The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Vets’ practice returning to small screen
Adocumentary offer ing a snapshot into life at two rural veterinary practices in the Highlands is returning for a second series tonight.
The Highland Ve t showcases the day- to- day workings of vets, nurses and staff members from DS McGregor and Partners in Thurso and Wick as they work around the clock to help farm animals, domestic pets and wildlife.
The six-part series, filmed from winter through to spring , follows the success of series one, which debuted in June.
Practice director Guy Gordon spoke about the challenges of going about his lifesaving work under the glare of the camera.
“It was initially a little bit worrying thinking are they going to get in the way and wondering were they going to show us off in the correct light or misrepresent us,” Mr Gordon said.
“It was daunting and we felt very self-conscious but in the episodes you are about to see from this week onwards, we were all seasoned professionals by that point.
“We had got used to it and we were a little bit more relaxed in front of the camera.
“The series represented the county well from our perspective. It showed it off very nicely.
“It represented us as a veterinary profession but also our individual practice and what we do.
“It was really a snapshot into our daily, weekly and monthly routine.
“Working as a vet in the context that we do, in a rural mixed practice, is still a vocation as opposed to just a job.
“We have to provide this service of 24- hour cover constantly throughout the year for all species and it can be very, very hard graft.
“It can be cold, soggy and dirty but it’s very rewarding and that’s why we do it.”
Episode one features the lead orthopaedic vet carrying out important surgery on seven-year-old boxer dog Maddy to repair a ruptured cruciate ligament.
Mr Gordon said of the complex procedure: “The case that I’m involved with is a cruciate rupture, that’s where a ligament pops in the knee joint of a dog and it requires quite advanced surgery.
“You have to cut the shin bone andre-screw it together at a different angle.
“It’s quite an involved and tricky bit of surgery that’ s pushing the boundaries of what can be done in general rural practice.
“It is useful for us as a remote practice to be able to offer that kind of a service for people without the need to travel south for specialist care.”
Mr Gordon says none of this would be possible without the tight- knit workings of both practices.
He added: “We function very much as a team, we back each other up, we support each other and we are always there for each other in more ways than one.”