Soft tissue includes tendons, ligaments, skin, fat, muscles and blood vessels.
The Soft Tissue Surgery service is concerned with the treatment of conditions where surgery of areas other than the bones/joints and nervous system is indicated.
The members of our highly qualified team of Soft Tissue Surgeons routinely perform many types of surgical procedure, including:
- Abdominal surgery
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Ear, nose and throat surgery
- Surgical oncology
- Thoracic surgery
- Upper airway surgery
- Urogenital surgery
- Vascular surgery (arteries and veins)
- Wound care and reconstruction
Our Specialists also undertake a wide range of reconstructive surgeries and are experts in wound management.
We are constantly seeking to develop minimally invasive surgical techniques, which reduce surgical trauma and decrease or eliminate exposure to general anaesthesia.
We are one of a very few veterinary referral centres in Europe to offer interventional radiology, which involves the replacement of traditional surgical approaches with advanced imaging techniques. This sophisticated procedure allows instruments to be passed via blood vessels and airways to areas of the body which, previously, would have been inaccessible without invasive surgery.
Please visit our Additional Information page for more details. Also, please remember that your consultant will be happy to answer any further questions you may have.
Frankie’s story
Frankie, a sweet little pug was referred to our neurology team in October last year when he was only 17 weeks old. His owner was concerned as over the previous 5 days he had progressively lost the ability to stand or walk and appeared to be in pain.
After a number of tests including an MRI scan, an abscess was found on his spine. Discussing the options and due to his age and size it was decided that Frankie would be given some medication and antibiotics and his owner would watch to see if this made an improvement. When Frankie came back a month later it appeared he had responded very well to this medical management, and he was sent home happy with a notes that if it was a foreign body, he may need more scans and surgical intervention.
Frankie was re-checked in late November and was recovering remarkably well, more playful and brighter and with a gradual improvement of the neurological function of his back legs. Things were looking good, then at the start of December he was re-admitted as the function in his back legs had suddenly deteriorated. He had an MRI and Ultrasound scan and that revealed an infection and the abscess again as a migrating foreign body causing compression of his spinal cord and therefore the paralysis. It was again decided to go down the conservative rather than surgical route but to keep an eye on Frankie to see how comfortable he is.
Unfortunately, Frankie had to be referred to us again as he was in pain and showed signs of deteriorating neurological function. He was referred to our Soft Tissue Surgery team was sent for a CT scan. This scan showed an abnormal tract and soft tissue swelling from his diaphragm to beneath his sublumbar muscles,
There was also a collapse of the disc space between his lumbar verterbrae 1-2 and erosion of his verterbral bones.
Because of the pain Frankie was in and these dramatic changes, the team decided to take Frankie to surgery after discussing the risks involved with his owners that included permanent paralysis. Frankie had a complicated surgical procedure as Jackie one of our Soft Tissue Consultants had to open up both his thoracic and abdominal cavities and follow the soft tissue tract from his diaphragm to lumbar vertebrae. During this process they had to remove part of his lung lobe as this was attached to his diaphragm. They entered the spinal canal and found an extensive abscess and retrieved two foreign bodies (grass awns) then flushed the area and took samples for the pathology team to investigate and then closed his thoracic and abdominal cavities.
After a great deal of nursing care of his wounds with the nursing team, a chest drain and the physiotherapy team creating a rehabilitation programme for him, Frankie was eventually discharged. The team saw him back a month after and he was like a different dog, bright, active and with no evidence of pain at all! His neurological exam showed significant improvement of his ataxia (loss of co-ordination). His owners were absolutely delighted!
It is very likely that Frankie had inhaled the grass awns and they had travelled from his mouth or nose and tracked through his lungs, diaphragm and sublumbar muscles. Without surgery to remove the grass awns he would not have improved. Grass awns are very difficult to identify on any scan not only because they are small but the location they managed to get to location. Thankfully the brilliant team found them with the intricate surgery and Frankie went on to make an excellent and full recovery.
Team Members
Heidi Kaniok
Resident in Soft Tissue Surgery
Alessandro Conte
Resident in Small Animal Surgery
Joy Fenner
Resident Surgery in Soft Tissue Surgery
Bianca Garner
Medicine Ward Nurse
Carlos Filipe Januario
Theatre Nurse
Catherine Wright
RVN
Neurology Nurse
Charlene Mallott
Dip HE CVN DipAVN RVN
Neurology Nurse Manager
Sophie-Jane Boggas
ISFMDipFN RVN
Medicine Ward Nurse
Cláudia Canelas
RVN
Cat Ward Nurse
Donna Mason
FdSc RVN DipHECVN DipAVN
Night Nurse
Ella Sims
Ophthalmology Nurse
Emma Chilcott
Student Veterinary Nurse
Emma Cottey
RVN
Nurse in Neurology
Sharna Lambert
RVN
Internal Medicine Nurse
Emma Myers
Dip HE, CVN, Dip AVN, VTS (Anesthesia), RVN
Senior Anaesthesia and Analgesia Technician
Felicity Bradbeer
RVN
Internal Medicine Nurse
Gemma Baker
ECC Nurse Manager
Hannah Moore
Internal Medicine Nurse
Hannah Pokora
BTEC BSc (Hons)
Neurology Nurse
Stacey Chillingworth
RVN
Cat Ward Nurse
Hannah Young
RVN
Theatre Nurse
Alexandra Wallington
RVN
Internal Medicine Nurse
Arron Smith
BVSc PGCertSAM MRCVS
Intern in Medicine
Victoria Brown
BSc (Hons)
Night Nurse
Danielle Parker
RVN
Nurse in Anaesthesia
Coleen Berry
BSc(Hons) RVN
Cardiology Nurse
Claire Thomas
RVN Dip CVN Dip AVN
Critical Care Nurse - ICU
Zoe Dunthorne
RVN
Internal Medicine Nurse
Zoe Ellington
BSc(Hons) RVN
Surgery Ward Nurse
Hayley Eyres
Neurology Nurse
Federica Porcarelli
BSAVA Postgraduate Certificate in Emergency and Critical Care
ICU - Intern
Melissa Jane Woodbridge
Nights - Nursing Assistant
Helen Thurlow
RVN
Neurology Nurse
Jade Waterlow
Student Veterinary Nurse
Jasmine Kaines
BSc(Hons) RVN
Critical Care Nurse - ICU
John Marques
RVN
Ward Nurse
Jourdan Colegate
Student Veterinary Nurse
Stacey Pearson
Case Manager
Julieta Silva
Surgery Ward Nurse Manager
Karen Wayte
Night Nurse
Kate Pickles
RVN
Neurology Nurse Supervisor
Katie Leigh
RVN
Surgery Ward Nurse Manager
Ben Lummis
Hospital Manager
Kayleigh Whitehead
Student Veterinary Nurse
Kelly Pugh
RVN
Night Nurse
Kerry Hall
BSc(Hons) DipAVN CertVNECC VTS(ECC), CertVN ECC RVN
Night Nurse
Laura Smith
RVN, C-SQP
Ward Nurse
Leila Radford
Student Veterinary Nurse
Lucy Claisse
Student Veterinary Nurse
Danielle Imerson
Recruitment
Lyndsay Broadhurst
RVN
Neurology Nurse
Helen Fewson-Reeve
PGCertVBM
Telemedicine Manager
Helen Harding
Finance Administrator
Sharon Leppard
Accounts Manager
Ioanna Papadogiannaki
DVM, MRCVS
Intern in Dermatology
Sophie Hart
People Co-ordinator
Sophie Holtaway
Finance Administrator
Heidi Kaniok
BVSc PGCertSAS MRCVS
Resident in Soft Tissue Surgery
Telmo Filipe
IT Support Technician
Beatrice Enrica Carletti
DVM MSc MRCVS
Resident in Neurology and Neurosurgery
Holly Sayer
Finance Administrator
Lindsay Taylor
Finance Administrator
Maddie Campbell
Accounts Administrator
Juliet Drummond
DAVN (medical) CERTVNECC RVN
Night Nurse
Nadine Molloy
Finance Administrator
Kate Barber
BA(hon), RVN
Night Nurse
Richard Baker
ACA ACSP ACTC
IT Manager
Kerry Brundell
RVM
Dermatology Nurse
Laura Bunbury
Intern in Diagnostic Imaging
Kirsty Hart
Night Nurse
Jessica Brookes
Nursing Assistant
Zoe Dunthorne
RVN
Business Relationship Manager
Helen Platten
Senior HR Advisor
Katrina Wilson
Night PCA Manager
Amie Perry
Client Care Team
Carla Jacobs
Client Care Team
Jessica Greaves
Rebecca Baron
RVN NCERT(ANBEH)
Night Nurse
Maggie Barbosa
Neurology Nurse
Mel Brace
RVN Dip CVN Dip AVN
Critical Care Nurse - ICU
Melanie Means
RVN
Neurology Nurse
Melanie Rich
RVN CertVNECC
Night Nurse
Melanie Thomason
RVN
Night Nurse
Melissa Mackenzie
RVN
Ward Nurse
Michelle Trowell
RVN
Night Nurse
Nicola Jayne Ramsay
RVN
Ophthalmology Ward Nurse Manager
Nicole Bradfield
RVN FdSc
Theatre Nurse
Paula Lungley
Night Nurse
Phoebe Crittenden
RVN Diploma in Animal Management
Medicine Ward Nurse
Rebekah Underwood
Internal Medicine Nurse Manager
Catherine Rolfe
GradDipVN RVN AFHEA
Lecturer
Rochelle Scott
Student Veterinary Nurse
Rowena Owen
Night Nurse
Sophie O’Halloran
RVN
Anaesthesia Nurse
Stepan Rudakov
Night Nurse
Stephanie Jeffery
RVN
Neurology Nurse
Tara Whittelton
RVN
Medicine Ward Nurse
Mandy Kearny
Dispensary Manager
Terry Lack
RVN Cert VN ECC
Night Nurse Manager
Tom Egger
RVN
Cat Ward Nurse
Toni Pettitt
RVN
ECC Nurse Manager
Vicky Barker
RVN
Internal Medicine Nurse Manager
Vicky Friar
Night Nurse
Victoria Watling
RVN Advanced Cert. In Veterinary Physiotherapy
Student and Senior Nurse Support Coordinator
Vikki Brewer
RVN
Night Nurse
Ali Heywood
RVN
Academy Principal
Viktorija Rudakova
Student Veterinary Nurse
Wendy J Pashley
RVN DipAVN Cert Ed BSc
Lecturer
Tessa Croucher
FdSc VN Cert RVN
Lecturer
Kelly Winstanley
RVN CertEd
Lecturer
Sally Petts
RVN Grad Dip
Lecturer
Lauren Lawton
RVN NCert (Aneasth)
Veterinary Nursing Liaison and Quality Officer
Angel Green
Lecturer
Jonny Lummis
Health & Safety and Facilities Lead
Timothy Wallis
Maintenance Team Leader
Aimilia Konstantinidou
Student Veterinary Nurse
Jody Tancock
RVN, DipHE AVN
Oncology Nurse Manager
Rebecca Stoddart
RVN
Critical Care Nurse - ICU
Richard Trinder
BSc BVMS MRCVS PGDip VCP MANZCVS
ICU - Intern
Amy Harding
FdSc RVN
Cat Ward Nurse
April Say
Student Veterinary Nurse
Yvonne Hignell
Hospital Director
Leah Unwin
Dip VetPhys MIAAT
Veterinary Physiotherapist
Team Leader
Ruth Campbell
BSc (Hons)
Laboratory Manager
Daisy Huxtable
BSc (Hons), MSc VetPhys, MNAVP
Veterinary Physiotherapist
Ben Lummis
Operations Manager
Deborah Bell
Client Care Team Manager
Fiona Millward
BSc (Hons) VetPhys
Veterinary Physiotherapist
Christine Dubeau
BSc BVM&S MVetMed DipACVP MRCVS
Clinical Pathologist
Gemma Reeve
RVN ISFM CertFN
Head of Clinical Governance
Alessandro Conte
DVM, CertAVP, MRCVS ECVS
Resident in Small Animal Surgery
Nicola Thomas
BSc (Hons), MSc VetPhys, MNAVP
Veterinary Physiotherapist
Sarah Bradbury
BSc(Hons) CIMDipl
Marketing Manager
Sarah Powdrill-Wells
BSc (Hons), MSc Vet Phys, MNAVP
Veterinary Physiotherapist
Kelly Stevenson
FCCA
Finance Business Partner
Claire Foster
MCIPD
HR Business Partner
Joy Fenner
BSc BVSc BVM BVS PGCert CertAVP(ECC) CertAVP(GSAS) MRCVS
Resident Surgery in Soft Tissue Surgery
Beatrice Sambugaro
Resident in Anaesthesia and Analgesia
Inga Viilmann
MRCVS
Resident in Anaesthesia and Analgesia
Julia Tang
BVetMed (Hons), PGDipVCP, MRCVS
Resident in Internal Medicine
Jade Radway
BSc(Hons)
Biomedical Scientist
Katherine Norris
BSc (Hons)
Biomedical Scientist
Thomas King
BSc
Biomedical Scientist
Joel Tait
MSc BSc
Biomedical Scientist
Jenny Plant
BSc(Hons)
Biomedical Scientist
Jenni Bartram
BSc(Hons)
Biomedical Scientist
Carrie-Ann Gilbey
Biomedical Scientist
Emily Owen
Laboratory Receptionist
Nikki Thurley
Laboratory Receptionist / Administrator
Valentina Campoli
Intern in Anaesthesia and Analgesia
Tim Gamston
