Dr Onneile Smeaton grew up in a semi rural area of Botswana, where she first discovered her love for animals. 

“I can still clearly remember beginning every morning at the farm by drinking fresh groats milk.”   

Studying in Glasgow was quite the shock to begin with for Dr Onneile, as she initially thought she would be studying in the Caribbean, but as fate would have it, she ended up at Glasgow University… This is a story she can tell you more about, when she is at one of her home visits, looking after your pet. 

Her passion was to be a farm vet, little did she know that the Scottish winter was going to quickly change her mind. “I remember one January morning when we were at a farm in the West Coast of Scotland for TB testing. My hands were frozen, and I was soaking in the rain. The farmer very kindly suggested that I should put my hands somewhere behind the cow to keep warm. A story for another day though…”

After 10 years of working in veterinary roles, both in charity organisations and in the private sector, Dr Onneile has seen both interesting cases and challenging roles. When asked what the most rewarding part of her role as a vet is, her answer is simply: “seeing once ill pets going home, healed, and happy.”