Through a Vet’s Eyes blog tour

Dr Sean Wensley is an award-winning vet and lifelong naturalist who has contributed to animal welfare and conservation projects all over the world. His debut book is about how we can choose a better life for animals, from the chickens we eat to the pets we keep.

As our societies become more urbanised, we are further removed from the reality of where and how our food is produced. Surveys suggest that nearly 1 in 4 UK adults don't know that bacon comes from pigs. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the humanisation of our pets is a risk to their welfare; with over 60% of UK dogs being overweight or obese, we are effectively killing them with kindness. Through A Vet's Eyes seeks to redress this imbalance so that we see all animals as thinking, feeling beings not dissimilar to ourselves. 

As he takes us through the years in which he trained to become a vet, and set against a backdrop of inspiring natural spectacles, Dr Wensley shares his first-hand experience of how animals are treated and used for our benefit. He interrogates the different levels of welfare afforded to them and reveals how we the general consumer can reduce our animal welfare footprint through the choices we make every day.

I found this an interesting read, I am a huge animal lover, turning vegetarian at the age of 11. The thought of an animal suffering or just existing purely to be eaten honestly makes me feel ill. Due to this I found some of the book hard to read, the fact that we humans engineer different breeds of animals depending on wether we want to exhort products from them, Dairy cows, Laying Hens or to improve their ‘flavour’ blows my mind. The fact that cows are impregnated just to ensure they keep milking but the calves are an unnecessary byproduct!! I stopped drinking dairy milk over 7 years ago because I find the whole process heartbreaking.
Wensley does investigate into the most humane ways of farming and what consumers can do to help, even for your health cutting down on red meat is beneficial.
A well presented and thoroughly researched book, I think I’m way too sensitive to probably fully appreciate it, hence why I’m not a vet myself!!
Also, 1 in 4 adults don’t even know where bacon comes from??!!! Are people really that blind sighted??