When I was a kid, my crazy aunt (we ALL have crazy aunts, right?) had this crappy little dog named Toby. Toby was a miniature Poodle who wore sweaters, ate from the table, and was never housebroken. My aunt didn't have any kids, so she treated Toby like a little person. A little person who would just squat and crap anywhere he wanted.

Once when I was about 4 or 5, I was visiting my aunt, and I saw the dog take a crap on the kitchen floor. I told my aunt that Toby had, "Pooped in the kitchen." She told me right away that it wasn't poop- it was a Tootsie Roll. She picked it up with a paper towel and threw the Tootsie Roll away. (It did look like a chewed up Tootsie Roll...)

I was mesmerized by this. Was her dog special? Did all Poodles make Tootsie Rolls? She told me that not all dogs could do it, but a lot of them had a 'candy factory in their tummy.'

I went home that afternoon a little confused and excited. In the backyard was my regular old dog...a big German Shepherd named Digger. Digger took regular poops...big piles of poop...big stinky piles of poop. No magical Poodle in our yard. No piles of Butterfingers coming from his back end. But still...I had seen my Aunt's dog poop a Tootsie Roll, so I knew it was possible.

Of course my excitement only lasted a short time. I told my sisters about the dog and the Tootsie Roll, and they laughed at me. Then they told me that my aunt was lying...just like how there is no Santa Claus...no Easter Bunny, and I was adopted. Damn them! After Count Chocula, the Easter Bunny was second on the list of celebrities I wanted to meet. Now all my hopes and dreams were crushed. Eventually I started kindergarten and forgot all about my aunt's magic dog.

But still, many years later, deep in the back of my mind, I am expecting to run across a dog that can poop chocolate. Real chocolate. Maybe only that Whitman's garbage your grandmother buys you from Rite Aid...but still- real, edible chocolate. So when I had the opportunity to tour the Woodland Veterinary Hospital I jumped at the chance. I told them that I really wanted to witness a surgery. I wanted to know, once and for all, if there really was a candy factory inside of our pets.

So, let's see what is going on at the Woodland Veterinary Hospital. Pam Duey, the 'Community Outreach Coordinator' was my tour guide. She showed me the entire facility. It was very impressive- from the boarding kennels, to the operating rooms, everything seemed top-notch. And there were a lot of nice animals to talk to.

The amazing thing about a veterinary hospital, is that they handle everything for a pet's health. Not like human doctors who have become so specialized that you need to see 3 or 4 different people just to get a wart removed from your butt. (Not that I know...) I was at the vet hospital for about 90 minutes, and I saw:

• Broken leg fixed
• X-rays/broken toe
• Dental cleaning
• Rectal exam
• Hysterectomy
• 'Growth' removed from an eye
• Immunizations
• Boarding
• Adoptions
• Accident victim triage

The list goes on and on. This place seriously seemed like it came right out of the show E.R. but all of the patients were animals instead of people.

The Yolo County Sheriff brought this dog who had gotten hit by a car. Everybody looked at it for a while and said, "What is that dog wearing?!?" It was some sort of strange harness, and a black shirt with rhinestone lettering. Finally someone figured out that it was one of those doggy seatbelts. "Oh, someone really likes this dog."

Poor dog was really scared- I hope she made it home.

Do human proctologists start out with clippers? (Not that I know...)

Nothing on this shelf can be used to make meth, so go steal it from somewhere else.

They've got a pretty full pharmacy here. Most of the drugs are the same for people and animals, so I recognized a lot of the names. Because everything was out in the open, I asked Pam if it was okay to post this picture. I told her that I didn't want to advertise that they had the ingredients to make meth. She said, "Oh, we keep all of those locked up."

Here are a couple of patients that came in:

This is Armando, being held up by his friend Lena. Armando came in for his 8 weeks puppy shots.	Chulym (Chew-Lim) is also here for his shots. This lady wasn't his real mother...just a friend.

This little guy had a broken leg. They put a cast on it and patched him up.
The only thing he can give in thanks is a wet nose and a wagging tail.

It's like he went to a spa...

This dog was getting his teeth cleaned, and his nails clipped. At the same time, the doctor was shaving the bottom of his paws and treating for a yeast infection. They really do treat just about every ailment an animal can have.

She was working on this dog just like a regular dental hygienist would.
She had the little chart showing all of the teeth and everything.

This tortoise lives in a yard with a pool. So when the owners leave, they need to send the tortoise to the boarding kennel to keep it from having big parties. Because when the parents are gone, tortoise parties can get crazy.

These kittens are Angel and Skitter, they're getting fixed today!
Angel is the one in front with the fluffy ears.
We'll be seeing more of her in a few minutes.

This is the surgery room where the kittens will be getting fixed.
Notice the scrap bucket underneath the surgery table.

This is a cat...

Angel has been anesthetized, and 'entubulated' (tube stuck down her throat). When they moved her over to this table, her body was like a bowl of jello, I thought she was going to ooze out of the nurses hands.

This is a cat on drugs....

In order to 'fix' Angel, we need to make a small opening.

It was at this point that I said to the doctor and nurse: "If I pass out, just do me one favor- grab my camera and take pictures of me lying on the floor...that would really add to the story.." But unfortunately, I didn't pass out.

Next step, reach in, and find her 'lady parts.'

This was it- the moment of truth. I thought I would finally see that candy factory I had dreamt of as a kid. I expected that Willy Wonka would jump out of the cat's belly, holding that Golden Ticket and take me on a tour, give me a lifetime supply of chocolate and introduce me to the Oompa Loompas.

This is her uterus, connected to each of the ovaries. This is one of the parts that will be removed.

It didn't happen. I'd been lied to! There was no candy factory...

But I guess if I squinted my eyes a bit, this does look like a gummy worm.

This is a kitten ovary. It needs to be 'disconnected' from the cat, and tied off.

Once the ovaries are cut off, the uterus needs to be taken out. (That's an ovary over on the right)

I asked why the uterus needed to be removed. Obviously there won't be any kittens without ovaries. But the doctor said that the uterus can get diseased, and removing it will avoid problems in the future.

Now both ovaries are out, and the uterus is clamped off.
After tying off the blood vessels to the uterus, it can be removed.

Spare parts have been removed, and kitty is now 'fixed.' This will go into the spare parts bucket.

"Don't throw the uterus away! That's the best part!"

Time to sew kitty back up. First, start with the muscle layer.

Now sew up the outside layer (skin)

Kitty is all done. She woke up about 30 seconds after all of the tubes and wires were removed.

This dog was a patient, and was going to go for adoption.

Sometimes when animals come to the hospital, the owners do not want to take responsibility (PAY) for their treatment, so the owners just give up the animal to the hospital. The hospital has a good adoption program to handle these animals, and others that are brought in. If you are looking for a pet, you might want to see what they have.

(If you are in the market for a 3 legged Siamese cat, they had one while I was there...)

Of course they have a lot of kittens for adoption. This one was too young to be adopted out, but
he'll be ready soon. The animal hospital will spay or neuter the animals before they are released.

These kittens are all up for adoption- they were in this aquarium type container in the lobby.

The kittens were actually brought in by Lena - the girl who was bringing Armando to get his shots.

Misty isn't up for adoption, she is a rabbit that they bring around to do education in schools.
But Misty does play with all of the kittens waiting for new homes.

A big thanks goes out to Pam Duey, and the entire staff at the Woodland Veterinary Hospital. The facilities there really are nice- I feel bad about not showing more...but that would have cut into my surgery pictures. I really appreciate Doctor Taro Cuetara for explaining the entire surgery to me, and letting me stand there and ask questions.

For more information:

Woodland Veterinary Hospital
445 Matmor Road
Woodland, CA 95776
530-666-2461

WoodlandVetHospital.com

	From:  Seester - Date: 31-Oct-05
	Wow, Mr. W., this was fantastic! I had forgotten what the incision looked liked.. but gummy worms? Eww. It's hard to believe you made it out of there without adopting something, too. Thanks for another imformative report! (By the way, my dog eats those tootsie rolls so there's got to be some truth to your suspicions)
	From:  M.e. - Date: 31-Oct-05
	Talk about in depth! Cripes, you would never see this kind of story in the Democrat, SN&R or the Bee. This is my Chihuahuas' hospital. I knew they were good from the outside, but knowing they are good on the inside is worth every penny of the subscription price.
	From:  M.F. - Date: 31-Oct-05
	Great piece! I have to say it looks like a good hopital but the one time I took my dog there was a little bit upsetting. She was bleeding from her unmentionables and she had been fixed yrs. ago so I was afraid for her life. I decided to take her here instead of her usual vet. hopital because this was " the best place in town". They mostly just asked me a bunch of questions and barely looked her over. I was told to give them a call in a couple of days if she was still bleeding. One of the questions I was asked was if she had been playing out in tall grass or weeds. I told them I keep my lawns mowed but there might be weeds somewhere out back. When we got home I looked and low and behold there were a few foxtails along the fence so, I put on rubber gloves and checked her out myself and found a foxtail. Glad they gave me the idea but dang, couldn't they have checked themselves!?
	From:  Monica - Date: 31-Oct-05
	Oh my gosh, I wasn't expecting what I scrolled up on. Happy Halloween,,,Gross.
	From:  Maria - Date: 31-Oct-05
	I like the section titles. They are funny, if you roll over them. Good story, Mr. InsideWoodland.
	From:  Katie B. - Date: 31-Oct-05
	My cat makes almond rocha in her litter box.
	From:  Wink - Date: 02-Nov-05
	Wow, it is amazing what surgery can do!! The last time I saw the Yolo County Sherrif he was a male and about six feet three or four.
	From:  M. Krist, KCTV5 News - Date: 03-Nov-05
	My favorite part is the drawing. I had to scan quickly past the surgery photos- eeeewww!
	From:  Thaily - Date: 04-Nov-05
	Really funny site, informative too. The abandoned dog looks so sad though, hope he found a good home.
	From:  Marilyn - Date: 06-Nov-05
	We took our dog Zero here when he ruptured his cruciate ligament (like an ACL for people). He had a surgery there where they cut his bones and readjusted them, then secured them in place with plates and screws so he would have better alignment. He's all better (after a long recovery). They also have a great boarding kennel there, complete with web cam. We were able to watch our dogs tear apart their bedding on the web while we were away. Gee, we haven't gone on a trip without the dogs since then. Our dogs are SPOILED!
	From:  /.ACLinker - Date: 12-Nov-05
	"(text taken from Human Society website)" Really?
	From:  Christy - Date: 20-Dec-05
	I thought I could use this article to place another lost cat posting. He is all black long hair 4 year old male wearing a black spike colar. He was lost Sat 12/18/05 from Redwing and Falcon off of Kentucky. Please email me at christyleehayes@yahoo.com if you have any info!
	From:  Sean - Date: 20-Jan-06
	Man, the comments during the surgery pictures were really coarse and unsettling. And I question the ethics of posting surgery photos at all, especially in this supposedly general interest article. Otherwise, as good as any other post!
	From:  Mr. IW - Date: 20-Jan-06
	Sean, Actually I did have some ethical dilemmas posting those surgery pictures. I wanted to get a photo release, but the kitten was too young to sign a legal contract. So I went to the parents and found out that they too were under the age of 18. As far back as I could find, there were no members of the family over the age of 18- so I had to post the pictures without getting a release. Hopefully the kitten doesn't sue.
	From:  layla - Date: 18-Feb-06
	the poor kitten
	From:  Yorkie Lover - Date: 05-Apr-06
	These people are the best! I recently moved to Woodland, and my older Yorkie named "Bubblegum," had to be put to sleep. I was sick over this! I cryed on the phone, and I went to the hospital an hour before the appt. time. When the receptionist asked my name, I broke into tears. Needless to say, the staff at the animal hospital are so kind, and compassionate. They made me feel good about the decision I had to make, and a few days later, they sent me a simpathy card. I deffinitly will continue to use them for care of my other two dogs.
	From:  Mr.J - Date: 09-Apr-06
	I like this site it actually ,gives us the insight that the education is going on for others. Seeing this done live everyday as well helps others to realize the importance of spaying and neutering
	From:  Lil`Lu - Date: 20-Apr-06
	ithought that the site its self was cool, my dog Panda leaves Oh,Henry minnies for us sometimes. The reson I thought that the site and pics. were cool is because I want to become a vet my self.
	From:  Quynh - Date: 06-May-06
	Loving those photos!
	From:  Susie J - Date: 05-Sep-06
	What an interesting site, so nice to see such interest and dedication, probably a little far from OZ to come and get my dogs lady bit's snipped! As for tootsie rolls My kids scream out "Mum the cats done a borrie!!!" Nice!
	From:  michaela - Date: 17-Sep-06
	i love the pictures, especialy kitty is all done i would love to come to this website more offtin!!! i love it!!!
	From:  Natalie - Date: 29-Sep-06
	It was so fuuny and i just love it..i wanna be a veterinary..like all of you
	From:  rhonda - Date: 17-Nov-06
	i want to sign up for a class but do not know my acct number or user id . . . my e-mail rhondaakakid@yahoo.com Dog: Puppy Randolph
	From:  Rebecca - Date: 17-Mar-07
	this is a very good website for those who wish to be vets.
	From:  MOM - Date: 23-Sep-07
	When Osa cut her foot in Baja and was rushed to the vet (assistant) it was very tramatic for me. I was covered in blood, including my face and hair near hysteria, and the surgeon told me to get out and "don't let your dog see you this way." I can watch the procedures here with no problem. I guess it's because it isn't Osa. Teriffic pics. Incidentially, it took several weeks to get all the blood from the new Honda.
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