28 Oct 2026
Four-year-old Sophie and six-year-old Rosie showed off their veterinary skills at Westport Vets.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Sophie Bird, four (left), and Rosie Bird, six, getting stuck in at Westport Veterinary Clinic, Linlithgow.
Dressed in their veterinary scrubs, Sophie and Rosie were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the site, learning about the patient care process and what happens in each clinical area.
The precocious pair consulted in the practice’s cat clinic, performed care tasks alongside RVN Carena Schmid, scrubbed in to conduct surgery and performed a successful caesarean on a stuffed dog with vet Yasmin Lester-Powell.
Sophie and Rosie took part in other practical tasks including tube feeding, microchipping and bandaging.
They also saw some live-action veterinary care as the practice’s out-of-hours team attended to in-patients and helped to care for a baby pigeon handed in by a member of the public.
Dr Lester-Powell said: “I was extremely impressed with the skill and professionalism of the young budding vets. From bandaging to surgery, they were absolute naturals. The future of veterinary medicine is in safe hands.”
Mrs Schmid added: “VIP Vets Sophie and Rosie were a wonderful addition to the team. They were extremely enthusiastic, asked lots of great questions, and were naturals around the animals. It was an absolute pleasure to have them join the team.”