There you have it: a typical new graduate, unable to recognize a false pregnancy yet instantly able to diagnose an obscure disease that was emphasized in school. I have never seen another case of congenital goiter and probably never will. In fact, if I were presented with a case today, I would probably misdiagnose it as enlarged lymph nodes.

Robert M. Miller, dvm, is an author and a cartoonist, speaker, and Veterinary Medicine Practitioner Advisory Board member from Thousand Oaks, Calif. His thoughts in "Mind Over Miller" are drawn from 32 years as a mixed-animal practitioner. Visit his Web site at http://www.robertmmiller.com/.