Rocky Mountain Vet Brings Mobile Clinic To Glasgow

It seems that some of the people who do the most good in the world are also the most unassuming.

That was my immediate impression of Dr. Jeff Young. Although Animal Planet premiered a ten-part series starring Young as Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet just four days prior to his visit in Glasgow, the compassionate vet was not the least bit "Hollywood." He was all business at times and it was clear that his priority was the care of the animals brought to him, but he also made himself available to his staff, the volunteers, and the sometimes anxious pet owners. Although it wasn't needed, he personally approached this writer to offer his reassurance that Gizmo, my almost all black cat, would be well taken care of. According to a press release from Animal Planet, Dr. Jeff has 25-plus years of veterinary experience and has performed more than 165,000 of the population-controlling procedures. He is a passionate advocate for spaying and neutering pets and is committed to providing low-cost animal care to all. Young graduated from Colorado State University, School of Veterinary Medicine in 1989 and in 1990 established Planned Pethood Plus, Inc. His clinic is based in Denver, but he also travels with a mobile clinic to provide services to those who can't access or afford veterinary care for their animals.

Ellie Kent and her mother Jade Kent worked together to coordinate the event held in Glasgow, which took place over two days at the Valley Event Center (VEC). When I arrived at the VEC, the younger Kent was busy giving directions to volunteers and ensuring the patients were registered properly. Kent, an energetic young lady with purplish hair, was in charge of post-op triage and was just as compassionate and concerned for the animal's well-being. In addition to maintaining a strict paper trail, she also consistently and deliberately moved around the room checking on the recovering animals and their progress. If the pet's owner wasn't available, she ensured each animal had a caretaker to help during recovery. Caretakers essentially were tasked with keeping the recovering pet warm and ensuring its head was elevated after their procedure. The dogs were taken to a blanketed area on the floor and monitored, while the cats were tended to on tables that were set up with towels and warm water bottles. "Cats get really cold after surgery, so the water bottles really help," explained Kent. It was apparent that she is a full-blown cat lover as she gushed about "those big yellow eyes", and talked about her own cats at home. Her younger brother, Dale, confirmed that she is the "crazy cat lady" of their family.

Jade Kent, the other half of the Kent/Kent coordinating team, explained that the spay/neuter clinic relies heavily on volunteers and the generosity of the community to provide the services offered. Donations from individuals totaled nearly $1000 and several local businesses donated food and supplies for the two-day event. Despite rumors that the clinic will no longer be held at the VEC, Kent said they are working to build a good relationship with the board of directors and the intent is that the clinic will continue to be held in the facility. Kent explained that after one of the clinics held a few years ago, the building wasn't left in the best condition so the VEC board was hesitant to allow use of the facility again. "We are going to try and get more volunteers next year for cleanup," Kent said. "It took three of us three hours to do it just because it's such a big space," she explained. For those in the community interested in volunteering, or just looking for information, Kent encouraged them to like the Facebook page: Glasgow Spay Neuter Event. Readers can find a list of businesses that donated to the event, information on individual donations, and information on the number of pets served during the event. It will also provide registration information for volunteers and pet owners for the next upcoming event.