Vets4Pets Epsom

I have had the pleasure of being a vet since 2003, after qualifying at Onderstepoort in South Africa. My first year at an RSPCA hospital in Johannesburg gave me invaluable experience and hands on skills. I have been working in small animal practice in the UK since 2005, and have gained a lot of experience in all aspects of being a vet making me a well-rounded vet working with cats, dogs, rabbits, Guinea pigs, hamsters to name a few, plus forming life long bonds with many pet owners. My real passion has always been surgery, therefore I studied further and attained a further qualification in soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery, giving me the skills to do surgeries such as cruciate ligament repairs, perineal hernia repairs, eyelid surgeries and reconstruction surgery with flaps and skin grafts. Over the years I have been very lucky to have worked with and got to know many wonderful colleagues with whom we have helped lots of beloved pets. Now I look forward to building and developing my new ‘work family’, and together we will take care of and help your furry friends when they need us and come down for a visit. I look forward to meeting the pets of Epsom and their families at our new practice! Featured in the profile photo is Kinks Govender, my 13yr old rescued DSH ‘Fur-baby’ who traveled from South Africa with me many years ago, and is loving living in Surrey!

I graduated from the University Of Forestry, Sofia, Bulgaria in 2015. Following graduation I spent three years in the United States where I did an internship in small animal surgery and medicine, where I gained a lot of experience of working with different types of pets. I joined the team at Epsom in August 2018. I enjoy all aspects of the veterinary medicine but am particularly interested in small animal surgery, emergency care, ophthalmology, dermatology and exotic animal medicine. In my spare time I enjoy gyming, reading and exploring the lovely surrey countryside.

I have been nursing since 2001 and qualified in 2005. I have spent my nursing career working primarily in small animal practices and spent a year working with a specialist in an exotics referral practice, nursing a variety of animals including snakes, lizards, tortoises and birds of prey. I love all aspects of nursing but my particular areas of interest are medical nursing, lab work, senior pet care and cat behaviour. I am a qualified veterinary nurse assessor which means that I help to train student vet nurses to obtain their nursing qualifications. I have also recently completed a diploma qualification in leadership and management. In my spare time, I am kept busy by my mischievous French bulldog called Penelope (featured in the above photo). We enjoy exploring the surrey countryside on dog walks. I am also owned by two cats (Mooboo and Mow-wow) who like to rule the roost. Both Lenesa and myself are very excited in our new joint venture, so on behalf of ourselves and our fantastic team, we look forward to welcoming you and your pets into our practice.

After completing my A levels, I started training as a veterinary nurse, qualifying in January 2003. I worked for many years in small animal practice, before taking a career break to have my 2 amazing daughters. I returned to nursing just over a year ago and I'm loving every minute! I particularly enjoy anaesthesia, surgical nursing and inpatient care. We share our home with Molly, the 15 year old Toy Poodle and 17 year old Bella, the beautiful black and white moggy. When I'm not at work, I like to spend time with the family, enjoying the outdoors and going on trips in our VW camper van.

Prior to joining the Vets4Pets Epsom team, I received a First Class Honours Degree in English Language and Communication & Television and New Broadcasting Media, which gave me the opportunity to live and study in America for a year. Even though I enjoyed my degree, I knew that my heart had always been with animals, so after I graduated I began working for Pets at Home, where I was trained in small animal, fish, bird, and reptile care, as well as animal nutrition and welfare. I even went back to university (again!) to become a C-SQP (Companion Animal – Suitably Qualified Person), which gave me a broader understanding of animal biology, and the parasites that can harm our lovely pets. After gaining some experience working in the Vets4Pets Epsom practice, I knew that was where I was meant to be and now as a Veterinary Care Assistant, I can’t wait to do even more learning and eventually become a Registered Veterinary Nurse. I can’t remember a time in my life that I haven’t been surrounded by animals, from my beloved first dog, to my gorgeous chinchilla - but at the moment my pets are: a 10 year old Border Terrier called Tia who still acts like she’s 10 months old, and Rosie and Baggins, my adopted rabbits who are a mischievous pair that love nothing more than binky-ing around the garden and a getting a good head scratch.

Before I had the pleasure of working for Epsom Vets4Pets, I studied Art and Design in college and later became a kitchen designer, which was a great way to use my creativity and to experience customer service. However, growing up I have always had a strong love for animals and their wellbeing. I always thought one day I would work alongside them. So, I began my job search and stumbled upon a ‘client care advisor’ role for Vets4Pets and immediately applied! A short time later I had the interview and have been working here since Feb 2018. Not only am I able to be surrounded by animals every day, but I am also able to implement my great understanding of customer service and care. I share my home with many different pets, including my rats, ball pythons, corn snakes, Brazilian Rainbow Boa and geckos. In my spare time I am either caring for my animals or focusing on health and fitness. Lexi (pictured) is my family’s 7 year old Maltichon.

Having returned to the UK after a 6 month sabbatical in Spain, I am excited to join the team at Vets4Pets Epsom. While in Spain I volunteered for a charity that rescues, cares for and rehomes unwanted and mistreated dogs. I walked dogs and socialised puppies finding the whole experience hugely rewarding, especially when a dog was found a new home. I trained as a hotel receptionist and have used my reception/customer service skills working for amongst others, an airline, two football clubs and a medical practice. To be given the chance to combine my love of animals with giving good service to clients and their pets is really exciting and I’m looking forward to a new chapter in my working life. My black Labrador Molly sadly passed away after a very long and happy life. She loved walks along the beach, swimming and a fluffy pink pig! Molly gave me unconditional love and joy and whenever I think of her I smile.