‘Supervet’ scrubs up for more bionic miracles
IRISH ‘supervet’ Noel Fitzpatrick has hit back at critics who claim he dreams up complex new surgeries for the TV cameras, and insisted he would never perform a procedure that he wouldn’t do on his own pet.
The 48 year old, whose pioneering surgical innovations and cutting-edge techniques have made him a household favourite with millions of TV viewers, is back on the small screen with a new series, called ‘The Supervet: Bionic Stories’.
But the Co Laois native, whose neuro-orthopaedic specialist facility in Surrey in England has earned a global reputation for pushing the boundaries of veterinary medicine, has admitted that not everyone is a fan of his innovative techniques.
“I get some criticism for moving things too far in veterinary medicine, and yet I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I would never pick up a scalpel blade and operate on any animal if I wouldn’t do it on my own dog — nor if I didn’t feel I could provide that animal with a reasonable quality of life in a reasonable time frame,” he said.
Fitzpatrick, who honed his skills as a young vet in Dunmanway, Co Cork, has also set up ‘The Humanimal Trust’ charity, through which he hopes to improve the medical care and treatment options given to animals by cooperating more closely with experts in human healthcare.
In an interview with The Catholic Universe, he explained: “I strongly believe that all animals should be given all of the options, all of the time.
“Right now in veterinary medicine, that often doesn’t happen, which is a shame. One of the major reasons is lack of awareness of the available technology, and lack of willingness to employ these technologies for the greater good of our animal friends.
“Many of the techniques in this series are not available for human patients yet.”