Once Bitten

by Nick Marsh

When Alan Reece qualified as a veterinary surgeon at the dawn of the new millennium, he had a plan: save the world, one animal at a time.

Of course, no plan survives contact with the enemy, and Alan soon discovers he has far more enemies than he was expecting – aside from vicious pets, difficult owners, surly farmers, and children from hell, he finds himself working with an unhinged and jealous surgeon who makes it his personal mission ruin Alan's life.

Battling long hours, life and death decisions, tragic cases, a complaint from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and an unexpected love triangle, Alan’s hopes of saving the world are quickly replaced with a simple question: Can he even last a year in practice?

Once Bitten… is the story of a young vet’s first few months in practice, and how they changed his life forever.

Genres: Fiction

ebook

About the author

Nick was born in the sunny vale of Manchester, in North-West England, back when everyone else was busy wearing flared trousers and purple shirts. He has continued to be out of step with fashion ever since.

Thanks to a certain ‘Mr Herriot’ Nick’s childhood ambition was to become a veterinary surgeon, an ambition that was only strengthened after a soul-scarring week working in the Coronation Street Shop at Granada Studios tour for his school work experience. He still sometimes wakes at night screaming about a shelf full of Vera Duckworth mugs smashing, and to this day the sound of the Beach Boys (which was, for some reason, played in the shop on a 24-hour loop) brings him out in a cold sweat.

Several years later, after five years at Bristol University (during which time he was promoted from a lowly ‘one-pint wonder’ to an impressive ‘three-pint wonder), Nick found himself out in the real world, qualified as a vet.

Soul Purpose and Past Tense were written as a response to his first few years at the sharp end of veterinary life. He now works as a small animal vet in Plymouth, and is feeling much better, thank you. If he ever wonders whether he is in the right job, he hums the first few bars of ‘I get around’ to himself, and knows that things could have been much, much worse.

Reviews

[Tish · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF - what I read of this I did find enjoyable but when I originally started to read it I thought it was a factual book not the writings of fiction and once I learned that I just lost interest in finishing which is a shame really when the author is a ex vet, he could have wrote a book about his real experiences rather than the work of fiction written in a realistic diary entry way.

[Jane Caruana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into a junior vet's life - I would like to see a sequel :)

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was fine. i definitely learnt quite a bit about being a new vet but it kinda felt like someone in secondary school had written it and when i realised the actual stories were fictional (after a certain animal in a microwave scene) it made the book a bit less interesting. but the author is an ex vet so the experiences seem to have some sort of truth to them

[Claire Quigley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel this book didn't quite live up to the exciting blurb. It's more a selection of stories separated into chapters loosely linked by a common theme. The stories are humorous enough and generally concise so 3 stars.

[Zara Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, I cried at a couple of entries and laughed at others. A real shame that it was all made up as that stick with me whilst reading it. Unlike the Herriot books which were from actual events, I couldn’t help feeling a little let down.

[Melanie Rowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book!

Great writing and you feel at home with him and his clients and their pets. hope he writes a hundred more. So nice to find a book you hate to have end. Cannot wait to find the next book.

[Lynne maluszycki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witty

Interesting insight into the life of a young vet. I wouldn't get this book mixed up with any James Herriot books but still a witty read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was definitely relatable since I'm a LVT; I can/could relate to his story.

[Pea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it!

Funny,informative and insightful - loved every page and was gutted when it was over. I giggled and teared up reading this,a highly recommend read for animal lovers :)

[Sarah Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book it's funny in places sad in others, if you like animal or vet stories then you will love this.

[Perciovici Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

As a new grad student, I really enjoyed it.
I encourage everyone related to the field to read it.
Awesome.

[joan caryl jewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read!

Not quite James Herriot but a very enjoyable read just the same.
I would have given 5 stars were it not for the very abrupt ending!!!

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is it like to be a shiny new veterinarian? This book breathes life into the awkwardness, beauty, and fear that come along with the first formative years of an animal doctors career.

Like a foal first trying to get its spindly legs steady underneath it, this story will resonate with anyone who is finally making their dreams come true, when you are not sure the experience can live up to all the hopes you've built up over the years. Many of us can relate to worrying and wondering if we can be good enough, and the soaring highs and crushing lows that come along with figuring out what we are really made of.

As a veterinarian myself - while I can thankfully say I've never encountered or even heard about ANTYHING like a particularly gruesome incident in one chapter of the book - the spirit of the book was one I could have used during my first few years and would have helped me know that there were other people out there going through what I was going through.

Be careful, this book will suck you in. I intended to sit down and read "just a couple chapters" (I had read it in full before as a draft) I couldn't stop myself from reading the whole thing all over again in just one sitting.

Have purchased many to give to all the young and new graduate veterinarians I know. Must read for anyone thinking about pursuing this path.

[Lauryn Kavanagh-Coombes · Rating 4 out of 5]

In short, this book gave me exactly what I needed. As someone at the beginning of a career in the veterinary world, it was so refreshing to read about the realistic side of the industry, not simply fairy tales of superhero vets and happy endings all round. The nerves, the constant over-thinking, the mistakes, and of course, the occasional good days. I can imagine that this book is just as wonderful to read if you're someone who is just a big fan of a good old vet story, but from my point of view, it was an enjoyable and vitally reassuring read. We all get things wrong, but that's okay, because we'll learn from them and use them to grow. Not quite as sophisticated a writing style as James Herriot, whom every vet book seems to have to be compared to, but a thoroughly enjoyable little read. I was, however, reassured to learn that this book is a work of fiction, considering one particular tale involving a guinea pig and a microwave...

[Crystal Leas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales of a young vet

I recently started volunteering at a local kitten rescue shelter so this book held my interest. A few of the author's stories were clearly relatable. Best advise given, never buy an animal, rescue one from a shelter.

[David Stimpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well ,, He isn't James Herriot .. OK Stories ..

[Susan E Nordstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

New Veterinarian

Interesting look at young man entering the real world of his profession and the difference between his preconceived view of being a vet and the reality thereof