This column has lots to do with what I have written about in the past and yet, along with the education, will show you some of the humorous sides of a rural mixed animal practice in Weyburn, Sask.
I am referring to a paperback book entitled, Don’t They Kick When You Do That?
In the title, the author is referring to pregnancy checking cows when we large animal veterinarians did rectal exams fast and furious, especially before ultrasound probes were a thing.
Dr. Gary Hoium graduated about the time I did in the early 1980s and went back to practise in Weyburn, where he served an array of clientele and the animal species they owned.
I found this book to be very relatable to what readers of The Western Producer do on their farms and ranches.
Hoium also offers relatable conditions clients encountered in the raising and care of their pets, whether it is nurturing ducks as a youngster or dealing with a male cat with a blocked urinary passage. A blocked cat, as we call it, is more common than you think in veterinary practice but Dr. Hoium relates one case that has an unusual twist and a happy ending but you need to read the book to find out.
The book has lots of farm-related stories, including a bull’s escape from his facilities in Weyburn and what they needed to do to capture it. Hoium’s case is so well articulated that readers feel as though they were there sharing in the drama.
Hoium’s stories show his caring attitude and are mostly light-hearted.
Each chapter is a different story and so you can jump around as it suits you. If you’re not an avid reader, read one story over coffee and you will walk away with a good feeling.
From an educational standpoint, the unknowns of veterinary medicine are pushed aside to give readers a sense of how Hoium thought through hard-to-diagnose cases and came up with solutions. He wasn’t always successful, but he always tried to please his clients and to get good outcomes for the animals he treated.
These real-life stories may bring back memories of similar things that have happened on your farms and ranches or with your pets in town.
In the days when Hoium practised, lots of medicine, surgery and herd medicine was carried out on whatever came in the door. Many cases presented new experiences and vets needed to be problem solvers and think on their feet. There was no Dr. Google to consult and no cellphone service.
For wildlife enthusiasts, there is a great story about dealing with several young squirrels found at a seniors’ complex with their tails stuck together with sap. This made Hoium a local celebrity and displayed the dedication and support he provided to his community.
When it comes to his eccentric clients, Hoium had neat ways of handling them. We can all learn something about people skills by reading this book and the stories.
When I finished reading the book, I contacted Hoium. I had known him a bit in vet school. I said he should write another book because the stories touched me as a large animal practitioner. I laughed and chuckled at many of the endings and sayings that were expressed in the book.
The second book has just come out and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into it. With titles like, Are Poultry Livestock? and, He Smelled my Pants, one knows it will be a fun read.
Hoium said he had many other requests to do a second edition. Unlike the famous English veterinarian James Herriot, who wrote almost daily in a journal, Hoium wrote from memory during the COVID-19 crisis and came up with these endearing accounts.
Hoium made the effort in these books to give back to the veterinary profession and his clients and he gives a real glimpse into the profession of veterinary medicine in a fun and entertaining way.
He offered his accounts of getting into veterinary medicine only after trying for years to get into human medicine. I can say human medicine’s loss was vet medicine’s gain. He has had a distinguished career, being selected as the veterinarian of the year in Saskatchewan years ago and recently receiving the Queen Elizabeth II platinum jubilee award for his contribution to agriculture.
The books are available at many prairie bookstores and online.
Roy Lewis works as a veterinarian in Alberta.
Bookmark SASKTODAY.ca, Saskatchewan's home page, at this link.
