Dr. Jeff Young is an experienced veterinary officer, and the head of Planned Pethood Plus. This was a health centre he set up in Colorado to help animals all around.
Dr. Jeff and his team have helped hundreds of animals over the years, ranging from dogs, cats, to even farm animals. Gradually, Jeff and his team grew in popularity, leading to a stint on television.
Since it was first released in 2015, Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet has aired a total of eight seasons. With fame, however, came its on fair share of controversies. These are what we will examine today.
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He was accused of health violations
Back in 2017, a video of Dr. Young performing surgery on an animal sparked outrage amongst the veterinary community. In the video, Jeff was in the process of performing an invasive surgery on an animal.
However, he had not bothered to put on a mask, or any other protective gear. The other vets who were assisting him with the procedure had also not bothered to wear any protective gear as well.
Unsurprisingly, the video garnered negative publicity, prompting the American Veterinary Medical Association, an animal right’s organisation, to step in. The organisation’s president wrote a scathing letter to Animal Planet, the network that runs Dr. Jeff Young’s reality show.
He criticised the medical protocols that Dr. Jeff and his team had in place while they were conducting serious surgical procedures. The organisation went on to highlight the value maintaining proper sanitary conditions while performing surgeries.
This is because that an unsanitary operating station means that the animal in question is more prone to contracting infections post-surgery.
They argued that the cost of maintaining a sanitary workstation would not significantly altar the overall cost or time.
Aside from the AVMA, several fans also made their voices hard, criticising Dr. Young, and the producers of the show.
Sanitation is an issue at his animal shelter
Planned Pethood Plus is an organisation that helps thousands of animals every year. Unfortunately, this means that they handle large volumes of animals and pets at any given time. This means that they are typically squeezed into a tiny area.
What this means is that they are exposed to a variety of diseases that any of the animals housed there could contain. Moreover, an unsanitary living space will also lead to a higher risk of viruses and infections.
He is accused of frequently insulting other vets
Dr. Young is a vet with strong opinions, which, he doesn’t shy away from sharing. His centre, Planned Pethood Plus, was set up to cater for strays, and animals in general at an affordable rate. Every year, they set out to neuter/treat at least 3,000 animals.
Consequently, Dr. Young takes issue with other vets who charge exuberant rates for their services. Jeff has no problem referring to his colleagues as money hungry, which often causes friction with the medical community at large.
This is because the money they charge for services mostly go into cutting edge medicine and technology. In general, these veterinarians are just trying to improve the overall quality of care, something they wouldn’t be able to do if they didn’t charge for their services.
He regular insults animal lovers
Fans of the show, and just animal lovers in general, are also not safe from Dr. Young’s ire. People tend to show affection for their pets in different ways. Some pet owners will buy their animal a wide range of toys, while others will put them in adorable clothes.
Jeff takes serious issue with the latter. In fact, he likes to ridicule people who dress their people in clothes, or adorable outfits. If that isn’t worrying enough, Dr. Young also has little respect for pet owners who treat their dogs/cats like members of the family. He believes in drawing a distinction between human beings and animals.
He is not a fan of breeders
Breeders take it upon themselves to genetically modify physical and mental traits they don’t like in animals. At times, they even go as far as to come up with entirely new breeds of animals. As such, their work is often questioned, and even criticized. Dr. Young’s criticisms, while valid, tends to be overshadowed by his over-the-top antics. He frequently insults breeders, which tends to dilute any valid point he may have.
Questionable programs on their network
Most people agree that Dr Jeff: Rock Mountain Vet is one paved with good intentions. Dr. Jeff and his team genuinely set out to help animals and improve their overall care and health. This is all showcased on the show, which, does its best to put the animals front and centre.
However, we can’t overlook the fact that the show was made by the same media company that created programs like Hippo Hunters.
Other than that, the same company also released controversial shows such as Fat Girls and Feeders. This is a controversial show that revolves around men who intentionally overfeed their partners so that they can grow larger, sometimes to the point where it comes a serious health risk.
All the good work Dr. Jeff and his team do is overshadowed by the controversies from the other shows from their parent company.
The equipment he uses at the clinic are dated
Most experts agree that Dr. Jeff Young and his team use outdated equipment and tools. This puts the animals they are trying to treat at risk.
Since they do not charge a lot for their services, Dr. Pol and his team do not have access to any of the state-of-the-art equipment you see at modern animal health centres.
Moreover, using archaic tools and methods will also reduce the likelihood of success. Some fans who watch the show agree that Planned Pethood Plus is not only clammy, and cluttered, but also dirty. As we mentioned before, they cater to hundreds of animals at a time.
