Another great book from the Supervet, more in depth this time, and yes it made me laugh and cry all at the same time. Hope Keira is recovering well. You’re the first person who’s read that,” he says. I tell him I thought it was a very powerful ending. I can’t think of anything else to say.

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

I loved reading about Noel's surgeries and how he has overcome issues and come up with new tools to help our beloved animals. As someone with a cat, who loves that cat more than most people, reading about the ethical struggles that others have had was very hard. I found myself imagining being in their positions and honestly, I would do anything to make sure that my companion survived. Noel, I only can repeat, what I said in my review to your fist book:You have saved the lamb times over. Thank you for being exactly who you are. This book hits completely different to Noel's other books. Throughout the course of this book, Noel outlines what he believes are characteristics to make a good person. 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. That first book also covered his struggle to get himself into and through vet school, his days as a large-animal practitioner in rural Ireland and his eventual relocation to the south-east of England, including a parallel career as an actor, with roles in Casualty, The Bill and a low-budget film called The Devil’s Tattoo. He even played a vet on an episode of Heartbeat, although he almost didn’t get the part because the casting director didn’t think he looked like a vet.

I actually thought this book would be easier,” he explains, “because I set out with the idea in my head that I was going to go down the route of integrity and care. And I knew at the beginning that I was gonna have a structure for the book that was based around the two words that mattered most to me.” There is a rawness to the way he says these things, as if in defence of himself – as if the wounds those bullies inflicted in his schooldays never healed, or he never allowed them to. 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). 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. 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.The book made me pretty anxious which is kind of how I feel when I watch Noel. I have said he would be difficult to work for and that hypothesis was confirmed somewhat. 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. I wasn't aware he knew so many celebrities but I guess that makes sense when you're the best at something and the majority of people would struggle to afford your services.