Confessions of a veterinary nurse : paws, claws and puppy dog tails

Even as a small child, Tracey dreamed of a career working with animals.

That dream became a reality in 1986 when she secured a training position at a local veterinary practice.

Fresh-faced and eager to learn, Tracey was thrown headfirst into life in a busy mixed animal practice. From pigs to pugs, calves to kittens from day one, Tracey realised that this was going to be no ordinary job. Working with some truly memorable characters, from a roguish practice principal to a head nurse who was a little too keen on a tipple, alongside committed and dedicated fellow veterinary nursing students, Tracey worked her way up from practice bucket washer to head nurse. Assisting in life-saving and tricky operations, nursing sick animals back to health, and shedding more than a tear or two, this is a humorous and sometimes bittersweet account of the life and times of a veterinary nurse, where no two days are ever the same.