A Poetic Disorder

In a corner of the galaxy far far away, Dr. Cy Berger, operating the first interplanetary veterinary service, lands on an alien world where he and his assistant are tasked with solving a medical malady that has infected the inhabitants' main food source. The search for the causal agent takes Cy deep into a canyon that circumvents the planet where he discovers a secret that's too ghastly to comprehend, but failure to find the cure for these creatures means certain starvation for the planet's human settlers.