The stories in The Lion and the Lamb - Memoirs of a Vet are first-hand experiences of Mike Hardwich, both a vet and a farmer. Although initially drawn to the larger domestic animals such as cattle and racehorses, as Mike's practice grows so does the variety of animals he is called upon to treat. In demand by everyday pet owners with their usual cats and dogs, he is increasingly called upon to attend to the ailments of wild species. Game park and circus owners need him to treat, among many other creatures, an off-colour orang-utan, an elephant with a leg abscess, a celebrity lion with chronic rhinitis, a jaguar with a broken tooth, a crocodile with a fractured femur - not to mention a fruit bat with conjunctivitis. This memoir, in places, is laugh-out-loud funny, and in others incredibly sad - it is suitable for all ages, for all animal lovers, and is a must read for all aspirant vets.