Outskirts Press, INC.

Ride along with a veterinarian through the eastern Illinois countryside. In the warm months, the corn and soybeans grow lush and green on either side of the road, and red-winged blackbirds perch atop cattails in the roadside ditches. The green trees growing along the creek bank will be rife with color in the autumn. Marvel at the idyllic timber pasture where our next patient is waiting to be treated. Or stand at the side of an examination table in the animal hospital as the vet treats cats, dogs, cockatoos, and snakes. In the subzero temperature of winter, with snow piled high along the road, you’ll visit a farm where a female sheep awaits a Caesarean section to remove too-large twin lambs. Kneel alongside the vet as you observe surgery in a building with no heat. Later, visit an exotic animal farm, with a zebra, fainting goats, and potbellied pigs, and watch as the vet performs pregnancy exams on four yaks. In the tradition of All Creatures Great and Small, this heartfelt and entertaining collection of stories celebrates the life of a country veterinarian who has nurtured and healed God’s creatures for the better part of his life. Packed with larger-than-life characters—both human and four-legged—Doc, I Needed You Last Night will appeal to animal lovers of all ages.

As I brought the first lamb into the world, I heard seven year-old Jack ask his father, "Dad, how did that lamb get in there?" Mike didn't answer. As I was working to deliver the second lamb, once again I heard, "Dad, how did that lamb get in there?" I looked up at Mike and saw that his face had gotten red, but he didn't respond to the question. And then I heard, "Doc, how did that lamb get in there?" Again I looked up at Mike and he slowly nodded his head yes. So I said, "Jack, you know that when your Dad wants corn to grow, he plants seeds in the ground." Jack nodded yes. "You know that you have an old buck sheep around here, right?" Jack said, "Right." "When the buck sheep wants to grow, he plants seeds in the ewe." "Okay, Doc, how did that hole get in there?" "Well, Jack, the hole is always there, but it gets larger when it is time for the lambs to be born."