Noel and Keira

MayBee70 definitely don't watch "Marley and Me". I was in floods of tears.

Try "Homeward Bound", they all end up safe and sound.

Homeward Bound has a happy ending and you get two dogs and a cat for your money.

I've got very mixed views about him although he's obviously highly talented. I own dogs and horses and love them like members of my family but I try to have clear boundaries about what I will and won't treat and part of that is about putting any of my animals through a long and painful process to keep them alive. Sometimes it is so much better for the animal to call it a day and give them an easy death and tbh I'd never want to keep any of my animals alive if I knew that recovery wouldn't give them a very good quality of life. For me, part of being a responsible owner is knowing when to say goodbye. Having said that, my nephew has a lovely bitch that was seriously injured as a puppy with a very poor prognosis. The owners of the pup couldn't afford to treat the dog but it found it's way to the supervet, who put it back together again. She spent a lot of time being treated but came through well and was adopted by my nephew. She is just the most delightful dog tbh if she had been mine, I would have pts.

Also A Dog’s Way Home. There are other critters in it, too. It’s not an Oscar-worthy film but it whiled away a long (prepandemic) plane trip.

SueDonim

*Homeward Bound* has a happy ending and you get two dogs and a cat for your money.

Is that a remake of The Incredible Journey with two dogs and a cat? Bodger, Luath and I can’t remember the other one? Red Dog is beautiful but sad. Loved it but can’t rewatch it! One of my favourite films when I was little was Savage Sam but I think it was because I had a crush on the teenage boy in the film . And A Dog of Flanders.

Yes, it is, Maybee. My dds watched it endless times and now my dd1 is making her 3yo watch it! We had a couple of cats that looked like Sassy.

I’ve adored Bull Terriers ever since even though they’re not my type of dog at all! I’m quite scared of dogs with such powerful jaws but I melt whenever I see a Bull Terrier.

Is that the breed of Bill Sykes' dog in Oliver?

I thought this thread was going to be more baby names!

I haven’t watched the Supervet series for ages but I am this evening. I noticed that they mention the ‘Ethics’ board which I hadn’t heard of before. Do all operations, before taking place, have to be run past the board now?

I think Noel has his own ethics committee with different experts.

I remember weeping buckets over the book of The Incredible Journey. The little boy being so brave when he thought his dog hadn't made it back and then the old boy appearing over the horizon.

mokryna

I haven’t watched the Supervet series for ages but I am this evening. I noticed that they mention the ‘Ethics’ board which I hadn’t heard of before. Do all operations, before taking place, have to be run past the board now?

I noticed that tonight for the first time. Missed the end though (dog needed to go out) so I need to watch it on plus one to see what happens at the end.

The dogs in the modern Homeward Bound are a Retriever and an American Boxer dog. The cat is a colourpoint, or Birman, I think.

The original was a Labrador, Bull Terrier and a Siamese I think. It was my first cinema experience of a film that looked as though it would have a sad ending that turned out happy.

I think several other vets questioned the ethics of some operations/treatments at Fitzpatrick's Centres. There were quite a lot of questions asked but I don't know what the outcome was. There is no doubt that Noel Fitzpatrick is a brilliant man and genuinely cares about animals.

sodapop I'm presuming that as so many animals are referred to him there are many vets who are happy with his work.

I found the programme about Keira uncomfortable watching. I've no doubt Noel's distress was genuine, but watching so much of that was unnecessary. A little of his suffering and much more of Keira's ops would have been more appropriate, in my mind. A lot of the tears and agonizing should have been edited out - it seemed a little like self-promotion. I presume he has some say in the editing of what is shown.

I'll probably be shot down now.....

What I don’t understand when it comes to fitting metal paws etc to dogs is that I’ve seen many tripod dogs over the years and usually you don’t notice they have a leg missing till you see them close up. Amputation seems a much easier and safer option to me. Mind you, what I do know is that I feel guilt over every illness every pet I’ve had over the years has had, feeling that I should have picked up on things sooner or made better decisions on their behalf.

I worried about the intrusive filming at first supernanaunal.
Then I thought:
1. The cameras were there anyway filming the series so it was kind of part of the story.
2. It showed the amazing team work and family spirit at the surgery.
3. Maybe Noel wanted to show first hand how bad it is for an owner when this happens, ( many of them are seen in tears sobbing).
4. I don't think he would have shown anything about it if she had died?

Noel's latest book "Being The Supervet" has a lot more information about Keira's accident and also explains in greater detail the question of ethics relating to his work. I did find this book quite a difficult read as he does an awful lot of personal soul searching. He does mention a lady friend called Michaela quite a few times but you are left unclear as to who she actually is. Incidentally for those who don't know, Keira is named after Keira Knightly who Noel admits to having a crush on!

He certainly is quite a complicated person, so the soul searching bit doesn't really surprise me.

The Keira programme was certainly a tear-jerker but I expected a good outcome because surely they wouldn't have shown it if she hadn't pulled through. Last night's programme, about Betsy, the appealing puppy, was also quite tense as she had to survive surgery and gangrene. The staff are completely dotty about puppies!

Bit difficult there Deeda I don't think there was any question about his skill and expertise just whether or not some things were ethical. I really don't know the details or outcome. I think he had to answer to his governing body.