Noel Fitzpatrick ‘Puppy Special’ for Channel 4

The Supervet returns with a puppy special later this week.

Vet, Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, returns for a brand-new series starting with a heart-melting special featuring the amazing stories – old and new – of some of the youngest and cutest puppies for whom he has provided life-saving treatment, including the moving tale of Rough Collie Merida.

Noel and his team at Fitzpatrick Referrals, where families from all over the world seek hope and solutions for their furry friends.

The new series opens with a special episode featuring the amazing stories – old and new – of some of the youngest and cutest puppies for whom Noel has provided life-saving treatment since The Supervet began in 2014, and the families at the centre of their inspiring stories.

In 2018, hearts melted when Rough Collie Merida came to Fitzpatricks as a six-month-old with hugely complex problems caused by a genetic failure of the bones of the forearms to grow at the same rate, resulting in markedly deformed front legs and elbows. Noel’s innovative techniques, including a traction frame to slowly pull Merida’s radius bone into the correct position, offered hope for a pain-free life.

Adorable fidgety Cockapoo puppy Monti first met Noel as a four-month-old in 2016 with a fractured knee, sustained when he wriggled out of his family’s arms. Because of Monti’s age, Noel didn’t expose the fracture itself, but instead felt his way to reposition the broken fragments using pins and wire. And in April 2022, seven-month-old Weimaraner puppy Tito was rushed to Fitzpatricks after being hit by a van. CT scans and X-ray imaging reveal extensive damage to his back legs, including an exploded femur on one side and, on the other, an even more serious injury disrupting the blood supply to the growth plate. Can Noel save little Tito’s hip joint?

The Supervet, Thursday at 9pm on Channel 4.