How Animals Saved My Life: Being the Supervet

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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. I really, really love Noel, he's the best kind of human and I really enjoyed his first book which is why I opted to read this.

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). The book features several cases of previous patients of the four legged kind - some survive, some don’t – and that must be very hard. 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 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.

pages on how veterinarian medicine needs some changes from a governance and ethics perspectives, whilst saying that he is happy to work in the current way. It definitely needed better editing as it was very repetitive in places but it was a very interesting and humbling book. He is absolutely entitled to hold those opinions of course, but for me it often felt out of place in the book given the assumed subject matter.

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.I also enjoyed Fitzpatrick's discussion on One Medicine, as this is an interest of mine working in a human healthcare setting. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Secondly, how the author draws on the qualities he sees in animals – particularly pet cats and dogs, including his own. It can be hard to read in parts but if this is your kind of thing I truly believe you will enjoy it.The no doubt excellent 'One Medicine' philosophy becomes a little too preachy and his enlightenment, whilst great for him, is but the essence of all major faiths: putting less emphasis on oneself and more on others, sacrificial giving, forgiveness etc. I also got a tad annoyed with the philosophy of if you want something you just have to work hard for it and if you didn't get it it was because you didn't work hard enough. 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 book is slightly different to the first, in that Fitzpatrick more so focuses on ethical dilemmas and challenges faced in practice.