014 --> 00:39:54,100 "Can't speak 'cause my tongue's all frozen." 1127 00:39:54,183 --> 00:39:57,853 -MICHELLE: Anyway... -SHANE: (laughing) 1128 00:39:57,937 --> 00:40:01,607 MICHELLE: Besides being disgusting, my tongue is numb now. 1129 00:40:01,690 --> 00:40:03,275 But at least Dev's getting a kick out of it. 1130 00:40:03,359 --> 00:40:07,029 -DEV: I love laughing at my own jokes. -(laughter) 1131 00:40:07,113 --> 00:40:09,782 MICHELLE: Number two is done. 1132 00:40:09,865 --> 00:40:12,743 Okeydokey. 1133 00:40:12,827 --> 00:40:15,746 Well, that was pretty simple. Just one piglet, huh? 1134 00:40:15,830 --> 00:40:16,997 Even though I got a little Lidocaine in the mouth, 1135 00:40:17,081 --> 00:40:19,041 everything else went great. 1136 00:40:19,125 --> 00:40:20,793 One and done. 1137 00:40:20,876 --> 00:40:22,420 NARRATOR: The piglet will recuperate in the pen 1138 00:40:22,503 --> 00:40:24,505 with his sisters while his incision heals 1139 00:40:24,588 --> 00:40:26,924 over the next couple of days. 1140 00:40:27,007 --> 00:40:28,509 MICHELLE: Okay, you take care. We'll see you around. 1141 00:40:28,592 --> 00:40:29,552 -DEV: Thank you. -SHANE: Yup. 1142 00:40:29,635 --> 00:40:31,220 DEV (off screen): Say hi to your kids. 1143 00:40:35,099 --> 00:40:37,268 NARRATOR: Back at the clinic in Haines, 1144 00:40:37,351 --> 00:40:40,104 Michelle is following up with Harvey, the curious dog 1145 00:40:40,187 --> 00:40:41,689 who ate a batch of marijuana brownies. 1146 00:40:41,772 --> 00:40:44,108 MICHELLE (off screen): Hi! 1147 00:40:44,191 --> 00:40:46,861 Boy, he's looking pretty good for such a rough night before. 1148 00:40:46,944 --> 00:40:49,280 Do you remember this room? Do you remember anything? 1149 00:40:49,363 --> 00:40:52,116 KIM: Yeah, look at, he's, like, looking for it. 1150 00:40:52,199 --> 00:40:54,034 MICHELLE: Yeah. You know where the snacks are, huh? 1151 00:40:54,118 --> 00:40:55,953 You know exactly where they go. 1152 00:40:56,036 --> 00:40:57,621 KIM: Harvey's doing great, he's... 1153 00:40:57,705 --> 00:40:59,957 back to his old self, being Harvey, and active, 1154 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:01,667 and running around and playing. 1155 00:41:01,750 --> 00:41:03,377 MICHELLE: Okay, so how'd he do last night? 1156 00:41:03,461 --> 00:41:05,129 KIM: Good. 1157 00:41:05,212 --> 00:41:06,464 MICHELLE: Did you get the gigs, huh? Did you? 1158 00:41:06,547 --> 00:41:08,549 No. No, it's not funny. 1159 00:41:08,632 --> 00:41:10,718 -We're lucky that everything worked out. -KIM (off screen): Yeah. 1160 00:41:10,801 --> 00:41:13,471 I did walk the property to make sure I-- 1161 00:41:13,554 --> 00:41:15,097 he didn't have any stashes around anywhere. 1162 00:41:15,181 --> 00:41:17,099 MICHELLE: (laughs) Good. 1163 00:41:17,183 --> 00:41:18,976 Yeah, you're not trusting him anymore, are you? 1164 00:41:19,059 --> 00:41:20,019 KIM: I know. 1165 00:41:20,102 --> 00:41:21,645 MICHELLE (off screen): Kim's got Harvey back here in the clinic. 1166 00:41:21,729 --> 00:41:25,024 He's doing much better since his pot brownie binge the other day. 1167 00:41:25,107 --> 00:41:26,442 It just took a little time 1168 00:41:26,525 --> 00:41:27,902 to work everything through his system, 1169 00:41:27,985 --> 00:41:29,028 but he's doing great now. 1170 00:41:29,111 --> 00:41:32,907 KIM: But what I did find is, like, five different spots 1171 00:41:32,990 --> 00:41:33,949 where he had laid down. 1172 00:41:34,033 --> 00:41:37,578 Because he had melted the ice all the way to the ground. 1173 00:41:37,661 --> 00:41:39,538 MICHELLE: Just think if he had absorbed all the rest of that. 1174 00:41:39,622 --> 00:41:41,457 I mean, he was already whacked. 1175 00:41:41,540 --> 00:41:43,000 If he had absorbed everything that was in his stomach... 1176 00:41:43,083 --> 00:41:44,293 KIM: He'd have been gone. 1177 00:41:44,376 --> 00:41:45,336 MICHELLE: He could have, like... 1178 00:41:45,419 --> 00:41:47,129 just because I think it would have made him 1179 00:41:47,213 --> 00:41:49,381 so hypothermic, he wouldn't have moved. 1180 00:41:49,465 --> 00:41:51,133 -KIM: Right. -MICHELLE: Good thing mom came home early. 1181 00:41:51,217 --> 00:41:53,594 Yeah. He looks fantastic. 1182 00:41:53,677 --> 00:41:55,095 So, nothing further, 1183 00:41:55,179 --> 00:41:57,181 except keeping him on the straight and narrow. 1184 00:41:57,264 --> 00:41:58,933 KIM: I know. 1185 00:41:59,016 --> 00:42:01,101 I sure don't want to go through that again or something worse. 1186 00:42:01,185 --> 00:42:02,144 MICHELLE (off screen): Exactly. 1187 00:42:02,228 --> 00:42:05,064 KIM (off screen): I was devastated to think that I could be losing him. 1188 00:42:06,232 --> 00:42:07,900 So it was scary. 1189 00:42:07,983 --> 00:42:09,360 MICHELLE: There's-- that's all there is to it! 1190 00:42:09,443 --> 00:42:11,737 Good boy! 1191 00:42:11,820 --> 00:42:13,906 Hopefully, from here on in, he's gonna stay out of trouble. 1192 00:42:13,989 --> 00:42:14,990 Come on. 1193 00:42:15,074 --> 00:42:16,951 KIM: Come on. 1194 00:42:17,034 --> 00:42:18,035 MICHELLE: Awesome. 1195 00:42:18,118 --> 00:42:19,578 Thanks for bringing him in. You take care, Kim. 1196 00:42:19,662 --> 00:42:20,829 -KIM: Bye. -MICHELLE (off screen): Bye-bye. 1197 00:42:22,206 --> 00:42:25,459 NARRATOR: And in Palmer, Michelle has one more follow-up 1198 00:42:25,543 --> 00:42:28,462 with Rudolph the reindeer, whose deformed legs made him 1199 00:42:28,546 --> 00:42:30,506 an easy target for the bullies in the herd. 1200 00:42:30,589 --> 00:42:32,925 MICHELLE: Hi. How are you? 1201 00:42:33,008 --> 00:42:35,553 Since I was here last time, they've transitioned him 1202 00:42:35,636 --> 00:42:37,346 back to staying with the rest of the herd. 1203 00:42:37,429 --> 00:42:39,473 He's much happier with the big group, 1204 00:42:39,557 --> 00:42:40,724 and he's doing well with it. 1205 00:42:40,808 --> 00:42:42,685 I mean, he's still bowlegged. No surprise there. 1206 00:42:42,768 --> 00:42:44,436 We knew that was kind of a lifelong thing, 1207 00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:46,438 but he's getting around way better, so... 1208 00:42:46,522 --> 00:42:48,649 LAUREN (off screen): Mm-hmm, he's keeping up with the other reindeer 1209 00:42:48,732 --> 00:42:50,901 and playing with them and running. 1210 00:42:50,985 --> 00:42:54,071 MICHELLE (off screen): Rudolph's never gonna lead Santa's sleigh, 1211 00:42:54,154 --> 00:42:56,991 but he's around to help everybody else get ready for the big day, 1212 00:42:57,074 --> 00:42:59,910 and he's definitely having a great life mixed in with the herd, 1213 00:42:59,994 --> 00:43:01,537 so that's all we really wanted. 1214 00:43:01,620 --> 00:43:02,580 Hooray for Rudolph. 1215 00:43:02,663 --> 00:43:04,540 LAUREN (off screen): Hooray for Rudolph! 1216 00:43:04,623 --> 00:43:06,625 Captioned by Captionmax