I have no idea of podcasting - in fact, I’m ‘just’ a vet.
What I do every day is look after animals, particularly dogs and cats, and sometimes rabbits and other species that happen to be brought to the surgery where I work.
Perhaps that’s the problem: people see us as just vets, but we are much more than that.
My old friend Luca helped me with the first episode of many more to come. After recording and editing it, I realised the many mistakes I made. I hope listeners will forgive my inexperience in podcasting and appreciate how the newer episodes look a little more professional.
In this first episode, Luca told me about how it was when he first moved to the UK and I met him for the first time, why he works as a locum now and how he got there, but he tells me a lot more: about his family, his struggles, his younger self, and his hobbies… things that you wouldn’t expect from a ‘just a vet’.
My second episode featured Laura, a vet who works in Derbyshire, telling us about how she will get a break from her Lead-vet career to explore the world, and hopefully, break a world record. Laura explained how this new adventure has grown to be a very important part of her life in the last few years, and how her passion for tandem biking started to diversify her off-work interests into running and even podcasting!
Kate, my third guest, is a veterinary surgeon who works in Yorkshire where she grew up, her main passions are running long distances, cycling and she is planning to complete an Iron-Man. In this episode, she talks about the first time she had to perform euthanasia as a new graduate, her time in India and controversial issues such as the importation of dogs with cropped ears.
In the fourth episode, I talked to Chris, who talked about his journey through education and how he went to Slovakia to obtain his veterinary qualification. Chris discussed his passion for surgery when at work and how he plans to become a veterinary specialist, but he also talks about his incredible non-vet related interests: blogging, travelling, reading and… flying!
Elliott was my fifth guest. He is a vet who works in East Anglia and he told me about the highs and lows of working as a zoo vet and developing his own mobile vet business. In the podcast episode, he talks about his other passion as a photographer and we discuss his hobby as a falconer.
A very interesting guest was Pip, who only graduated in 2019, and with that in mind, she had to power through Covid very early in her career. In her episode, she talks about abortion in humans, buses in Manchester, dyspraxia, LGBT and writing about music. You will see for yourself, that she’s definitely more than just a vet!
Carla is a veterinary nurse of Spanish origin who came up with the idea of the district veterinary nurse. In her episode, she takes us through her life from childhood to district nurse campaigning, and she discusses the benefits this job role would bring to both the profession and our patients. Oh! And she talks about sharks!
Claire, my eighth guest, is the co-founder of the BVCIS (British Veterinary Chronic Illness Support), and in this interesting episode, she talks about her journey to a difficult diagnosis and how it inspired her to share what she learnt about people with additional challenges in the veterinary profession. ‘There is a subcommunity for whom needing to finish work on time is the difference between not having to go home and choose whether you have a shower or whether to cook dinner … rather than being so exhausted that you have to choose between the two.’ Oh! and we talk about cheese, wine, duck, and tango.
The 2021 season finished on a high with Cat (Cat the Vet) - the social media guru veterinary surgeon who has expanded her brilliant advice beyond the consultation room’s boundaries. Online consultations might have been highlighted during the pandemic, but Cat has been at the forefront of the online world from the very beginning. Listen to her talking about how she started 'Cat the Vet’, how she deals with online bullies and trolls, and how her online and TV presence shaped her understanding of the online veterinary world.
If you made it this far, I’m sure I have tickled your curiosity. More than just a vet podcast seeks to explore the humanity of veterinary professionals, and to show everyone, not just vets, what the lives, struggles and passions of veterinary professionals are. For animal owners, I hope this tool will help them acknowledge that our faults and mistakes are human. For veterinary professionals, I hope it will make them feel that they are not alone
More than just a vet podcast has already started recording for the next season. Feel free to subscribe via email or any of the major podcast platforms including Apple podcasts, Google podcasts and Spotify. And if you have a review, comment, or your more than just a vet and want to be a guest in the show, go to Morethanjustavet.net/contact
Hasta la próxima!
