These tales are full of tails

kw: book reviews, nonfiction, veterinary medicine, animals, memoirs

All the world loves animal stories. Alf Wight, who wrote as James Herriot, wasn't the first to take advantage of this, but he was one of the best. I was a bit disappointed, however, to learn that his stories were fictional, though based on real events in his life. A new veterinarian-writer has come along, writing in his own name, and I think the stories hew more closely to the truth. I know of a certainty only that I enjoyed them very much.

Thirty six touching anecdotes are gathered in All My Patients Have Tales: Favorite Stories From a Vet's Practice by Jeff Wells, DVM. He has previously written a handbook, the informative and humorous A Veterinarian's Handbook for Horse Husbands, for the man in the life of a horse-loving woman.

In Tales we follow Dr. Wells's career from his entry into Vet school up to about 2005, shortly before the first edition of the book appeared. We get his sense of place regarding eastern South Dakota, where he spent two years, then Colorado, where he's been ever since. We learn of a psychotic cat mascot who keeps order in the Vet clinic's waiting room, a roaming Lothario of a Basset hound who hates having his nails clipped, a cow getting a C-section in a pasture in the midst of a blizzard, and assorted horses. Dr. Wells has come to specialize in horse medicine in recent years.

Along the way we also learn of the Basset hound look-alike who owns the Lothario, a lady biker who faints dead away while her tiny dog's wounds are being cleaned, and assorted rural and suburban animal owners and their various attitudes towards both their animals and the Vet they've asked for help. A strong note throughout the book is that human psychology is a huge part of veterinary practice. It would be easier to figure out for young Vets if they were taught to think like a lawn mower repairman: the customer is the human, who is bringing you something to fix. Yes, you became a veterinarian because you love animals and want to help them, but you also have to help the owner. A kind word and a human touch can improve both owner's and animal's outcome.

The hardest thing for a Vet to do is put down an animal. The author notes that it never gets easier. One's mind knows it is best, but the heart hopes this step can somehow be bypassed, just this once. The owner may suffer more than the Vet, but both are strongly affected. Given that it is the lot of nearly every animal to die in agony, the Vets of the world reduce the load of pain, at least a little.

But most of the time, an animal needs a bit of a helping hand to recover, and recover they do, often amazingly. An animal is seldom as "macho" as some humans. When they feel bad, you know it. Yet, just as with humans, a great variety of very debilitating conditions can be helped by getting some fluids or food into the animal, even via IV sometimes, and many others by antibiotics. The author relates a goodly number of cases that began with an animal barely willing to look up, but up and eating within an hour or two. The will to live is strong and uncomplicated in animals.

The author ends his last chapter with the words, "…we have only scratched the surface", which gives me hope that more is on the way. I'd love reading any sequel Dr. Wells produces.