Dr. Jan Pol: Discussing Animal Health Care

Jessica Mitchell: [00:00:00] Before we get into today’s episode, we want to remind folks to aways use caution when caring for your animals, and to consult your local vet before administering any new treatments. With that, let’s get into a very exciting episode.

John Moore: Welcome to the Mother Earth News and Friends podcast. For decades, Dr. Jan Poll has been dedicated to helping animals. His hit show (you may have heard of it), “The Incredible Dr. Pol” on Nat Geo Wild, shows the daily operations and hard work of his vet practice in Michigan. And we’re so excited this expert vet is joining us, not just on this podcast episode, but also at the Mother Earth News Fair this year. So before Dr. Pol [00:01:00] joins us at the Fair, we’re sitting down with him to learn more about who he is and answer some questions from our readers. This is Mother Earth News.

Jessica Mitchell: Good day everyone, and we appreciate you for joining us on another exciting Mother Earth News and Friends podcast. I’m Jessica Mitchell, and today we have Dr. Jan Pol on the podcast with us. At Mother Earth News for 50 years and counting, we have been dedicated to conserving our planet’s natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. Today, we are gonna be talking with Dr. Pol about his passion for animals, some of his current projects, and where you can find him at the Mother Earth News Fair this year.

Dr. Pol has more than 50 years of veterinary medicine wisdom and knowledge, and has spent most of his life making sure animals are healthy, happy, and productive. You can also find him starring in the Nat Geo Wild Show, “The Incredible Dr. Pol,”, where [00:02:00] viewers follow his veterinary practice in Michigan. So welcome to the podcast, Dr. Pol.

Dr. Pol: Thank you, Jessica. Good to be here.

[00:02:08] Introducing Dr. Jan Pol

Jessica Mitchell: It’s so great to have you on the podcast. We’re so excited to be chatting with you today. I thought we could start off with a couple questions so listeners can get to know you. I’m sure a lot of them know you already.

Dr. Pol: Yeah. The show is now, to be honest with you, in 180 countries, they say.

Jessica Mitchell: Wow, that’s amazing. I love that.

Dr. Pol: I didn’t know there were 180 countries.

Jessica Mitchell: Yeah. Yeah. So my first question for you is what made you want to become a veterinarian and work with animals?

Dr. Pol: When I was 12 years old, I was the youngest of six. The local veterinarian was the typical large animal, big and strong. And my brother had small gilts trying to have little ones. And I was tall and skinny, and he picked me up. He says, hey, you need to help me. So, you know, he told me what to do, [00:03:00] and that was so much fun that I come home and tell my mother. “Ma, that was fun, pulling those piglets out there and, you know, hearing them squeal. I’m gonna become a veterinarian.” So that’s when it started.

Jessica Mitchell: That is amazing. I love that story and how that started from such a young age for you.

Dr. Pol: Yeah. Well, right now, with all the kids watching the show, there are so many that are starting at, you know, 4, 6, 8 years old, seeing what I do, and then want to do the same thing.

Jessica Mitchell: So looking at your veterinary practice today, what do you find to be the most challenging part of your job, and what do you find the most rewarding?

Dr. Pol: Challenging is always making the right diagnosis. And there’s a book out, Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow. It’s available. And there is a story in there where we, when I was in college, a cow came to the [00:04:00] clinic. And the diagnosis of hardware. And those days, we did surgery. And yes, you know, very short, the x-ray department told us we were wrong and the cow died, and it wasn’t hardware, it was a broom bristle that went from the stomach right into the heart. So with now medicine, with this new medicine, we have all these tools. You know, we can do blood work, we can do x-rays, ultrasounds, everything. Don’t forget that you have five senses, and use them all, but make taste dead last. Okay?

Jessica Mitchell: Yes, So next question, in addition to animal care, do you have any hobbies or passions?

Dr. Pol: Yeah. A lot of them. I like little sports cars. When Diane and I left the Netherlands, we brought a Triumph Spitfire over and drove that for quite a while until [00:05:00] the kids got bigger. And now she has a Audi. I have a uh, BMW, and yes, I’m happy to say Charles got me another Triumph from 1967, and then I have a Plymouth Prowler. I don’t know if you heard of those.

Jessica Mitchell: I have not, but it sounds really interesting.

Dr. Pol: Well, check it out online and see what they are. They’re only 10,000 made and I got one of them.

Jessica Mitchell: That is so cool.

Dr. Pol: Yeah, so those are hobbies. Then, I like to work with wood, something different, but yes, just to keep myself busy.

Jessica Mitchell: And I’m sure you’re also very busy and, you know, find time when you can.

Dr. Pol: Right now we are very busy.

[00:05:41] What Does a Veterinarian Do?

Jessica Mitchell: So speaking of busyness and the, and the routine of, of your vet practice, what does a typical day look like for you at your vet practice, if there even is a typical day?

Dr. Pol: No, and this is what I like about being a veterinarian. There’s not one day the same [00:06:00] as the next. Everything, every day is different. But, uh, we start usually at eight o’clock when we bring in, in the surgeries for that day. Those are the routine surgeries. And then we start with the small animal appointments. Then, you know, at about 11, 11:30, then we can go on the road and do our large animal calls. And then in the afternoon, we come back and finish up with small animals.

Jessica Mitchell: That is one packed day.

Dr. Pol: Yeah. Today was another first, ’cause somebody brought in two dogs and both needed the C-section. So we had, you know, both tables busy with the C-sections.

Jessica Mitchell: Wow. Yeah. That’s very busy.

Dr. Pol: We have a lot of C-sections, but not two at the same time.

Jessica Mitchell: I know, that keeps your hands full.

Dr. Pol: Yeah. And the staff too. You know, that’s the thing. The staff always has to help us too.

Jessica Mitchell: Yeah, definitely. Well, thank you for sharing a little bit more about yourself. We actually have [00:07:00] some questions from readers and staff who had the chance to submit a couple questions to ask you, and they’re all very excited about it.

Dr. Pol: Okay.

Jessica Mitchell: So, I thought for this next section of the episode, we can go through some of those questions and do a a bit of a Q&A with you.

Dr. Pol: Yeah, go ahead. See if I want to answer ’em, right?

Jessica Mitchell: Yeah. Let’s see. Let’s see. All right, so here’s one question that someone asked and they asked, “What is the best change you’ve seen to veterinary practices since you’ve started and what could be the worst change you’ve seen in your opinion?”

Dr. Pol: The best is that now we have all these tools to help us. It still doesn’t make us, make a diagnosis with machines. You know, you have to do a physical. The worst is where, the price is now with all these machines are getting so high that people cannot afford to take their animal to the vet. And what I find here also is that, [00:08:00] uh, many small animal veterinarians just close the door on Friday afternoon and not open until Monday. For me, yeah, it’s, no, I don’t like it. Especially when you do a large animal, you cannot do that, because you cannot take them to emergency clinics. And many times, people will forego going there because of the price.

And to me, that is a sad thing because the animals suffer, because they don’t get taken care of. And that’s not something that, uh, I’m looking forward to. Veterinary medicine, there is the Hippocratic Oath, I don’t know if you heard of that, where first do no harm, and second of all, do the best you can to help animals. And one of the things that I enjoy the most is, you know, do something and give a healthy animal back to the owner.

[00:08:51] Q&A with Dr. Pol: Homemade Pet First-Aid Kits

Jessica Mitchell: Yeah, absolutely. We have another reader who I think is looking into some cat care and [00:09:00] they ask, “What would be a basic first aid kit for cats? And what’s best to clean wounds on cats?”

Dr. Pol: Well, if you don’t have to have a first aid kit for cats. First of all, they have a tongue and they’ll clean it by themselves. But when you have a cat bite abscess, basically is, you know, when it breaks open, peroxide is the best thing. And if they have wounds, there’s Vetericyn Spray. Uh, you can get it at TSC, many other places, and it’s Vetericyn. It comes as a gel, comes as a liquid, and we use it all the time for wounds like this. It is not an antibiotic, but it cleanses it and it improves the circulation, so they heal up.

Jessica Mitchell: You know, I, I’m not a cat owner myself, but I–

Dr. Pol: Oh, you should be.

Jessica Mitchell: I know. I’m sure one day I will be. Uh, but yeah, the more I learn about cats, the more I realize they can be very self-sufficient creatures.

Dr. Pol: Exactly right. You know, like I [00:10:00] said, many times, you look an animal in the eye and you know what they’re doing. Except cats. They know what you are doing.

[00:10:07] Working with Amish Communities

Jessica Mitchell: Now for this next question, I believe up at your vet practice in Michigan, you, uh, work a lot with Amish communities up there, correct?

Dr. Pol: Yes.

Jessica Mitchell: All right. So this person has a question and they wanted to know what positive experiences have you had with your Amish clients, and were there any sort of challenges, if any?

Dr. Pol: Lots of challenges. You know, the, the Amish have horses. And yes, horses sometimes are a challenge. First of all, they’re big. And there are a lot of them. I do surgeries on horses that, uh, I had taught myself to do because the Amish, yeah, wanted me to do it. So at a certain point you say, okay, let’s do it. So that’s what we see. And, but yes. This spring was a very bad spring for foalings. Now I had to help deliver five [00:11:00] colts, all of them dead. Uh, Dr. Lisa that is with us did four, and, you know, this morning was another one. And yes, horses cannot wait. You have to be there very quick. Otherwise, you’re too late.

Jessica Mitchell: Have there been any really great experiences that stuck out with you?

Dr. Pol: Oh yeah. Many people say a horse with a broken leg is a dead horse. But two years ago, within two weeks, I had two colts, one was a couple months old and the other one was two weeks, that broke a front leg and the other one a hind leg. And yes, you can put him down. And I’m looking at the guy, I says, um, you want me to try to save it? He says, please. So I put my famous cast on with a bushel basket, and they both healed up.

So yeah, if you don’t try it, you’ll never win.

[00:11:52] Natural Health for Pets

Jessica Mitchell: Here’s another question. When people ask about affordable, natural ways to keep your pet healthy, [00:12:00] what are some of the first recommendations you share with them?

Dr. Pol: Okay, cats and dogs are meat eaters. So when you buy dog and cat food, look at the ingredients. The first thing has to be meat. I don’t care what kind of meat. It can be chicken, salmon, beef, liver. It has to be meat. And people normally don’t look at that. They look at the price. It’s not always the, not always the best food.

So the main thing is when you buy food, look at the ingredients. That’s why we actually have started selling our own dog and cat food, plus horse grain and all that stuff. Just because what’s on the market is not always the best.

Jessica Mitchell: And that’s really cool to know about how you’re already marketing your own versions of that.

Dr. Pol: Yes.

[00:12:46] Educating People About Animals

Jessica Mitchell: Last question from a reader is, “When you started “The Incredible Dr. Pol” show, how did that change your schedule and how you educated people on animal care?

Dr. Pol: It hasn’t changed the [00:13:00] schedule. No. Charles, my son, came up with the idea, make a reality show here. And he said, Dad, don’t do anything for the camera. Just do your work. That is the interesting thing, and that’s what we do. So, you know, if you ever go behind the scenes, you should see that because many of these city boys don’t know where to stand when you try, try chasing cows or anything like that. So that’s fun. But yes, they just, they just film what we do. Nothing is made up for the camera. Not patients, not special patients or anything. It is just our work, and I like to talk about it. And when you see me sitting in that dirty old horse barn, you have watched the show?

Jessica Mitchell: Yeah, I’ve seen a couple episodes of it.

Dr. Pol: Well then you, then you see me sit in that dirty old horse barn. That is actually in a four car garage that I had built to keep the, [00:14:00] the cars that we use on the road from freezing.

Jessica Mitchell: Oh, wow.

Dr. Pol: And this is where we start talking about the cases that we had. And for me, my, when I was a kid, my favorite word was “why,” until my brother said “be quiet, because you know, you’re too young and you don’t get it.” But the more the people know about that animal, the better it is for the animal because then they know, okay, wait a minute. Oh yeah, this can wait till tomorrow. Or, hey, we gotta hurry up and this one gotta go see the vet right now. So, you know, knowledge there is best for the pets.

Jessica Mitchell: Yes, I love that answer. And being so authentic in front of the camera is one of the reasons why the show is so popular. Because you’re not just doing something for the camera, you’re doing your job and you’re being your real self.

Dr. Pol: Yes, but I’m having fun in front of it because I always goof off. And even Diane, my wife, says, yeah, “Jan, quit goofing enough. They’ll use it.” So, [00:15:00] you know, I, I laugh with everybody else.

[00:15:03] Dr. Pol at the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Fair

Jessica Mitchell: Well, thank you for answering all of those questions. That was really awesome. We have a couple more, and this is gonna be about our Mother Earth News Fair. So we are so excited to have you at the Wisconsin Fair that’s coming up soon. We know that you’ll be giving a presentation for people. You’ll be around the fair, there’ll be some meet and greet opportunities for our guests. So it’s gonna be awesome. And I’d love to hear what are you most excited about in, in regards to being at the Mother Earth News Fair?

Dr. Pol: I’d like to see what it’s all about. Uh, you’ve been doing this now for 50 years? Yes. Keep Mother Earth healthy, you know, and there are different ways of doing it, of course. But that’s for me, you know, I wanna know about that. You never are too old to learn, and if there’s something new, I love to know more about it. So I’ll find out exactly what’s going on there. And yes, [00:16:00] there’s lots of people that you meet.

Jessica Mitchell: I love going to the fair and just, I always feel like I can connect with people and just exchange ideas and stuff, and that’s one of my favorite parts.

Dr. Pol: It’s, it’s, uh, the people that go to the fair. How should I say that, are outgoing people.

Jessica Mitchell: What are you hoping to share with guests, uh, when you’re, when you’re bringing your expertise there?

Dr. Pol: Actually, but you know, like the same thing, you know, if you have questions, I’ll try to answer ’em at the best that I can. It’s not that I know everything, but I’ll definitely will try to do the best I can about everything. And if, uh, the more, like I said, the more people know about their animals, the better it is.

[00:16:39] Learn More About Dr. Jan Pol

Jessica Mitchell: Where can people follow you and what you’re doing and learn more about you?

Dr. Pol: Okay. Let, let me read it to you because I don’t do Facebook like that.

Jessica Mitchell: Yes, go for it.

Dr. Pol: Okay, so you can follow us. My glasses on, um, the official Facebook that is the Dr. Pol [00:17:00] Official. There’s the website, www.TheDrPol.com. And then, you know, the newsletter is there too. I don’t have time for Facebook.

Jessica Mitchell: Yeah. You know, you’re pretty busy, so. Well, we’ll make sure to link all of that in the show notes so people can check it out.

Was there anything else you wanted to share with our listeners?

Dr. Pol: Just take care of your animals. You know, this is the thing. Make sure that, you know, the, the prevention is always up and the vaccinations are always current, and especially also the rabies of course.

Jessica Mitchell: Thank you again so much Dr. Pol, for being with us. It was an honor to speak with you and we’re so excited to have you at the fair.

We thank you, the listener, for joining our podcast and encourage you to share it with your friends, colleagues, and family. To listen to more podcasts and to learn more, visit our website, www.MotherEarthNews.com/Podcast. And remember, no matter how brown your thumb is, you [00:18:00] can always cultivate kindness.

[00:18:03] Podcast Credits & Where to Find Dr. Pol at the Fair

John Moore: You’ve just listened to our episode with Dr. Pol. Want to see Dr. Pol in person? Join us for the Mother Earth News Fair in West Bend, Wisconsin, September 16th to 17th. Dr. Pol will be holding a presentation, hosting a meet and greet, and will be around to connect with our guests. In addition to Dr. Pol, you’ll be able to hear from a host of other amazing speakers, shop from a variety of vendors ,and take hands-on workshops. From homesteading to natural health to DIY ideas, the fair will have it all. Go to www.MotherEarthNewsFair.com to register now for your tickets, and be sure to use the code FAIRGUEST for $5 off at checkout.

Our podcast production team includes Jessica Mitchell, John Moore, and Kenny Coogan.

Music for this episode [00:19:00] is “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw.

This Mother Earth News and Friends podcast is a production of Ogden Publications. Learn more about us at www.MotherEarthNews.com. You can also reach us at Podcast@OgdenPubs.com with any comments or suggestions.

Until next time, don’t forget to love your Mother.

Meet Dr. Jan Pol

Dr. Jan Pol is not your typical veterinarian. Born and raised in the Netherlands on his family’s dairy farm, he is the charismatic and world-renowned star of Nat Geo WILD’s #1 hit series, “The Incredible Dr. Pol.” Recent milestones include the airing of the 200th episode of the beloved show, which continues to charm audiences and animal lovers around the world, and Dr. Pol’s 50th anniversary practicing veterinary medicine! Dr. Pol is also the author of the best-selling book, Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow: My Life as a Country Vet, a memoir that recounts amusing, and often poignant, tales from his illustrious and incredible career in veterinary care.

Additional Resources

Find Dr. Pol at our Wisconsin MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR!

Follow what Dr. Pol and his team are doing!

• Facebook: @TheDrPolOfficial & @DrPolPets
• Twitter: @DrPol
• Instagram: @TheDrPol & @DrPolPets
• Website: The Dr. Pol
• YouTube: @DrPol

Our Podcast Team:

Jessica Mitchell, John Moore, Kenny Coogan, and Alyssa Warner

Music: “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw

Listen to more podcasts at MOTHER EARTH NEWS PODCAST.

Check out the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Bookstore for more resources that may interest you.

Go to the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Fair page for an opportunity to see some of our podcast guests live.

The Mother Earth News and Friends podcasts are a production of Ogden Publications.

Ogden Publications strives to inspire “can-do communities,” which may have different locations, backgrounds, beliefs, and ideals. The viewpoints and lifestyles expressed within Ogden Publications articles are not necessarily shared by the editorial staff or policies but represent the authors’ unique experiences.