Adventures of a Country Vet: True stories from the horse's mouth, from England to New Zealand

by Rory Dean

Funny and heartwarming stories from a Northland country vet


In the rolling green hills of Kaipara, Scottish vet Rory Dean and his two fox terriers, Scrappy and Alfie, are on call day and night for whichever animal emergency awaits.

In Adventures of a Country Vet, Rory shares stories of the livestock and pets he's cared for as a rural vet in New Zealand and southwest England. From calving in a blizzard to a dog wounded in a pig-hunt, a horse castration gone wrong and warming a baby alpaca in the footwell of his ute, life as a vet is all-go.

It isn't all Rory's sworn at, called every name under the sun, even threatened to be shot; and, some days, bad news can make the toughest Kiwi bloke cry. Working with farmers who are at the mercy of extreme weather, Rory knows when to stop and listen over a strong cuppa. These are entertaining, heartwarming tales of animals in need and a picture of the communities who care for them.

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2024

Reviews

[alex hassall · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a current vet student who's extremely keen on rural practice, I LOVED this book. The stories were the perfect balance of clinical, conversational, educational, humorous, and real. It really solidified my interest in large animal medicine and working rurally, particularly in New Zealand. Wishing Rory all the best in the veterinary field and if he were to ever publish again, I'd buy without hesitation!

[Geoff Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable collection of interesting and numerous tales

Great read about animals, vets and their relationship with people.
Sensitive ,humerous and at times challenging. A good insight into a modern vets life

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

🐾 Book Review: Adventures of a Country Vet by Rory Dean 🐾

As an ex-vet nurse, I’m always drawn to a good vet story, and this one didn’t disappoint! A recommendation from one of my library customers (who said it was so good) led me to pick it up—and they were absolutely right.

This book is packed with fascinating and heartfelt tales. While I never worked on farms during my vet nurse days, I grew up on one, and reading this felt like a nostalgic trip back to my childhood. The farm life details and animal stories were so vivid, they really brought those memories to life.

There were moments that tugged on my heartstrings and even brought tears to my eyes, but the beauty in these stories made it all worth it. A truly moving and lovely read that I’d recommend to anyone who loves animals or enjoys stories about the bond between humans and the creatures we care for. ❤️🐕🐄

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this as it fits into one of my favourite genres of books, but I just felt it was so disjointed. The stories jump between Somerset, Scotland, and New Zealand at random, with no chronology or thread. It also felt rather clinical with not much personal detail and charm. Disappointed.

[Charlotte Swift · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator used an Aussie accent when representing the kiwi accent….