Noel is a born story teller where people are concerned but he failed to engage me on the finer points of his profession. There is no doubt, however, that he deserves more recognition for his innovative work on surgical implants for both animals and humans. I had no great hopes for this book. Much as I like our local practitioners personally, vets generally hold as much appeal for me as they do to my dogs, together we avoid them as much as possible. I tend to disagree with some veterinary practices and I’ve been fortunate in that my dogs are exceptionally poorly bred which means they have no ‘class’ but are incredibly healthy with no genetic disposition towards illness or disability. I have often wondered about who he is, the man behind the vet. What drives him to work more hours in the day than is healthy? There has never been any mention of relationships or even friends outside the vet practice, but surely there must be some life outside of it? And why does he hug pretty much everyone that he meets? I know of Noel’s skill but have only seen glimpses of his tv programs as I hate to see animals suffer. The way that Noel is so absorbed in his work, and the way he seemed to find a little difficulty socialising whilst in his youth, made me wonder if he is one of those lovely fascinating people on the autism spectrum.

Noel Fitzpatrick Books | Waterstones

In November 2014, he was awarded the UCD Alumni Award for veterinary medicine. [8] He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Surrey for the concept of One Medicine: the advancement of human and animal treatments in tandem. [9] He is an Associate Professor at the University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine [10] and Professor and founding member of Orthopaedics in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey. [11] This is at times a rambling, in the best possible way, account of his childhood on a farm in Ireland and his burning desire to become a vet, the long years of study and then his passion and vision to help animals with innovative techniques. I love the programme The Supervet and I haven't read his other book. I didn't actually know there was another book until I read this. I came at this book with an open mind because I had no clue what it was about but I sort of expected something of a vaguely autobiographical nature. 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. I got a self help book and a philosophy book as well as a book on transcendental meditation and buddhism. I got a lecture about the danger of 'over treatment' and how hurt he was that he had been accused of it. (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). Noel gives himself wholeheartedly in this book. We learn about his ambitious journey from taking care of sheep and cows to dogs and cats and the hard work behind. Noel continuously pushes the boundaries for innovative solutions in an evolving field, including custom implants and bionic limbs. He recounts the animals and people he has met along the way and the impact they have had on his life, and the difficult decisions that often have to be made and the ethics behind it.

About the Show

As someone currently studying to be a veterinary nurse this book gives me motivation to keep going at my studies. I really wanted to read and enjoy this book, having been given it as a Christmas present. However I found it rather disappointing, and strangely it read almost like three different books, each third (roughly) is written completely differently and each has its good and bad points.

How Animals Saved My Life: Being the Supervet: The Number 1

He documents the struggles he's had in his life before becoming a vet and also during. He does this while discussing many of his cases in practice, his own family pets and his time living on a farm growing up. I found it a very dull read. I'm sorry Noel. It's like he just got away with writing it exactly as he thought it - not edited? I don't know how to explain, but it was boring.I feel anyone who is an animal lover will enjoy this read, Noel writes in a way that helps you understand the science of what is going on so you can understand each animal case without it being completely bogged down in medical terms. 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. This one had chapters based on qualities (Internalisation, Nowness, Truth and Trust, Empathy, Genuineness, Rightness, Innovation, Tenacity, Youness, Compassion, Appreciation, Respect, Eternalisation) that read like they are from a self-help genre book, and to be honest some of the content matches. 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).

Listening to the Animals: Becoming the Supervet - Goodreads Listening to the Animals: Becoming the Supervet - Goodreads

I love The Supervet programme and in this book his absolute passion for and commitment to his "One Medicine" concept really shines through. And his drive is just so impressive. I did enjoy discovering how he got his practice up and running and the hurdles he met along the way.I did feel that he found talking about his early life in Ireland, and his romantic attachments, a little awkward. However the chapters on his patients, and the building of his dreamed for practice, were so interesting that I could not put the book down. Discover amazing stories of The Supervet’s most incredible animals from bionic cats to hero hedgehogs and courageous chameleons! I honestly just don't know what happened with this book. I've read half way with a view to continuing but now I know why I gave up in the first place. The autobiographical half of this book is powerfully written with decent portraits of the people and animals who meant much to the author. Where the book fails for me is the inclusion of far too much technical information as he struggles to improve his surgical skills and raise money for his own business.