Rory Cowlam, otherwise known as Rory the Vet, has had a passion for animals for as long as he can remember. As a young boy, growing up in the countryside, he fell in love with the creatures that could be found both at home and in the neighbouring farms and fields. There was never any doubt in his mind as to what he wanted to do when he grew up.

Now Rory's dreams of becoming a vet are a reality. He works in a busy London practice where his honest and emotional relationships with the animals and their owners have made him the relatable and approachable face of veterinary work. But, as Rory describes here with a mixture of his trademark openness and humour, what he couldn't have known as a small boy with his heart set on becoming the next James Herriot, was what becoming a vet really entails.

In an era when doctors and nurses are talking more openly about the realities of saving human lives, Rory shows what a vital service vets offer in caring for the animals that often form the very heart of the household. He describes the demanding experience of veterinary school, and offers a very human take on what it's like to treat animals, and the little talked about mental health implications that this pressured life or death industry holds.