The London Vet Clinic is more than a primary care veterinary clinic. Uniquely, we provide, on-site, a variety of second opinion skills including cardiology, internal medicine, ophthalmology, advanced dentistry, advanced endoscopy and day patient soft tissue, orthopaedic and minimally invasive surgery. We are, we think, the only primary care vet clinic in the UK providing behaviour counselling from a vet with post graduate qualifications in clinical animal behaviour.

Our History and Values

When Bruce Fogle founded the London Vet Clinic in 1973 there were no referral vet hospitals. When he needed help with complex cases Bruce invited veterinary cardiologists, dermatologists, ophthalmologists, surgeons and behaviourists from  vet schools to visit his clinic in Marylebone.

By the 1980s the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) had created a referral service and Bruce referred complex medical and surgical challenges to them. In the late 1990s Dr Grant Petrie from the RVC joined the London Vet Clinic where for the last 25 years he has provided London’s general practice vets with referral support in cardiology, internal medicine and oncology.

Corporate investment in veterinary facilities

In the 2000s dozens of referral vet hospitals were built in the UK. In veterinary medicine these are called ‘tertiary care’ facilities. Today almost all the large tertiary care referral hospitals are owned by international corporations, pet food manufacturers or venture capital funds.  To grow financially is at the core of what they want to achieve.

Our core value

Our core value is to care for our animal companions with kindness, compassion, integrity and humility. We don’t want to put them (or you) through undue distress.

A middle road for vets, pets and people

General practice vets see medial or surgical challenges where we know that more experienced vets can help us diagnose or treat problems. We know that referral vet hospitals have superb staff and facilities. But they can be expensive. And there are referral or specialist vets who feel uncomfortable working in businesses that have core values different to their own.

To reduce undue distress for your animal companions, and costs to you, at York Street we provide a middle road between general practice (or primary care) and corporate referral hospitals (tertiary care). Skilled independent referral vets visit 84-86-88 York Street in Marylebone and see your companions in a warm, non-clinical environment. There are three separate reception areas, five examination rooms including two specifically designed for ophthalmology and behaviour visits and extensive ‘behind the scenes’ facilities. Through their fields of internal medicine, cardiology, neurology, ophthalmology, dermatology and behaviour the York Street referral vets can diagnose and treat over 95 percent of the individuals they see without the need to refer them or you for more expensive diagnostics and treatments at a referral vet hospital.

Augmenting the referral staff at the London Vet Clinic is a diverse and highly skilled group of referral experts and specialists at our colleagues at The Ralph, in Marlow. Life our referral vets, these men and women routinely provide continuing education to the veterinary profession, and are sought after lecturers at regional, national, and international veterinary meetings, symposia and conferences. The Ralph is our preferred tertiary care partner because they are in harmony with our ethical attitude, that we always consider what an animal might want done if it had the chance to participate in decision-making.

Internal Medicine & Cardiology

Dr Grant Petrie
MA, VetMB, CertCARD, CertSAM, MRCVS

Grant has been at the London Vet Clinic for over 25 years, assisting in complicated liver, kidney and bladder, gastrointestinal and hormonal conditions. He frequently lecturers vets nationally and internationally in conditions such as diabetes and Cushing’s Disease. Grant sees second opinion internal medicine problems and oversees all cancer chemotherapy treatments.

  • British Small Animal Veterinary Association Past President

Behaviour

Dr Natalia Aira Bewick 
DVM, MSc in CAB, MRCVS

Natalia has been helping people with their pet’s behaviour concerns in London and North Wales for almost ten years. For her Masters thesis in animal behaviour she investigated  how early experiences in puppies lives influence personality traits in adult dogs.

What Natalia finds most rewarding when working with dogs and cats with behavioural problems is helping pets and their people understand each other and build a strong bond. Natalia is available at the London Vet Clinic for referred cats and dogs with any type of behaviour issue.

Dentistry

Peter Kertesz 
DDS (London), Hon Assoc RCVS

Peter, the only dental surgeon in the UK to be awarded Honorary Associate of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, has been attending to complicated oral and dental conditions in dogs and cats (and elephants and killer whales!) for over thirty years. Peter consults in London each week.

  • Author: A Colour Atlas of Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Diseases

Endoscopy

Dr Elise Robertson
BVetMed(Hons), BS, DipABVP(Feline), FRCVS

Elise has over 15 years of clinical experienced in advanced endoscopy. Her skills mean that, when needed, cats and dogs can have outpatient, minimally invasive procedures such a liver biopsies, rhinoscopies, otoendoscopies or laparoscopies here at York Street rather than at referral centres.

  • Fellow Higher Education Academy
  • Fellow Royal Society of Biology
  • Recognised Board Certified Diplomate Feline Practice

Surgery

James Creasey 
BVSc(Hons) Cert SAS MRCVS

The most common, sudden joint injury that dogs experience is a torn anterior cruciate ligament. James is one of the country’s most experienced veterinary surgeons using the ‘Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy (TPLO) procedure to repair torn cruciates in dogs’ knees. He performs around 700 cruciate repairs each year and has been doing so for over 10 years.

James is equally proficient repairing slipping kneecaps, especially in small individuals and using an arthroscope to examine and repair painful elbow conditions, not uncommon in Labradors and similar size dogs.

James studied at Bristol University’s vet school when Stephen Warren was there, graduating in 2003. At York Street we have the facilities for James to carry out repairs ensuring that virtually all the dogs he operates on are back in their own homes the same day.

Ophthalmology

David Williams 
MA VetMB CertVOphthal PhD CertWEL VetMD DipECAWBM(AWSEL) MEd FRCVS

David runs Cambridge vet school’s ophthalmology clinic, where his special interests are cataracts and eye immunology. He has decades of experience treating eye conditions in dogs and cats and understands that less intervention is often in our animal companions’ best interest. In that context its not surprising that David also runs an ethics course for Cambridge’s vet students.

David studied at Cambridge University’s vet school when Grant Petrie was there, graduating in 1988. Both did their post graduate training at the Royal Veterinary College. David moved on to the Animal Health Trust’s renowned ophthalmology unit but when that organisation ceased to exist he returned to Cambridge. At York Street we have the facilities for David to carry out eye examinations and repairs ensuring that all the animal companions he sees are back in their own homes the same day.

  • David has over 230 publications in veterinary ophthalmology and animal welfare