Deep in the forest of Finnish Lapland I am arriving in front of the impressive timber cottage of Markus Killi which is guarded by a number of thickly fured dogs. “Do you like Chilli con Carne?” Markus, a man build like a tree himself, asks as I am getting out of the car. Of course …
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Veterinary Medicine at the tip of the Curonian Spit
A thin slither of sand, in places not more than a few hundred meters wide and crowned with thick pin forest and undoubtedly one of the most striking features of the Baltic Sea is the Curonian Spit. This giant sand dune is nearly 100 kms long and connects Lithuania in the North and the Russian …
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An evening of fine dining, staying at an igloo and going to jail in Tallinn
Never ignore an invitation for an evening stroll along the seaside in one of Europe’s fastest changing cities – Tallinn. This applies even more so if your tour guide is no one less than the grande dame of companion animal veterinary medicine in Estonia – Tiina Toomet, my perennial host and occasional saviour whenever I …
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Where Estonian vets are made
I have always been a fan of smaller vet schools. Having studied in Hanover with more than 230 students in the same year, there wasn’t much direct interaction with our lecturers and it was easy to feel just like a small fish in a large pond. Large institutions like UC Davis or London’s Royal Veterinary …
Eye to eye with Amur Tigers in Helsinki
One of the real highlights in the life of every veterinarian is to be able to apply their craft to more unusual animals and we are all looking up the rare species called “Zoo Vets”. If you – like me – don’t belong to this exclusive club, then at least knowing one is second best. …
Leaving the imprint of your finger on the world
Following the well tarmaced road South (it was just a dirt track the last time I was here…), I am reaching Kautokeino, the final settlement before the Finnish border. Here I had to re-visit a place that seems so outlandish but that is now such an integral part of the town that both are often …
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Breakfast in Maze (“Masi”)
While listening to the wind running through the delicate leaves of the birch forest which is showing early autumn colours, I am enjoying a late breakfast with fresh cloud berries at the lonely mountain station near Maze (pronounced “Masi”) at the Northern rim of the Finnmark Vidda. To reach this place , I have followed …
A key that opens 500 huts
Finishing my last consultation on a Friday afternoon, I am picking up the ever patient Mia and we are leaving Tromsø Island , this rock in the Sea that resembles a Swiss Cheese with its confusing system of underground tunnels with round abouts and huge parking garages and we are heading first West and then …
The World’s most Northern Cat Clinic
Cats – of course ! ….. It appears that I forgot to mention my feline patients here in the North. In Tromsø, just a few hundred kilometers from the Northkap, they are in for a special treat : The World’s most Northern Cat Clinic ! Long gone are the days when dogs were sitting in …
Working as an Arctic Vet
It is 7:30 in the morning and following a typical Norwegian breakfast with cooked coffee, caramelised goats cheese and polar bread, I am starting the first day at my newest place of work – the Anicura Small Animal Clinic in Tromsø. The clinic is located just opposite of the local police station and right next …
The Blue Vet Diary 