The Supervet returns despite personal tragedy after losing his dog and mum!

Thursday: The Supervet: Noel Fitzpatrick - (Channel 4, 8pm)
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It’s not been an easy year for Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, with the hugely popular veterinary surgeon having to deal with two huge personal blows.

First of all, his beloved dog Keira passed away in September, leaving Noel heartbroken.

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“She was the best friend I could ever want, she gave me hope and made me the best I could be,” he said.

Noel with Trigger who arrives with Met Police dog handler RobNoel with Trigger who arrives with Met Police dog handler Rob
Noel with Trigger who arrives with Met Police dog handler Rob

Then, less than five months later, the Ballyfin-born vet suffered another loss when his mother Rita died, aged 92.

“I loved my mammy beyond words,” he said. “She believed in me when nobody else did and encouraged me late at night with my studies when I felt all alone.”

However, in between all that trauma, the 54-year-old’s career continues to go from strength to strength.

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In November, Noel released his first children’s book, Vetman and his Bionic Animal Clan, which he had spent the last 43 years dreaming up.

Then, in April, he announced the dates for his forthcoming An Evening with Noel Fitzpatrick tour, which will get under way in November.

Tomorrow night, his hit TV series The Supervet returns for a new 17th run, and once again we will get to see the extraordinary work carried out by Noel and his team at his specialist practice in Surrey.

First through the doors are Alan and Jane. They bring in their one-year-old shepherd doodle Raven, whose personality is even bigger than this gentle giant’s frame. When Raven started limping at only a few months old, their local vet diagnosed double hip dysplasia. Now, they find themselves at Fitzpatrick Referrals to discuss possible total hip replacement for both back legs. Noel explains that this developmental condition has already inevitably induced the onset of osteoarthritis.

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There are both medical management and surgical options for treatment, but medicine isn’t working and while it is possible to cut off the femoral heads and leave Raven with fibrous joints, the complete replacement of the joints remains the gold standard.

Meanwhile, feisty three-month-old kitten Fury is brought in with a suspected tibia injury, sustained during boisterous playtime at home. All the team, including Noel, fall in love with Fury, whose fractured growth plate unfortunately means that future development of the limb may be affected.

Although the simple fracture is very straightforward to fix, surgery entails drilling into a tiny piece of bone that crumbles easily – and there’s no margin for error.

Working dogs have a special place in everyone’s hearts at Fitzpatricks, and when two-year-old Trigger arrives with Met Police dog handler Rob, he is greeted with open arm. After an operation elsewhere for a stomach torsion, Trigger began experiencing problems with his lower back, with his sciatic nerves being compressed causing significant pain.

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Noel diagnoses degenerative lumbosacral stenosis, a genetically predisposed condition. If surgery doesn’t resolve all of Trigger’s pain, he won’t be able to return to work, and Rob will face the heartbreak of having to rehome his best friend.

Hopefully, the new series of Supervet will begin with a happy ending – something that viewers, and Noel himself, will no doubt appreciate.

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