Country Vet: Thirty Years of Treating Animals and Trying to Understand Their Owners

John R. Erickson, author of Hank the Cowdog series, says, "Vets have a kind of double vision on the human experience. They see us as the clients who bring in the patients and pay the bill, but they also see our sins, flaws, and weirdness reflected in our animals. Dr. Skaggs recognized early on that this was a rich source of humor-not ridicule, not humor that cuts, but the kind of organic humor that allows us to laugh at ourselves."

This book relays my stories of being a country veterinarian in a rural area treating all sorts of animals. I have been writing down my experiences at the office and in the field for thirty years. These stories are often educational, emotional, humorous and unpredictable, but always entertaining.

This book is my first effort to share them with a wider audience. The stories involve working with all kinds of animals but also involves interacting with their owners. Sometimes the second part has been more of a challenge than the first which creates for interesting stories.

Dr. Skaggs' roots are in a small town in Texas. For as long as he can remember, he loved animals and made it his mission to become an animal doctor. His goal is to make every dog's tail wag, every kitten purr, and every horse and cow buck and play in the fields. He began jotting down unique experiences occurring with animals and owners and has been doing it for thirty years. As a country vet, his practice hasn't been specialized or limited to dogs, cats, birds, exotic animals, or livestock. His clinic takes whatever patients walk in the door and he never knows what that might include. The work can be messy, is often loud, sometimes dangerous and often humorous.