‘When I heal a pet, I heal the human’
Television’s Supervet Professor Noel Fitzpatrick treats animals when there is little hope. Now he’s embarking on his first national tour. He shares what he’s learnt about the bond between pet and owner
Animals provide light in the darkest of places. As a child, I often watched Indiana Jones movies. I’d see him leaping through perilous situations in pursuit of the ultimate treasure, and I remember wondering what my own Holy Grail was. Growing up and suffering at the hands of bullies, for me it was the love of my dog. My affinity with animals has carried me through tough times ever since – as it does for so many people.
By healing someone’s beloved pet, I’m also healing the human. Each time someone walks through the doors of my clinic, in that moment, their pet is the single most important thing in their life. The strength of that connection should never be underestimated.
People don’t care what you know until they know that you care. I believe that there should be less hypocrisy and box ticking in medicine, and more compassion. People become vets or doctors because they want to bring hope and heal, but by the time they’ve passed all the exams, they often run the risk of losing that fundamental value. I’d be a million times more inclined to hire somebody for the size of their heart than for the size of their head.
The only way forward in medicine is to work together. I created my charity, The Humanimal Trust, to drive forward a vision of One Medicine, where human and animal clinicians pool their knowledge to influence the future. A few weeks ago, I had a friend’s 11-year-old son in theatre with me and I’d just put a bionic limb on a cat. The boy said ‘I don’t know what all the fuss is about – it’s just a cat with a fake leg.’ I thought that was brilliant – because, to him, it was perfectly obvious. We can’t stay static. We have to take risks and try things in order to move forward.
Failure is a heavy weight to bear. French surgeon René Leriche once said that every surgeon carries a cemetery in his heart. For me, nothing could be truer. I don’t think much about my successes, but I can tell you the names of every one of my failures.
In the end, love always wins. If I’ve had a tough day, I’ll close my eyes at night and remind myself that there is still love. The next morning, I can then get up and do my best to make a positive difference. For me, life equals light, and I’m trying to bring as much light to the world as possible.