The A Day in the Life series, by XLVets Ireland in collaboration with MSD Animal Health, brings viewers inside the world of veterinary practice, offering first-hand insight into the demanding workloads of mixed veterinary practices.
Last week, over the course of four days and through the Instagram feeds of both MSD Animal Health and XLVets Ireland, we followed four mixed practices as they balanced everything from emergency cases, call outs covering difficult calving cases or disease outbreaks, to routine check-ups, vaccinations, and consultations about nutrition or herd management. Alongside their large animal work, we got an inside look at how these mixed practices manage companion animal cases daily.
Throughout the week, viewers had the opportunity to follow our lead vet each day and gain a behind-the-scenes look at what a typical day in practice involves. We met:
- Paul Barnes, Kilcoyne and Barnes Veterinary
- Tom O’Callaghan, Castlelands-Hourihane’s Veterinary Clinic
- Sean Coffey, Mulcair Veterinary
- Donal Lynch, Slieve Bloom Veterinary
Each day, we also got to know the wider teams within each practice who help keep everything running smoothly—from the vets and nurses to the support staff.
Day 1: We joined Paul Barnes of Kilcoyne and Barnes Veterinary in Sligo. Paul guided us through a series of challenging lambings, treated a calf with an infected navel, and gave us a tour of their premises, which the practice moved into just two years ago. We also saw him prepare a mare for the breeding season, carry out TB testing, and shift gears for some small animal work — including a hysterectomy, routine check-ups, vaccinations, and consults.
Day 2: We spent the day with Tom O’Callaghan at Castlelands-Hourihane’s Veterinary Clinic in Skibbereen, West Cork. Tom took us through their newly renovated practice. The day included treating a calf with pneumonia, performing an equine castration, and conducting an annual herd test. We also joined him for mare scanning ahead of the breeding season. On the small animal side, we observed a cat spay and diagnostic check-ups, including blood tests and an X-ray.
Day 3: We visited Sean Coffey and the team at Mulcair Veterinary in Newport. Sean showed us around their new practice, where the small animal team was busy with a full schedule of check-ups, vaccinations, microchipping, treatments, and surgery. We also observed an equine castration and met the Eye Vet team, who provide specialised ophthalmology services within the Newport clinic. On the farm side, we followed the vets through a variety of calls — including bull fertility testing, treating a cow with an eye ulcer, and performing surgery on an umbilical hernia.
Day 4: We joined Donal Lynch of Slieve Bloom Veterinary. The day began with equine work; castrating and microchipping a horse, before heading out to check on a cow that had gone off her feed. Donal discussed parasite prevention strategies and vaccination planning, highlighting the proactive role vets play in herd health. We also joined him on a farm walk, where he spoke about nutrition and how veterinary input can help farms run as efficiently and effectively as possible. The day continued with mare scanning, bull fertility testing, and a case involving a cow with a suspected displaced abomasum (RDA).
Thank you to all the practices who opened their doors to us, and to everyone who followed along. If you missed any of the action, you can still catch up on the highlights via Instagram at @msdanimalhealthireland and @xlvets_ireland.
