Vet and Greenbay owner, John, is an experienced surgeon, and holds the British Small Animal Veterinary Association certificate in small animal surgery. He is an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Surgery, making him one of the highest qualified small animal surgeons in the local area. ‘Advanced Practitioner’ is an official recognition of a veterinary surgeon’s particular knowledge and skills in a designated field of veterinary practice and verifies that they continue to be up to date in their field over and above the minimum requirements for continuing professional development.
John is able to perform both orthopaedic (bone and joint) surgeries and more advanced soft tissue surgical procedures, including:
- Cruciate ligament surgery (TTA rapid, TPLO and Orthozip techniques)
- Patella luxation surgery including patella groove replacement
- Fracture repairs
- Total hip replacement in dogs and cats. John has passed a rigorous assessment programme in order to perform the Biomedtrix total hip replacement system.
- BOAS surgery – surgery to reduce airway obstruction in short-nosed (brachycephalic) dogs
- Ear surgery – total ear canal ablation, ventral bulla osteotomy
- Removal of tumours affecting the mouth and jaw bone
- Removal of large tumours requiring reconstructive surgery
- Keyhole surgery
In 2024 we invested in equipment so that we could perform laser surgery. Unlike a traditional scalpel, the laser vaporises (rather than cuts) tissue cleanly and precisely, and seals blood vessels at the same time. The laser can be used for things like BOAS surgery, and removal of masses such as eyelid growths (like in patient Gatsby – read more here). Benefits for the patient include less pain and bleeding, and a quicker recovery.
These advanced surgical operations are performed at our Torquay surgery, minimising the need for referral outside Torbay. Our vets will perform a full pre-operative assessment of your pet and discuss the procedure, including any possible complications, with you in full.
John is passionate about ensuring high levels of anaesthetic safety and surgical care facilities, to minimise the risk of complications as far as possible. This means we wear full theatre attire i.e. theatre scrubs, theatre shoes, and use disposable surgical gloves, gowns and drapes to minimise potential infection. This is more expensive than traditional veterinary methods (everyday clothes and re-used drapes), but is considered gold standard in human surgery. We believe your pet deserves equally high standards and are confident in our levels of sterility. We use “swaged on” suture material for any knots or stitches – this is more expensive than the traditionally used “suture on a reel” but guarantees sterility. It means an individual pack of suture material is opened for your pet, with a brand new needle that does not need to be threaded on – this causes less tissue damage and therefore less pain. We believe this is better surgical procedure and it is standard in human medicine.
You can read about what happens when your pet has a general anaesthetic with us here.
We will always provide an estimate as to the probable costs of an operation, but please bear in mind that animals do not always follow the textbook so an estimate can only be approximate. We will endeavour to keep you informed as to the costs of your pet’s treatment.
You can read about some of our patients in our news blog:
Joey – a cat with a pelvic fracture
Alfie – a cat with a growth plate fracture
Lottie – a dog with a pelvic fracture following a road traffic accident
Benjie – a pup whose bowel became obstructed after he ate things he shouldn’t have done
Mia – a cat with a broken elbow
Bilbeau – a puppy with a deformed leg