The Yorkshire Vet Peter Wright's 25 years of working Christmas Day with miracle births and poisoned dogs
Peter Wright or as he's more commonly known The Yorkshire Vet has dealt with everything from miracle births to poisoned dogs over his 40 years at Skeldale Veterinary Centre in Thirsk
Graeme Culliford
Megan Shaw
The fascinating festive antics of The Yorkshire Vet who has volunteered to work Christmas Day for 25 years (Image: Channel 5)
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Peter Wright or as he's more commonly known The Yorkshire Vet has volunteered to be on call during the festive period every year since joining Skeldale Veterinary Centre in Thirsk 40 years ago.
While many of us have other things in mind than being elbow deep in cow on Christmas Day, the Yorkshire Vet star has spent the vast majority of his Christmases on call, The Mirror reports.
Which often meant he was dealt the difficult task of explaining to his children why they were sometimes made to wait until he got home to open their presents when they were younger.
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Peter Wright has been a staple on the Channel 5 documentary series since it began in 2015.
The Yorkshire Vet follows Peter and his co-star Julian Norton as they tend to animals in need at their practices in North Yorkshire.
The lovable 64-year-old often foregoes carving turkey for calving and misses sweet treats because he is treating sick dogs poisoned by gorging chocolate.
And while he would occasionally see reindeer during the festive season, it was normally because one living on a North Yorkshire farm had fallen ill.
Peter, 65, tells the Sunday Mirror: "I think it was three years ago I had to go to a calving of a Belgian Blue cross, which are very muscular animals and weigh about 800 kilos to a tonne.
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"This cow was having difficulty giving birth but it was touch and go if I could get there. The roads were flooded and the rain was coming down horizontally.
"When I got to the farm, I saw they didn't have any indoor facilities for calving, so I had to work outside. It turned out she needed a Caesarean section and I was absolutely drenched through to the skin by the time we finished.
"Amazingly, the cow had a beautiful calf – it was like a little Christmas miracle. I drove away feeling totally drenched but absolutely exhilarated – and that's life on a Yorkshire farm."
It's not the only Christmas miracle Peter has witnessed – and been a part of. Saving an unborn lamb brought him particular satisfaction.
Vets Matt, Rohin, David, Peter, Shona and Julian at Ilkley Moor with their dogs
He explains: "One time I was called out and found the ewe presenting the lamb's head, which was quite swollen.
"The farmer said, 'Oh, it's bound to be dead now.' I managed to push the head back in and, one by one, get the legs out into a normal position.
"Then I pulled the lamb out and pressed gently on its chest and, all of a sudden, it started to breathe. By the time I left it was sitting up and I drove away from there feeling 10ft tall. I was certain it was dead too, so for it to be alive was amazing."
Peter worked at Skeldale Veterinary Centre in Thirsk for 40 years, has starred in Channnel 5 favourite The Yorkshire Vet since 2015 and has given advice to Mirror readers as pet expert.
Earlier this year, he left Skeldale when economic issues forced them to focus on treating pets while he wanted to continue helping farm animals. He now works part-time at Grace Lane Vets in Kirbymoorside and says that, while he has fond memories of his old job, he won't miss being on call.
Wife Lin, 61, and their children, now aged 34 and 32, endured plenty of festive disruption down the years.
Peter says: "We had a Christmas rota and a lot of young vets lived in other parts of the country.
"So for 25 years I volunteered to work Christmas Day and sometimes Boxing Day, so they could get home.
"We were a very old-fashioned practice so calls would be diverted to my house. You are on edge because every time that phone goes, it might be a relative wishing you a Merry Christmas, but it might be a callout.
"In Yorkshire we have Yorkshire Puddings before the turkey and it does get frustrating when they are in the oven and just coming to the rise and then the phone goes.
"My wife doesn't get angry but sometimes feels sorry for me when I have to get up at 2am and it's minus four outside. When my children were young it would be Lin's job to try to keep the excitement down and the presents wrapped until I got back.
"They thought Lin was mean in not letting them open the presents. That was difficult.
"You get lots of calls where the person says, 'The dog's been sick, I'm very worried. I gave him some pork and the bone disappeared.' Bones can cause a blockage in the intestine so it's something you have to take seriously.
"The other thing is dogs eating chocolate. People will ring and say, 'My dog's eaten half a tin of Quality Street, what can we do'? We get them in, give them something to make them deposit the Quality Streets on the consulting room floor and everyone goes away happy.
"It's mainly emergencies but you always get one or two saying, 'My dog's been limping for a few days, but it suddenly got worse.' You ask, 'Will it wait until tomorrow?' They reply, 'Oh no, I think it's best you see him now.'
"You have to respond, certainly in a small town where you tend to know most people. If you didn't respond you'd be classed as a callous vet.
"There are times when you respond through gritted teeth thinking, 'Why me, on Christmas Day?' But by the time you get to the surgery and you see the patient at the door with his tail wagging forlornly, all that anger about being called out just melts away."
The flip side, sadly, is being asked to put down a pet at Christmas. Peter says: "There was a cat called Billy Boy who I had been treating for kidney failure and he took a turn for the worse. They had to call on Christmas Day to put him to sleep.
The Yorkshire Vet, Peter Wright, at the Great Yorkshire Show 2021 (Image: YorkshireLive)
"It was very sad, but people are so kind in that situation and appreciative that you've helped them through the suffering." There are, thankfully, lighter moments.
Peter goes on: "Once there was a kitten, seven months old, and it was in agony. The owner put the phone over so I could hear the cat shrieking. She said, 'I've not heard anything like it. We are very worried – there is something radically wrong.'
"They brought her to the surgery at about midnight on Christmas Eve and this kitten strutted round the consulting room then started to shriek and I realised she was coming into season. That's all it was – she was looking for a husband!
"We all fell about laughing because we saw the funny side of it."
This year, however, should be a relaxing Christmas as Peter has time off – and a Caribbean holiday to look forward to.
He chuckles: "So there will be no one interfering with my Yorkshire Puddings or my turkey... unless a friend rings and wants a bit of help, which does happen quite a lot as well."
The Yorkshire Vet at Christmas: It's a Wonderful Life will be shown on Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 5.
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