22 minute read
THE COUNTRY VET Julian Earl’s
A Memoir in the Life of a COUNTRY VET
A national lockdown recently afforded us a bit of extra time to relax with a cuppa and a biscuit and enjoy Julian Earl’s wonderful, warm and eminently readable memoir of his life as a Lincolnshire country vet. This month we find out more about the author and recommend his excellent two volume story of all creatures great and small, or rather those which grunt and smell…
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Words: Rob Davis.
R EMEMBER JAMES HERRIOT? That halcyon country vet was born in Sunderland, the same as the present Mrs Davis, though she was of a different vintage. James Alfred Wight, upon which the eponymous veterinary surgeon was based, spend much of his time in Thirsk, a period which provided the inspiration for his series.
Unlike those books, though, which were pastoral, perhaps a bit watery, Lincolnshire vet Julian Earl’s two-part memoir is different; rather more light-hearted, funny, readable and witty.
Being locked down at home during the great pandemic of 2020 at least afforded me the chance to read Cows in Trees and its second volume, The Dog with the Head Transplant. The only criticism could level of either is that they’re so light and readable that they’re demolished in just a few hours. I’d advise anyone reading them to pace themselves and spread the amusement out a bit.
We recently spoke to Julian not just about his career and how it was cut short, but his recovery from a devastating accident and how rebuilding his life afforded him a chance to reflect on what an extraordinary career life as a vet can be… especially in a county like Lincolnshire.
What inspired you to become a vet? Probably a latent sense of guilt! I was just a couple of years old when I accidentally threw my teddy on the open fire at my childhood home in Leeds. Poor Ted suffered burnt paws, but my mother and I managed to patch him up. From that point on, I rather enjoyed looking after animals in their time of need.
At the age of seven or eight I was in awe of the vet who treated our Labrador/Irish Wolfhound cross, Jet. He was a super pet with a wonderful calm temperament, and a major influence on my love of animals.
And an influence that led to your eventual career? Yes. At the age of 13 I took a job at my local vet. Ostensibly that means cleaning up after the animals, feeding or fussing them and so on. But in fact, that’s the job that teaches you not the ‘menial jobs,’ but more like the ‘fundamentals’ of being a vet.
Compassion, empathy for both animal and owner, how to handle them gently, how to be patient with them… if you can’t do any of that, there’s no point embarking on any further study or training – without those qualities, nothing will overcome that shortcoming.
Where did you study? I enrolled in a B.V.Sc Degree in Veterinary Science at Liverpool University, which would last from October 1976 until I qualified on 10th July 1981. A teacher at my secondary school had rather sadly said that I wouldn’t make it, but fortunately that’s inveiglement to a determined young person, and I did make it – indeed, I achieved an Advanced Vet Practitioner-status, one of the highest qualifications that the UK’s 20,000 vets can obtain.
How difficult is it to become a vet? A veterinary degree takes five years, and broadly speaking it begins with a study of anatomy. There’s a little crossover but each species has its own distinctiveness, and within each species even different breeds have their own characteristics.
There are constant assessments at the end of each terms and big exams at the end of each year, the cumulative grades of which make up your total mark. After studying anatomy, you move onto pathology – essentially, we study what’s ‘normal’ then how pathology changes these when the animal has been subject to trauma or disease. The final two years are the clinical ones – principles of anaesthesia, diseases, pharmacology, helping out the alimentary system, orthopaedics and eventually surgery.
When and where did you begin to practice? After qualifying I applied to various practices and spend around eight months working in Preston before moving to Burnley. I spent eight wonderful years there and I’m still in touch with my former employer. It was a great practice because it was mixed farm and domestic work.
What was that important? It gives the role great variety. Domestic animals are wonderful of course but because
you’re in the practice and see successive patients, but it can feel a little like a production line if you’re not careful. When I eventually owned the practice, I worked in I was always conscious not to cram in appointments. As someone who cares about their own animals, as well as a vet, I always remained conscious about giving each animal, as well as their families as much time and patience as possible.
But you also loved farm and equine veterinary work? Yes. It was different. Harder work in a lot of ways as the animals are much larger, stronger and less amenable to being handled, but it was lovely to leave the practice and drive around the countryside, to have time between each consultation and to get to know local farmers and landowners.
I’d estimate that around three quarters – perhaps even more – of veterinary work in the UK involves looking after domestic animals. The industry finds it harder to recruit vets with experience of equine and farm animals. That, and the fact that it’s more specialised, and physically more demanding makes it a less common role. But for me, working in both areas of the profession was essential.
And that’s what appealed about working in Lincolnshire? Well I had no connections whatsoever to Lincolnshire, but to progress in my career I was looking for another practice – and it has to be one that involved both domestic and large animal elements. I had never heard of Horncastle, but I can remember the exact date I visited; 30th August 1989.
Others don’t remember it so well, though…? Apparently not! As I was being shown around the practice I was taken into the operating theatre. It was being deep cleaned following an operation. Little did I know that the person sorting the theatre out for the next patient, Annika, was my future wife! She can’t remember that, but I do!
What was your life like at the practice? Wonderful. I joined the practice, Banovallum Veterinary Group, in 1989, and became a partner in 1991 along with four others. I then became sole partner in 2005.
We saw around 5,000 cases a year, we had a thriving mixed-practice and employed around five vets plus six nurses. It was really busy and soon we had satellite practices in Woodhall Spa and Coningsby. We got to know all of our patients and their families, and soon felt like a real part of the community. It was idyllic but in the context of being busy and professional.
And in your spare time you cycled? Yes. That was an interest which began whilst I was studying in Liverpool. I would walk to university lectures, and one day it occurred to me that so many people where whizzing past me on their bikes, getting around quickly and saving money on bus tickets. A smart move, I thought.
I played rugby and football as a kid, so I wasn’t unfit, but when my parents bought me my first bike - a Puch Free Spirit racing cycle – I quickly came to appreciate being able to get around and develop my fitness levels. I soon found myself cycling for pleasure and visited a local cycling club, racing about 12.5 miles a night and doing quite well. When I moved down to Lincolnshire I joined a local cycling club in Alford and made some really good, life-long friends. They’ve been very supporting in helping me rebuild my life after my accident in 2012.
What happened? Two weeks before I had completed my first league race of the season. I came 10th which I was happy with. It was my next local race, with 85 riders, quite a number. I remember thinking it was crowded but I knew the road like the back of my hand. It was a decent surface with no potholes.
I don’t quite remember the crash, but the most likely scenario is that I ‘touched wheel’ with another competitor. It’s not uncommon, even though we do the best to avoid it, and when it happens, you tense up, waiting for a crash which, mercifully, rarely comes. We were going downhill at about 35 miles an hour and just near a farm entrance. The next thing I know, I woke up in Hull Royal Infirmary.
What injuries did you suffer? A CAT scan revealed that I had a basal skull fracture, which occurs in less than 12% of severe head injuries. A morbid fact, but it’s the same injury that’s induced during execution by hanging.
ing around the eyes and in addition I had several brain haemorrhages – bleeds to the brain – and a subdural haematoma where blood collects between the skull and brain.
The fluid was drained from my brain I was put into an induced coma for 11 days. Annika was told that I wasn’t expected to live. I woke up and met my absolutely wonderful doctor, Gerry O'Reilly.
To whom you owe your life? Yes. Definitely. When I came around, he asked me if I knew where I was despite my coma. I replied that I thought I was in Hull. I wonder if I had looked out of the window and seen the Humber Bridge? He told me that he had two important questions to ask me, which I suppose were designed to tell him if certain areas of the brain were affected.
The first was ‘what are you like as a person?’ I told him that I was stubborn and didn’t give up easily. He told me that was useful in his patients. The second question was what I wanted to do in the future. I told him, all I wanted was to get back on my bike.
To his credit though he probably didn’t see that as a possibility, he never let on to me. He replied, unforgettably, ‘Well if you want to get back on your bike? I will get you there!’ What a fantastic attitude for a consultant talking to a nearly dead man!
What were the effects of the accident? I was an active 55-year old professional man, always on the go and now I was suddenly unable to stand up. The accident affected my balance, and my short-term memory was affected.
The accident occurred on 8th August 2012 and I wasn’t discharged until December. Then I was back in hospital in January 2013 when the metal plate in my head – a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, designed to prevent cerebrospinal fluid on the brain, known as hydrocephalus – became blocked.
More broadly, not being able to drive – in case I passed out at the wheel – and not being able to sleep without suffering bad dreams really affected my life. I was later diagnosed with PTSD.
I couldn’t stand up to perform a consultation at work without tiring or losing my balance, which meant I couldn’t operate. I could train younger colleagues, but it was hugely frustrating. For that reason I had to sell the business, and that’s a lengthy process, one which is stressful and drawn out in good health, never mind during my recovery.
You had lots of support from the profession? Julian and his former boss Definitely, both from colleagues and from David Greenhalgh with his another practice who offered to buy the wife Christine at the Literary business from me. There’s a group called Festival at Walled Garden Vetlife which offers emotional, financial and Baumber, July 2019. mental health support to vets who contacted me when they heard what happened. >>
>> It’s unfortunate but those working in veterinary practice have one of the highest rates of suicide among different professions. There’s a terrific amount of pressure not to make mistakes, worried owners and long hours – and there is access to drugs used to euthanise poorly animals too, which amounts to a potentially very dark outcome. Thankfully I’m a positive person and never contemplated such a course of action, but Vetlife were great, and have run stories on my recovery and ongoing physiotherapy.
And you have continued cycling? Nobody could quite believe it but I was back on my bike in February 2013 just six months after the accident. In the beginning I would topple over when setting off or stopping because my balance wasn’t great. My friends were wonderful, and they would ride out with me to keep me safe.
In September 2013 I completed a 55-mile Sportive event and three weeks after that, I took part in a 100 mile event which began from Ludford and took us around Lincolnshire. Riding a bike, is something you never forget like… well, like riding a bike. But I’m hugely grateful to my club. That year I took home the Presidents’ Trophy and at the presentation evening I received a standing ovation from the club. It was so touching and so humbling.
I’m also registered as a MC2 paracyclist and was ranked fifth in 2018, competing alongside athletes like Dame Sarah Storey.
You’ve also found time to write your books? It was during my recovery in 2013 that Annika suggest I keep my mind active that I decided to write the first book.
During the 1990s I was approached a number of times by Womens’ Institution and Young Farmers’ groups to give talks, and I created a presentation which was lighthearted and revealed a little about the work of a country vet. I am more than happy to give this presentation to interested groups, Lock-down-permitting of course. I can guarantee that people laugh!
Annika found my notes and persuaded me to turn them into a book. In July 2016 I had the first edition published and 2500 copies sold, but the publisher didn’t have the resources for a second print run, so they returned the publishing rights to me, which was recently decent of them, and in 2019 Cows in Trees was reprinted and received some really great feedback.
Not least from your old boss in Burnley? Yes! I sent him a copy, thanking him for all of his kindness and support when I was fresh out of university. He responded really warmly but he also pointed out that I’d forgotten one of the funniest anecdotes. He told me that he thought I should write a second volume, which became The Dog with the Head Transplant, which was published in 2019.
I’m grateful to Ted Stanley of publishers Hammond House in Grimsby. He and Annika met on a willow weaving course in Baumber, of all places, and helped to get the books into print.
So, what’s life like for you now? My rehabilitation is ongoing, and I think it always will be. But I’m blessed to have Annika, and our son Robert who is 23 and currently beginning his career as an Aerospace Engineer. Hopefully he won’t have the late nights that I had to contend with during my career.
The worst bit about being a vet? I don’t think there were any worst bits – it was an incredible profession; one I miss very much but one I’m happy to relive through the books.
It goes with the career, but the worst bit is probably having to break the news to an owner that their beloved pet needs to be put to sleep. It never ceases to upset me because were there too with Jet. I still have a soft spot for Labradors and Wolfhounds.
The loss of a pet is heart-breaking. When Annika and I were a young couple, and I was still resolutely a ‘dog person,’ she got me into cats. We had a silver tabby called Horse – the reason for the name is revealed in the books.
When I came around from the coma, I asked about him, having forgotten that he had died the previous December. It was like losing him all over again.
What are the best aspects about the career? There are too many to mention. Making an animal better, being able to take their pain away and helping is humbling.
I also love spring and helping to bring new life into the world. We have three sheep today and Annika has a pony and a couple of horses.
Together with a very large ginger cat, a Maine Coon-Cross called Wiggo, which we acquired just after Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France win! My career has given me a lifelong connection to animals, one where every bit of love you show comes back to you tenfold.
Were there any animals you’d shudder at when they came into the practice? No! You can’t be afraid of spiders, snakes or lizards when you’re a vet… they all come through the doors. One of the nicest things about our practice was that in addition to dogs and cats, you’d have animals like birds of prey through the door; something different every single day, lots of variety!
Do you have any advice for future vets? Hopefully the books will prove not only entertaining but will also provide some good guidance for how your patients will chase you, embarrass you, puzzle you, occasionally bite you, certainly cover you in fluids and every so often knock you over.
Buy they’ll also reveal how heart-warming, humbling and how thoroughly wonderful being a vet can be. If I lived a thousand more lives, I’d be a vet in every single one… especially a vet who’s lucky enough to work in Lincolnshire! n
n Based near Horncastle, Julian Earl’s two-volume memoirs, Cows in Trees and The Dog with the Head Transplant are now available from all good bookshops, published by Hammond House.
Julian at the British National Para-Cycling Time Trial at Llandeilo, Wales in July 2019.
VETS IN THE UK... Facts & Figures
n There are over 25,000 vets in the UK, and 12,500 veterinary nurses.
n Those in the profession work at over 4,058 vet clinics in the UK.
n The average age of a UK vet nurse is 34, the average age of a veterinary surgeon is 41. Men account for fewer than 250 vet nurses but around half of all surgeons. n Recent new registrations with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons saw 795 UK-born vets register, plus 701 from the EU, 100 from Australia and New Zealand, 20 from the US and Canada, 15 from South Africa and eight from the rest of the world.
n In 2018, UK households spent an average of £2.5 on pet food and a further £2.1 on veterinary and other services for pets every week.
n 50% of UK adults own a pet. 24% of UK adults have a cat with an estimated population of 10.9 million pet cats. 26% of the UK adult population have a dog with an estimated population of 9.9 million pet dogs. 2% of the UK adult population have a rabbit with an estimated population of 900,000 pet rabbits.
n The practice of veterinary medicine is regulated by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in the United Kingdom. Veterinary medicine can only be performed by fully qualified and regulated professionals as subject to the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. n Dog owners trek more than 1,000 miles, play 2,080 rounds of fetch – and call their pet’s name 3,120 times while walking them each year, a study has found.
Schools & Colleges
Lincoln Minster School “Providing an inspiring education, for life...” The Suthers School “Teaching pupils to work hard and be kind...”
At Lincoln Minster School we are very proud of our school and welcome visitors to come and see our facilities at one of our Open Days.
We are proudly non-selective, offering an all-through education in a nurturing and stimulating environment
We aim to provide an environment that sets high expectations, facilitating stretch and challenge, where each child is stimulated to fulfil their potential in preparation for the next stage of their education and future employment.
Through an inspiring curriculum, exciting clubs, activities and trips, excellent academic and pastoral support, and dedicated and caring staff, we provide each and every one of our pupils with an ‘education for life.’
Through encouraging active involvement in a wide variety of inclusive co-curricular opportunities pupils are engaged in school life, engendering a spirit of community and co-operation.
At LMS we value everyone equally, building self-esteem and self-respect by demonstrating respect and care for people, ideas and our environment.
We recognise the importance of things that enrich life beyond material possessions, which contribute to a sense of wellbeing and fulfilment We are now offering Personal Tours by appointment only which are ideal for a first visit, they are designed to give you a broad overview of the school. Please call us for more details.
n For more information visit www.lincolnminsterschool.co.uk or call 01522 5551300.
The Suthers School is a new 11–18 free school which opened in September 2017. The school primarily serves the communities of Fernwood, Middlebeck and Newark and is part of the Nova Education Trust, which established Nottingham Free School in 2014 and also runs Toot Hill School in Bingham and Newark Academy in New Balderton.
Head of School, Andrew Pettit, says: “The Suthers School has at its heart the absolute conviction that young people deserve an education that excites and enthuses.”
“Our ‘work hard, be kind’ philosophy, together with our unique approach to character development means that there is something very special about The Suthers School. In short, we aim to deliver a highly academic, enriching curriculum and to empower the young people of Newark to do more than they ever thought possible.”
Initially housed in temporary accommodation at Toot Hill School, the pupils and staff of The Suthers School were due to move into their newly-completed state-of-the-art building at Fernwood Business Park after the Easter 2020 break. However, this was delayed so he building’s official opening has been postponed until after the summer holidays, and the school will welcome pupils and staff to their new accommodation in September.
n To register your interest in The Suthers School and for further information, including details of the new school build and upcoming open events. Visit suthersschool.co.uk or call 01636 957690.
St Hugh’s School, Woodhall Spa “Developing the confidence to explore...” Stamford Endowed Schools “Independent schools for independent minds...”
Pupils at St Hugh’s Prep School, Woodhall Spa have joined in the world’s Climate Change campaign and are aiming to promote an awareness of sustainable development and create an environmentally friendly awareness through the School and also in the local community. Known as Eco Warriors the St Hugh’s pupils have installed new recycling bins for paper throughout the School, they have been out litter picking in the village and are transforming part of the Headmaster’s garden into an environmentally friendly garden with bee friendly plants which are rich in nectar for all pollinating insects. At home they are returning all non-recyclable plastics to supermarkets to encourage them to invest in plastic-free
food shopping. This all follows on from the School’s initiative to reduce the use of plastic water bottles by introducing metal ones for pupils and replacing the plastic sachets of condiments in the dining room with pump dispensers. Located in the picturesque village of Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire, the school is a co-educational preparatory school offering both day and boarding options. With exceptional facilities and an outstanding academic record, it provides a happy, inclusive and stimulating learning environment for children aged 2-13 from a broad catchment area and a wide range of backgrounds. n The school is based on Cromwell Avenue, Woodhall Spa. For a guided tour, please contact 01526 352169 or visit www.st-hughs.lincs.sch.uk. Nestled within the heart of Stamford, the Stamford Endowed Schools educate pupils aged 2-18 years in a ‘diamond’ structure: girls and boys learn together until the ages of 11-16, where they are taught separately, joining again for co-educational learning in the Sixth Form.
The Schools take pride in nurturing active, engaged and independent learners. Beginning at the Nursery, Stamford students are taught to learn from experience, form good habits of mind and understand how to make informed choices, through independent learning programmes catered for their developmental age.
Stamford Endowed Schools also has a broad co-curricular offering - over 430 weekly clubs and activities spanning the Arts, music, sports and outdoor learning.
The pastoral programme is given the highest priority, and encourages students’ personal resilience. Such commitment, care and integrity underlie every aspect of life at the Stamford Endowed Schools, and Stamford’s results illustrate this: 90% of leavers go on to attend university, with others confidently pursuing their choice of apprenticeships, volunteering, or gap years.
Pupils leave the Schools as ‘Stamfordians,’ equipped not only with their exam results, but the knowledge and experience to prepare them for whatever path they choose to take in life.
n Call 01780 750311 or visit www.ses.lincs.sch.uk/visitingus to arrange a tour of the schools.
