VBJ articles

It was less than a year after graduation that Emily Westwood realised working for someone else as an ambulatory equine vet wasn’t going to be for her. But instead of abandoning her hard-won veterinary career before it had really begun, Emily instead decided to set up her own practice – and Pocket Nook Equine Vets was born…

33 mins

Southfields Veterinary Specialists opened the doors of its huge new referral centre last month – one of the largest facilities of its kind in Europe. It marks the end of a five-year journey for all those involved with the project, but as VBJ discovered when we paid a visit, the best things really do come to those who wait…

When Northlands Veterinary Hospital relocated to new premises in Kettering town centre last year, it didn’t move very far. It’s just a few minutes’ walk from the old site, but a million miles away in every other sense, as VBJ discovered when we paid a visit last month...

34 mins

Jenny Reason and Carly Day had no experience of running a business and only a relatively small amount of money when they opened Bury St Edmunds Veterinary Centre three years ago. However, the practice has since grown into the perfect example of what can be achieved with a lot of hard work and little bit of love…

32 mins

Changing the fortunes of a large veterinary hospital can be like trying to do a 180 in an ocean liner – it’s a slow and complicated task. But the team at Wear Referrals has done just that, and the practice is once again steaming in the right direction, as VBJ discovered…

37 mins

When most people set up a practice, their goals for the new enterprise are usually relatively limited. But the Nupsala Musculoskeletal Clinic in Melton Mowbray is part of a much grander and ambitious plan, as VBJ discovered when we paid a visit last month...

Making a comeback is often a venture fraught with risk; for every Elvis Presley or Tyson Fury there's a Vanilla Ice or Björn Borg. But sometimes the risk pays off, as VBJ discovered when we caught up with Werrington Vets owners Marwan Tarazi and Nikos Pallas following a triumphant return to their old patch...

38 mins

You have to be pretty confident your new practice is going to be something a bit special if you decide to call it Stellar Vets. In this case, however, with a digital-focused, client-friendly approach, this new venture more than lives up to its name, as VBJ discovered…

39 mins

Anderson Moores was established in August 2006, and since then its story has been one of spectacular growth and development. And despite the impact of coronavirus and two recent changes of ownership, its rapid rise has continued unabated, as VBJ discovered when we caught up with director David Walker…

48 mins

Woodcroft Veterinary Group has been expanding steadily in the Stockport and Cheadle area since the business was first established 45 years ago. In 2019 the six-branch practice opened the doors to a new 24-hour hospital, and it’s a facility that’s certainly proved its worth during the past 18 months…

After working as a firefighter for some of the UK’s largest corporate vet groups, Iris Kestemont joined a growing band of pandemic pioneers and opened her own practice earlier this year. The Peacocks Veterinary Clinic in Corsham has not been in business long, but Iris is already enjoying the chance to practise what she has long preached…

38 mins

After banging her head against the glass ceiling for years, Shelley Cook decided to take matters into her own hands and opened her own practice. She describes the decision as “like jumping off a cliff without a parachute”, but it seems Shelley and her team at Little Rock Equine Vets have made the perfect landing…

32 mins

Few could argue that most business sectors need to do more to support working mothers. For the veterinary profession, finding models that actually work for vet mums is a matter of urgency and not just in the UK – as VBJ discovered when we spoke to practice owner Jocelyn Birch Baker in Queensland, Australia…

29 mins

Last November, Chris Devlin joined the growing band of vets to decide that the middle of a pandemic is as good a time as any to open their own practice. And like many others, Chris and wife Sam are discovering that, despite coronavirus and the many other challenges of setting up the business, the COVID cloud may yet have a silver lining…

29 mins

Anyone intent on opening their own veterinary practice usually does so with at least a 5-year, or even a 10-year, plan. Some people go into the enterprise with a longer view, however, as VBJ discovered when we spoke to Aidan Borrill prior to the launch of his practice, Ferndown Family Vets in Dorset…

32 mins

Spending a small fortune developing a business is probably not at the top of the agenda for most people in their seventies. But Duncan MacIntyre of Bute and Cowal Vets is not most people, as VBJ discovered when he spoke to us last month about his ambitious plans for expansion…

33 mins

One of the many lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that sustainability and the need to live more lightly on our planet have now become urgent objectives for everybody and every business. For experienced small animal vet Rob Douwes, these concepts were the driving force when he opened Green Vets in York 18 months ago…

24 mins

Coronavirus continues to dominate the agenda, but for some the Brexit deadline is now starting to loom just as menacingly. For practices like Parklands Veterinary Group in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, what happens on 1 January is of huge significance, as VBJ discovered when we spoke to clinical director Eamon Donnelly…

24 mins

One of the most persistent myths attached to owning a practice is that it’s impossible to maintain a sensible work-life balance when you’re running the show. But the reality can be very different, as VBJ discovered when we paid a visited to Henlow Veterinary Centre, an independent first opinion practice in Bedfordshire…

5 mins

Eastcott Referrals was born when Peter Southerden began offering dental referrals from a small practice based in an old Victorian house in Swindon almost 20 years ago. The practice long ago outgrew its humble origins and while dentistry is still a key focus, Eastcott now has strong roots in many different areas...

36 mins