Cheltenham Vets4Pets

Although I am the first vet in my family, I am certainly not alone in my love of animals. I was lucky enough to grow up in Devon surrounded by the family cats, rabbits, chinchillas and dogs. I graduated from Cambridge in 2007 and since this time have worked in small animal practices in Devon, Australia, London, and now Cheltenham. I appreciate the very special relationship an animal and owner have and believe animals can benefit everyone. I have a 6 year old tabby cat called Cookie who is so gentle and patient with my two young daughters.

I grew up in rural Hertfordshire and although I was the first vet in my family, animals always featured strongly in my life. As a child I was always surrounded by dogs as my grandfather and mother bred and showed Irish Setters. Later mum made a change to breeding Labradors and I was fortunate enough to be given one of her pups in final year as an early graduation present. I have continued this line and we currently have Isa’s daughter and granddaughter at home. I believe strongly in producing well socialised, healthy and happy puppies.

I started to ride at age three and got my first pony at age seven. The “horsey” phase continues to this day although I don’t get to ride much as I would like as we now have a very active five year old and my free time is no longer my own!

I graduated from Liverpool Vet School in 2004; then completed an equine externship in Newmarket before moving into mixed practice. I have realised that my passion lies in small animal work and have been in small animal practice in Cheltenham for the past seven years. I have achieved my Small Animal Medicine Post Graduate Certificate – going back to studying has been really enjoyable but a definite challenge especially when I was taking a very small person to lectures with me.

I qualified from The Royal Veterinary College in London in 2012 but grew up in Wales. We always had cats as a family and I have a particular soft spot for a cute ginger.

I moved to the area recently to join the Vets4Pets team, and am enjoying getting to know all our lovely pets and owners.

I have a keen interest in general medicine work, especially diabetes and looking after the more elderly cats.

I have two cats at home, my big gentle giant Maine Coon and my small ginger boy. Family life is quite busy currently with young twins.

Let me take you on my journey, I always wanted to be a tennis player, as you can imagine that dream fell through pretty quickly when I hit being a teenager and getting up at 8am on a Saturday became a challenge. That’s when my parents got Jaz, the now very grumpy 15 year old Jack Russell.

I always knew I loved animals but understanding the joy that she could bring surprised me. When I was sad she was there and that’s when I went ‘Hey why don’t I try and make this into a career’ and that’s exactly what I did. I studied for 4 years at Hartpury University to become a veterinary nurse, as a requirement of the degree I had to work a year in practice.

It was June 2014 when I first walked through the prep doors at Cheltenham Vet4Pets, since then I have become an RVN then a senior RVN and now the Head RVN at Cheltenham. I have gained a love for cats and their behaviour and along with other RVNs achieved the practice a silver cat friendly practice status. I have gained a certificate in feline medical nursing and I’m now working towards finishing a certificate in consulting.

I LOVE my job but most of all I love the people I work with, we really are a family here at Vets 4 Pets Cheltenham. In my spare time I love spending time with my husband, family and friends. If you asked me what my ideal day off was? Good food, good company a book in hand and a very grumpy jack Russell on my lap.

Having nursed for over 20 years, one of my favourite parts of the job is handling all of the insurance administration. In an often confusing and stressful part of pet ownership, I like taking the pressure off owners so that they can focus on their pet getting better, rather than worrying about paperwork!

As much as I enjoy caring for all the lovely pets that come through our doors, I thrive on looking after all of our wonderful clients, supporting them emotionally and practically to care for their pets is really rewarding.

I am also the go-to small furries nurse, these often overlooked and misunderstood small pets don't always get the correct husbandry and veterinary care that is available to them, so I enjoy passing my experience onto owners and the rest of the team (especially if it's guinea pig related!)

Behind the scenes I am often referred to as the 'work mum'. In an often emotionally charged, stressful and physical profession, anticipating the needs of our small, close-knit team is very important to me. Baking cakes, making tea and mending things all feature heavily when it comes to looking after everyone!

At home I keep busy spending time with my 10 year old daughter, our guinea pigs, reading and listening to all sorts of music!

Hi, my name is Bryan. I started doing an animal care course in 2003 and in 2005 I started my first job in Veterinary which was on reception in a small branch practice in Scotland, I then went to my nurse training at Edinburgh’s Telford Collage and qualified and registered in 2011.

Although I didn’t have many pets growing, just goldfish and budgerigars, I have always wanted to do something with animals, it wasn’t until my first time in a veterinary practice on placement during my animal care course that I chose to go into nursing, I think seeing my first caesarean sealed the deal. After qualifying I moved to down to Worcestershire where I spent the next 11 years, before Cheltenham Vets4Pets in June 2023.

I have a strong interest in nurse consultations, as this allows me to deal with your amazing pets but also our wonderful clients. I am keen on preventative dental care In my spare time.

In my spare time I am a bit of a gamer, love watching TV, enjoy going for a nice long walk, I play outdoor bowling and have done since I was 15. I have also started doing a bit of gardening (but Don’t have a very green thumb)

Hi, I’m Carys and I am one of the student veterinary nurses currently studying for my degree at Hartpury University.

I grew up in the Cotswolds with my dog Misty, enjoying the countryside walks. I enjoy horse riding and playing netball in my spare time. I look for forward to seeing you and your pets when I come in.

Hello, I’m Miranda and I’m one of the student nurses.

I’ve been with the company for 3 years and joined Cheltenham Vets4Pets in April 2023 as a veterinary care assistant. In September 2023 I then became a student nurse at Hartpury University, studying a diploma in veterinary nursing. Having already done a bachelors in animal behaviour which was mostly exotics research, I decided to return to study as a veterinary nurse as it has always been my dream to work in a vet practice.

I am now coming to the end of my first year and really enjoy all parts of my training, especially lab techniques and surgical nursing, which are things I want to further my knowledge on in future. I also love meeting all our lovely clients and gaining more expertise in the advice we give in consults. Outside work, my husband and I have a very boisterous husky and we spend all our free time taking him on exciting hiking adventures to try and tire him out!

Hi my name is Evie and I am one of the student nurses.

I joined Vets4Pets Cheltenham in July 2023 for my placement year at Hartpury University. I’m studying BSc (Hons) Veterinary Nursing and I will soon be going into my third year. My favourite modules are patient care and going into the lab for laboratory work. Here at Vets4Pets Cheltenham I thoroughly enjoy your lovely feline friends, preparing our patients for their procedures and taking care of our poorly inpatients as it is so rewarding to see their progress. I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge, especially in the larger species including farm and zoo, as I have a keen interest in them. When I’m not taking care of my cheeky kittens Pingu and Willow or baking at home, I can be found competing with my horse or out and about in the countryside.

Hi my name is Amy and I’m one of the student nurses.

I’m currently studying BC (Hons) Veterinary Nursing at Hartpury University and joined the practice in august 2023 for my placement year. I have keen interest in surgical nursing and monitoring anaesthetics. I really enjoy seeing our smaller patients including Guinea pigs and rabbits. After I complete my degree I hope to expand my horizons and delve into some more exotic species including reptiles, aquatics and some avian species.

Being from a seaside down back in Wales you can often find me on the beach, hiking the coastline or fishing off my paddle board with my dog Tedi. She enjoys jumping in the water after her ball and showing off her many tricks. When not in the sea I also enjoy hitting the ski slopes or caring for my many plants and fish tanks.

I’m a fluent welsh speaker and have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of studying in English. My experiences so far have been invaluable and I look forward to meeting more of your pets.

Hi, my name is Leah and I am the Practice Manager. I started with Vets4Pets in May 2022, prior to this I worked within the NHS and the Private medical sector. I originally started my career in animal care however I soon fell in love with working within the NHS. I have always enjoyed working with people and to have animals added into that is an added bonus!

I enjoy all aspects of this job and never having 2 days the same and working with people who are always able to make you laugh no matter what!

I am currently working through the Certificate in Veterinary Practice Management: CertNCS(VPM) and hope to complete this soon.

At home I have Sid the Sproodle and Larry the Leopard Gecko. I enjoy going on adventures with Sid and my husband, reading a good book and doing all things crafty!

Hi my name is Sophie and I started here at Vets4Pets in October 2019. I’ve been involved in veterinary either working with horses or now with small animals for nearly 10 years now.

I started my career as a client care advisor which I enjoyed for many years and have recently changed roles to become a veterinary care assistant part time, since welcoming my daughter in 2022.

I enjoy the hands on aspects of my VCA role alongside the interactions with clients whether that be face to face, on the phone or via email.

Outside of work I have 2 dogs Echo the staffie and Alfie the collie, which I’ve had for many years now. In my spare time I enjoy anything horse related, finding new and challenging walking routes and trying to keep up with my very energetic toddler!