Veterinarians in Omaha

Ten years ago, when the president of a Washington, D. C. veterinary college sadly passed out diplomas to the four members of his graduating class and announced that the college, founded 35 years before, was thenceforth discontinued, it appeared that few men cared to become horse doctors (TIME, June 27, 1927). Last week the annual convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association in Omaha demonstrated that, on the contrary, more and more men want to be horse doctors.

There are 10,000 practicing veterinarians in the U. S. now, more than ever before. Half of them belong to the A. V. M. A. and a quarter of them were in Omaha for the convention. There are now ten veterinary colleges in the U. S. and two in Canada, all departments of universities or State colleges. Last September 2,500 qualified applicants sought admission to those schools, but there was room for only 646. A big reason for men wanting to doctor animals is that the 5,000,000 owners of 200,000,000 American cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses realize more & more the dollar-&-cent value of scientific medical advice and treatment for their flocks and herds.

Another source of employment for veterinarians is the U. S. Bureau of Animal Industry, whose men inspect meat both on the hoof and in slaughter houses. All these inspectors are graduates of recognized veterinary colleges. Last week the Chief of the Bureau, Dr. John Robbins Mohler, who is celebrating his fortieth year in the service and who is one of the biggest employers of veterinarians on earth (800), went to Omaha to boast that "the U. S. has become the safest country in the world in which to engage in breeding and raising domestic animals."

Small Animals. As prosperous as any of the 2,500 veterinarians at the convention were those who specialize in "small animals" (dogs, cats). The U. S. has some 2,000 of these specialists, among them two or three dozen women. Their best clients are the nation's 40,000 professional dog breeders and the owners of pets raised in the unnatural conditions of the city.* These veterinarians are up on many of the latest medical wrinkles. At Omaha last week one specialist showed how to deliver a city-bred bitch by Cesarean section, another adroitly gave a blood transfusion to a dog suffering from shock.

Cats. The specialist who presented a survey of "some conditions encountered in cat practice," was Dr. F. F. Parker of Des Moines. "Twenty years ago, possibly because of my life-long affection for dogs," he admitted, "I would hardly have believed that I would sometime present the subject of cat diseases before a group of veterinarians. However, constant association with any species of animal removes many dislikes." Some of the things constant association had taught Dr. Parker: "Very few cats bite or scratch except through fear"; a cat "can throw it [vomit] farther and harder than any other species of domestic animal" ; epilepsy is rather common in kittens ; castration of male kittens" should be done at about six months of age, spaying before the first year; bladder stones are very common in old, neutered toms; cats "rarely, if ever, have rickets, rheumatism, chorea, tetanus, or become poisoned by snake bites"; morphine crazes a cat.

Horse Sleeping Sickness. A dramatic demonstration of just how useful a veterinarian can be and how badly an animal can need him burst on the convention while it was still sitting. In Nebraska, Iowa, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Maryland and Virginia an epizootic/- of sleeping sickness broke out among horses. Hundreds of horses drooped their heads, leaned against their stall walls, collapsed into the straw, died. Some, excited by the nervous effects of the disease, banged their heads against the stalls, died trying to run on their sides. A vaccine against this disease, which is also called equine encephalomyelitis and blind staggers, is made from the brains of infected horses. But last week there was not enough vaccine to go around.

* Estimated number of dogs in the U. S.: 15,000,000.

/- Among animals (Greek zoa), the equivalent of epidemics among human beings.

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