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. 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. 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).

The Supervet The Supervet

But the book begins with a letter from the RCVS or the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons informing him that a complaint has been made about him by 4 other vets about his treatment of a tortoise called Hermes. They had deemed it an experiment, unprofessional cruel, unethical and unjustified. Noel had fitted prosthetic limbs to Hermes who subsequently died. This casts a shadow over the book as does the perfect storm of coronavirus. At worst points the narrative was condescending and exuded privilege. The narrative of "if you work for it you will get it" was so pervasive I found myself despairing and shaking my head numerous times.

About the Show

Some kind of cute parts, a good news story as far as where he came from and how he got there. As far as he never really thought himself too brilliant, but he's done brilliant things. He somehow just kept going and going and working and he came good. 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 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. Secondly, how the author draws on the qualities he sees in animals – particularly pet cats and dogs, including his own.

The Superpets (and Me!): Amazing True Stories of Incredible

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. Noels’ two pets are on the cover ‘a Maine coon cat called RIcochet whose expression clearly says ‘I’m the star around here.’ and Keira the dog who looks excited and happy. It definitely needed better editing as it was very repetitive in places but it was a very interesting and humbling book. 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.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 expected to love this book more than I did. I definitely thought it was interesting and inspiring, but for some reason I did not end up quite loving it. However, I did like this book and I would recommend it if you are interested in animals and their stories, as well as the life of a vet, or if you need that final push to persevere with something. You could just watch the TV show if you are more interested in the veterinary side rather than his personal story. Some of the animal stories in here were on the TV show.

Beyond Supervet: How Animals Make Us The Best We Can Be: The

I know of Noel’s skill but have only seen glimpses of his tv programs as I hate to see animals suffer.The middle section covers vet school and his early days as a vet, and was for me the most enjoyable part of the book, with some amusing anecdotes to leaven the continuing negativity. 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. Reading about Noel’s upbringing on a rural Irish farm, there’s a vulnerability to his writing that makes him instantly endearing. It really feels like he’s writing from the heart and you can feel his passion and warmth. He writes honestly about his struggles with bullies and the isolation he felt, and growing up with the beloved farm dog Pirate, who was his only confidante. At times I was truely brought close to tears.