It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet Read online

jugular and release about a bucketful of the precious fluid? I still

  don't have the answers because I never dared try it for.myself.

  Chapter Twenty-nine.

  "Could Mr. Herriot see my dog, please."

  Familiar enough words coming from the waiting-room but it was the voice

  that brought me to a slithering halt just beyond the door.

  It couldn't be, no of course it couldn't, but it sounded just like

  Helen. I tiptoed back and applied my eye without hesitation to the crack

  in the door. Tristan was standing there looking down at somebody just

  beyond my range of vision. All I could see was a hand resting on the

  head of a patient sheep dog, the hem of a tweed skirt and two silk

  stockinged legs.

  They were nice legs - not skinny - and could easily belong to a big girl

  like Helen. My cogitations were cut short as a head bent over to speak

  to the dog and I had a close up in profile of the small straight nose

  and the dark hair falling across the milky smoothness of the cheek.

  I was still peering, bemused, when Tristan shot out of the room and

  collided with me. Stifling an oath, he grabbed my arm and hauled me

  along the passage into the dispensary. He shut the door and spoke in a

  hoarse whisper.

  "It's her! The Alderson woman! And she wants to see you! Not Siegfried,

  not me, but you, Mr. Herriot himself."

  He looked at me wide-eyed for a few moments then, as I stood hesitating

  he opened the door and tried to propel me into the passage.

  "What the hell are you waiting for?" he hissed.

  "Well, it's a bit embarrassing, isn't it? After that dance, I mean. Last

  time she saw me I was a lovely sight - so pie-eyed I couldn't even

  speak."

  Tristan struck his forehead with his hand. "God help us! You worry about

  details, don't you? She's asked to see you - what more do you want? Go

  on, get in there."

  I was shuffling off irresolutely when he raised a hand. "Just a minute.

  Stay right there." He trotted off and returned in a few seconds holding

  out a white lab coat.

  "Just back from the laundry," he said as he began to work my arms into

  the starched sleeves. "You'll look marvelous in this, Jim - the

  immaculate young surgeon."

  I stood unresisting as he buttoned me into the garment but struck away

  his l hand when he started to straighten my tie. As I left him he gave

  me a final encouraging wave before heading for the back stairs.

  I didn't give myself any more time to think but marched straight into

  the waiting-room. Helen looked up and smiled. And it was just the same

  smile. Nothing behind it. Just the same friendly, steady-eyed smile as

  when I first met her.

  We faced each other in silence for some moments then when I didn't say

  anything she looked down at the dog.

  "It's Dan in trouble this time," she said. "He's our sheep dog but we're

  so fond of him that he's more like one of the family."

  The dog wagged his tail furiously at the sound of his name but yelped as

  he came towards me. I bent down and patted his head. "I see he's holding

  up a hind leg."

  "Yes, he jumped over a wall this morning and he's been like that ever

  since. I think it's something quite bad - he can't put any weight on the

  leg."

  "Right bring him through to the other room and I'll have a look at him.

  But take him on in front of me, will you, and I'll be able to watch how,

  he walks."

  I held the door open and she went through ahead of me with the dog.

  Watching how Helen walked distracted me over the first few yards, but it

  was a long passage and by the time we had reached the second bend I had

  managed to drag my attention back to my patient.

  And glory be, it was a dislocated hip. It had to be with that shortening

  of the limb and the way he carried it underneath his body with the paw

  just brushing the ground.

  My feelings were mixed. This was a major injury but on the other hand

  the chances were I could put it right quickly and look good in the

  process. Because I had found, in my brief experience, that one of the

  most spectacular procedures in practice was the reduction of a

  dislocated hip. Maybe I had been lucky, but with the few I had seen I

  had been able to convert an alarmingly lame animal into a completely

  sound one as though by magic.

  In the operating room I hoisted Dan on to the table. He stood without

  moving as I examined the hip. There was no doubt about it at all - the

  head of the femur was displaced upwards and backwards, plainly palpable

  under my thumb.

  The dog looked round only once - when I made a gentle attempt to Rex the

  limb - but turned away immediately and stared resolutely ahead. His

  mouth hung open a little as he panted nervously but like a lot of the

  placid animals which arrived on our surgery table he seemed to have

  resigned himself to his fate. I had the strong impression that I could

  have started to cut his head off and he wouldn't have made much fuss.

  "Nice, good-natured dog," I said. "And a bonny one, too."

  Helen patted the handsome head with the broad blaze of white down the

  face; the tail waved slowly from side to side.

  "Yes," she said. "He's just as much a family pet as a working dog. I do

  hope he hasn't hurt himself too badly."

  "Well, he has a dislocated hip. It's a nasty thing but with a bit of

  luck I ought to be able to put it back."

  "What happens if it won't go back."

  "He'd have to form a false joint up there. He'd be very lame for several

  weeks and probably always have a slightly short leg."

  "Oh dear, I wouldn't like that," Helen said. "Do you think he'll be all

  right."

  I looked at the docile animal still gazing steadfastly to his front. "I

  think he's got a good chance, mainly because you haven't hung about for

  days before bringing him in. The sooner these things are tackled the

  better."

  "Oh good. When will you be able to start on him."

  "Right now." I went over to the door. "I'll just give Tristan a shout.

  This is a two man job."

  "Couldn't I help?" Helen said. "I'd very much like to if you wouldn't

  mind."

  I looked at her doubtfully. "Well I don't know. You mightn't like

  playing tug of war with Dan in the middle. He'll be anaesthetised of

  course but there's usually a lot of pulling."

  Helen laughed. "Oh, I'm quite strong. And not a bit squeamish. I'm used

  to animals, you know, and I like working with them."

  "Right," I said. "Slip on this spare coat and we'll begin."

  The dog didn't flinch as I pushed the needle into his vein and as the

  Nembutal Rowed in, his head began to slump against Helen's arm and his

  supporting paw to slide along the smooth top of the table. Soon he was

  stretched unconscious on his side.

  I held the needle in the vein as I looked down at the sleeping animal.

  "I might have to give him a bit more. They have to be pretty deep to

  overcome the muscular resistance."

  Another cc. and Dan was as limp as any rag doll. I took hold of the

  affected leg and spoke across the table. "I want you to link your hand