This was a tough read, especially as his beloved Keira was still alive but died whilst I was reading this. 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. I just didn't have the will to pick up the next chapter, as I knew it would be just the same as the previous ones.

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. 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. Throughout this book, we get more of an understanding of how Noel connects with animals on a deeper level and his love and caring of all animals that he comes across is extraordinary. 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.I did find this difficult to read in places, a bit technical, so I found myself skipping over bits, but not too much. Sunday Times bestseller Listening to the Animals was about Noel's path to becoming The Supervet, then How Animals Saved My Life is about what it's like to actually be The Supervet.

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. Parts were very hard to read, some very technical (in particular the description of sessions in transandental meditation and the briefs if Buddhists) but in conclusion a remarkable book by a remarkable man. I wholeheartedly agree with his one medicine dream and really enjoyed reading about his veterinary experiences and the brilliant cutting edge operations he performs.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 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 definitely needed better editing as it was very repetitive in places but it was a very interesting and humbling book. I just found myself not knowing what the purpose of the book was other than to make money and as someone who has seen most of the animal cases he talked about on the programme not even that was new. Now, in this long-awaited memoir, Noel recounts this often-surprising journey that sees him leaving behind a farm animal practice in rural Ireland to set up Fitzpatrick Referrals in Surrey, one of the most advanced small animal specialist centres in the world.