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Going Back to my Roots
When I qualified I got a job on Exmoor for a year. After twelve months of wrestling cattle to the floor on exposed hills in driving rain at all hours of the day and night with non- existent handling facilities I fancied that my childhood hero, James Herriott, would have been very proud of me! I quickly developed a love of everything small animal and gave up the farm work. Sometimes on those beautiful sunny spring days I do miss it. The smell of the yards, the sight of the new lambs and the excellent home- made fare offered in reward of your hard work. The practice I now work for literally treats all creatures great and small from chickens to racehorses. My beloved man, a partner in the practice, does emergency farm work as well as pets. Last weekend we were just about to have dinner at ten in the evening after a particularly busy weekend on duty when the phone rang again. A slightly exasperated look was exchanged between us as hopes of our dinner receded once again. As it became obvious from the end of the conversation I could hear that a cow caesarean was in the offing I asked if Mark would like some help, an offer that was eagerly accepted. We arrived at the farm to find several helpers, a beautifully clean, bedded enclosure for the heifer, portable lights and hot water aplenty- a very pleasant surprise after my early days! We set to work and prepared the surgical site after sorting out the anaesthetic needs. These operations are a favourite in the world of veterinary surgery across all the species. They are relatively simple to perform, always an emergency and have the potential for great reward for all concerned. The thrill of seeing new life always fills me with pleasure that is the same now as when I first saw it. Mark held the uterus up and I cut along the line of the calf’s leg he was holding. In no time at all Mark was pulling the calf from his comfortable bed into the chilly Yorkshire air. Seeing a calf emerge from a large hole in the side of a cow is a surreal sight to say the least! While the eager helpers made sure the calf was fine we started the long process of closing the hole and sorting mum out. As the steaming cups of tea were passed round, the little calf was attempting to get control of his spindly legs and his mother was watching with a slightly puzzled look on her face. As for the human faces present, there were beams all round.
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