Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick has spoken of the moment he wanted to be there as a ‘vet and a dad’ for his beloved border terrier when she was left in a critical condition after being hit by a speeding van but couldn’t help because he wasn’t ‘thinking straight.’
In tomorrow night’s Supervet Special, which airs on Channel 4 at 8pm, the Irish veterinary surgeon, 52, breaks down in tears as he recalls the heart-rending story of how his beloved dog, Keira, 13, was hit by a van when it came speeding around the corner at his vet practice.
‘I was leaving the practice like I always do,’ he explains. ‘I left the lead between the back door and the car…I’ve done it thousands of time.’
‘I held the door open and then a car came speeding from the left. It was going too fast and it wouldn’t stop. It all happened in less than two seconds.’
In tomorrow night’s Supervet Special, Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, 52, breaks down in tears as he recalls the heart-rending story of how his beloved dog, Keira (pictured), 13, was hit by a van when it came speeding around the corner at his vet practice
Keira (pictured, with Noel) was left in a critical condition, with a smashed pelvis and possible abdominal damage
Noel, who has been expanding the boundaries of veterinary medicine at his practice in Surrey for fifteen years, recalls how Keira has been by his side all the way (pictured, together)
Noel, who has been expanding the boundaries of veterinary medicine at his practice in Surrey for fifteen years, recalls how Keira has been by his side all the way.
‘I remember vividly the very first day Keira came into my life,’ he says. ‘I was working in my very first referral practice and at the time, things were really tough at the practice. I was trying to raise the money to build what has become Fitzpatrick referrals.
I think I was in like a seven hour op or something and when I came out of theatre and she was there, it just blew my mind. It was just like a tidal wave of love flowed over me. She was just this ball of furry joy. You couldn’t look at her without wanting to smile.
‘I was very infatuated with Keira Knightly and I called her Keira which was very funny actually because I met her husband and said to him: “I named my dog after your wife.”‘
Keira was left in a critical condition, with a smashed pelvis and possible abdominal damage (pictured, together)
As he prepares to operate on his beloved pooch (pictured), Noel says: ‘I’m afraid. I need to try and switch the part of my brain off and become a surgeon’
Noel goes on to say that his beloved pooch is a big a reason that Fitzpatrick Referrals exists as he is.
‘She is my muse,’ he says. ‘When I think about any animal that comes through these doors, I think how would I treat her..there’s hope, there always has to be hope because love, hope and faith is all we’ve got. She’s all of that to me.’
But on one dark night last September, Noel’s life was turned upside down when, by a terrible quirk of fate, Keira was hit by a car right outside the practice and suffered life-threatening injuries.
Keira was left in a critical condition, with a smashed pelvis and possible abdominal damage.
Suddenly, the surgeon renowned for finding solutions for even the most challenging injuries is faced with the possibility that his Keira may not be fixable – and furthermore, steel himself for the most important surgery of his life.
‘I wanted to be here as a vet,’ he says. ‘I wanted to be there as a dad, but I couldn’t help because I wasn’t thinking straight.’
Padraig, a senior clinician who was one of the first on the scene after the incident, adds: ‘He could not make good decisions, so I had to ask him to leave.
Noel devises a custom implant to repair Keira’s broken bones as he prepares to operate on his best friend. Pictured, together
Breaking down in tears back at home, Noel sobs: ‘This place was built for her and now I just hope they can save her life.’
Noel’s colleagues repair extensive internal damage and then after two blood transfusions and days of intensive care, Noel faces an agonising wait to determine not only what intricate surgery may be possible for her skeleton, but also whether Keira will be able to withstand the procedures which could allow her to walk again.
After showing signs of improving and looking more alert, Noel devises a custom implant to repair her broken bones and he prepares to operate on his best friend – deciding he’s the best man for the job.
‘I know that psychologically I’ll be fine as soon as I go into theatre, but I know I’ll be more worried if somebody else was doing what I do every day of the week,’ he says.
‘Now her ultimate survival and function rests on my shoulders and my shoulders alone really. I’m afraid. I need to try and switch the part of my brain off and become a surgeon. I need to try and not think of her as my baby. I’ve got to try and go into battle and do my job.’
Tune in tomorrow night to find out about Keira’s recovery…
Supervet Special airs on Channel 4 at 8pm