Robert M. Miller, DVM

You may recall that the title of my first book was Most of My Patients Are Animals. Last year in this column, I related a couple of stories that illustrated the meaning of the title, with an emphasis on "most." Well, here are a few more.

Good stuff in the "Fatherly advice" Mind Over Miller column (Veterinary Medicine, June 2009). As a 40-year-old, I would like to offer a different perspective.

After I graduated from veterinary school in 1956, I drove down to Arizona from Fort Collins, Colo., to begin my practice career. My father said he wanted to give me some advice.

One day in 1959, I saw an ad about a CE conference for physicians being held at a ski resort in Sun Valley, Idaho. "Hey," I thought. "Why can't we do that?"

When I was 50 years old, I bragged that I had never been in a hospital except when I was born and for three days when I had bacillary dysentery while I was in the Army.

As every practitioner knows, men are more likely to faint or get sick to their stomachs watching some of our more gory procedures than are women.

When I was a freshman veterinary student in 1952, two women were in my class of 60.

It was easy to write fascinating true stories because I had an unusual practice. It was, I am sure, the most mixed of all mixed-animal practices.

I will never forget Christmas in Germany after the most horrible war in history was over.

November! It brings the most beautiful of American holidays, Thanksgiving.

During the energy crunch of the late '70s, it was predicted that the planet had a 35-year supply of petroleum left. That was an underestimate, of course, but it did forecast the present inadequate supply of petroleum, its high cost, and the frantic activity to find alternative energy sources.

I have been on crutches for half a year, following unsuccessful knee surgery.

The newborn young of predatory species are usually altricial. That is, they are quite helpless, neurologically immature, and have limited learning ability.

During the eighth decade of the twentieth century a change in horsemanship began in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America

Each species acquires, by means of natural selection, genetically fixed physical and behavioral characteristic which help to ensure its survival in its natural environment.

For decades after the discipline of psychiatry had been established as an accepted specialty, many medical schools continued to fail to train their students in the fundamentals of this discipline.

We veterinarians often, inadvertently, treat human patients.

See that dog with me in the upper left-hand corner of the page? That was Rosie.

Behavior is as vital to veterinary practice as anatomy and physiology are. I think every U.S. veterinary school should require students to take a basic animal behavior course, and behavior should be on every state board exam.

The big dog cringed under the bench in the reception area. "He hates to come in here," the old man said. "But he's got this skin problem, and it stinks something terrible."

The panel moderator acknowledged the elderly, silver-haired gentleman at the microphone. "It's a pleasure to have you with us again, Doctor." The old man, professor emeritus, famous veterinary surgeon, author of a text that was required reading for most members of the audience during their schooling, nodded, smiled, and waved his hand toward the stage.

Several years after the publication of my book Imprint Training of the Newborn Foal, Monty Roberts, a renowned California horse trainer, called to tell me that he had been using my foal training method for three years with great success. I had long wanted to meet Monty, and he invited me to visit his ranch in Solvang. This led to a lasting friendship and mutual respect.

Although doctors of veterinary medicine have the same prescription writing authority as physicians do, many practitioners infrequently write prescriptions. I wrote many during my practice career, and I want to share the reasons that I did so.

Professor A: Well, Terry-may we call you Terry?-you aspire to a degree in veterinary medicine?

I don't understand the controversy over taking a stand on foie gras production.

During the early days of television, a basset hound named Cleo popularized that formerly exotic breed.

After graduating from veterinary school, I spent a year doing relief work in Arizona. When I reported to my first job?a two-week hitch for a solo small-animal practitioner?the doctor came hurrying out of his home, which was connected to his clinic. He had his wife with him and some suitcases, and he handed me the key.

Three decades ago, we experienced an oil shortage, and one of the solutions was to create a nationwide 55-mph speed limit for several years.

Every veterinarian has an individual nightmare, a particular type of case he or she dreads above all else.

We tend to reminisce about the good old days, but not all things were rosier back then.