If you're looking for the best veterinarian practice in Laramie County, visit Bluffs Veterinary…read moreClinic and see for yourself. In April, my almost 10-year-old English setter, Harry, who had always been a literal chow hound, stopped eating. After a several days of no eating and us spoon-feeding him to keep alive, we took him to our previous vet (northwest Cheyenne practice that I was having serious doubts about to begin with, due to their misdiagnosing a horse we owned) they ran some tests, found what appeared to be cancer, then ran some more tests and wanted to keep him in their hospital. No way, especially when the "DVM" at that place couldn't even get the right chart for him. I wasn't going to let my boy die in that place alone. So we got a 2nd opinion at the Colorado School of Vet Medicine in Ft. Collins. Yes, Harry had an unknown cancer. They gave him some appetite enhancer, offered pallative care medicine and I took him home. Thing is, you'd never know Harry was even sick after he started eating again. He was bouncing around the yard, playing like he usually did with our other setter. We were going to have him put down, and we called on BVM, Dr. Amber Young, to do the deed. I was having second thoughts about it, given his lively nature. Dr. Young came by on the appointed day, listened -- an excellent skill she has -- to our concerns, examined Harry, and agreed that this big guy, a dog wagging his tail and greeting her at the door, didn't need to be put down. She suggested continuing the pallative care meds and seeing what happened as time went on. Three months went by. Harry had a couple of additional visits to BVM for annual shots, etc. A new English setter puppy named Willa came home. And Harry continued to seem healthy by all accounts. I hoped to give him a final hunting season. However, playing in the yard one day in mid-September, he injured his hind leg, an almost ACL-type injury. Dr. Young diagnosed this and the treatment was basically rest and some pain meds. He did fine for a week or so. However, Harry's condition went downhill rapidly. He stopped eating again and no appetite stimulant sparked his interest. It was fast approaching the end for Harry. We called BVM to have a doctor come out so he might leave the world in my arms. Dr. Young was no scheduled, but took her own time to make a special visit to ease Harry into the next world, an incredible thing for any medical professional, let alone a vet, to do. Tears filled everyone's eyes as the big dog let go. I've known only three vets I trusted implicitly in the 35-plus years I've owned English setters, one in Pennsylvania, one in South Dakota, and now the whole gang at BVM. They even sent a sympathy card and everyone in the office signed it. Harry had that kind of capacity to make friends anywhere he went, but BVM, especially Dr. Young, made it special, and I will be forever grateful for the way she and the BVM staff handled his care and passing. Our other two setters continue going there. Dr. Young also helped diagnose a horse issue that proved to be critical in caring for my beloved Tennessee Walking horse mare. I thank her, I thank her, I thank her. This is a very, very good outfit.
