How Animals Saved My Life: Being the Supervet

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What I got was a book verging on despair; full of one part arrogance, five parts low self esteem and damage from bullying as a child. He's obviously very passionate, talented, incredibly intelligent and forward thinking about science. His plan of "one medicine" that sets out to help both animal and humans equally without the (current) expense of a healthy animal's life should be the goal of both human and animal medicines.

Perfect for all fans of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse and Together, the uplifting story of Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick's heartwarming relationship with his dog Keira also boasts beautiful illustrations by Laura McKendry. pages on how animals show this trait more than people, and how his dog and cat show this trait to him every day without judgement. Overall a good man, with a good heart who only wants the best for animals and their medicine, and if this was the primary focus of the book it would be 5 stars. When I was reading, I really felt like I was there because it was about his life in lockdown and I was reading it during lockdown.Fitzpatrick has a particularly interesting view of the world, and it was particularly interesting to read about some of his more challenging cases (alongside a slew of personal challenges). He reflects on the valuable lessons of Integrity, Care, Love and Hope that they have taught him - lessons that have sustained him through the unbelievable highs and crushing lows of a profession where lives are quite literally at stake. This book is very different from the first, it is essentially a journey of spiritual discovery, acute mental and physical suffering, and eventually healing, is effect this is a book about the complexity of the human condition, finding inner peace and quieting the demons. This was a tough read, especially as his beloved Keira was still alive but died whilst I was reading this.

We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Read with my daughter who is a fan of Supervet and very much enjoyed the author’s previous book which I think was more conventionally biographical. Secondly, how the author draws on the qualities he sees in animals – particularly pet cats and dogs, including his own. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

This is not a light fluffy read by any means, it is gut wrenching and you will never forget reading it. However, I thought there was a lot of fluffy content, celebrity name dropping and repetitions that could have been taken out. 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 journey to that point has seen Noel treat thousands of animals - many of whom were thought to be beyond help - animals that have changed his life, and the lives of those around them, for the better.

Picking up this book I wasn't expecting to hear Noel mentioning the likes of George Floyd and the BLM movement, or his perhaps (in my opinion) rose tinted feelings towards droves of undocumented immigrants arriving on boats. There’s some great messaging in there and some really interesting aspects but because of the writing style, it kind of got sucked into a hole of tediousness. The overall structure of the book wasn't what I was expecting, it was split into chapters on personality traits/virtues, mostly explained through lessons he has learned from animals in his care and his two beloved pets. SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER It has been 30 years since Noel Fitzpatrick graduated as a veterinary surgeon, and that 22-year-old from Ballyfin, Ireland, is now one of the leading veterinary surgeons in the world. I would personally have benefitted from diagrams to help explain some of the surgical procedures/implants Noel frequently describes throughout the book, as your average reader is an animal lover and not a vet or surgeon with intricate knowledge of dog/cat anatomy.We meet the animals that paved the way, from calving cows and corralling bullocks to talkative parrots and bionic cats and dogs. Sixthly in how up to date it is – the book’s themes drawing together in a very tangible and incredibly up to date way with a severe accident to his own dog in September 2020 (one month before publication). Noel should be applauded for his strong, life long desire to meld human and animal health into a single scientific endeavour. It was interspersed with long passages of self justification in the face of an RCVS inquiry, and technical accounts of operations that went over my head.

I wholeheartedly agree with his one medicine dream and really enjoyed reading about his veterinary experiences and the brilliant cutting edge operations he performs. 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. Lovely book written by a man who has many worries about his own life but concentrates on making animal lives much better.

If you love animals, this book is definitely for you – filled to the brim with sadness, happiness as well as some laugh out loud moments, you will surely enjoy but more importantly this book is filled with a lot of love, righteousness and what is best for our furry pals. 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.