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

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