1966-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1966 March Voice RS | Page 12

Residence with hospital and surgery in background.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE VETERINARIAN SETS
STANDARD FOR WALKING HORSE PRACTICE
Dr. DeWitt Owens Highly Praised as
Leader in his Field
Coast to coast, the name of Dr. DeWitt Owen is
synonymous with veterinary practice in the horse
business, and particularly Walking Horses. This young
veterinarian has a clinic in Franklin, Tennessee, the
center of the Walking Horse industry. Originally from
Pulaski, not too many miles south of Franklin, Dr.
Owen settled in Middle Tennessee with the knowledge
that this was one of the greatest horse-producing
areas in the nation. Those who know Dr. Owen will
tell you that his love for animals stems from his
childhood around them — and that this genuine love
of the animal prompts him to spend many tireless
hours above and beyond the call of duty . . .
Dr. Owen, like many other veterinarians, is called
upon on a twenty-four-hour basis, seven days a week.
Most of us expect a medical doctor to go when called
to attend a person in need, but it takes a special
type of individual, a man of dedication, to go out in
the rain, snow and cold at any time of the day or
night to assist a dumb animal. In this era of special­
ists, one rarely has a visit at home from a doctor,
but with large animals it is almost necessary that
the doctor go to the patient. Dr. Owen travels exten­
sively on these "farm calls” and many times is re­
quired to travel as far as Florida, Texas, New Jer­
sey and Michigan.
The Owen Veterinary Clinic is located on his own
farm property and is equipped with the finest facili­
ties available today for the practice of veterinary
medicine. The main operating room features a hy­
draulic operating table that enables complete hand­
ling of large animals with a minimum of effort. Here
Dr. Owen’s skill as a surgeon is exemplified in his
work with joints, fractures, bone chips and tendons.
A large padded recovery stall adjacent to the surgery
10
General view of surgery with NELSON LUSTER, Mrs. OWEN,
TOMMY McLEMORE, and BEN BOWMAN in background.
contains modern X-ray equipment and surgical in­
struments. A six-stall and a four-stall barn are used
for hospitalization, diagnostic purposes and treat­
ment. The excellent facilities provided here equal
those in any of the veterinary schools in the leading
universities and the stalls are designed for the safety
and well-being of the horses.
Like other businesses or organizations, a veterin­
ary clinic cannot operate efficiently without good and
dedicated employees. Dr. Owen is most fortunate in
having four helpers - BENNY BOWMAN, CHIP
BEASLEY, TOMMY McLEMORE and NELSON LUS­
TER - who are experienced in the handling of horses
VOICE of the Tennessee W
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