I had one of those days at work recently that made me remember what a very strange and truly juxtaposed job being a vet really is.

It started out fairly normally with a few wellness checks and an itchy dog. Then I arrived at a lovely home with the most beautiful magenta bougainvillea growing over the doorway.

As I walked through the entrance, I commented to the nurse on how very attractive it was and she agreed.

The owners were a delightful elderly couple but for them, despite the sunshine and warm air, this was to be a sad day. Their very old cat, who had long battled kidney disease, was about to cross over the rainbow bridge, and the loss would be acutely felt.

It all went peacefully and they were grateful but heavyhearted, which is only to be expected after sharing their home with this special little soul for so long. We left after offering our condolences and came back to the clinic.

Waiting for me there were two very happy and lively Jack Russell terriers who were here because, despite their best efforts, they were struggling to breed and their owners wanted artificial insemination to help them become parents.

We won’t know for a few weeks if it worked but it all went to plan on the day and everyone is keeping their fingers crossed for them.

It suddenly struck me that in the same hour I had ended and potentially created life, not many professionals can boast that for a Tuesday. What an incredible roller coaster this work is and how very grateful I am to be able to do it every day.

There is never a day that I think ‘that was a bit of a boring shift’. There is always help that needs giving and animals to care for. Some days are more challenging than others, when there is a particularly difficult and complex case to work up, but the team kicks into high gear and we give it our best.

It’s wonderful to watch a group of highly skilled professionals pull together and solve a puzzle. Everyone brings their own piece to the table until it becomes clear.

Somedays are sad but I still get an overwhelming feeling of doing good when easing pain and suffering through euthanasia. I consider it a great privilege and huge responsibility to guide a family through these tricky waters.

Some days are pure joy; a wonderful healthy litter of newborn puppies or kittens ready to take their first steps into a wider world always melts my heart. And some animals are just plain funny, with big personalities and attention-grabbing behaviours that you can’t help but laugh at. There is never a dull moment.

It’s a vet’s life, I guess, and I’m glad to be living it.

• Lucy Richardson graduated from Edinburgh University in 2005. She started CedarTree Vets in August 2012 with her husband, Mark. They live at the practice with their two children, Ray and Stella, and their dog, two cats and two guinea pigs. She is also the FEI national head veterinarian for Bermuda