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Call the Vet: Farmers, Dramas and Disasters – My First Year as a Country Vet
When fresh-faced, newly qualified vet Anna arrives in the seemingly sleepy Dorset village of Ebbourne, little does she know that this tiny rural community is about to change her life …
Straight in at the deep end, Anna faces two tricky calvings, an emergency call-out to a frightened mare, lots of mad cats (and mad cat women) and one enormous dog with an injured leg and a threatening bark. Spirited and determined, Anna quickly finds her feet and falls in love with rural life, including Ebbourne’s eccentric characters and their animals.
Disasters, dramas, farmers and friendship – and not to mention a whirlwind romance with a local Wildlife Trust worker – this warm and witty memoir offers a window into what working with animals and country life is really all about.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 24, 2014
16 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Anna Birch
4 books23 followersLibrarian note:
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There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name
For the Author of I Kissed Alice, please go to her Goodreads Author profile here
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 20, 2015
This really deserves three and a half stars. It was a fun read, albeit a bit gory in parts (in a vetty sort of way), but I read it fast, which means it was pretty compulsive reading.
The author conveys very well the pressures of being a newbie vet in the country,doing things like checking herds of cattle for pregnancy, or more sadly, TB; or helping cows give birth. Real strength and stamina is obviously needed, and often these things have to be done out in the open, in harsh weather.
It was a very honest account. The author talks about her shortcomings - like her failure in trying to train her rather crazy dog Rocket, or her fear of horses, just as much as she discusses her triumphs.
I think this would be an excellent book for people to read who are thinking of training as vets. It seems to gave an authentic picture of what it is like to work in a rural village veterinary practice. It's also a good book for couch potato animal lovers like myself :O)
The author conveys very well the pressures of being a newbie vet in the country,doing things like checking herds of cattle for pregnancy, or more sadly, TB; or helping cows give birth. Real strength and stamina is obviously needed, and often these things have to be done out in the open, in harsh weather.
It was a very honest account. The author talks about her shortcomings - like her failure in trying to train her rather crazy dog Rocket, or her fear of horses, just as much as she discusses her triumphs.
I think this would be an excellent book for people to read who are thinking of training as vets. It seems to gave an authentic picture of what it is like to work in a rural village veterinary practice. It's also a good book for couch potato animal lovers like myself :O)
March 19, 2018
Loved this. So easy to read, so relatable and so funny!
Anna finds herself in a small surgery in the country, dealing with an assortment of large and small animals. I adore memoirs about vets treating animals and seeing how wonderful they are. Her colleagues as well as her partner are all supportive and amusing in their own way, and I found her truthful thoughts and worries about finally being a vet refreshing and honest.
Anna finds herself in a small surgery in the country, dealing with an assortment of large and small animals. I adore memoirs about vets treating animals and seeing how wonderful they are. Her colleagues as well as her partner are all supportive and amusing in their own way, and I found her truthful thoughts and worries about finally being a vet refreshing and honest.
June 16, 2022
I loved farm life when I was young and would go to my grandfather's chicken farm and spend weeks during the summer. And I love animals, especially farm animals since they hold special memories in my heart. We had Elsie the cow (plus others but believe it or not my mother's legal name was Elsie lol, so that held a special place in my heart), pigs we had to slop, baby chickens and I mean thousands of them, wild rabbits, a pet peacock (mine), and more. So this story really resonated with me and I thought it was super cute. I enjoyed following Anna's journey through her vet training all the way to how she helped in various situations. A quick, fun read for me.
September 2, 2014
[Thanks must first and foremost go to the kind people at Random House/Ebury for providing me with an ARC - it cost me no monies, but I'm going to complain anyway.]
When I was 9, we took The Cat of the time to see our local vet, Mr Gilbert. Unlike these modern times full of trendy young things with whom I am on first name bases, Mr Gilbert could only ever be known as Mister Gilbert. I don't know how old he was exactly, but it was probably at least 192 because after he'd finished sticking pointy things into The Cat, he suggested I - who had been stroking her head and reassuring her in the manner of a 9-year-old who recognises this creature is the closest she's going to get to a pony - would make an excellent veterinary nurse. Hopefully he died soon afterwards and was spared the influx of wimmins into his profession, wimmins who were actual vets with actual qualifications and the actual ability to get really intimate with a cow.
Interestingly, a few years earlier than that, Anna Birch was told by her school that she wouldn't be be study the sciences because, as an all girl school, they didn't offer them. Happily, some years later, encouraged by her then boyfriend, Birch attended vet school as a mature student, qualified, and landed her first job in a small town in Dorset near the coastal town of Bridport. Bridport is where Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall hangs out. I've never been, but I'm convinced they eat cous cous there.
Initially, I didn't think much of Call The Vet. I was inevitably going to make comparisons with the master, James Herriot - indeed, the book does itself - and the first chapter felt tremendously derivative. I'm not a vet and have no first hand experience of the correct response to a cow with a prolapsed uterus (although I can tell you what mine would be) but it all feels very familiar: large organ to be fed through a small hole, doubt, fear, even the trick with the wine bottle *crosses legs*.
From there, I did find myself warming to it. It's less focused on the animal stories than James Herriot is, sometimes to its detriment. I'm not the greatest carer-about of romance anyway and Call The Vet spends too much time for my taste chronicling Birch's relationship - yay for her and everything, but I didn't find it terribly interesting. I'm here for the anal glands.
Overall, it's not quite there. It doesn't do any of the things I'd hoped for with enough aplomb. It's not funny enough - although there's material, it's only written with an adequate comic hand. It's not interesting enough - while I did learn something, my impression is of more time spent on Birch's dog and her own feelings of inadequacy. It lack cohesion - the introductory language to Birch's colleagues is used two chapters in a row; the "it wasn't like this for James Herriot" sentiment is used more than once. Frustratingly, there are the glimmers of something more - following a disastrous/cringingly funny moment with an under-anaesthetised dog (which is criminally underwritten), Birch is told by the office colleague she roped in as assistant "I was scared and you were stupid", but this never extends into self-awareness. The "characters" left little impression on me.
While there are certainly worse ways to spend an afternoon than lying in a postdrome stupor reading this book while Wren licks your feet, I'm not really seeing anything here to recommend it particularly. If you want a "my first year as a vet" book, this is just about "fine".
2.5 stars.
When I was 9, we took The Cat of the time to see our local vet, Mr Gilbert. Unlike these modern times full of trendy young things with whom I am on first name bases, Mr Gilbert could only ever be known as Mister Gilbert. I don't know how old he was exactly, but it was probably at least 192 because after he'd finished sticking pointy things into The Cat, he suggested I - who had been stroking her head and reassuring her in the manner of a 9-year-old who recognises this creature is the closest she's going to get to a pony - would make an excellent veterinary nurse. Hopefully he died soon afterwards and was spared the influx of wimmins into his profession, wimmins who were actual vets with actual qualifications and the actual ability to get really intimate with a cow.
Interestingly, a few years earlier than that, Anna Birch was told by her school that she wouldn't be be study the sciences because, as an all girl school, they didn't offer them. Happily, some years later, encouraged by her then boyfriend, Birch attended vet school as a mature student, qualified, and landed her first job in a small town in Dorset near the coastal town of Bridport. Bridport is where Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall hangs out. I've never been, but I'm convinced they eat cous cous there.
Initially, I didn't think much of Call The Vet. I was inevitably going to make comparisons with the master, James Herriot - indeed, the book does itself - and the first chapter felt tremendously derivative. I'm not a vet and have no first hand experience of the correct response to a cow with a prolapsed uterus (although I can tell you what mine would be) but it all feels very familiar: large organ to be fed through a small hole, doubt, fear, even the trick with the wine bottle *crosses legs*.
From there, I did find myself warming to it. It's less focused on the animal stories than James Herriot is, sometimes to its detriment. I'm not the greatest carer-about of romance anyway and Call The Vet spends too much time for my taste chronicling Birch's relationship - yay for her and everything, but I didn't find it terribly interesting. I'm here for the anal glands.
Overall, it's not quite there. It doesn't do any of the things I'd hoped for with enough aplomb. It's not funny enough - although there's material, it's only written with an adequate comic hand. It's not interesting enough - while I did learn something, my impression is of more time spent on Birch's dog and her own feelings of inadequacy. It lack cohesion - the introductory language to Birch's colleagues is used two chapters in a row; the "it wasn't like this for James Herriot" sentiment is used more than once. Frustratingly, there are the glimmers of something more - following a disastrous/cringingly funny moment with an under-anaesthetised dog (which is criminally underwritten), Birch is told by the office colleague she roped in as assistant "I was scared and you were stupid", but this never extends into self-awareness. The "characters" left little impression on me.
While there are certainly worse ways to spend an afternoon than lying in a postdrome stupor reading this book while Wren licks your feet, I'm not really seeing anything here to recommend it particularly. If you want a "my first year as a vet" book, this is just about "fine".
2.5 stars.
November 1, 2014
Being a veterinary nurse (Vet tech to you yanks!) means I am instantly drawn to books like this. I usually find the familiar stories comforting and humors - constantly nodding my head and thinking of similar situations I've been in.
Call the vet is an easy read. Something to easily put down and pick up again while drinking coffee or just catching a few mins to relax.
I loved the parts where she was actually on the job but I found the parts about her budding romance a little tedious to be honest.
I want to read about calvings and de-hornings and sick dogs not the author making goo goo eyes at the local fella she fancies
Call the vet is mildly entertaining but ultimately, forgettable
Call the vet is an easy read. Something to easily put down and pick up again while drinking coffee or just catching a few mins to relax.
I loved the parts where she was actually on the job but I found the parts about her budding romance a little tedious to be honest.
I want to read about calvings and de-hornings and sick dogs not the author making goo goo eyes at the local fella she fancies
Call the vet is mildly entertaining but ultimately, forgettable
March 23, 2018
I always enjoy books of this type and this one is certainly one of the best, or indeed the best. Easy, effortless reading with a good mix of happy and sad.
September 6, 2014
This memoir is not for the dainty or squeamish, as we get mud, blood and other substances on almost every page. Yes, it's a real country vet tale, with warm-hearted people and larger than life animals. The lady vet came to study late as she was discouraged in school, having to take needlework and home economics, but when in university a course change made sense.
We see the antisocial side of the work, being constantly on call and out at night in muddy fields. There is a high suicide rate among vets, we are told. Pressure, lack of sleep, being unable to give in to wanderlust and any failures with animal patients combine to make this a tough life.
Certainly readable and occasionally funny, this earthy book set in Devon, rural England, with an interesting aside in Africa, should be read by prospective vet students.
We see the antisocial side of the work, being constantly on call and out at night in muddy fields. There is a high suicide rate among vets, we are told. Pressure, lack of sleep, being unable to give in to wanderlust and any failures with animal patients combine to make this a tough life.
Certainly readable and occasionally funny, this earthy book set in Devon, rural England, with an interesting aside in Africa, should be read by prospective vet students.
March 21, 2018
A funny and sometimes sad look at what life for a bet was like in the late 1990s. I really enjoyed the stories and how she made mistakes. The way it was written really drew you in and I found myself laughing and feeling very sympathetic when she had to put animals to sleep. Very interesting with all of the vet stuff in but written so you can understand it.
October 19, 2020
In my ongoing search for things to read during this election year/Covid 19 experience, I considered books from my childhood that I read with my grandma. She loved James Herriot and gave me his books, once she was done with them. She had a real soft spot for heartwarming animal stories.
This book was on the shelf at my local used book store, and it was just right for a bedtime read.
This book was on the shelf at my local used book store, and it was just right for a bedtime read.
January 8, 2022
It was a good read but I won't read it again. It was interesting but overall I would give it 3.5 stars. What bugs me the most is one of the stories I was interested in never resolves. About Mrs.Smethwick and her kitten. It leads up and never tells us what happens, which I suppose could be very like real-life. But I was disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2020
Really enjoyed this book brilliant read a must for readers of the Yorkshire Vet.
November 4, 2020
Excellent, very enjoyable
I loved each character, human and critter. Very well written and a love story as well the encounters of a veterinarian
I loved each character, human and critter. Very well written and a love story as well the encounters of a veterinarian
May 6, 2018
check out full review mariesbookboutique.wordpress.com/2018...
I adore the countryside seen that's on the cover of this book. With its sweeping fields all partitioned by hedged and gates to get in and out. Some fields have cows and some have sheep in them, grazing on the green grass. A couple which looks like a farmer and a vet; carrying her vet bag, both wearing Wellington boots! Two Labrador dogs; one laying down beside the farmer and the other standing beside the vet. A tree branch covered in leafs creeps in just above the title; which looks like its been written by hand giving off a very personal touch. The author's name is in black and situated at the bottom of the cover.
when I won this book, I was very excited to read, because I suppose I class myself as a bit of a country bumpkin (but in a different part of the UK) I also am a pretty big animal lover(all animals except big spiders!!!!), my father was a Sheppard when I was little so I know a bit about sheep! It would also be nice to learn about the life of a vet just starting out.
Call the Vet spans across a whole year and split up into seasons. The reader follows Anna's experiences as she trains to be a vet through to her getting her first vet job in the Dorset countryside. In this time the reader will clearly see Anna's shear determination in what ever she is face with, giving everything a go even when she sometimes felt that she couldn't. Throwing her self in her work to give a good impression to her new boss. I really love that about her and think it's a pretty important quality to have as a vet!!!!!!!
The book show's the very long hours vet's in general work, the varied in animals they deal with and shows the inner workings of a small country vet's. I will however warn you, if you are a bit squeamish , because there are bits of operations and other bits which are described in detail. It didn't bother me however, its real life. This book also shows how sad it can be dealing with client's and there much-loved pet's when it comes to saying good-bye to them.
There were quite a few comical bit's throughout the book as you can imagine; which made me giggle out loud (Sorry Anna to laugh at you miss fortune!!!!!) I adored Anna's wonderful description of the Dorset countryside, I really feel like I've been there my self! I really think that this book would really suit anyone thinking or training to be a vet because not only would they get a glimpse into the vetting world but the would learn, technical vet terms and procedures; which I feel would really benefit them. Of course I liked the romance which blossoms between Anna and a certain guy!
All in all I enjoyed reading Anna's memoir of her time training to becoming a vet. I found the whole thing quite interesting to read!
I adore the countryside seen that's on the cover of this book. With its sweeping fields all partitioned by hedged and gates to get in and out. Some fields have cows and some have sheep in them, grazing on the green grass. A couple which looks like a farmer and a vet; carrying her vet bag, both wearing Wellington boots! Two Labrador dogs; one laying down beside the farmer and the other standing beside the vet. A tree branch covered in leafs creeps in just above the title; which looks like its been written by hand giving off a very personal touch. The author's name is in black and situated at the bottom of the cover.
when I won this book, I was very excited to read, because I suppose I class myself as a bit of a country bumpkin (but in a different part of the UK) I also am a pretty big animal lover(all animals except big spiders!!!!), my father was a Sheppard when I was little so I know a bit about sheep! It would also be nice to learn about the life of a vet just starting out.
Call the Vet spans across a whole year and split up into seasons. The reader follows Anna's experiences as she trains to be a vet through to her getting her first vet job in the Dorset countryside. In this time the reader will clearly see Anna's shear determination in what ever she is face with, giving everything a go even when she sometimes felt that she couldn't. Throwing her self in her work to give a good impression to her new boss. I really love that about her and think it's a pretty important quality to have as a vet!!!!!!!
The book show's the very long hours vet's in general work, the varied in animals they deal with and shows the inner workings of a small country vet's. I will however warn you, if you are a bit squeamish , because there are bits of operations and other bits which are described in detail. It didn't bother me however, its real life. This book also shows how sad it can be dealing with client's and there much-loved pet's when it comes to saying good-bye to them.
There were quite a few comical bit's throughout the book as you can imagine; which made me giggle out loud (Sorry Anna to laugh at you miss fortune!!!!!) I adored Anna's wonderful description of the Dorset countryside, I really feel like I've been there my self! I really think that this book would really suit anyone thinking or training to be a vet because not only would they get a glimpse into the vetting world but the would learn, technical vet terms and procedures; which I feel would really benefit them. Of course I liked the romance which blossoms between Anna and a certain guy!
All in all I enjoyed reading Anna's memoir of her time training to becoming a vet. I found the whole thing quite interesting to read!
June 26, 2014
I seem to be going through a phase of reading books/memoirs written by professionals about their career's; midwives; nurses and now vets! Anna Birch fits into this category, a vet and farmer's wife, who has written a book about her first year as a qualified vet, moving to a new area and hitting the ground running working in a busy vet's surgery where clients are both domestic and farm animals. It is based in Dorset, a picturesque location full of animals whose exploits are included within this book.
Although the book is a memoir of her first year as a qualified vet it reads as a novel - although written in the first person. I really like this style of writing. The book is a great read and includes lots of veterinary work, but this does not over power the book as it is well balanced with day to day life and Anna's struggle to be accepted by the farmers as a female vet as capable as the old hands she is working alongside. There were times of sadness throughout the book but this was well balanced with humour and joy of daily life.
I am hoping that this is the first book in a new series of books as I want to read more about Anna's life. I am sure that comparisons will be made to James Herriott's veterinary memoirs but this one more than stands strong against it.
Although the book is a memoir of her first year as a qualified vet it reads as a novel - although written in the first person. I really like this style of writing. The book is a great read and includes lots of veterinary work, but this does not over power the book as it is well balanced with day to day life and Anna's struggle to be accepted by the farmers as a female vet as capable as the old hands she is working alongside. There were times of sadness throughout the book but this was well balanced with humour and joy of daily life.
I am hoping that this is the first book in a new series of books as I want to read more about Anna's life. I am sure that comparisons will be made to James Herriott's veterinary memoirs but this one more than stands strong against it.
July 21, 2014
A lovely read about Anna's first year in veterinary practice in a lovely spot in Dorset. She is very nervous when one of her early encounters ends in disaster. She slowly gets used to the people and the work and regularly keeps in touch with the others she trained with who are dotted about the globe. She decides to visit one friend in Ethiopia to help with the programme they are running there and enjoys her time out there.
She meets the local ranger and enjoys getting to know him. She worries that he is cooling when she plans her trip to Ethiopia.
I really enjoyed this book supplied through Net Galley.
She meets the local ranger and enjoys getting to know him. She worries that he is cooling when she plans her trip to Ethiopia.
I really enjoyed this book supplied through Net Galley.
August 8, 2015
This was fun to read, not as good as James Herriot but kept me reading to the small hours. I found the details regarding the treatments very interesting and I had a loud laugh at the beginning of the book when the partners is driving the new vet around the district, he points out some cows and she comes back with "sheep". You can just follow his train of though - a really funny moment. You have to read it to find out the rest of it! I did enjoy this book and will look forward to the next one, which I hope will be soon.
This was book was supplied to me in return for a honest and unbiased review.
This was book was supplied to me in return for a honest and unbiased review.
January 9, 2016
I really enjoyed this memoir of Anna's first year as a vet. The book felt like a fictional story and when I got to the end I almost wanted it to continue. It had a lovely heartwarming, tender side to the story against the harsh reality of a rural vets life with tragedies that were too often inevitable. I loved that Anna chose a rural vet practice and that we saw larger farm animals as well as smaller domesticated animals. Bless her Anna had some wonderful tales and I wonder if her friend ever mentioned the items left in the car?!
A lovely insight into an idyllic and varied life.
A lovely insight into an idyllic and varied life.
July 13, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the description of the local area and the way the book was written. The story flowed very well and was easy to read. The descriptions of the veterinary treatments were not overly detailed but we're at the right level. It was nice to have the personal detail along side the practical side of the job.
November 21, 2014
I love books like this but for some reason this one didn't blow me away. A fun easy read to pass the time during on a wet Sunday afternoon.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews