It was the type of crisp fall day that you dream of. I had wandered outside in the morning between meetings and found myself reluctant to head back to my desk job, and my surprisingly fond memories of farm calls in veterinary school came to mind. Ahh, to work outside … Luckily, I get to work with veterinarians in every aspect of our kaleidoscope profession, and this story from my friend Rick Stockler, DVM, MS, PhD, DABVP (Dairy Practice), came to mind.
It was also fall, but in the Southeastern United States, when a client called to tell me that 6 cows were dead in the pasture without any apparent clinical signs. This client was very nice and reliable, taking good care of the 500 head of black Angus cattle. I arrive at the farm and ask the usual questions about the weather, feed and water intake, body condition score, and overall cattle behavior, and there aren’t many clues that are elicited other than that all the cattle have died near the water stream. Maybe there is contamination upstream? A couple hours later, I have checked roughly 15 more cows and found clinical signs of fever, anorexia, gastrointestinal stasis, dehydration, and anemia. I am getting worried—a great number of animals are compromised. After a hard discussion with the client, it was time to make a phone call to an experienced veterinarian.
After the call, as my frustration had simmered down and my diagnostic brain started revving up, pale and icteric mucous membranes were found, and finally, the owner remembered, “I believe 2 of the dead cows aborted 2 days ago.” Now things start to make some sense. I thought, “Man, that’s some weird virus going on!” My excitement over an unusual diagnosis was quickly quashed as the more experienced veterinarian arrived, and the first cow he chose to run also died in front of us. I am shocked. That is when he says loud and clear, “You have an anaplasmosis problem.” He didn’t need any more testing or exams; he was correct! A full day of hard work, stress, and even some mild heat exhaustion resolved in minutes with experience on our side.
I reminded myself that large animal work isn’t always crisp fall days; it is the heat of the summer, rainy deluges, and bitter winter storms. I was as guilty of romanticizing our profession as James Herriot and the public. It is the same profession of gathering clues, racking your brain, and listening. For Rick, it took 3 hours of checking and rechecking sick and dead animals. It took the experienced veterinarian 10 minutes. Rick learned and reminded me to be open-minded, remain calm, and bear in mind that common things happen commonly. “The Secret Life of Vets” is not so secret or different for any of us! We all need a healthy dose of humility along with compassion, confidence, and determination.