Kittens meowing impatiently in the waiting room or a dog being given a neck brace. This is how you imagine the everyday life of a vet. Sure, some of it is true, but life at the practice - especially in the countryside - has a lot of unexpected things in store.
"Then please come to the practice at seven and don't forget your wellies". These words made me wonder whether the idea was really such a good one. To spend a day as the "shadow" of a vet in the countryside. Spoiler: I've never seen so many "happy cows" as I did that day.
Michael Ridler has been doing this job for more than 25 years and not much can surprise him anymore. His patients have included a peacock, a desert jumping mouse or even a chameleon. He has even treated a cow that was bitten on the snout by an adder while grazing. I am therefore looking forward to my day with him. Immediately after the morning briefing with his assistant, I put on my rubber boots. In the morning, visits to farmers are on the agenda.Farm time, so to speak.
After just a few minutes, I notice: The man has a lot to do. His cell phone rang every few minutes. Nevertheless, he also sets boundaries. His patients always come first. And so the caller with a cat suffering from diarrhea ends up on voicemail and is called back as quickly as possible. In the meantime, the doctor has almost sunk his entire arm into a cow. In case anyone is wondering what that's all about: The animal is being artificially inseminated.
This treatment will be repeated several times that day. After all, breeding (alongside milk production) is one of the main occupations of farmers. From time to time, however, it doesn't always work out right away with the offspring. In such cases, somewhat unorthodox measures are resorted to in an emergency: Surrogacy. Yes, the gentle ruminants do that too.
"Animal welfare is my top priority"
The vet is passionate about his profession. What he likes best about it is that he can help his animal patients. He does this on hot summer days, but also "when there are no more dogs to chase out the door". It has already happened that he had to be pulled out of snowdrifts five times on one winter's day - despite having a four-wheel drive vehicle.
The morning flies by with the impregnation of cows, the treatment of sickly calves and a horse that has problems walking. After a few practised grips, the doctor realizes that the problem is not in the leg, but in the hip or even the lower back. Diagnosis is not easy with animal patients. If the patient is unable to describe their symptoms, precise observation is required. It is precisely these challenges that Ridler loves so much about his job. You could almost call him the "Columbo of the animal world". Even if he has never had to deal with murder cases before.
A special feature of his veterinary practice is that he also works with homeopathy, phytotherapy, osteopathy and other remedies. The doctor tells me an interesting anecdote about this. He was called to a cow that could no longer hold her milk (yes, it does happen). It was constantly dripping from her udder. Wherever she stood or lay, there was a pool of milk everywhere. When milking, of course, there was nothing left, which was disastrous for the farmer. As "classical medicine" had reached its limits here, Ridler tried an unconventional method. He sprayed a homeopathic mixture onto the cow's snout. After a short time, she was fine again.
After the lunch break, we continue with the dog, cat and co.
In the afternoon, the 51-year-old is busy working with small animals. He is helped by his wife Claudia, an ex-teacher. After the birth of their four children, she swapped the classroom for the treatment room. The couple also have a small farm and the vet also makes cribs and is chairman of the Treubach folk dance group.
Shortly after two o'clock, the first meowing patient is on the mat. A one-year-old long-haired cat is implanted with a chip for identification. I had already prepared myself for scratching, hissing or at least a pitiful whimper. To my surprise, however, the light brown cat remained very relaxed.
After Bailey, an Australian Shepherd, has received help with a persistent ear infection, a rather pitiful mewing can be heard through the door to the waiting room. The black and white cat in the transport box probably already has a feeling that he will be missing two crucial parts after his visit to the vet. The stray cat is about to be neutered.
After an initial examination, the cat is weighed to determine the amount of anesthetic. Just a few minutes after the injection, the cat is completely out of it. The procedure itself is over in about ten minutes. It is important that the animals are sober. The anesthetic affects the stomach of many animals. If they vomit while asleep, there is an acute risk of suffocation.
The next patient comes in for stitches. However, it's not so easy with the larger dog wearing a muzzle; it requires quite a bit of physical effort to keep the animal calm. Finally, it's time for me to move to another treatment room. Ridler still has a few farm visits on the agenda. In the meantime, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to watch an osteopathic treatment. The twelve-year-old German shepherd is a regular customer. Indio and his owner come regularly from Salzburg because the treatment does him a lot of good.
I find this type of therapy very relaxing. Dr. Evelyn Lexen places her hands on various parts of the dog's body and makes circular movements. Indio is a little restless at first, but this could also have something to do with my presence. The dog is then given a painless laser acupuncture, for which he is "sedated" (you could also say bribed) with treats. After just under an hour, the treatment is complete - and my day at the practice is over.
My conclusion: As a country vet, you have to be extremely flexible. The daily schedule is often thrown into disarray by emergencies at short notice. Some pet owners have the wrong idea when they visit the vet. A blood test cannot diagnose all diseases and very few animal problems can be cured with just one injection or treatment. Even though Ridler's (and other vets') profession is more of a vocation than simply earning money, his services should not be taken for granted. After all, even as a doctor he has to call it a day - and a dog that has had diarrhea for two days does not need to be treated at three o'clock on a Saturday morning.
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Source reference:
Interviews with Michael Ridler
Experiences while driving with him on October 10, 2025
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