Country Animal Hospital

04/28/2026

Operation Cowboy.

Hi**er was two days away from blowing his brains out as the Soviets crushed Berlin’s defenses. Meanwhile, in the small town of Hostau in West Czechoslovakia, there were hundreds of prize horses held by German forces. The Americans learned that Soviets were closing in and feared they’d be all, “Oh, horse meat! Yum!” and launched a quadruped rescue raid.

--On This Day in History S**t Went Down: April 28, 1945--

It didn’t hurt that there were also a few hundred Allied prisoners held there in need of rescue. But among the horses were 400 Lipizzans, representing the entire breeding stock of a famous equine of the Habsburg Empire. If they got turned into kolbasa, that would be it for the breed.

The Lipizzan is prized for being both powerful and agile, with history as a war horse. Born dark colored, their coats turn grey and later white as they age. According to the Disney version, General Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army and an avid horseman, ordered the raid to rescue the horses. But that’s not true. He didn’t know s**t about it. A Third Army tank unit commanded by Colonel Charles Reed took the initiative to fight its way through enemy lines to effect the rescue. Patton didn’t get involved until later, providing support to help with the escape.

How did the Americans learn of the endangered equines? The German officer in charge of the horses sent a message saying he and all his men would surrender if the Americans promised to save the horses. The mission was called Operation Cowboy. The Americans entered Hostau on April 28, 1945, rescued the Allied soldiers, took the Germans prisoner, and got the horses. Not just Lipizzan, but several hundred others, over a thousand in all.

Now they needed to escape, and the fu***ng N***s weren’t having it. See, the Germans who surrendered were regular armed forces, called the Wehrmacht. Definitely on the same side as N***s, but not actual N***s. N**i soldiers were called Waffen-SS, and they were made of do**he. And, being do**hes, they wanted to wipe out the Americans and the horses too. So some of the Wehrmacht soldiers who had just surrendered to Americans turned coats and joined forces with their American vanquishers to fight alongside them against N**i attacks.

There were two battles during the escape, leading to a number of American deaths, but they killed a lot of N**i assrags in the engagements. It wasn’t just N***s they had to protect the horses from. Despite the Soviets being American allies, they wouldn’t take kindly to seeing the ass end of all that “food” riding out of Hostau. The herd rode west out of town just as the first Soviet tanks rolled into the east end of Hostau.

The Lipizzans were returned to the riding school in Austria where their descendants perform to this day.

NOTE: This piece was researched and written by a human, not some bulls**t "ai" plagiarism software.

Those who cannot remember the past need a history teacher who says “f**k” a lot. Get both volumes of ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY S**T WENT DOWN at JamesFell.com/books.

04/03/2026

🧐

“The rise in anxiety among American humans has been exhaustively documented,” Rose Horowitch wrote in 2024. “With much less fanfare, we also seem to have entered the age of the anxious canine.”⁠ https://theatln.tc/7OklVWaz
⁠
Many of America’s 85 veterinary behaviorists are booked months in advance. Several whom Horowitch spoke with said that the number of people seeking pet mental-health care has exploded in the past few years. But there is no consensus as to why. One theory is that dogs today are more anxious. More Americans are choosing to adopt pets, which saves lives but can leave traumatized pets with inexperienced owners. We’ve also altered the way pets live in ways that may make them anxious or aggressive toward people and other dogs. But it could also be that anxious adults are projecting their own issues onto their furry companions. What people classify as a behavioral issue reflects human expectations as much as a dog’s nature, according to a bioethicist. ⁠
⁠
“So is the dog-anxiety crisis real, or is it a product of owners’ anxiety-riddled psyches? Dogs can’t tell us how they’re feeling, so we’ll probably never know,” Horowitch continues. “But both explanations are depressing. Either humans are stressing dogs out so much that they truly need prescription meds, or owners are putting their dogs on unnecessary psychoactive drugs to address annoying but normal dog habits. It might be time, in other words, to reevaluate the way we approach dog ownership. ⁠
⁠
“Many Americans don’t have the time, energy, or green space their pets need to thrive,” Horowitch continues. “If the choice is to medicate our dogs or to make them, and ourselves, miserable, pet ownership starts to seem ethically murky.”⁠
⁠
🎨: Paul Spella / The Atlantic. Source: Getty.

03/27/2026

Proud of my profession.

03/24/2026

We did an eyelid surgery on one of our favorite patients, “ Snow “, last week; all went well & she came for her suture removal ….

Her Momma told us “Snow’s” new nickname is “ Snow-cone !”

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

We LOVE “Snow-cone!”

03/14/2026

Tough but true …

Sending love & peace to all contemplating their pet’s celestial transfer ….

03/08/2026

Congratulations to all of my fellow female veterinarians that have had to battle misogyny to earn our degrees.

As if the job wasn’t hard enough ……

02/19/2026

A groundbreaking study from an international team of experts in veterinary medicine, human medicine and genomics provides the first large-scale genetic map of feline cancer, revealing that cats may hold the key to understanding several human cancers.

The study, published Feb. 19 in Science, identified key similarities between certain oncogenes – the class of genes whose mutations cause cancer – in the feline cancers studied and their homologous counterparts in humans.

For example, one finding showed a striking similarity between genetic changes in malignant feline mammary tumors and some subtypes of human breast cancer that could eventually lead to new, effective treatments for both humans and cats.

Learn more here: https://hubs.ly/Q043W2sB0

02/18/2026

You've seen families at the park: "Let the kids feed the ducks! They love bread!"

It's a beloved tradition. Grandparents teach it. Parks even sell stale loaves. It is slowly deforming and killing waterfowl.

🛑 THE PROBLEM: "The Bread Myth"

Bread looks like a treat. Ducks DO eat it eagerly. But here's what bread actually does to waterfowl:

- Zero nutritional value — it fills their stomachs with empty carbs while they starve of the protein and vitamins they need for feather growth and flight
- Causes "angel wing" — a permanent deformity where wing feathers twist outward and the bird can never fly again. It's irreversible after adolescence
- Uneaten bread sinks, rots, and fuels algal blooms that choke oxygen from the water — killing fish and creating botulism outbreaks that poison entire flocks
- Ducks conditioned to bread lose foraging instincts, crowd unnaturally into small areas, and spread disease through concentrated droppings

Parks that allow bread feeding see higher rates of avian cholera, duck plague, and aspergillosis. The "cute" feeding frenzy is a disease incubator.

✅ THE SOLUTION: The Safe Feeding Station

Bring a small bag of SAFE foods that match what waterfowl actually need:

OFFER THESE:
✅ Defrosted frozen peas or corn (cheap, nutritious, ducks love them)
✅ Chopped lettuce or kale torn into small pieces
✅ Plain oats or oatmeal (uncooked, no flavoring)
✅ Halved grapes (cut lengthwise to prevent choking)
✅ Cracked corn or birdseed from any hardware store
✅ Plain cooked rice (no salt, no seasoning)

NEVER OFFER:
❌ Bread, crackers, or chips (malnutrition + angel wing)
❌ Popcorn or pretzels (salt damages kidneys)
❌ Chocolate or candy (toxic)
❌ Moldy food of any kind (aspergillosis is fatal)

🔋 TIMING: Late winter flocks are at their most nutritionally stressed. Natural food sources are at their lowest right now in February — what you bring to the pond this week matters more than any other month.

💡 Pro Tip: Scatter food in the water, not on the bank. It reduces aggressive crowding and lets shy birds eat safely.

01/27/2026

Chip wants to let you know Country Animal Hospital will be closed Tuesday, January 27th, to keep our employees & clients safe.

The weather will be bitter cold — keep yourselves & your pets warm & hydrated.

01/27/2026

Buy from a knowledgeable breeder, or adopt from a reputable rescue — please do not purchase from pet shops — this promotes irresponsible “ puppy and kitten mill “ pets with health & behavior issues.

😓

Reach out to us, or your veterinarian BEFORE acquiring a pet so we can guide you to the best choice based on your lifestyle and needs.

🙏🏻

There’s no justification for puppy mills. They cost our hearts and wallets far too much.

01/20/2026

This is a local charity that Country Animal Hospital actively supports.

Great work Pets4Life Louisville !

🐾 2025 Was a Year of Showing Up.🐾
In 2025, Pets4Life Louisville helped 3,036 pets with food, supplies, and veterinary care — including 503 pets who received vet care, many for the very first time.

Through 37 pet resource events, 13 vet care events, mostly at our 3 neighborhood Petcare Hubs, we met families where they are and removed real barriers to care. We distributed over 10,000 pounds of pet food, assisted with 111 spay/neuter surgeries, and responded to hundreds of one-on-one requests for help.

This work doesn’t happen alone. We’re deeply grateful to our 40+ mission partners, volunteers, and supporters — and especially PetSmart Charities, whose investment is helping us build community-designed, sustainable veterinary solutions where they’re needed most.

Here’s the truth we see every day:
People aren’t failing their pets. Systems are failing people.

As we head into 2026, we’re doubling down on prevention, access, and partnerships that work.

👉 Read our full **2025 Year in Review** and see the impact behind the numbers: https://pets4lifelou.org/pets4life-louisville-2025-a-year-of-impact/

**Prevention starts with access.** 🐶🐱

01/16/2026

Suggestions for happier dog companions 🥰