4. Paragraphs 1 and 2

 

The story "A Triumph of Surgery" is about how pampering someone (people or animals) can cause issues. The story centres around a dog named 'Tricki' who belonged to Mrs. Pumphrey, a wealthy lady. The narrator begins his story by explaining how Mrs. Pumphrey was out on a stroll with her dog one day when the narrator drove by that side and noticed Tricki. Tricki's appearance surprised the narrator, and there was a reason for it. Tricki had gained a significant amount of weight and looked like a bloated sausage with limbs on both ends. The narrator noticed that his (Tricki's) eyes were reddish and wet, and his tongue was lolling out of his jaws, indicating that the dog was not feeling well.

 

The above paragraph indicates two things. The narrator must have known Tricki already, and Tricki was not well at that time, and he had gained a lot of weight.

 

The narrator's profession is that of a veterinary surgeon. Mrs. Pumphrey rushed to explain the reason for Tricki's illness to the narrator while the narrator was looking at Tricki. She addressed the narrator as Mr. Herriot and told him that Tricki appeared exhausted, as if he didn't have any energy. As a result, she assumed it was caused by malnutrition. Mrs Pumphrey had thus overfed Tricki with foods such as malt and cod liver oil, as well as a bowl of Horlicks in between meals.The cause of Tricki's bulging appearance is now known: Mrs. Pumphrey overfed Tricki, causing him to become overweight and ill.