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SUMMER 2012 ISSUE
EQUINE MATTERS
10
AN EQUINE SURGEON
What's the most unusual
operation you have ever done?
The most unusual operation was performing a
stifle arthroscopy (key-hole joint surgery) on a
donkey a few years ago not because it was
a new operation but because according to
every charity involved in treating donkeys on
a regular basis this was the first time it had
ever been done, a great claim to fame in
the equid world!
The most ground-breaking operation I did
was last year in Shanghai, China where,
together with one of my surgical teams from
the UK we successfully performed a stifle
arthroscopy on China's best showjumper of
2011. This was the first time a horse had
been operated on under modern general
anaesthetic technique for a key-hole
procedure on the Chinese mainland.
Do you listen to music while
you operate?
Always!
What are your favourite tracks
to play while you operate
and why?
I let the nurses decide which tracks or radio
station to play…..to avoid subjecting them to
my musical tastes. When I do get to play my
music I currently like to listen to the
Stereophonics, Snow Patrol, Jason Mraz and
Jack Johnson. When I did the ground-breaking
operation in Shanghai last year we played
tracks from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers album
Californication - a classic!!!
Of all the countries you work
in, do you have a favourite
and why?
The UK will always be my favourite because
it's still home but when I work in France,
Singapore and China I enjoy speaking the
local languages and of course eating the
local food - there's always something new
and delicious to try and they have a genuine
love and joy of food in these countries.
Are there down sides to a life
on the road?
The only down side is the significant time
spent away from family and home. The
travelling takes a lot of time - I drive an
average 30,000 miles a year and I've
attained Gold member status with Virgin
Atlantic and Singapore Airlines so you can
guess the number of Air Miles I have!
What do you like to do in your
leisure time to unwind?
I try to ski as much as possible in the winter
and enjoy taking my young border collie
dog 'Pip' to obedience and flyball training
after he has kept me company in the car
working all week.
Living in my hometown of London now,
I love going to art galleries, watching the
latest movies, listening to live music
especially classical and jazz, eating out
at new restaurants, and then jogging along
the River Thames with 'Pip' to stay in some
sort of shape.
I work from home most Mondays;
confirming and organising appointments
and surgeries for the week, spending time
on new projects such as hospital builds
and various paperwork including reports
and preparing lectures and articles.
I also make lots of telephone calls to vets
discussing cases and interpreting e-mailed
x-rays. All my surgical equipment needed
for the week is loaded into my very
practical AudiTT and then I'm ready to
do some clinical work.
Tell us about a week
in your life…
Monday
I usually try to leave London early Tuesday
morning and drive to my first practice to
consult and operate straightaway, after
a very strong coffee. Depending on the
appointments list I may stay in the same
part of the country all three days or drive
to the next region the evening before. It is
not uncommon for me to work at a few
different practices in both the North and
South of England in a week. In the
evenings I usually go out for dinner with
vet friends for a catch up.
Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday
I use Friday as a 'spill over' day to either
continue any clinical work or as a 'travel
day' to either drive to France with 'Pip' or
jump in a taxi from home to London
Heathrow airport and fly off to a Far East
destination such as Singapore, Hong
Kong or Shanghai to work for a few
days or more, or sometimes I just have
a normal weekend off like everyone
else of course!
Friday/Saturday/Sunday
Performing a stifle arthroscopy in Shanghai, China