Buster Lloyd-Jones was one of England’s most well known veterinarians – famed for his revolutionary treatment practices.
W. L. “Buster” Lloyd Jones was born in England around 1915 (as near as I can discover). From an early age he had a curious affinity for animals, and at the age of four adopted the vegetarian diet that he followed for the rest of his life.
When Buster was seven, he contracted polio – a disease that would leave him bedridden for some time, and eventually confine him to a wheelchair. Periodic illnesses plagued him for most of his life, and yet, from around 1934 to 1965, he was able to remain a practising veterinarian.
Against the wishes of his father, Buster enrolled in a course in animal husbandry. He completed the course and worked as an assistant in various veterinary hospitals. Gradually learning his trade, he was able to set up an animal surgery of his own, shortly before World War II.
When war broke out, the effect on the pets of Britain was cataclysmic. Food rationing and severe shortages meant that many people could no longer afford to keep their pets. Animals were put to sleep in their thousands. Buster set up a refuge, taking in scores of animals whose owners could not keep them through the war years. He also searched the streets after air raids, looking for injured or abandoned animals, most of which were brought back to the refuge.
After the war, Buster was able to put many of his theories on animal treatment into practice. He revolutionised cat and dog diets, and marketed a range of herbal supplements for cats and dogs – to provide them with the nutrients that so many suburban pets did not have access to. The company he formed: Dene’s Natural Pet Care, is still supplying these herbal supplements today. While many of his peers regarded him as a crank, his methods were remarkably successful.
Buster Lloyd-Jones’ health grew progressively worse. While for some time he continued his veterinary practice – his assistants brought his patients to his bedside – in 1965 he had to be removed from the register of practising vets. He was wheelchair bound for the rest of his life. Buster Lloyd Jones died in 1980, around the age of 65.
Lloyd-Jones has written several books – the autobiographical “The Animals Came In One By One” and its sequel “Come Into My World”, as well as the instructional “Love On A Lead” and “Natural Health For Your Pets”.
Some of the dates in this writeup may well be wrong. I could not find such trivia as Buster Lloyd Jones’ date of birth anywhere. I did my best to work out important dates, but if anyone finds that I’m wrong, please let me know and I’ll fix it.
Acknowledgements:
The Animals Came In One By One: Buster Lloyd Jones, 1966, Secker and Warburg, London.