Pets in Prospect

When young vet Paul Mitchell is bitten by a hamster on his first day in practice, he wonders what he's let himself in for. He finds out on a roller-coaster ride that sees him battling with bald cockatoos, stalking feral cats and chasing hot-foot after a lame camel. Set in a Sussex animal hospital, against the backcloth of the South Downs, Paul is destined to meet such eccentric characters as Mildred Millichip with her out-of-date remedies, and the actress, Francesca Cavendish, famous for her cat adverts; and there's no forgetting Madge and Rose Stockwell, two sisters who live a slow-paced life on a Downsland farm with no time for a 'vet in a hurry'. "Pets in Prospect" takes the reader with Paul on his often hilarious ride through six months in the hospital where a hawk-eyed, but one-eyed, elderly receptionist rules the roost, and a swearing Mynah bird and an Anaconda in the fridge are not out of place. Through Paul's zany encounters with clients and their pets, we experience with him the highs and lows of a life revolving around the animals. Spinning with funny stories, "Pets in Prospect" is well worth the ride.

As a vet, Malcolm Welshman has treated and written about animals from rabbits to rhinos with over 200 articles published. He was the vet for My Weekly magazine for fifteen years and currently writes a monthly page for Parrots and Cat World. He and his wife, Maxeen, live in Somerset with a menagerie of pets, roe deer around the house and badgers in the garden.