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Dogs and Their Humans: Stories of Healing and Hope from the Supervet's Surgery
A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.
- GenresNonfictionAnimalsDogs
320 pages, Paperback
Published March 13, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
December 31, 2024
A heartwarming read, that can be easily dipped in and out of, there is no need to read it in order, as each chapter is an anecdote in its own right. There are details of the highs and lows and the dilemmas faced by vets in practice. A reoccurring theme throughout of how dogs can know more about their humans than the human themselves. Some references to Fitzpatrick’s own personal challenges and how he uses this to enhance his own life and work with both dogs and their humans. However the dogs are the real heroes in this book, so, get the tissues ready before you start reading!
December 4, 2024
I absolutely love Noel and his tv show The Super Vet.
This book was a wonderful insight into his life and the lovely dogs that he meets every day. The work he’s done in his field is unparalleled anywhere else in the world. The love and care he gives dog every single day is inspirational 💗
“And as I have seen time and again, the light of unconditional love lives on long after our crossing of the rainbow bridge. We must always appreciate this light. Dogs can turn the darkness of fear into the light of hope. Sometimes living can feel impossible. But in reality, it's just difficult.
Everything's impossible until it happens.”
This book was a wonderful insight into his life and the lovely dogs that he meets every day. The work he’s done in his field is unparalleled anywhere else in the world. The love and care he gives dog every single day is inspirational 💗
“And as I have seen time and again, the light of unconditional love lives on long after our crossing of the rainbow bridge. We must always appreciate this light. Dogs can turn the darkness of fear into the light of hope. Sometimes living can feel impossible. But in reality, it's just difficult.
Everything's impossible until it happens.”
February 14, 2025
This filled my heart with so much joy yet broke my heart as I cried. This man deserves the world!
Chapter 16 hurt me beyond belief 😭
Chapter 16 hurt me beyond belief 😭
January 9, 2025
Noel Fitzpatrick takes us through some of the special dogs and their relationship with their owners, that have come through his veterinary practice. If you have owned a dog you will know the special bond that exists and that’s why when reading this book you will cry at some of the stories, because you will have experienced similar feelings. A great read.
April 13, 2025
So uplifting. A very touching and well-written book. Just like all of Noel’s previous books, it really takes you into the dog’s stories and demonstrates the light that dogs can bring into their human’s lives.
I loved the bit about the three dogs with special tasks as well as interesting reflections on Meghan and Harry and, perhaps more generally, how the news portrays people in a certain light.
I loved the bit about the three dogs with special tasks as well as interesting reflections on Meghan and Harry and, perhaps more generally, how the news portrays people in a certain light.
April 5, 2025
Simply beautiful 🥹
September 20, 2025
I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Fitzpatrick is already well known as TV's Supervet, of course, and the gargantuan efforts he goes to in order to treat animals that have a chance of life are well known. There are many such stories chronicles here, and the way the dogs he treats have impacted on the lives of the humans they share their life with is truly moving to read about. I was also very interested in Fitzpatrick's support for what he calls "One Medicine" in order to better treat animals and humans.
March 15, 2025
Several years ago I watched a movie called "Buck" which is a biopic about the real-life guy who inspired the Horse Whisperer. That guy had a very rough childhood, and he bonded with horses (and other animals) as a way to kind of escape his life.
The author of this book seems to have had similar experiences which also caused him to really focus on understanding and working with animals. He does not go into detail but the things he DID say reminded me a lot of that movie (which, btw, I recommend to anyone with even the slightest interest in horses... I could care less about the romance movie but the biopic was really interesting).
At some point late in the book he also mentions that he identifies with the little autistic kid whose dog he is caring for, and all I could think was "yeah, no fucking shit" because frankly, it was super obvious to ME that the author is on the spectrum around the 2nd time he went into extreme detail about the specifics of the implants and techniques he was using, including the names of the parts, the technical names of the medical conditions and anatomy, and how everything works... I mean it's not that I myself don't find such things interesting, but I'm aware that normally, a pop medical book like this wouldn't include so much technical detail, especially in every single chapter. Generally, people leave that stuff out when writing to entertain the masses (which I consider a shame... I really like pop-science type books, and I enjoy learning technical details from other fields of study as long as they're not too reliant on the reader already having expert knowledge).
I am totally unfamiliar with the TV show which this guy apparently has in the UK, but I might look into it! It sounds quite interesting. I listened to this book purely because I love dogs (and medical books). I cried basically every chapter (sometimes because the stories were truly sad, but mostly because I am easily made emotional by the slightest thought of anything happening to my precious baby doggos). Mostly it was an uplifting book that reinforced how precious pets are to many people and why. Also the author REALLY REALLY wants you to know that he DOES NOT do mad scientist experiments and he is very offended by people who think that (lol).
On the whole I'd give the book 3.5 stars... the writing is very clumsy, but it is heartfelt, and elevated by the subject matter being inherently interesting. I felt there was an extra dimension added when listening to the audiobook, as the author's emotions are easy to hear in his voice.
The author of this book seems to have had similar experiences which also caused him to really focus on understanding and working with animals. He does not go into detail but the things he DID say reminded me a lot of that movie (which, btw, I recommend to anyone with even the slightest interest in horses... I could care less about the romance movie but the biopic was really interesting).
At some point late in the book he also mentions that he identifies with the little autistic kid whose dog he is caring for, and all I could think was "yeah, no fucking shit" because frankly, it was super obvious to ME that the author is on the spectrum around the 2nd time he went into extreme detail about the specifics of the implants and techniques he was using, including the names of the parts, the technical names of the medical conditions and anatomy, and how everything works... I mean it's not that I myself don't find such things interesting, but I'm aware that normally, a pop medical book like this wouldn't include so much technical detail, especially in every single chapter. Generally, people leave that stuff out when writing to entertain the masses (which I consider a shame... I really like pop-science type books, and I enjoy learning technical details from other fields of study as long as they're not too reliant on the reader already having expert knowledge).
I am totally unfamiliar with the TV show which this guy apparently has in the UK, but I might look into it! It sounds quite interesting. I listened to this book purely because I love dogs (and medical books). I cried basically every chapter (sometimes because the stories were truly sad, but mostly because I am easily made emotional by the slightest thought of anything happening to my precious baby doggos). Mostly it was an uplifting book that reinforced how precious pets are to many people and why. Also the author REALLY REALLY wants you to know that he DOES NOT do mad scientist experiments and he is very offended by people who think that (lol).
On the whole I'd give the book 3.5 stars... the writing is very clumsy, but it is heartfelt, and elevated by the subject matter being inherently interesting. I felt there was an extra dimension added when listening to the audiobook, as the author's emotions are easy to hear in his voice.
April 12, 2025
The Super Vet - I had only seen snippets of his show but thought I’d read his book to dive into the amazing surgeries from complex diseases.
While Noel is very clearly brilliant in his field and has published many papers and advanced new surgical tools in veterinary medicine, an over inflated ego is frequently present throughout the stories and pulls the reader away from the both the emotional and psychological aspects of the book that make it so good.
This ego is not hidden in any shape or form, yet acknowledged openly and even attempted to be justified:
“Every surgeon has an ego; otherwise, we’d never pick up a scalpel blade. Ego wins marathons, builds successful businesses, sends people to the moon and writes this book”
While I know plenty of veterinarians and many specialists who are top of their field and most of whom are amazing from putting their ego ASIDE and acknowledging their mistakes just as much as their triumphs to becoming a better veterinarian.
The sensitivity of Noel in the book is also a double-edged sword. On one side his care and devotion to animals and the relationships they form with their owners can be incredibly touching (yet sometimes overbearing). On the other side, Noel often hits out at others when his work becomes criticized or dismissed as experimental. His defensiveness is frequent and often a sense of a hurt ego once again comes into play and even hits out at other GP and specialist vets for not referring him sooner or considering him an option.
I felt the medical procedures and treatments were expertly written and often got drawn into the narrative by the thought processes and if a treatment plan worked, when it didn’t work and how the owner and Noel worked together to treat a disease - it really made you cheer for when a dog finally came through the other side. However, the egotistical and often fictional writing pulled you out. Even constructing three different ending scenarios to one of his cases which made me question how much of the rest of the stories were also supplemented with additional fiction to expand the background.
Towards the end of the book, I was cheering less for Noel, and more towards the veterinary industry in general. Thank you to all the vets that look after our animals.
While Noel is very clearly brilliant in his field and has published many papers and advanced new surgical tools in veterinary medicine, an over inflated ego is frequently present throughout the stories and pulls the reader away from the both the emotional and psychological aspects of the book that make it so good.
This ego is not hidden in any shape or form, yet acknowledged openly and even attempted to be justified:
“Every surgeon has an ego; otherwise, we’d never pick up a scalpel blade. Ego wins marathons, builds successful businesses, sends people to the moon and writes this book”
While I know plenty of veterinarians and many specialists who are top of their field and most of whom are amazing from putting their ego ASIDE and acknowledging their mistakes just as much as their triumphs to becoming a better veterinarian.
The sensitivity of Noel in the book is also a double-edged sword. On one side his care and devotion to animals and the relationships they form with their owners can be incredibly touching (yet sometimes overbearing). On the other side, Noel often hits out at others when his work becomes criticized or dismissed as experimental. His defensiveness is frequent and often a sense of a hurt ego once again comes into play and even hits out at other GP and specialist vets for not referring him sooner or considering him an option.
I felt the medical procedures and treatments were expertly written and often got drawn into the narrative by the thought processes and if a treatment plan worked, when it didn’t work and how the owner and Noel worked together to treat a disease - it really made you cheer for when a dog finally came through the other side. However, the egotistical and often fictional writing pulled you out. Even constructing three different ending scenarios to one of his cases which made me question how much of the rest of the stories were also supplemented with additional fiction to expand the background.
Towards the end of the book, I was cheering less for Noel, and more towards the veterinary industry in general. Thank you to all the vets that look after our animals.
November 25, 2025
This is a difficult one to review because I absolutely loved it. However, I did have some issues with it, so I hovered between 4 and 5 stars. But in the end, I’m giving it 5 stars because I did love reading about the dogs and their people. The individual stories are fabulous.
So this book. It’s an anthology, really, because every dog we meet is a single, complete story, so the book is perfect to keep track of. The chapters are perfect for every dog lover. All of them, bar one story, have a happy ending—and even that one cleverly gave three options for the ending so that we never find out which one was true, though I have my suspicions.
Another thing I really liked was that we got some of Noel’s POV regarding his ethics. I’m afraid that going into the book, I was one of those very people who felt that he didn’t always act in the best interests of the animal. I’m personally against using prosthetics on dogs in most cases because of their short longevity and the months of pain and rehabilitation they have to go through. I would rather put an animal to sleep than think of it suffering.
However, Noel puts his point across well. He tells us that he always puts the animal first. He will never operate on a dog he doesn’t think he can save. Or fix an animal, he may fail to give a full and happy life, with the ability to run and play like other animals. I massively respect that. His love and care come across so strongly—too strongly in parts. But I’d rather read about that than an uncaring vet who has become hardened to the job and loses sight of the animal underneath the bleeding.
In this book, he works with rock stars and the royal family. We meet several celebrities under pseudonyms, and some out in the open, all with their animal family needing urgent surgery and care. There are some lovely anecdotes about the late queen. It’s fascinating and every bit as much about the people as the dogs.
What I did struggle with, and almost docked a point for, was the way every dog in every story saved their owner’s life in some way. A rock star went to rehab to save his dog, so they saved each other. And the suicidal man whose dog’s love and dependence brought him down from the cliff.
The repetition of love, love, love, got a bit sickly two-thirds of the way into the book. And every single story was a runaway success. I’m sure for every one that worked beautifully, there was another that didn’t fare so well, but this book wasn’t about those. A good thing these days with so many people being ‘triggered’ by animal books. I’d have liked a more balanced story—but maybe then, this wouldn’t have been the book for overly sensitive people who maybe shouldn’t read a book from a vet’s POV in the first place if they can’t bear it.
Mostly, I adored this book. I told my other half, partway through, that it was the most enjoyable book I’ve read this year. On a particularly long journey, I read excerpts to him. So I stand by it. Despite parts being too sickly sweet and repetitive in the wording, this was my most enjoyed book of 2025.
So this book. It’s an anthology, really, because every dog we meet is a single, complete story, so the book is perfect to keep track of. The chapters are perfect for every dog lover. All of them, bar one story, have a happy ending—and even that one cleverly gave three options for the ending so that we never find out which one was true, though I have my suspicions.
Another thing I really liked was that we got some of Noel’s POV regarding his ethics. I’m afraid that going into the book, I was one of those very people who felt that he didn’t always act in the best interests of the animal. I’m personally against using prosthetics on dogs in most cases because of their short longevity and the months of pain and rehabilitation they have to go through. I would rather put an animal to sleep than think of it suffering.
However, Noel puts his point across well. He tells us that he always puts the animal first. He will never operate on a dog he doesn’t think he can save. Or fix an animal, he may fail to give a full and happy life, with the ability to run and play like other animals. I massively respect that. His love and care come across so strongly—too strongly in parts. But I’d rather read about that than an uncaring vet who has become hardened to the job and loses sight of the animal underneath the bleeding.
In this book, he works with rock stars and the royal family. We meet several celebrities under pseudonyms, and some out in the open, all with their animal family needing urgent surgery and care. There are some lovely anecdotes about the late queen. It’s fascinating and every bit as much about the people as the dogs.
What I did struggle with, and almost docked a point for, was the way every dog in every story saved their owner’s life in some way. A rock star went to rehab to save his dog, so they saved each other. And the suicidal man whose dog’s love and dependence brought him down from the cliff.
The repetition of love, love, love, got a bit sickly two-thirds of the way into the book. And every single story was a runaway success. I’m sure for every one that worked beautifully, there was another that didn’t fare so well, but this book wasn’t about those. A good thing these days with so many people being ‘triggered’ by animal books. I’d have liked a more balanced story—but maybe then, this wouldn’t have been the book for overly sensitive people who maybe shouldn’t read a book from a vet’s POV in the first place if they can’t bear it.
Mostly, I adored this book. I told my other half, partway through, that it was the most enjoyable book I’ve read this year. On a particularly long journey, I read excerpts to him. So I stand by it. Despite parts being too sickly sweet and repetitive in the wording, this was my most enjoyed book of 2025.
March 18, 2025
Dogs and Their Humans" by Noel Fitzpatrick is a heartfelt and emotional exploration of the bond between dogs and their human companions.
A renowned veterinary surgeon known for his work on the British TV show The Supervet, combines his expertise in animal care with a deep understanding of the human-animal connection in this book.
The book is a collection of stories that showcase the incredible relationships between dogs and their owners. Noel tells personal stories of how dogs have changed the lives of those around them, highlighting not just the scientific and medical aspects of his work, but also the emotional impact that dogs have on people.
His insights go beyond the typical veterinary perspective, delving into the psychological, emotional, and even spiritual connections that dogs share with humans. The stories in the book are touching and inspiring, emphasizing themes of love, loyalty, and the sometimes life-changing ways dogs can support and uplift their owners.
Noel also reflects on the role of veterinary medicine in improving the quality of life for dogs, often pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in terms of medical treatment and surgery. His passion for his work is evident, and the book conveys his genuine affection for the animals he cares for.
This is an inspiring read for anyone who loves dogs or has a deep appreciation for the unique bond between pets and their owners. It’s a celebration of the loyalty, love, and companionship that dogs provide, along with a glimpse into the world of veterinary science through Fitzpatrick’s eyes. The book is both heartwarming and informative, making it a great read for animal lovers and those interested in the human-animal relationship.
Rating: 5 💫 💫💫💫💫
A renowned veterinary surgeon known for his work on the British TV show The Supervet, combines his expertise in animal care with a deep understanding of the human-animal connection in this book.
The book is a collection of stories that showcase the incredible relationships between dogs and their owners. Noel tells personal stories of how dogs have changed the lives of those around them, highlighting not just the scientific and medical aspects of his work, but also the emotional impact that dogs have on people.
His insights go beyond the typical veterinary perspective, delving into the psychological, emotional, and even spiritual connections that dogs share with humans. The stories in the book are touching and inspiring, emphasizing themes of love, loyalty, and the sometimes life-changing ways dogs can support and uplift their owners.
Noel also reflects on the role of veterinary medicine in improving the quality of life for dogs, often pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in terms of medical treatment and surgery. His passion for his work is evident, and the book conveys his genuine affection for the animals he cares for.
This is an inspiring read for anyone who loves dogs or has a deep appreciation for the unique bond between pets and their owners. It’s a celebration of the loyalty, love, and companionship that dogs provide, along with a glimpse into the world of veterinary science through Fitzpatrick’s eyes. The book is both heartwarming and informative, making it a great read for animal lovers and those interested in the human-animal relationship.
Rating: 5 💫 💫💫💫💫
December 12, 2024
The reason for this book’s existence is to celebrate our most special of friends, to entertain and to educate and to advocate that we demand one the best-intentioned efforts for the treatment of their ailments in return for the immense love they share with us
This book was above all else, a love letter to dogs and the different they make in our lives. It's written by the star of the UK TV series 'Supervet', a show I've not watched. His writing is simple and optimistic, trying to analyse human and animal nature and packed with details of surgical techniques, and all made a lot more sense after the reveal partway through of the author's autism. He's inspiring in his pioneering of new innovative surgical techniques and his advocacy for 'One Medicine' to bring techniques developed for humans to animals, especially those developed using animal research.
This book was above all else, a love letter to dogs and the different they make in our lives. It's written by the star of the UK TV series 'Supervet', a show I've not watched. His writing is simple and optimistic, trying to analyse human and animal nature and packed with details of surgical techniques, and all made a lot more sense after the reveal partway through of the author's autism. He's inspiring in his pioneering of new innovative surgical techniques and his advocacy for 'One Medicine' to bring techniques developed for humans to animals, especially those developed using animal research.
December 18, 2024
'Ego, money and power can be forces for good or bad, but none of them will lick your face when you're crying.'
For me, this man is up there with other national treasures like David Attenborough.
This new book is the ONLY book to ever make me laugh and cry in the same sitting! And it is probably in my Top 5 favourite reads of all time.
Some of my favourite stories were Captain & Mary 💔; Prince & Craig 🦸♂️; Bob & Dave 🦋😭; Sparkle & Nicola 👸🏼 (who I hope is recovering beautifully!).
Loved every word whilst making the most of my own furry snuggles 🐶 with my four-legged little man, who is peacefully snoring next to me. 🩵
For me, this man is up there with other national treasures like David Attenborough.
This new book is the ONLY book to ever make me laugh and cry in the same sitting! And it is probably in my Top 5 favourite reads of all time.
Some of my favourite stories were Captain & Mary 💔; Prince & Craig 🦸♂️; Bob & Dave 🦋😭; Sparkle & Nicola 👸🏼 (who I hope is recovering beautifully!).
Loved every word whilst making the most of my own furry snuggles 🐶 with my four-legged little man, who is peacefully snoring next to me. 🩵
May 11, 2025
I grew up watching The Supervet and have always admired him so much, but this book just sheds a different light on him.
Hearing about him getting so attached and personal with his stories makes him feel so much realer, and the heartbreak that he's gone through coupled with the amount of animals he's saved makes him so admirable!!!!
I absolutely loved learning more about his animal practice, and every single story tore at my heartstrings!!! I will never ever forget this book...
Hearing about him getting so attached and personal with his stories makes him feel so much realer, and the heartbreak that he's gone through coupled with the amount of animals he's saved makes him so admirable!!!!
I absolutely loved learning more about his animal practice, and every single story tore at my heartstrings!!! I will never ever forget this book...
July 27, 2025
I dipped in and out of Noel's memoir over a couple of weeks. It is both uplifting and sad as he recounts his experiences with both dogs and their families, as they face challenging decisions on the way forward for their beloved canine friends.
Along the way he shares his own life's highs and lows, of which there are many. He has also faced criticism, but continues to follow the path of his heart.
I laughed and I cried, and will recommend this book to my animal loving friends.
Along the way he shares his own life's highs and lows, of which there are many. He has also faced criticism, but continues to follow the path of his heart.
I laughed and I cried, and will recommend this book to my animal loving friends.
October 5, 2025
Good stand alone chapters looking at different dogs and how their ailments were fixed.
A degree of arrogance from the author, the telling of only positive stories (which I can only assume if not representative of veterinary practice), as well as the lengths that were gone to to decribe his communication skills seemed highly unrealistic and distracted a bit from the excellent way the dogs characters were described.
A degree of arrogance from the author, the telling of only positive stories (which I can only assume if not representative of veterinary practice), as well as the lengths that were gone to to decribe his communication skills seemed highly unrealistic and distracted a bit from the excellent way the dogs characters were described.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2025
Engrossing tales of a vet healing dogs through love and innovative care. I was totally engrossed in the beautiful stories, which depict not only innovative veterinary treatments, but also the deep, transformative, and loving bonds between the dogs and their people. I appreciated the reflections on the need for bridges between human and veterinary medicine as well.
December 11, 2024
I am not an overly emotional person, but this book had me in tears! It’s true what he says; pets are our best friends and hearing the stories of each pup and their hoomans was heartbreaking and heartwarming. A great read if you don’t mind a few years along the way.
December 31, 2024
Such amazing love of saving dogs and humans
January 8, 2025
Just beautiful 😍
January 15, 2025
Well written a great understanding of Dogs and there Humans!
March 18, 2025
I would have read this book for no other reason than Chapter 16 but it had the bonus of being a beautiful book throughout!
March 31, 2025
I love the Supervet and this book was another great read.
Chapters were based around different dogs and their humans, stories of how Noel has helped each case and listened to their connection between dog and owner.
A lovely heartwarming read. I think the Supervet is a genius personally, so always watch his TV shows and love all of his books. He's such a down to earth person and there's many hundreds and thousands of families he has helped, and I think he's an inspiration.
Chapters were based around different dogs and their humans, stories of how Noel has helped each case and listened to their connection between dog and owner.
A lovely heartwarming read. I think the Supervet is a genius personally, so always watch his TV shows and love all of his books. He's such a down to earth person and there's many hundreds and thousands of families he has helped, and I think he's an inspiration.
April 23, 2025
sad stories, happy stories, overall a great read
May 13, 2025
Cried a lot
May 19, 2025
Cried every chapter. Beautiful book
July 30, 2025
Enjoyed the first half when dogs revealed so much about their owners. Funny and relaxing.
September 25, 2025
Lovely heartwarming stories. Brought a lump to my throat a few times. Great book recommended.
October 5, 2025
made me laugh out loud at the start and cry at the end. wonderful
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews