Ruislip Vets for Pets

My name is Elijah. I have been a vet for about 30 years working in research and in busy first opinion veterinary hospitals abroad and in the UK. I am passionate about internal medicine and soft tissue surgery. I live in Northolt with my family. Proud father to two daughters and an adopted 10 year old cat named Tiger. Outside of work, I love nature walks, cross country jogging, reading and travelling. Apart from English, I speak four other languages but I’m still trying to learn new ‘pet languages’.

Filipe knew he wanted to be a Veterinary Surgeon from a very young age, and it was something he was determined to make a reality.

After he graduated in 2008, he travelled to Cornell University in NY, USA, for an externship, where he became particularly interested in all aspects of Small Animal Veterinary Practice. When he returned, he completed a Masters in Veterinary Medicine focused on cruciate ligament rupture in dogs. This further fuelled his interest in advanced practice and led him to complete a fourteen-month rotating internship specialising in small animals at the University of Cambridge.

Since then, Filipe has accumulated over fifteen years of general practice experience, many of which we have been lucky to have as part of our team.

Filipe is particularly passionate about diagnostics and is very committed to offering the best possible care for your pets.

Filipe speaks three European languages: Portuguese, Spanish and rusty German.
When not working hard, you’ll find Filipe sailing and surfing on the beautiful coast of the Algarve, where he is proudly from

Monika graduated from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn in 2019 and has been a valued part of our Vets for Pets team since 2021. With a strong commitment to providing high-quality care to every animal she sees, Monika brings both skill and compassion to her role as a veterinary surgeon.

Since joining the practice, Monika has become known for her gentle approach, clinical thoroughness, and genuine care for her patients. While she loves meeting patients of all shapes and sizes, Monika is well known amongst the team as the cat lady! She has such a natural affinity with the kitties is particularly skilled at handling even the most nervous or temperamental cats with calmness and care.

Outside of work, Monika enjoys spending time in nature, including gardening (growing her own tomatoes and basil!) and of course, enjoying time with her own cats.

Whether your pet is in for a routine check-up or more complex treatment, you can be sure they’ll be in safe hands with Monika

Aathi graduated from University of Surrey in 2023, and after gaining a variety of experience and knowledge practising on a wide range of species in New Zealand, she has returned to London to continue her career with us at Vets for Pets Ruislip. Whilst Aathi is the newest Vet on our team, she is more than competent and we are thrilled to have her on board, and trust our clients will be too!

Since joining the practice, Aathi has shown great compassion and knowledge to her role, managing to provide the highest standard of care whilst favouring fear free and desensitisation approaches.

Whilst Aathi has gained some unique experiences in her previous role, she maintains a keen interest in specifically expanding her soft tissue surgery skillset. 

When she is not meeting and treating your pets, Aathi enjoys travelling, attending concerts and festivals, and spending time with friends and family. 

We are thrilled with Teresa as our new addition to the team this 2025.

Teresa began her career as a qualified human dental nurse before discovering her passion for animal care and transitioning into veterinary nursing.

She qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN) in 2009 and went on to achieve a Certificate in Veterinary Dentistry in 2019, combining her expertise in both human and animal dental health. It is clear that Teresa has strong knowledge, a variety of experience and incredible people skills and clinical skills alike.

Since joining our practice, Teresa has become a very valued member of the team, very dedicated to both her administration role and assisting the Nursing Team when required. She is dedicated to her passion, knowledgeable and always ready to lend a hand.

Although you may not meet Teresa often, she works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the practice is running smoothly and your pets are receiving the highest standard of care.

Teresa’s long term aspirations are to continue the high standard of patient/client care held within the practice, and become the friendly bridge between client and practice.

We are sure that anybody who has the pleasure to interact with Teresa will agree that she brings joy with her.

When not at work, you’ll find Teresa spending time with her two cats Clarence and Cuthbert!

From a young age, Jack has had a strong passion for animals, and spent a lot of time in nature. Naturally, this led him to pursue a career in veterinary nursing, to which he became a Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2024. 

In practice, Jack is known for his calm, methodical approach and strong clinical skills and knowledge. The team would agree that Jack thrives in his practical skills, such as taking blood samples, placing intravenous catheters, taking x-rays and monitoring anaesthetics.

When he’s not busy doing any of the above, you might meet Jack in nurse consultations such as health checks, anal gland expressions or second vaccinations.

Jack shares his home with a Tartar sand boa named Tiny Tim and a rescue cat named Pumpkin, who was brought into the practice as an abandoned kitten and quickly became part of his family.

Keen to continue developing his expertise, Jack is particularly interested in advancing his knowledge in exotic animal care and hopes to specialise further in this area.

Abbie has always had fond memories of growing up with animals, and knew that she wanted to work in the Veterinary industry. Abbie joined the team in 2021 as a veterinary care assistant, and is now currently nearing the end of her Veterinary Nursing course, and is very excited to qualify in the next few months and become a Registered Veterinary Nurse.

Abbie feels she has gained a huge amount of knowledge both learning theory through studying, and gaining hands on experience in practice, and particularly enjoys placing intravenous catheters in difficult veins.

The team would agree that if there is a hospitalised patient, you will find Abbie with them. It is clear that Abbie’s passion is with nursing patients back to health, and she has a strong interest in internal medicine and in-patient care. Whilst you may not meet Abbie so often in nurse consultations, you can be sure she is doing her upmost to look after your pets out the back.

Currently, Abbie has two family rescue dogs, one of which you see in her picture, and a cat. However, Abbie has previously owned hamsters, snakes, geckos and pet rats (not all at the same time!) so she enjoys the broad spectrum of small animals we get to see in practice.

Abbie’s long term career aspirations are to specialise in internal medicine and dedicate her career to helping patients when they are most in need.

Kat joined us in 2022 as a veterinary care assistant, and has since progressed into a first-year student veterinary nurse, with an interest in many aspects of animal care. In her time as part of the team, Kat has developed strong skills in barrier nursing and hospital care, ensuring high standards of hygiene and comfort for her patients.

You may meet Kat during weight clinics, as she has a keen interest in helping pets maintain a healthy weight, and educating owners on healthier lifestyles through tailored support and advice.

Kat also has a strong passion for patients with chronic illness’, which has been sparked by her own pet cat, who faces a chronic illness himself. She also shares her home with another cat, and her pet dog.

Looking to the future, Kat has many areas that she feels passionate to specialise in, such as palliative care, long-term sickness patients, and volunteering abroad. It’s clear to the team that Kat enjoys creating a bond with her clients and patients alike!

The team would all agree that Kat keeps high spirits on the team, and is always available to distract a patient with a song and dance!

Having owned a variety of animals her whole life, Sophie could not imagine a life without them - let alone her career! Despite her deep-rooted fondness for animals, Sophie only realised that she wanted to work in the Veterinary industry during the pandemic, when she came into the care of her five pet rats: Link, Noctis, Loki, Geralt and Basil.

Joining the Vets for Pets team in 2024, Sophie did not wait long to receive her turn with the cat distribution system, and she ended up adopting a stray cat that had been dumped at the practice 8 months in to her role, who now goes by Hector.

Sophie has previously volunteered at a wildlife hospital, which she found to be incredibly rewarding, and a crucial learning experience.

You can often meet Sophie during post-operative checks, nail clip appointments, or helping on reception. You will definitely meet Sophie helping in a consultation if you book in with a pet rat!

In the future, Sophie hopes to qualify as a Registered Veterinary Nurse and continue a long career of caring for pets.

Having spent a lot of time around animals throughout her life, Rianna has always felt connected to animals, and has always known she wanted to work in the Veterinary industry.

Although our newest member to the clinical team, joining us in 2025, Rianna has thrived as part of our team, and proves every day that her care and commitment to animals is her priority. Rianna feels proud of the knowledge and experience she has gained so far, and the team is proud too!

So far, Rianna’s favourite part of her career is assisting in post-operative care, ensuring that her patients are calm, comfortable and pain free.

Rianna’s long term career goal is to qualify as a Veterinary Nurse, and assist local charities to ensure all pets are provided with the care that they need.

You will often meet Rianna during nail clipping, weight checks and sometimes helping out on reception.

Having previously worked as a team leader in medical sales, Gail took a bit of a career change and joined our team in 2016 as a receptionist. Although a bit unsure at first, Gail settled into the role and is now part of the furniture! We are sure many of our clients recognise Gail for her helpfulness and friendly greetings from our reception desk.

Gail has always had pets from a young age, and currently owns two beautiful cats, Alfie and Freddie, who love dreamies and lick-e-lix!

When Gail is not greeting our clients on reception, she enjoys keeping busy by going out to the cinema, theatre and concerts. When she’s not out and about, Gail enjoys some quiet time with her fiancé, two grown up daughters, and grandson.

Maria joined our team as a receptionist in 2019 as a change to her previous career. Having always loved animals, this job was a perfect fit. Maria shares her home with her two cats, Chica and Pikachu, one of which she acquired through the practice!

Animals have always played a big part in Maria’s life, growing up always having them around, and she cannot imagine her life without them.

When Maria is not making friends with our clients and patients alike, she spends her spare time volunteering at a watersports club for the disabled. In the summer months, you can also find Maria water-skiing herself!

I am currently on maternity leave 

Jordine is one of our new friendly faces on the Reception team!

Bio coming soon