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November 18, 2024 33 mins
Maria chats with Dr. Anna Massey, Director of Emergency & Critical Care at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital.  Anna also has a very informative (and entertaining!) blog The Blended Vet! She shares her expertise and pet knowledge, from puppy care to pet loss with Maria. 

Give a listen and check out theblendedvet.com.
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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Maria's MutS and Stuff. What a great idea on iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to Maria's Mutts and Stuff and with me is
director of Emergency and Critical Care at Redbank Veterinary Hospital.
It is Anna Massey and I have been waiting to
speak with Anna for months and months and it makes
sense that she's a vet and a mom and everything
because she's so very patient patient.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
She's waited for months.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
I've had technical difficulties, I've gotten kicked out of my
studio and she's always like, Okay, we'll talk again.

Speaker 4 (00:36):
So welcome Anna, Hi, thank you so much for having me.
It was I'm definitely it's worth the weight.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Oh you're too sweet.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
And you also have the blog, but we'll talk about
that later. The blended vet dot com and it's working
mom plus er vet. So tell me when did you
decide that you wanted to be a vet.

Speaker 4 (00:56):
Yeah. So I was one of those that knew very
very at a very young year age like eleven twelve,
and then I just I started working in like the
kennel in the back of you know, my local vett hospital,
and then became like a little vet assistant and then
a like technician and and then I decided I'm going
to want to go to a college where there's a
VET school attached I can work there. So I was

(01:17):
like very focused, Like I was like, I know, that's
what I want. The school ended up going to they
had a VET hospital that had a or an er
that you could basically volunteer. Is the only place in
the whole hospital or school that you could volunteer. And
so I just happened to start doing emergency and I
absolutely fell in love with it. I just and so
then I've just kind of stayed there ever since. That
was back in like the mid nineties, and I've been

(01:39):
doing er stuff ever since.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
Wow, And what is it about the er that like
that attracts you? Do you think?

Speaker 2 (01:46):
I mean, is it one particular thing or is it
like a combination of stuff?

Speaker 4 (01:49):
Yeah, it's really I think that it's there's always something new,
Like you never know what's going to come in, so
you know, there's there's no way that you're going to
ever be bored. And I like that sort of you
don't know what you're going to get, you know. I
know other people who are kind of like, no, I
want to know exactly what my days be like sure,
but I kind of like that, I you know, sort
of like I'm just gonna have to be on my

(02:11):
toes and like, you know, as things come, I'm going
to have to try to figure it out. You know.
It's very fast paced, be a little chaotic, and you
learn how to like multitask or at least to the
best of your ability multitask, right. But yeah, I just
I kind of like, you know, that's where I started,
and I just sort of stay there the whole time
because it's like I'm still not bored and I've been

(02:33):
doing it for like twenty years now.

Speaker 3 (02:34):
That's amazing. That's amazing, because yeah, I'm sure it must be.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
I'm sure your job would probably make someone who doesn't
like change or doesn't like like suddenness or like unknown
suddenness go crazy. But that's I think it's a very
unique personality trait that for someone to be able to
do that, because you also have to be you know,
cool and calm because you're also dealing with panicking parents too.

Speaker 4 (03:01):
Oh yeah, for sure. Yeah, I think it's you know,
having like putting yourself in their shoes, you know, which,
like I have my own pets, so like I've I've
had that experience, and I think about, like, oh my god,
what is it like It's like having you know, like
a mom bringing her kid to the er and like
you know, not wanting to be separated from them and
all of those things that you know, like it's easy

(03:22):
to just be like, Okay, let's do our thing and
we'll treat the patient, but you have to also treat
the owner too. You have to think about that they're
what they're going through. It's totally It's just such an
emotional experience, especially when they're really really sick, you know.

Speaker 3 (03:35):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, but it also sounds like you were born to
do this, you know what I mean, because sometimes I
mean we've all met vets and I'm sure you have
more so than me over you know, your lifetime. Who
are doing it because it's a job, but you know,
but you this is like you love you love this,
This is what you were meant to do.

Speaker 4 (03:52):
Yeah. I do. And I think like a lot of
people who go into emergency, they do kind of burned
out and they end up doing something else. So it's
like not common that you do it for this so long.
And I do have like a hybrid role now where
I you know, I do some administrative stuff because it's
it's hard to you know, do do like the floor
work one hundred percent of the time as I'm aging

(04:14):
rapidly and.

Speaker 3 (04:15):
Oh stop it, you know.

Speaker 4 (04:16):
And I have all these kids at home that are like,
you know, you know, giving you lots of green hairs,
but I do, so I would never want to step
away from it fully, you know, I would never want
to not be on the floor at all. So right,
and I also, yeah, it's like one of those things
that if you you're leading the people that are doing
this stuff and you're not in it with them in
the trenches, and it's it's hard, you know for them

(04:36):
to like, it would be hard to have respect for them.
I think it's the person in charge as much. So
I try. I try to be there with them and
and not just like standing off to the side watching.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Sure, but I also think it probably makes the people
who you work with feel better about emergencies because they
can count on you and you're not just phoning it in.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
Does that make sense?

Speaker 4 (04:56):
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, I mean I hope, I hope that's
the game.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Oh my goodness, of course it is. But you're not
going to give yourself credit. I could tell but I
but I think it's really important to always have someone
who you can like other people can turn to because
they're cool headed in emergencies, and in emergencies is every
day of your job. So yeah, it's easy, not easy
for you, but it's I think it's natural for you,
which I think again is very unique.

Speaker 4 (05:21):
Yeah, yeah, I think there are people like I mean,
there's people who go into critical care with you know,
with that that go in specifically into you know, ICU
level stuff, and that's that is their passion and they
make a career out of it. But I would say that, Yeah,
the compassion fatigue is a real thing, and I'm sure

(05:41):
the same for you know humans who you know, human medicine,
like surely are I'm sure it's the same thing. So
it does. Yeah, I'm sure you know, it's not for everybody,
but it has been for me and I like it.

Speaker 3 (05:54):
No, that's great.

Speaker 2 (05:54):
And is there any advice you would give, say to
someone who's listening right now and they're you know, their
child is thinking of being a vet, any piece of
advice that somebody told you to pass on or just
I mean just I don't know.

Speaker 3 (06:08):
Anything.

Speaker 4 (06:09):
Yeah, I think you really like have to want it,
and you really really has to be that. You couldn't
think of doing anything else but that, because it can
be a hard road to get there, and it does.
You know, like people who are in the vet world,
they tend to be like very empathic people and they
feel other people's pain a lot, and it can it

(06:30):
can take a lot of toll on people. And you know,
I like to see animals, you know, suffering and to
know that, Okay, I'm going to be doing something to
help them. That you have to see some degree of
suffering along the way. You have to you know, be
okay with that, knowing that it's a means to an end. Sure,
because I think there's so many people out there who

(06:51):
would love to be vets. But I think it just
like it would be hard for a lot of people,
I think, to go through it and to see that
kind of stuff.

Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yeah, No, definitely, I understand that.

Speaker 2 (07:03):
I Mean I've always I thought about it when I
was younger, but I'm not really good with like blood
and guts and stuff, I mean, you know what I mean,
And I just knew, like, oh, that's not going to
be a good I mean, like, I don't even like
when my own blood is taken, I have to look away.
I'm a woos So I was like, yeah, being a
vet would not be good for me, even though I
love animals.

Speaker 4 (07:23):
So yeah, yeah, and in your case, like you've found
a way to, you know, help them immensely, probably in
a bigger way than what best are doing because you're
getting the word.

Speaker 3 (07:37):
Yeah, but you're saving lives. It's different. You're saving lives.
I'm just like talking about it. So but thank you.

Speaker 4 (07:44):
You are also saving lives.

Speaker 3 (07:45):
You are all right, well, thank you, thank you.

Speaker 1 (07:48):
So so let's talk a little bit about your blog,
because first of all, I have to tell you, and
I'm not just saying this, I really love your writing
because I feel like, well, it's just it's very sincere,
and it's very honest, and it's very.

Speaker 3 (08:06):
Yeah, it's just very honest.

Speaker 2 (08:07):
And you I feel like I'm talking to you, even
though we've never spoken before until now. But I feel
like when I'm reading your blog, because I was reading
some of the articles and yeah, I just I really
really I want to read more of them.

Speaker 3 (08:20):
So what made you decide to start doing that?

Speaker 4 (08:24):
Yeah, I think it was a little bit before the pandemic,
but I really did start to get into it more then,
and I just like I wanted some kind of outlet for,
you know, all the stress that we were all feeling
at that time, and I wanted to I realized at
some point that that a lot of what I was,
you know, had learned over the years working in the
emergency room and in a vet vet er, that I

(08:46):
was actually like applying it to my home life. And
and it was kind of like embracing the chaos that
you know, life can bring, and you know, just like multitasking,
staying calm and being as patient as possible, and you know,
kind of keeping the bigger picture in mind. And you know,
I think all of those things like overlapped and and so,

(09:08):
like a lot of my things that I write about there,
there's a little bit of like being a parent, and
there's also stuff about being a pet parent and also
being a VET and trying to educate people, because I
do love to talk about stuff and make you know,
if there's something that maybe doesn't make sense, you know
that your vet said to you, I like to be

(09:29):
able to explain it. I think that's one of my
strong points, is like explaining things in like Layman's terms
so that people really get it, and they're like a
lot of times I've had thank you so much for
explaining it because I didn't get it. I think sometimes
we forget and we start talking a bunch of medical
speak yes to people who aren't used to it, and
it just overwhelms them even more than they already are yes.

(09:49):
So yeah, it's kind of like I and I have
this blended family. You know, I married Sean, which I
think you know Sean.

Speaker 2 (09:54):
I know Sean, yes, and he talked about you, and
that's how I reached out to you, you know. I
guess yeah, he put it together because he was like, oh,
you should talk to my wife.

Speaker 3 (10:03):
And I'm like, okay, yeah. So so a shout out
to Sean.

Speaker 4 (10:08):
Yeah, thank you, thank him very much for doing that.
He's yeah, he's He and I, you know, got together,
I guess, like eight years ago, and you know, he
came with a couple of boys and I came with
a couple of girls, and so it's kind of like
a like a like a weird Brady Munch type situation
and then we end up having a six year old together.
And so it's also I know, there's so many blended
families out there that I like, you know, I felt

(10:30):
like there's a way to connect with others and have
that shared experience. It's never a perfect road, you know,
you have, it's more complicated than than most families can be,
and so like I wanted to have a forum to
talk about that, but also kind of just overlap it
with you know, how we have pets and how pets

(10:51):
are part of our lives, part of our family, bring
us together and and so it was just kind of
like there, you know, I'm kind of speaking to people
who are who have pets, who have families and also
just want to know more about you know, different you know,
medical things that could be happening with their pets. So
it's kind of like there's a there's a couple of
different audiences I guess I'm reaching, but to me, they

(11:12):
kind of all blend together.

Speaker 3 (11:13):
Right, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (11:14):
I mean I just I read your recent one Leap
of Faith, which is really about your kids on that trip,
and it's just really very funny and I love that
you just dropped f bombs all over the place because
I feel like, yeah, that's me normally talking, except you know,
at work.

Speaker 4 (11:29):
But yeah, I mean we're keeping it real and you know.

Speaker 3 (11:33):
It's it's so perfect.

Speaker 4 (11:35):
I feel like I want to I don't want to,
you know, portray social media these days, it's much it's
very much like here's this ideal situation.

Speaker 3 (11:44):
It's just ridiculous.

Speaker 4 (11:44):
You just think that. Yeah, and I wanted to be
pretty raw and exposed, and I think that is relatable
and hopefully somebody could read that and be like, yeah,
I feel the same way. Or I also feel like
guilt or maybe a little bit of shame, or I
feel like maybe I'm not doing a great job. But
in the end, I think, you know, we have this
like perspective together.

Speaker 3 (12:04):
Oh yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2 (12:06):
That's why I love your writing so much, because it
is it's like we're experiencing it together.

Speaker 4 (12:10):
Yeah, thank you. That's very that's very kind. I mean,
I don't it started as me just kind of doing
like an online diary, and but my my biggest thing
is like I just I want to use it to
be able to reach people. And I have a lot
of moms that like reach out to me, like mom friends,
and they don't feel scared to call me and ask
me questions about you know, what's going on with their pet,
and I've often saved them trips to the er, and

(12:33):
so I feel like like and they're always like, I'm
so sorry, Like I feel like I should pay you.
I'm like, oh my god, no, Like, this is what
I do for a living. And if I can't help
my friends, you know, with their pets, like what is
what is the point of like my job and what
is the point of me? So I wanted a place
where people can feel free to ask questions and I
can answer, you know, general questions and help to educate

(12:56):
because I think, you know, it just makes people better
pet parents to have more information. And like I said,
sometimes you go to the ved and like you walk
away and you're like, I'm not really sure just what
happened there?

Speaker 3 (13:08):
No exactly. Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 2 (13:09):
I think it happens to more people than we think,
you know, because and I think they because I don't know,
people to me sometimes even for their own health when
they go to a doctor for themselves and you know,
everybody holds doctors up, you know, in this high pedestal,
and they're afraid to ask questions and they.

Speaker 3 (13:30):
Walk out like, well, what was what the doctor say? Well,
I don't know. I used these big words, Well why
didn't you ask?

Speaker 2 (13:36):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (13:36):
I felt weird or you know.

Speaker 2 (13:37):
And I think sometimes it might be the same with
people with their pets because they're afraid to ask. Because
we're just layman. Maybe we should know those terms, you know.

Speaker 4 (13:47):
So yeah, for sure I think that happens. Yeah, yeah,
So I just I'm I'm I feel like we did this,
we got into this field because we want to help people.
And I don't I don't mind. I'm like, I please.
I was like, like, please, don't feel bad calling me.
I was doing the other day. I was like making
dinner and I had like two pots going, and then
I'm like in the background trying to make sure this

(14:08):
six year old doesn't actually murder himself. And then I
have a friend calling me and she's like, my dog
ate like this much gum and it has Zylos call,
which is.

Speaker 3 (14:16):
You know, laughing, but oh my god.

Speaker 4 (14:20):
So I'm like calculating the dose, calling her back, saying no,
it's actually okay, it'll be fine. And you know, so
I did feel like that one brief moment in time,
I was like I did like I was actually truly
multitasking it and I helped her and I made my
So it was one of those like rare moments where
I actually felt like I did a good job.

Speaker 2 (14:37):
You did a great job. Your your six year old
didn't murder itself. That's the funniest line ever. Your friend's
dog was okay, and you cooked dinner like that doesn't
that's not the picture of multitasking.

Speaker 3 (14:49):
Yes, oh my god.

Speaker 4 (14:51):
Yeah, every once in a while it happens.

Speaker 3 (14:53):
I'm sure it happens more than that. But that was very,
very funny.

Speaker 2 (14:57):
So one of them. We should really talk about it.
And I am comfortable talking to you about it because
you were so kind and caring to send me when
you realize that Fredo, my dog, who looked so much
like you're wellie, when Fredo passed away, and you sent
me your blog about pet loss, and you know, it's
something that people don't talk about, or they're ashamed of it,

(15:22):
or they feel I think it's always people feel well.
I shouldn't have these strong feelings because it was my pet.

Speaker 3 (15:29):
You know.

Speaker 2 (15:30):
I had strong feelings then, like say when my dad
died or something.

Speaker 3 (15:34):
But that's all normal.

Speaker 2 (15:35):
And that article that you have about pet loss, I
think I told you when you sent it to me.
I started reading it on the air and I was like, oh,
I can't you know, And it was like it was
pretty recent, so it was like a few maybe like
four months or something after Fredo died, and I was like,
oh my god, I'm starting to cry.

Speaker 3 (15:52):
I can't do this on the air.

Speaker 4 (15:55):
Yeah, yeah, sorry, I'm sorry I had that effect. But
it was like, I think you're it's like years past.
I think they can these feelings can come up any time,
you know. Sure, yes, you would see a picture of
him or think of something or something reminds you. And
it's like with grief, like with anything like with yeah,
people or pets, I think that happens, and yeah, it's

(16:15):
I could see how much love you have for him,
and I know you were giving me some updates on
what was going on with him, and I could get
a sense of like you just really wanted to make
him comfortable and as happy as possible, and that that
is what a good pet parent does. Well.

Speaker 2 (16:30):
Thanks, I mean, and tell me if you hear this
from from you know, pet parents that you deal with,
I you know, the whole thing, And I mean I
talked about a little bit on the air but probably
not a lot more on Maria's MutS and stuff that
you know, he had bone cancer and the option is
always to me, it's like, oh, bone cancer, that's a
death sentence, but especially for a thirteen year old dog.

(16:52):
But the option was to amputate or put him under chemo,
which I didn't want to do either because of his age.
Because I also know and have friends who have kept
and done things to their pets because they wanted them
to stay alive for them, and I understand that, I'm
not judging it, but I just didn't think.

Speaker 3 (17:09):
I didn't want to do that.

Speaker 2 (17:11):
But yeah, after he died and I thought, oh, well,
maybe I should have, And I really had doubts for for,
you know, on and off for maybe I don't know,
a few weeks where then I was like, no, no, no, no,
it's I did the right you know, we did the
right thing. And then I was like, well, maybe, but
is that normal? Do you hear that from your patience too?

Speaker 4 (17:33):
Yeah, it is one hundred percent normal, And I hear
that a lot, and I think that you know, it's
it's it's it's a reaction you're going to have, because
I think with when you lose when you lose somebody
that's important to you, you think of all the what
if and you think of, like, you know, if something
had happened differently, and I think that's totally natural. But
I think the biggest thing to remember is that you

(17:54):
made a very selfless decision, you know, because, like you said,
there are people who kind of go they put their
pets through stuff, and sometimes sometimes, you know, I can understand,
and I'm kind of measured myself with what I do
with my own pets, and I think I have no
judgment for you know, the people that are gonna go
and do X, y Z, and then others who just say, like,

(18:16):
I think it's time to stop. And I think it
has to be your own personal decision. And I think
you went with your gut, which I think is always
the right thing to do. And I think at the
end of the day, I hear more often like I
wish I had done this, I wish I had decided
to say good bye sooner, and I wish I hadn't
done all these things. So I rarely hear the opposite,

(18:38):
and so it's just one of those things, like I
you know, people sometimes ask, well, what would you do
in this situation, and I will volunteer the information they
asked me, but I also caveat that with this is
your pet, and you know your pet better than anyone else,
and it ultimately has to be like you search deep
inside yourself and you you decide. You know, it's such

(19:00):
a tough thing though, and yeah, like you know, it
could have gone like where you know, he had you know,
surgery and a lot of chemo, and then you would
and maybe didn't handle things low, and then you would
be looking back thinking like why did I do all
of that? You know? Yes, ye, at the end of
the day, like it sounds like he would very peacefully
and like you had his comfort in mind, and I
think that is the most important thing. So you should

(19:22):
feel like really comforted by that.

Speaker 3 (19:24):
No, well, thank you.

Speaker 2 (19:25):
Yeah, And honestly, the fact that he died in my
apartment with me, you know, nearby, just made me very
happy because I didn't have to make the decision, even
though it was coming close to it. But you know, unfortunately,
and I know you hear it a million times from everybody,
is like, you know, our pets don't live as long
as we do. You know, that's that's the worst part

(19:46):
about you know, getting one and raising one is that
you know, can't you live as long as me?

Speaker 4 (19:52):
But right, yeah, yeah, I know, And I think we
just keep doing it over and over again, like well
that's the thing, and help ourselves because the way they
bring to our lives is like we know, okay, we
know that this is probably you know, we're gonna we're
going to outlive them most likely, you know. So it's
knowing that it's going to happen, we still choose to
do that. I don't think it's insane.

Speaker 3 (20:14):
I think it was just you're in my head.

Speaker 2 (20:15):
I was going to say, isn't that the definition of
insanity when you keep repeating it wanting a different outcome?

Speaker 3 (20:20):
But it's not insane.

Speaker 4 (20:22):
No, I mean it sounds insane, but I do. I
do think it just means that you you want to
have that special connection in your life, had so much
and they're the.

Speaker 3 (20:32):
Yeah, yeah, there's nothing.

Speaker 2 (20:33):
I mean, I'm more of a dog person, I always
admit that than a cat person, but even cats are cute.
I mean, there's just something about having that living creature
near you, and there's just that animal human bond to me,
and even not just cats and dogs, you know, like
horses and just you know, pigs. I think they're also amazing,
So yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 (20:53):
Yeah, they all, they all I think add stuff to
our lives. And I saw the pictures of Freda. He's
like you could see like that soul in his face
and like he was so I'm so sorry, you know,
like that's I'm sure you're still I would also be
still in mourning too. Yeah, I think I'm still in
mourning about Welly. And that happened like a year ago,

(21:15):
you know, I just.

Speaker 2 (21:16):
And well He was so much like they both looked
so much alike they could be siblings, I know.

Speaker 4 (21:21):
Yeah, I know, I know. Yeah. Black labs are some
of my favorite and he was a he was like
a mix, but he had a little white patch on
his chop, but he looked like mostly lab and labs
are like kind of my go to. I would never
you know, I don't think i'd ever like purchased a
lab because I feel like you could you can find
a perfectly good dog, you know.

Speaker 3 (21:41):
Absolutely and shelter anyway, exactly. Yeah, that's funny, but I do.

Speaker 4 (21:45):
I do have a love for them, It's true.

Speaker 2 (21:47):
And there's of course the whole black dog syndrome and
that's what kind of led me to Fredo. And he
was a mix too, so yeah, yeah, you know, and
I think he came from like Mississippi or something, so yeah,
I know. But you also but then you you recently
you have another dog. I mean, I know you have
more than one dog, right, you have a bunch of right,
but didn't you get another dog adopt another dog after?

Speaker 3 (22:08):
Welly is that right?

Speaker 4 (22:09):
I did? I did. I got her from from guiding Eyes.

Speaker 3 (22:12):
Oh that's right, that's right. Yeah, so like a failed
seeing eye. Yeah, yeah, I know. I love that.

Speaker 2 (22:18):
It's like when you find out what failed them and
it's something that we just take for granted, but of
course you know something. Yeah, so yeah, oh so let's
talk about her.

Speaker 4 (22:28):
So I know, she's amazing. She's a really sweet girl.
And I I didn't expect because I was on a
list for a long time to get another lab drawer
that was like a medical release, and it took me
a long time to get him. But I think because
her her what she had going on was like pretty severe,
and so I think like they were like I don't
know if anyone else is going to want her, so

(22:48):
like I actually I didn't expect, like, because I sent
an email to them probably like I don't know, a
week or two after WELLI passed because I just thought, okay,
I got to get this process started right. And then
they immediately wrotay back and I said, we have this
dog and she has a you know, a liver problem
she was born with, and you know there you know

(23:08):
we we don't we obviously can't use her as a
guide dog. We're trying to adopt her out to a
veterinary professional. So I ended up, you know, kind of
convincing Sean, though I think it was you know, he
he pretends like he doesn't want to go along with
these things, and he's kind of like just throws his
hands up, and I think he kind of he secretly
likes it, you know. Of course, of course, yeah, but

(23:30):
it was hard because she had all these all this
medical issue and she needed medications that I had to
make food for her every day, which I I've told
my clients do but I was like, I would never
do that, you know, And then here I am, I'm
doing it for her, of course, yeah, but she did.
She had her procedure a couple of months ago, and
knock on what she's been doing really well, and we're

(23:51):
hoping to like fatten her up a little bit, but
not so much that she's like that people I work
with make fun of me, but not that she has
some chunk on her, you know, right, No, I.

Speaker 2 (23:59):
Get some chunk, but not like they say it, like
she becomes a fatty lab because that's the thing, right right, exactly?

Speaker 4 (24:06):
Oh my goodness, but she was she was great like
she Actually, I think healed us a lot. And I
think it's always I think it's different for everybody as
far as like when are you going to get another
Some people were like, I will never do this again,
and they wait a really long time, or maybe they
don't because it's just that hard, and that's that's okay,
but correct. And some people go out immediately and I think,

(24:26):
you know, I just threw it out there like hey,
and then it came back to me immediately, so I'm like, Okay,
I guess it's meant to be, right.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
No, that's how I would look at it too. It's true,
I mean, and you're right, I mean that's how I
feel it. You can't really there's no judgment because everybody's different,
you know. Some people wait a really really long time.
My brother and my sister in law, and they're older,
they when their docs and died on don't even know.
It was before COVID, and my brother was like, I
will never do it again because he was so devastated

(24:56):
when the dog passed away. And now they're older and
their kids are out of the and I'm like, dude,
get a dog, you know.

Speaker 3 (25:03):
Yeah, yeah, it's really funny.

Speaker 2 (25:04):
They go back and forth, but yeah, but he's definitely
one of those never again because hiss, like his heart
was torn out like the rest of us, you know,
but we're all my gluttons and go like, no, no, it's.

Speaker 4 (25:14):
Okay, yeah, the ones of us, right, No, it's true.

Speaker 3 (25:19):
No, it's really true. Because I'm gonna have to be honest.
I've been like, that's it.

Speaker 2 (25:22):
I'm never getting another dog, which doesn't make any sense
because I've you know, I love dogs so much. But
and then I'm like, well, and and then over the
weekend when I did the thing with North Shore Animal
League and they had their van and they had dogs
in it and cats, and of course I went in
and cats always play with my hair, so there was
a cat like through the cage that was playing with

(25:43):
my hair and I'm like.

Speaker 3 (25:44):
Oh, that's cute.

Speaker 2 (25:45):
And then there was a dog and I just she
there was just something and she was like they took
her out and she was leaning on me and I
was like, no, no, I can't, it's too soon.

Speaker 3 (25:53):
Oh my goodness. Maybe no. No. I mean I stood there.

Speaker 2 (25:57):
Back and forth, and I thought, Okay, well, this is
a good. That means I'm healing and it's going to happen,
but not yet, like I knew I wasn't ready, but
but yeah, because and then I was thinking about her
during the day and I'm like, well stop, and it's.

Speaker 4 (26:12):
Like, yeah, it was torturous happening.

Speaker 3 (26:15):
Yeah, so yeah, so I think it's good.

Speaker 2 (26:18):
It means you know when I said never again with Frado,
just because it was so sudden and so awful. But
I'm like, well, and she kind of looked like him,
but she had bite on her chest.

Speaker 3 (26:28):
She was like a lab hit mix, but she her
legs were shorter.

Speaker 2 (26:32):
Like yeah, like, okay, you think I'm like in love
with this dog, but okay, but there'll be others.

Speaker 3 (26:36):
There'll be others. I know I'm not ready, but.

Speaker 4 (26:40):
Yet, I mean, and you too, so many of these
things that I'm you're going to be around some some
pet that needs a home, and you're gonna just at
that point, it's going to be the time, you know,
and that's what you're getting there, and that's that's good.

Speaker 3 (26:51):
Yes, it's good eventually. Yes.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
So we just gave good advice without even realizing it
right to people who are wondering what to do.

Speaker 3 (26:57):
I know, yeah, so.

Speaker 4 (26:59):
Yeah, yeah, can some people just got to be eased
into it. And you again, just like I think it's
with anything, you just kind of trust your instinct, trust
your gut, your you know, your heart when it comes
to these things, and I think usually it's okay, it'll
be okay. I think it's just it's hard, and like
when you've got kids and stuff also in the mix,
and it's like, you know, do you want to I

(27:19):
felt very guilty about bringing a puppy into the house
that had a release of your medical problem because I'm like,
they're like, oh, I can't believe she's ours, and they
like immediately fell in love with her, and I'm like,
oh my god, what have I done? You know, like
what if something really I knew something that could happen?
And she might not be able to have the procedure
or it might not work, and and so you know,
thankfully it all went okay. But at the end of
the day, like there's so much love, you know, there's

(27:41):
love for her and she's like loving on them and
like to have that experience, even if it ends up
being somewhat fleeting, like to give her like a good
life for whatever that time period is, I think is
more important.

Speaker 3 (27:52):
I think so too. I was thinking the same thing.

Speaker 2 (27:53):
And also for your kids to have that experience too,
even if things had not gone well, but at least
they had the experience and they had that love for her,
which I you know, but thankfully nothing that didn't happen,
so you don't have to worry about that.

Speaker 4 (28:06):
Yes, oh off at least, So yeah, that's good.

Speaker 3 (28:11):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (28:11):
So what's a piece of advice or what would be
And maybe there's not one thing at all I would
say for someone who's listening right now and they're thinking,
you know, maybe I should get a dog or a
cat or I never had one before, but they're talking
about this love. Is there one thing we can think
of you can think of to tell someone who's wants

(28:32):
to put like their toe in the water, never had
a dog or cat, and is there anything like one thing?

Speaker 4 (28:38):
I mean, I think that if you've never had one before,
it is you know, it can be just a completely
life changing experience. And I think that having just going
into it knowing like this is going to be like
a member of your family and they're going to need
to have preventive care, you know, to avoid you know,

(29:00):
users that could be avoided and there they could end
up needing a surgery or something like that in the future.
And I this sounds like really boring, but I recommend
to anybody to get pet insurance because nope, you know,
the cost of that care is very high now. And
I really hate more than anything when I hear like
somebody's like trying to make a medical decision about their

(29:21):
pet and they have to worry about the financial part
of it, and that is heartbreaking. And as a vet,
any of us, like we did not get into this
field to you know, like worry about the money part
of things. And so that it sounds like kind of
like a boring thing to say, but I think, just
try to get pet insurance because it's totally worth it,
and it takes a whole layer of concern out, you know,

(29:45):
kind of throws that out the window when you're faced
with like having to make like maybe a major medical decision,
and you can make it with like you know your
your heart more and you don't have to worry so much,
you know, for people who you know, have never had
a dog before, Like, you know, I put stuff on
my blog before about just like how a puppy proof
your home, and the people if you never had a

(30:06):
dog before, you don't know all the stuff as they
couldn't get into or of things that could be toxic
that aren't toxic to humans but are are to pets.
Are you know, So I think doing a little bit
of research, you know, the internet can be dangerous. But
as long as I think you're getting advice from a vet,
I think you're you're good. So I think I think
it's just like remembering that they're they're going to be

(30:29):
a member of your family, and it's not like a
piece of furniture. It's like there's a there're a living,
breathing thing that's gonna you know, need love and attention,
and you know, if you feel like you're going to
be out of your home too often, to interact with them,
and you're not going to be able to have somebody
help out with that. Then I think those are all
considerations because there are some people make those kind of

(30:50):
impulse of decisions and get pets and then it turns
out their life really isn't built to have a pet in.

Speaker 2 (30:55):
It exactly, especially with the holidays fast approaching. You know, yeah,
it's not a good holiday gift.

Speaker 4 (31:01):
You know, it's not. No, I said, all the buddies
and during Easter and the chicks and Easter like it's
crazy town.

Speaker 3 (31:08):
Oh yeah, yeah, it is great.

Speaker 4 (31:10):
And then you end up having more more pets that
are in the shelters that you end up getting, you know,
encountering when you're doing these these things to help out,
and a lot of them are most likely, you know,
from situation. Oh yeah, some of them are from situations
like that where people just like didn't know what they
were getting into.

Speaker 3 (31:27):
That's true. No, that's true.

Speaker 2 (31:28):
No, that's great, great advice, that's perfect advice. So doctor
Anna Massey, director of Emergency and Critical Care at Red
Bank Veterinary Hospital, also the Blended Vet, the blended vet
dot com, and she also has if you have questions,
help at the Blended vet dot com.

Speaker 3 (31:46):
So I think you keep doing all that you do.

Speaker 2 (31:49):
Like I said, I love reading your articles and I
feel like it keeps me in touch with you and
your family and you know, and thanks for all your
advice and for sharing all of your knowledge and your empathy.

Speaker 3 (32:00):
Because too many people don't have empathy these days.

Speaker 2 (32:02):
And I just appreciate your time because you are very
You're a multitasker and even on your days off, you
made time to talk with me for Maria's Mutz's stuff.

Speaker 3 (32:10):
So thank you.

Speaker 4 (32:11):
Well, I appreciate you. I mean, you could just be
like in the awesome DJ you are and just have
it be leave it at that, but you like go
the extra step and you're you know your music like
that's you know, bringing music into people's lives. That's like
to me, that's such a huge thing and it's and
it adds so much. But you're also like advocating for
these creatures that can't don't really have a voice of

(32:34):
their own, and I think that is incredibly powerful and
special that you're using your powers for such good. You know,
I so well, thank you go to you. I'm glad
there's people like you out there. So music plus pets
like you have, like your life is awesome.

Speaker 3 (32:50):
Well you're very sweet. Well thank you.

Speaker 2 (32:52):
I do.

Speaker 3 (32:52):
I appreciate it. I really do. Thank you, thank you, thank.

Speaker 4 (32:55):
You all right, thanks thanks for spending time and for
making carving our little time for me and I so
enjoy talking to you.

Speaker 3 (33:05):
There has never been a greater operator in the stop
see you Rader vmigator
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