IN PRACTICE AT HOUSTON 49 



petition in their town down to an affair of sawed- 

 off shotguns; but, considering that both parties 

 were presumed to be professional gentlemen, it 

 was bad enough. 



One of the ways in which the State Veteri- 

 narian helped me was in turning over to me some 

 of the long distance calls which he could not find 

 the time to attend. Such calls as these, fifty to a 

 hundred miles from the office, are the kind that 

 demonstrate the real worth of the veterinarian. 

 In such instances he must do to the best of his 

 ability in a few hours' time, what he would do at 

 home in the course of a few days or a week. He 

 must put things in a "nut shell" and his treat- 

 ment must hit the spot. Also, he must be able to 

 see ahead and prepare the owner for the handling 

 of possible complications or unexpected develop- 

 ments. The man who can make good on these 

 long distance cases will be a winner anywhere 

 and it is good training for young fellows. 



In a few years I did so much of this long dis- 

 tance work that it left its mark on me. By this I 

 mean that I got the habit of handling my practice 

 at home in the same manner. To this day I find 

 myself making this mistake in my practice every 

 little while; a mistake from a financial stand- 

 point. I have treated many cases of pneumonia 

 and other long drawn-out cases, at home, making 

 not more than two calls and frequently only one 

 and while I usually get a proportionate fee, just 

 the same, the client thinks you are earning your 

 money if you call oftener, and it is probably bet- 

 ter to call oftener in a home practice. Many little 



