VETS

ANDY GREEN

Graduated from Royal Veterinary College in 1993.

My first job was in a large and busy mixed practice in Bungay Suffolk where I worked for 2 years, before moving to a 2 vet small animal practice in Essex for a further 2 years. I spent the next 5 years at Stone Lion Veterinary Centre in Wimbledon, a large multidisciplinary hospital practice with a dedicated emergency service and specialist veterinary referral clinicians. For the last 2½ years there I was the Head Veterinary Surgeon. My final move was from there to Pennards, where I have been for the last 5 years.

I have a wide range of professional interests, including medicine and surgery, endoscopy, radiology and ultrasonography.

For me, becoming a vet was all I ever wanted to be from the age of 8, when I announced to my parents that I would be a vet after spending an afternoon watching a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis in the garden. It has enabled me to help not only the animals that I care for, but also their owners, who very often see their pets as members of the family, and have all the understandable worries and concerns you would naturally expect where their pets are concerned.

In my spare time I love keeping fit and active. I snowboard, hold a black belt in karate, play golf, run, and enjoy yoga and meditation.


RICHARD EVERSON, BSc BVetMed MRCVS

Richard writes.....'I graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2003 and joined a large mixed practice (20 vets) in my home town in Buckinghamshire. I worked in the small animal department for 2 years before moving to Sussex. In August 2006, after a further spell in small animal practice, I joined Pennard's as an out-of-hours vet.I hope to join the day time team from the summer of 2009.

As you might expect I have a special interest in emergency medicine and surgery, although I enjoy the more routine aspects of practice too, including rabbit medicine.

I have a mischievous terrier-spaniel cross called Beetle (homed from local charity RAIN) and a grey cat called Heidi who is very good at eating, sleeping, and catching leaves.

I have an allotment which keeps me busy in my time off after a busy weekend shift and I enjoy exploring the countryside with my dog. As I have lived within walking distance of Bewl Water reservoir for three years my New Year resolution for 2009 will be to finally learn to windsurf!'


PETER VAN DONGEN

Peter van Dongen qualified as a vet at the Utrecht Veterinary school, The Netherlands, in March 1990. He worked in a mixed practice in Louth, Lincolnshire, UK, for 3 years, before deciding to limit himself to small animals only. In 1993 he joined Pennard Veterinary Group, in Sevenoaks, Kent. From December 1996 till January 2005 he ran his own branch practice in Allington, Maidstone. Currently he is a Director at Pennard Veterinary Group, now a 13 vet, four branch, small animal veterinary practice. His special interestes are surgery, orthopaedics, radiology and, more recently, Canine Sports Medicine. He has just set up a hydrotherapy service at his practice.

In May 1995 Peter started agility (after years of just thinking about it!) with his Jack Russel Cross 'Basil' (a bitch!), then 5 years old. Since then they qualified for many finals, including 'Crufts' and 'Olympia'. Basil won the coveted Crufts 2001 title in the individual mini agility. Peter's little Jack Russell Cross, Sky, is now at grade 6 and has recently taken part in the European Open Agility Championships.

Peter passed the British Agility Club Instructors' exam in October 1999 (first class) and then did the British Agility Club Judging Workshop.

Peter regularly writes for various agility magazines and web sites and has been the official British Team Vet for the Agility World Championships for the last seven years.
Since last year Peter has started to do yearly charity treks, first to the Norwegian arctic,then to the Namibian desert and this year to Machu Picchu in Peru.

PHILLIP ELLIOTT

Phillip Elliott was born in New Zealand and subsequently trained at Massey University in the North Island. He graduated in 1996 and then worked for 5 years in a mixed practice (both large and small animal) in the beautiful Hawkes Bay.
He moved to the UK in 2001 and has been at Pennard Vet group since 2003 initially working as the emergency out-of-hours vet and then joining the day staff in 2006.

He credits watching the tv show 'all creatures great and small' as a boy inspired him to become a vet, and although small animal practice in Sevenoaks and mixed practice in the Yorkshire Dales are a world apart he loves the job and can't imagine doing anything else.

Phil is trained in Acupuncture therapy and is offering treatments in this, with which he has had a lot of success, mainly treating arthritic dogs.
He also enjoys all aspects of soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery.

When he is not working he enjoys Salsa Dancing and keeping fit.

His wife Tammy and daughter Emily also keep him busy at home.