Paul Mitchell encounters many animals that are a challenge to treat while working at Prospect House Veterinary Hospital. There is the Woolly monkey belonging to the local small zoo that swallows a bolt and needs to be operated on to extract it. A pygmy goat that has a piece of hoof stuck in it windpipe and nearly dies. An anaconda that swallows a heating pad. A colt that erupts in hives. The Stockwell twins – two farmers – have a cow stuck in a tree. A monkey escapes from a research centre and Paul’s car gets blown up in the attempt to capture the animal.
In addition, Paul shares his life with the practice nurse and they acquire an abandoned schipperke and springer spaniel. They look after an African grey parrot, in the Guinness Book of Records for speaking the most words; and rear a baby starling and rescue a baby bat.
Finally, the whole practice comes together to have photographs taken for a calendar for the next year. At which point, Paul has now become a worthy and trusted part of the team.