Rural vets publish new book
Working as a rural vet is a challenging exercise at the best of times, say Marlborough vets Peter Anderson and Peter Jerram.
In more than 30 years of dispensing knowledge and expertise they have made many friends among the rural community.
‘‘We’ve formed close friendships with many of our clients in Marlborough,’’ said Peter Jerram.
The pair recently released their second book, Old Dogs New Tricks - More Tales from Two Kiwi Country Vets, on their experiences of working in the region.
The 260 page light hearted collection of rural yarns followed Cock and Bull Stories - Tales from Two Country Vets published in 2011 which struck a chord with readers and spent a short time on the best seller list, gaining unexpected celebrity status for the authors.
Their latest offering followed the same format as its predecessor but behind the amusing anecdotes there is a serious message involving dedication and professionalism.
‘‘Working as a veterinarian is not something you can do for 5-10 years, and then stop and move on to something else,’’ said Jerram.
‘‘There is a massive amount of amount of training involved beforehand, Pete and I spent 9-10 years at university before we started work. It is a very serious profession.’’
They have both been lucky enough to be involved when farming in New Zealand was going through massive changes, especially during the 1980s after Rogernomics dismantled the economy, and farmers were encouraged to diversify.
For more than four decades they administered care to every animal on four legs, sometimes three, from domestic pets to African wildlife.
They air freighted frozen merino semen from Australia, used for artificial insemination,