Pete turns attention to his ‘Pet Subjects’ in new book

BRAY vet Pete Wedderburn was the toast of the town last week as he released his fourth book in Dubray books in Bray.

As well as being a weekly contributor to this newspaper and the ever-popular Ireland’s Own, Pete has been answering the questions posed by readers of the Daily Telegraph for the past ten years. ‘Pet Subjects’ is a collection of the most confounding cases from that decade (both heart-warming and heart-breaking) followed by a collection of queries from his column that help to illuminate similar concerns to those presented in his patient’s traumas.

While his first three books focused on pet care advice, Pete feels that this is his first ‘real’ book.

‘Pet Subjects is more of a reading book, with stories from my life in a vet clinic,’ he said. ‘It’s a book that can be read for entertainment and enjoyment rather than just to find out how to look after pets.’

The book contains stories of animals big and small, creatures feathered, furry and otherwise and the mysteries that arrive in the surgery as soon as their owners cross Pete’s threshold.

‘ The premise of the book is that a vet’s job is to solve mysteries, like a type of biological sleuth,’ he explained. ‘ We are presented with animals that have signs of being unwell and we have to work out what’s going on, without them telling us anything. So we need to use our observation, we need to listen to what owners tell us, we need to examine the animals carefully, and we need to carry out whatever tests may be needed to gather information.’ In other words, it’s a ‘whodunnit’ only the vet is battling to uncover an illness rather than a murderer. While the attention is clearly focused on pets, Pete believes that his latest book is for everyone, not just pet owners. ‘It’s a book for anyone who likes reading: the characters just happen to include animals as well as people,’ he said. ‘ The closest I can compare it to is the TV series “House”, which is about medical mysteries but it appeals to a much wider range of people than just those interested in medicine.’ ‘Pet Subjects’ in on sale now for €14,99 at Dubray Books and all major book shops.