Vet in a Spin Read online

indoors at night with your books instead of boozing and chasing women.

  Is that clear?"

  "Quite." The young man inclined his head gracefully and turned down

  the .

  knob on the anaesthetic machine.

  His brother regarded him balefully for a few moments, breathing

  deeply.

  These remonstrations al ways took it out of him. Then he turned away

  quickly and left.

  Tristan's facade crumbled as soon as the door closed.

  "Watch the anaesthetic for a minute, Jim," he croaked. He went over to

  the .

  basin in the corner, filled a measuring jar with cold water and drank

  it at a long gulp. Then he soaked some cotton wool under the tap and

  applied it to his brow.

  "I wish he hadn't come in just then. I'm in no mood for the raised

  voices and angry words." He reached up to a large bottle of aspirins,

  swallowed a few and washed them down with another gargantuan draught.

  "All right then, Jim," he murmured as he returned to the table and took

  over the mask again.

  "Let's go."

  I bent once more over the sleeping dog. He was a Scottie called Hamish

  and his mistress, Miss Wester man, had brought him in two days ago.

  She was a retired school teacher and I al ways used to think she must

  have had little trouble in keeping her class in order. The chilly pale

  eyes loo king straight into mine reminded me that she was as tall as I

  was and the square jaw between the muscular shoulders completed a

  redoubtable presence.

  "Mr Herriot," she barked.

  "I want you to have a look at Hamish. I do hope it's nothing serious

  but his ear has become very swollen and painful. They don't get er -

  cancer there, do they?" For a moment the steady gaze wavered.

  "Oh that's most unlikely." I lifted the little animal's chin and

  looked at thc left ear which was drooping over the side of his face.

  His whole head, in fact, was askew as though dragged down by pain.

  Carefully I liDed the ear and touched the tense swelling with a

  forefingct Hamish looked around at me and whimpered.

  "Yes, I know, old chap. It's tender, isn't it?" As I turned to Miss

  Western~ I almost bumped into the close-cropped iron-grey head which

  was hovering close over the little dog.

  "He's got an aural haematoma," I said.

  "What on earth is that?"

  ., ' Lr' c' Opzn b "It's when the little blood vessels between the skin

  and cartilage of the ear rupture and the blood flows out and causes

  this acute distension."

  She patted the jet black shaggy coat.

  "But what causes it?"

  Canker, usually. Has he been shaking his head lately?"

  "Yes, now you mention it he has. Just as though he had got something

  in his ear and was trying to get rid of it."

  "Well that's what bursts the blood vessels. I can see he has a touch

  of canker though it isn't common in this breed."

  She nodded.

  "I see. And how can you cure it?"

  I "Only by an operation, I'm afraid."

  I"Oh dear!" She put her hand to her mouth.

  "I'm not keen on that."

  I"There's nothing to worry about," I said.

  "It's just a case of letting the blood out and stitching the layers of

  the ear together. If we don't do this soon he'll suffer a lot of pain

  and finish up with a caulifiower ear, and we don't want that because

  he's a bonny little chap."

  I meant it, too. Hamish was a proud-strutting, trim little dog. The

  Scottish terrier is an attractive creature and I often lament that

  there are so few around in these modern days.

  After some hesitation Miss Wester man agreed and we fixed a date two

  days from then. When she brough him in for the operation she deposited

  Hamish in my arms, stroked his head again and again then looked from

  Tristan to me and back agam.

  "You'll take care of him, won't you," she said, and the jaw jutted and

  the pale blue eyes stabbed. For a moment I felt like a little boy

  caught in mischief, and I think my colleague felt the same because he

  blew out his breath as the lady departed.

  "By gum, Jim, that's a tough baby," he muttered.

  "I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of her."

  I nodded.

  "Yes, and she thinks all the world of this dog, so let's make a good

  job of him.

  After Siegfried's departure I lifted the ear which was now a turgid

  cone and made an incision along the inner skin. As the pent up blood

  gushed forth I caught it in an enamel dish, then I squeezed several big

  clots through the wound.

  "No wonder the poor little chap was in pain," I said softly.

  "He'll feel a lot better when he wakes up."

  I filled the cavity between skin and cartilage with sulphanilamide then

  began to stitch the layers together, using a row of buttons. You had

  to do something like this or the thing filled up again within a few

  days. When I first began to operate on aural haematomata I used to

  pack the interior with gauze then bandage the ear to the head. The

  owners often made little granny-hats to try to keep the bandage in

  place, but a frisky dog usually had it off very soon.

  The buttons were a far better idea and kept the layers in close

  contact, lessening the chance of distortion.

  By lunchtime Hamish had come round from the anaesthetic and though

  still slightly dopey he already seemed to be relieved that his bulging

  ear had been deflated. Miss Wester man had gone away for the day and

  was due to pick him up in the evening. The little dog, curled in his

  basket, waited philosophically.

  At tea time, Siegfried glanced across the table at his brother.

  "I'm going oflf to Braw ton for a few hours, Tristan," he said.

  "I want you to stay in the house and give Miss Wester man her dog when

  she arrives. I don't know just when she'll come." He scooped out a

  spoonful of jam.

  "You can keep an eye on the patient and do a bit of studying, too. It's

  about time you had a night at home."

  Tristan nodded.

  "Right, I'll do that." But I could see he wasn't enthusiastic.

  /~d VeC tn a ~pin When Siegfried had driven away Tristan rubbed his

  chin and gazed reflectively through the french window into the

  darkening garden.

  "This is distinctly awkward, Jim."

  "Why ?"

  "Well, Lydia has tonight off and I promised to see her." He whistled a

  fe~v bars under his breath.

  "It seems a pity to waste the opportunity just when things are building

  up nicely. I've got a strong feeling that girl fancies me. In fact

  she's nearly eating out of my hand."

  I looked at him wonderingly.

  "My God, I thought you'd want a bit of peace ' and quiet and an early

  bed after last night!"

  "Not me," he said.

  "I'm raring to go again."

  And indeed he looked fresh and fit, eyes sparkling, roses back in his

  cheeks "Look, Jim," he went on.

  "I don't suppose you could stick around with this dog?"

  I shrugged.

  "Sorry, Triss. I'm going back to see that cow of Ted Binns' - right at