How Animals Saved My Life: Being the Supervet

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There was quite a lot of medical information in this book which was hard going at times, but apart from that, it was an extremely well-written memoir which I have no hesitation in highly recommending. I got a self help book and a philosophy book as well as a book on transcendental meditation and buddhism. The book also gives an insight into the pressure the vets are under to make the right decision and find the right treatment for their patients over and over every day and the toll it takes on them. The knocked off star is for the explanations of the operations, which I found a little technical, although other vets and doctors would probably find them fascinating. The book features several cases of previous patients of the four legged kind - some survive, some don’t – and that must be very hard.

Incidentally as a watcher of Supervet I've quite often thought there was over treatment but then as he points out, it's not quantifiably defined so who knows). This added a depth to the book and intertwined the human/animal relationship that forges his ultimate passion of "One Medicine" - something I knew nothing about before reading this book but strongly agree with.

I am interested in how people make sense of their lives and the world around them but this was very convoluted and repetitive.

I loved the idea of “one medicine” which is a common theme in the book - whereby human and animal medicine need to collaborate for the greater good.It was this bond with Pirate, and a fateful night spent desperately trying to save a newborn lamb, that inspired Noel to enter the world of veterinary science - and set him on the path to becoming The Supervet. I did find this difficult to read in places, a bit technical, so I found myself skipping over bits, but not too much. I learnt a lot about the veterinary industry, and took a lot from his outlook on life and how to be more grounded when times are tough.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.As much as I like Noel and the amazing work he does and all that he stands for, I liked and loathed this book in equal measure. Fitzpatrick first came to mainstream attention in 2010 with the television series The Bionic Vet which chronicled his work at Fitzpatrick Referrals and then in 2014 with the hugely successful series The Supervet – the soubriquet by which he is still known to this day.

A world leading orthopaedic-neuro veterinary surgeon who holds a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the first person to successfully apply an amputation prosthesis to a cat, Professor Noel Fitzpatrick obtained his Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine from University College Dublin in 1990 and went on to set up Fitzpatrick Referrals in Surrey in 2005. I will always have the utmost respect for all the team at Fitzpatrick Referrals after saving our very first rescue who was unable to open her jaw. It just struck me as a bit simplistic and a little bit patronising but then you all know by now I'm sensitive to weight issues. I think Noel has made great waves in the veterinary community and did find interest his discussions on one medicine, ethical implications of surgery and treatment and the process of said treatments.

Noel’s philosophy of life also features in the book which struck a chord with me As the RCVS case takes its toll combined with an accident at home in which he breaks his neck and the complications of COVID you wonder how he managed to keep going. This can be a difficult read not only because there is a lot of technical stuff in it but also because it can be difficult to see through the tears.