Small Animal Internal Medicine
The Small Animal Internal Medicine Unit at the AHT has two main purposes. The first is to provide a full clinical referral service in feline and canine internal medicine that complements the other small animal specialties in the clinic. The second is to contribute knowledge and information on important canine and feline diseases, working in conjunction with other veterinarians and scientists at the Animal Health Trust.
We aim to offer a friendly, client-orientated referral service where the needs of the patient come first. We offer a full referral service in canine and feline internal medicine, backed up by extensive clinical and laboratory facilities. We aim to see genuine emergency cases the same day wherever possible.
Our team is composed of five veterinary surgeons and a dedicated veterinary nurse. We work closely with other disciplines at the Trust, utilising the wealth of experience in the specialist services available and hospitalised patients receive complete 24-hour care. We are also able to provide critical care for patients needing intensive monitoring.
Our Specialists in Internal Medicine are available to give telephone advice and in-house consultancy services to veterinary surgeons in both general and referral practices.
The AHT benefits from having a state-of-the-art MRI facility along with all other typical imaging modalities (radiography, ultrasonography and scintigraphy), that permits extensive investigations on site. We also have a full range of endoscopic equipment to allow non-invasive procedures and help with the diagnosis and treatment of various conditions (evaluation of the respiratory, gastro-intestinal and urogenital tract, feeding tube placement, removal of foreign bodies, etc…). We also work in close collaboration with our soft-tissue surgeons if a patient requires a surgical intervention.
The AHT is one of only a very few centres in the UK that is able to offer radioiodine therapy as a treatment for hyperthyroidism, which is a highly successful form of therapy. Cats treated with radioiodine therapy at the AHT only have to remain hospitalised for three weeks.
Internal Medicine Staff
Isabelle Cattin DrMedVet DACVIM MRCVS
American Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine
Senior Clinician Small Animal Internal Medicine
Isabelle graduated from the University of Bern, Switzerland in 2001 and then worked in small animal private practice in Switzerland while working on her doctoral thesis at the University of Bern. She obtained her doctoral degree in 2004 and decided to pursue further specialization. This started with an internship at the University of Vienna, Austria in 2005, followed by a residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine at the Louisiana State University in the United States in 2007. She worked there one more year as a Clinical Instructor after completion of her residency. Isabelle obtained the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Diploma in July 2010 and started at AHT in November 2010.
Isabelle’s interests are feline medicine, as well as immune-mediated diseases. She also has a special interest in interventional endoscopy and haematology/transfusion medicine.
She says ‘I enjoy working in a multi-disciplinary environment and collaborating with different specialists’.
Richard Elders MVB CertSAM DACVIM MSc (Clin Onc) PhD MRCVS
American Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine
Senior Clinician Small Animal Internal Medicine and Oncology
Richard graduated from University College, Dublin in 1999, following which he completed an internship at The University of Glasgow. During a period in private first opinion small animal practice in Scotland, he attained the RCVS Certificate in Small Animal Medicine. At the Royal Veterinary College, he completed a residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine in 2005, attaining the ACVIM Diploma, while also studying at The University of Birmingham for a Masters degree in Clinical Oncology, in which he recently obtained a distinction. Richard’s PhD thesis was on targeting and apoptosis in canine mast cell tumours, based at the Royal Veterinary College and from there he worked with a private veterinary referral specialists until his move to the AHT.
Richard will be seeing mostly oncology cases but will be ably supporting his colleagues in the medicine unit.
Susie Kenefik BA Vet MB DECVIM MRCVS
European Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine
Senior Clinician Small Animal Internal Medicine
Susie graduated from Cambridge University Veterinary School in 1999, after which she spent a year in first opinion small animal practice in East Anglia. From 2000-2001 she completed an internship in anaesthesia at Cambridge Vet School and in 2001 she started a 3 year residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine at the Royal Veterinary College, London. After completing her residency Susie stayed at the Royal Veterinary College as a member of the clinical staff, and in 2006 she moved to work with a private referral specialist center. She obtained her European Diploma in Small Animal Internal Medicine in 2008. Susie started working at the AHT in 2011. She has particular interest in small animal endocrinology and gastroenterology but is enthusiastic about all aspects of internal medicine.
European Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine
Senior Clinician Small Animal Internal Medicine
Yaiza graduated in 2002 from the University of Madrid. She then spent some time working in general practice until she started a Small Animal Internship at the University of Madrid. In 2004, she moved to the UK to do a Small Animal Medicine and Surgery internship at the Royal Veterinary College. After this, she did a 3 year Internal Medicine Residency at Liverpool University and obtained her European Diploma in Small Animal Internal Medicine in 2008. After finishing her residency, Yaiza moved back to the Royal Veterinary College, to undertake a PhD looking at the genetic causes of feline diabetes mellitus. Currently, Yaiza is in the process of finishing up her PhD as well as being part of the Internal Medicine Team at the AHT.
Clinician Small Animal Internal Medicine
Nicola graduated from the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Germany in 2003. She was offered a research fellowship at the University of Georgia, Athens which then contributed to her DrMedVet degree in 2005. Following a short period of time in a small animal referral practice in Germany she choose to specialize further and proceeded with an internship and residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine at the Vetsuisse University Zurich, Switzerland.
Nicola has been with the AHT since completion of her residency in July 2009.
“I feel thrilled in working in an exemplary environment where research and passionate patient care are combined within a multidisciplinary referral centre. I am enthusiastic about all aspects of medicine and oncology and my major focus of interest lies in feline endocrine diseases, treatment and cure (e.g. feline hyperthyroidism, radioiodine treatment (I131).”
Resident Small Animal Internal Medicine
Jordi graduated in 2008 from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). After spending a short time in General Practice, he performed a 12 months rotating internship at the Animal Health Trust (AHT). In January 2010, Jordi joined the AHT again for a Fellowship at the Internal Medicine and Oncology Unit, and he obtained the residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine in February 2011. His main areas of interests are gastroenterology, in particular chronic inflammatory enteropathies, liver and pancreatic diseases.
Donate online
sign up to receive news by email
Share this with:
keep in touch
Become a Friend on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Watch videos on our Youtube channel
