A year ago, an international website published a story saying veterinarian Dr. Jeff Young had died. That single false story still resonates at Conifer’s Planned Pethood, the animal hospital owned by the former star of Animal Planet’s long-running “Rocky Mountain Vet.”
Young is now on his fourth round with cancer, but very much alive and with a still very intact sense of humor.
“People send us sympathy cards with checks, so I’ll call them and say, ‘I’m still alive,’” he said. “And I’ll offer to send the check back.”
No one has taken him up on that offer.
“They’re so happy and relieved he’s OK; they don’t care about the money they sent,” said Steve LuKanic, Planned Pethood’s marketing and communications director.
Young, 69, was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2013, and had a portion of his lung removed, eliminating the cancer. In 2016, during a routine exam, doctors discovered he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a diagnosis he revealed on an episode of “Rocky Mountain Vet.” It went into remission after treatment. But in early 2023, he was diagnosed with lung cancer again. It is now in remission.
“This is my fourth cancer,” he said. “It’s stage 4 lung cancer, and I will die. My goal is to have this facility be financially soluble so it can go on long after I’m gone.”
Young is not taking time to think much about his diagnosis but is instead planning future renovations and expansions of Planned Pethood. During a recent tour of the facility, he barely paused to address his condition but admitted the cancer is causing him pain.
“My back hurts all the time,” he said, adding, “from the cancer but also from standing doing so many surgeries.”
The rumors of his death have taken a toll on the veterinary clinic. People who once supported it with donations and thought he had died stopped doing so.
“It does hurt us financially; people think I’m not around and it’s going to go defunct,” he said.
But that’s not going to happen, he said. His wife, fellow veterinarian Petra Mickova, who runs the nonprofit organization with him, will ensure it.
“My wife is far smarter than me,” Young said. “She’s going to run an even tighter ship than I do.”
“Rocky Mountain Vet” launched in 2015. During its 8-year -run on Animal Planet, it was the network’s most-watched program, drawing 1.7 million viewers each week.